Street Glide vs. Electra Glide Classic

Okay, I may cross over to the dark side. I've owned a couple of H-D's, and really liked them. Want to do a little more touring, and I'm old enough for some comfort.
These bikes are pretty close in price.
My usual mission (other than to Starbucks) would include 5-600 kilometre days. Usually, I'm lightly loaded (the bike, not the rider) and one up.
Or, should I just save 8K and throw a windshield and bags on a Super Glide Custom?
Lyle

The touring frame is a much more comfortable platform than the Dyna. Plus you'll get a stereo, optional cruise control, ability to upgrade to intercom/CB. Tons of options for seats/tourpack/racks/backrest etc. I think the Streetglide looks cool, but I'd buy the comfort of the Classic...... Then again, that's just me, I'm on my 3rd Roadglide, what do I know...?

Electra Glide Classic owner here. There were many reasons I chose the Electra Glide over the Street Glide. I like the seat height as high as I can get from Harley. The Electra Glide's seat height is slightly higher than the Street Glide's. I'm not that tall (5' 10"), but since Harley's seats are so low to the ground, the higher the better. Also, ground clearance on the Electra Glide is better.

I go on a couple of long distance trips a year and having a top box is crucial. But, even around town, I use it ALL the time. Can't imagine not having it.

To me, the Electra Glide just looks more complete. The Street Glide looks like they didn't finish the bike. Maybe I'm just so used to seeing Harleys with top boxes that I'm biased, but overall, I like the look of the Electra Glide better.

For me, the better question was which of the three models of Electra Glide to go with. In my opinion, the best value was the Classic. I don't like lowers, I would never use the CB and anything else I might want to add doesn't justify the additional price of the Ultra or Limited. I really like my chrome side case protectors and can't figure out why they aren't on the top of the line Limited. I like the look of them and the functionality.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy the Electra Glide Classic. The only other Harley that I would consider is the Road Glide Ultra. Sweet bike. But, in my opinion they ruined the standard Road Glide by slamming the suspension. Had they not done that, it would have been a tough decision between the Electra Glide and the Road Glide.

If I were to ever consider a Harley without a top box, it would be the Road King. Because, in my opinion, the Road King truly embodies what a motorcycle should look like.

And one final point, I spent years on sport touring bikes. And some of them were great motorcycles. But this Electra Glide (Bought it last May) has put the fun back in motorcycling for me. I smile like a little kid every time I ride it. No bike, since I was 12 and riding my Honda 70, has made me smile like that.

The FLHTC, Electra Glide Classic could be the best value from Harley. The bike price is almost equal to the Street Glide but has the tour pack, extra lights and passenger floor boards for starters. If you add the quick detach system to your tour pack and pick up a used Street glide seat the look is similar. Here is mine with those same additions.

It's easier and less expensive to convert a EG to a SG and with the EG you'll have everything you need for touring. Purchase the kit to remove the Tour-Pak, put a short shield on and you'll basically have a SG, you can do the reverse with the SG but it will cost you more. The SG also sits an inch lower so you lose some ground clearence and it's a harsher ride. If you purchase a newer limited EG it does not have the front bumper on the fender and the wrap around saddle bag guards making it's even closer to the SG when stripped down. I think for the money the EG is a better buy, since the SG is a stripped down version of the EG for the same price. IMHO.

added: see above :)

Both of these are on the touring chassis, as such both are fine bikes. The street glide is lighter, simpler. The electraglide is heavier, more crome, more goodies. Not that much more money. Which ever you like and can afford. get and ride. Dio not worry about anything else. Me, I would get the Road Glide for the frame mounted fairing, but on a bike of that weight and wheelbase, it makes very little difference. Of the 2, the Electra Glide is the best value for accessories and chrome. And get the ABS, I have tested them, they work well, The big pig does not stop well, tires slide early. You need any help you can get.

Rod

While we're at it. The Road King? Comments? Tourability vs. the other two?
Lyle

FLHT that came with a Tour-Pak and stereo owner. I can listen to the stereo ... and smoke at 90 mph. Try that with a Road King.

The Tour-Pak is cavernous and strips off quickly ( even empty that thing has some weight perched way back past the rear axle and you'll notice the difference ). As others have said , start with one that has the bells and whistles and take off what you don't like. Most of the time I'll run with a solo seat and no Tour-Pak. I priced a set of fairing lowers/leg shields from harley ... they're proud of that shit and charge accordingly so you may want to factor that into the price.



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No contest IMHO the EG is the way to go for touring. I owned an EG standard back in 2003. Added a detachable top case and it worked great for long hauls. The road king can work with a windshield I guess as well but still does not have the amenities of the glides. I personally never cared for the road kings especially with a windshield attached. They are heavy under powered pigs IMHO. I've ridden nearly all HD's and the performance of the glide is superior. Back in 03 the EG standard was the most bang for the buck you could get. Not up on HD now so it sounds like they replaced the standard with the street glide by reading the posts. I had a Dyna Standard for while too and that was also much better handling HD then the soft tails......go for a test ride, decide for yourself is my advice.

It's easy enough to swap out the rear shocks to get the standard ride height back on the Road Glide custom. Street Glide for that matter, too. New take-off standard height shocks are always available on fleabay or any of the HD forums. If you can get used to the look, don't discount the Road Glide. I'm a big fan of the frame mounted fairing, it takes all the fairing weight (and wind buffeting)off of the forks/handlebars, and puts it right on the frame. Helps with stability on the highway, and helps it steer 'lighter' than what it is....

As an owner of the EG Limited, if you want a bike for long trips + comfort the EG is the way to go IMHO. I have owned several big bikes for touring, mostly metrics, the EG Limited is obviously my favorite. The bottom line, ride them all then decide. I also own a KLR 650 for desert and creek fishing adventures.

Safe travels to all,
Ed

I have a Super Glide Sport and love it. I have done several Iron Butt rides on it, including SS1500s (1500 miles in 36 hours) and BB1000 (1000 miles in 24 hours), but for touring, the touring bikes are much better. Most of my buddies ride Road Kings, but some have EGs. The faring on the EGs handles the wind better than the windshield on the RK. I have ridden the Road Glide as well, and liked it, but the wind protection did not seem as good to me as on the EG.

From a purely financial standpoint, I think the EG Classic is the best buy of the bunch, but I don't like all the chrome bag and fender protectors. It just screams old man bike to me. I like the looks of the Street Glide much better, but I'd want to put longer shocks and a Tour Pak on it. So, I'd probably buy a Victory Cross Country Tour.

I have an ultra limited. Wife has a new Super Glide Custom. The Super seems to be a fine bike, but really cramped to this 6'3" guy. My wife fits great at 5'7".

I love my EG.

I put a amp under the topcase, so removing it isn't really an easy option. I like having the storage space available, since we travel most weekends. I love listening to tunes.

I have a day bike for ripping around. If I was limited to one bike, I'd look hard at a RK. But as it is, I really like the EG.

This!

Moved up from a Softail Standard to "old man's bike" when I turned 40 and bought an '06 Street Glide for the reasons listed above...doesn't have all the chrome of the EG. But I did swap the 12" shocks for a set of EG 13" (front suspensions are the same), added a 4" taller winddhield as the stock screen on the SG is useless. I also added a Corbin seat with backreast as the HD seats don't agree with me after 1 hour of riding and pull back handlebars to reduce the reach....as for size I'm a lightweight at 5'7" and 150 lbs. Aslo added the detachable tourpack which was a pricey option.

A year ago I traded the SG for a '12 Road Glide Custom...which is essentially a SG version with the Shark Nose fairing. This time I swapped the 12" rears for a set of 13-1/4" Ohlins, taller windshield (again the Custom windshield is useless) and another Corbin with backrest, and pull back bars. Had to get new detachable hardware for the Tourpack as the frames changed bewteen '08 and '09 but the Tourpack is the same and fits the RG.

The RG handles the wind better but I really think the Batwing fairing on the SG/EG provides better "protection" and less rider buffeting.

Either bike, SG or EG is a great bike and I think it comes down to which "look" you want but as others have said, much easier to make the EG into a SG than vice versa.

Road King...would not even be a consideration for me if the bike was to be used for distance travel. Nothing wrong with the RK but the fairings on the big bikes make them so much less fatiguing and you get a stero...something I never thought I'd want but once you have it you realize you "need" it and crusie control is fabulous. I opted out of ABS as it was another $1.5K and never having ABS I didn't know what I was missing, plus the Brembro brakes on my '12 are much better than the brakes on the '06.

When it gets down to it I think any of the touring chassis bikes are pretty equal, just depends how much stuff you need/ want. I test rode street glide and road king and liked the feel of the road king better probably cause I have longer legs.
I like the HD touring bikes better than anything else I've ridden. I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them.
I am a grinning fool riding down the road on my RK.

I bought an '04 Road King Classic in May. I have nearly 6k miles on it since. Daily commuter. Have done some touring and day trips. Great mile eater....especially without the windshield. I use the windshield in cooler weather. I have done 400+ mile days and felt good at the end. I have spent hours in the saddle without any real discomfort. While mine doesn't have the updated frame she still hustles quite nicely. This big girl can really dance if you aren't afraid to sharpen a couple of floor boards.

I never thought I would be on a Harley...but here I am and I am enjoying the crap out of this bike. Coming off of a sport bike I was afraid it wouldn't be able to motivate enough to excite me. If you allow yourself to change the way you ride and recognize the limitations of the design you can really surprise some people. If treated properly the brakes can be two fingered, the handling is nice, and the comfort amazing. The aftermarket is unreal. Anything you ever dreamt of doing just costs money!

I would never have believed that such a large motorcycle could be so much fun.

Just traded in my 09 Road King with 62k miles for the Electra Glide Ultra Limited, the RK was a great bike and I had zero complaints when touring. I loved the looks of the RK, it's versatility being able to take the windshield off or on, I had a Tour-Pak and other goodies it was what I though the most comfortable bike I ever owned. Well the EG is more comfortable and offers better protection from the elements (no wind buffeting), radio, cb, intercom, trunk; it's also heavier and not as versatile. The RK might be the best tourer that HD makes, but you'll have to put money into it to get the comfort of the EG. With the RK you can add a Batwing fairing, radio, Tour-Pak and make it all quick release and you have a great around town bike. I wouldn't have traded mine in but after 62k miles I wanted trade it in while it still had some value.

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Most of the difference in weight is up high and you can feel the difference. If I had to ride on dirt or gravel roads often I'd prefer the Road King,. also noticed that headwinds and crosswinds are more noticeable on the EG, none of these characteristics are a problem just pointing out what I feel are different between the two.

I'll echo many of the previous comments. I had a an ElectraGlide Standard, which I sold to buy an 06 ElectraGlide Classic. After riding it a couple years, I bought the "detachable" kit for the trunk, a 6" windshield, and a StreetGlide seat and center tank panel off EBay. Then I could convert from Classic to "pseudo-StreetGlide in just a few minutes.
Good luck.

Its kinda neat seeing how many guys here that ride, ride Harley. After all the years I poo-pooed the whole lifestyle thing, I'm really getting into the bikes.

I still gear up, though

Ditto
The guys I tour with have gotten used to my Aerostich and actually get a little peeved that I just hang out while they're doing the raingear dance under an overpass when it starts to rain. I just smile

Great bikes, I've done some big days on mine and wouldn't want to do them back to back to back on anything else.

Really bummed I don't have a big trip planned this next summer... really need to do something about that.