The Standard was likely dropped from the lineup to drive Street Glide sales. Now that sales are in decline and boomers aren't buying like they used to, Harley brings it back. Too little, too late.
At a $2300 savings. Solo seat and no stereo. Doesn't seem like a bad deal comparatively. I'd rather see standard RK suspension to get the rear up, but all things considered, I think it's not a terrible deal. I've not rode a batwing bike yet to know if I would be very interested. I liked the RGS and RKS I demoed; the standard Road King would have needed a different windscreen and bars, but it felt the best of the trio. Then again, I might like the 114 Heritage better than all three.
I don’t know enough about the history of the H-D touring models to understand all of the disappointment. I don’t care about pillion accommodations, but I guess if the RK shocks truly offer a superior ride, that might be the better deal. I think it’s kinda lame that ABS and LED lighting isn’t standard for the price.
I like it. I'm a fan of minimalist stuff so this really turns my crank. The 14 and later batwing fairing is a great improvement over the earlier models simply due to the turbulence mitigation measures within the fairing. That alone makes it worth it over the RK.
Compare and contrast with a heritage. Only real difference is weight and seat and LED. Though you get single disk and tubes on heritage. Heritage is more dollars. Electra Glide looks good there.
I like it. In the age of 'bigger, better, more expensive', its nice to see a simplistic version offered. Albeit $19k is still way more coin than I'd throw at a bike.
As with the original Standard, Harley will likely offer a small storage bag that fits inside the opening. If they don't, I'm sure the aftermarket will.
So it'll have cruise, optional abs, and there's got to be a way to install the touring bike suspension right? Those things, lower wind deflectors and maybe an upgraded seat are all I would need to have this sucker tour ready! Could be good
Difference is the batwing fairing vs windshield. Neither one has the "infotainment system". RK windshield can be removed, fairing - not so much. Fairing provides better wind mgt. There's your trade-off.
I've had all the fairing pieces off both a street glide and a road glide (rushmore bikes) and I can tell you it definitely wasn't a 30 lb difference. But what's more so fishy, is the fact that the electra glide standard is listed at 781 lbs and the standard road king is 798 lbs.
So it's essentially a renamed police version. That slot in the dash is where the police radios normally go. I like it, and think it might do well. I've been toying with the idea of building out a performance bagger for a while now, and this would be the perfect platform. I dislike the big "infotainment" screens on the new Harleys and Indians, and the $3k savings goes a long way for performance parts. Yes I know there are cheaper ways to get faster touring bikes, but we all know thats not the point =)
But doesn't the Road Glide have a big top box with passenger accommodations too? They have to be comparing fully spec'd bikes. I thought the Road Glide has always been the heaviest, most expensive HD you can buy? EDIT: nope, I see that's not true, nevermind... As for the Road King weighing more than the Electra Glide, I have no idea. That is weird. They're all within a breath of 800 lbs anyway, I can't see why HD would bother to fudge weight numbers on bikes so heavy.
So what's the full story on this one? I'll admit to being partial to the Road Glide fixed fairing compared to the SG/Electra purely based on looks
105" Twin cam 10.5:1 CR ported heads with bigger valves port matched 58mm throttle body tman 590 cams. Currently waiting for my dyno/tune appointment on the 20th.