Harley-Davidson's Grand American Touring baggers are awesome. They are comfortable, stylish, and handle great; but which one would we choose? In this episode of The Motorcyclist podcast we argue over which of Harley's baggers are better.
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome back to the Motorcyclist Podcast.
00:02This is where we talk about motorcycles and what makes them great.
00:05Topics on this show constantly change,
00:07but the one thing that always remained is two-wheeled fun.
00:10In this episode, we are going to talk about
00:13the Harley-Davidson Street Glide and Road Glide.
00:16But before we do that, let's do some introductions.
00:18We've got editor, Adam Waheed.
00:21We've got photo editor, Jeffrey Allen.
00:23And you got myself, executive editor, Justin Dawes.
00:26So in this episode, we are going to talk about
00:30two of Harley's Grand American Touring Baggers,
00:33Street Glide and the Road Glide.
00:35They are two of the most popular Harley-Davidson's
00:38on the market right now.
00:39They're super hot.
00:41Everyone is, you know, they're just super popular.
00:47So we're going to talk about why.
00:49Why are they so popular?
00:50Why are they so good?
00:52And then we're going to have a little discussion on
00:54which is better, the Street Glide or the Road Glide?
00:58Because they're very similar in a lot of ways,
01:00but there are some notable differences.
01:02So first, I guess we should get into
01:06what is a Street Glide and what is a Road Glide?
01:12Well, the Street Glide has the sort of,
01:18I call it the cop fairing, but they call it the batwing.
01:22It has the fairing like the old cop bikes of the 50s or whatever.
01:26And that's the Street Glide and the fairing moves with,
01:30when you move the handlebars.
01:32And then the Road Glide is the, what's it called?
01:36The shark nose or shark?
01:38Shark nose.
01:39Yeah, shark nose.
01:40And that stays.
01:42It's mounted directly to the frame.
01:44The handlebars move and the fairing stays.
01:46Yep, yep.
01:48But they're, you know, I mean,
01:50essentially they're both touring bikes
01:52that have been stripped down a little bit, right?
01:55So Harley has a full line of touring bikes
01:58that have fairings and bags and top bags.
02:01And these bikes are a little bit more smoothed out.
02:08We'll say the top case is gone, you know,
02:11and it's just a, it's kind of a stripped down tour.
02:16And we call them baggers.
02:18Maybe a weekend tour.
02:20Yeah, weekend tour.
02:21I mean, I think you could go a long way on a glide anyways.
02:25You just have to pack more efficiently, right?
02:30Which we all ought to do anyways.
02:32Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:33So they're both FL models, which means a big twin tour.
02:39And Jeff already hit it.
02:40Street Glide, fork-mounted fairing, Road Glide, frame-mounted fairing.
02:44At the moment, both are powered by Milwaukee 8 big twin engines.
02:52They share very much the same chassis.
02:57And, you know, there's just, you know,
03:02there's all these variants now that are coming out on these bikes,
03:05thanks to actually racing, which is pretty interesting.
03:10Yeah, how crazy is that?
03:12Yeah, the Harley, I mean,
03:14I guess they originally were a racing company, but back to it.
03:18Yeah, back to it now.
03:19And, you know, King of the Baggers is a racing series
03:23where they race baggers.
03:25So it's Indian versus Harley-Davidson,
03:28the battle of the two great American motorcycle manufacturers.
03:33And from that, there have been models coming out
03:36that have more power, better suspension, better brakes,
03:39because let's face it, like for a long time,
03:41they were cruisers and they did the cruiser job,
03:45cruiser touring job, which was they didn't need to have
03:48super high performance brakes.
03:49They didn't need to have high-end suspension.
03:52And they didn't, you know, they just needed to be comfortable,
03:55have a good torquey engine and have a loud stereo maybe.
04:01Yeah.
04:02It was a great sightseeing machine, you know?
04:04Absolutely, absolutely.
04:06So, you know, that's basically what they are.
04:11You know, so you've got some newer models
04:16that are powered by a version of the Milwaukee 8
04:20that has variable valve timing now.
04:23And then you've got two performance baggers now,
04:26both road glides, the ST,
04:29which kind of is a milder take,
04:33but still a very high-end road glide
04:38that has like carbon fiber and Ohlins suspension on the rear.
04:42And now you've got the RR,
04:44which is $110,000 race replica.
04:48I want one of those things.
04:51Yeah.
04:53Doctor's item.
04:54Yeah.
04:54Yeah.
04:54We're talking, you know,
04:56billet case halves or side case halves
05:00and carbon fiber, everything.
05:03And, you know, just crazy, crazy looking machine.
05:06If I win the lottery this weekend,
05:09the next time you'll see me, I'll be on one of those.
05:11It'll be, it'll be that meme.
05:12I won't tell you I won the lottery,
05:14but the signs.
05:15I'll be on the RR.
05:17Yeah.
05:17Yeah.
05:17So how about,
05:19how about as we kind of always do,
05:22let's do a quick history of these,
05:23of these bikes because they've been around for a while.
05:27Yeah, you're right.
05:28A while.
05:28The,
05:29the,
05:30the street glide was introduced in 1985.
05:36And it was,
05:37and that,
05:38that one sec before we go on with that,
05:41there are some people that say the first street glide is actually 2006.
05:45So there's,
05:47there's a,
05:49it's semantics a little bit.
05:51Do those people work for Harley Davidson?
05:52They do not.
05:53They do not.
05:54But,
05:54but so,
05:55you know,
05:57go ahead,
05:57put your comments down below.
05:59Let's hear your history of the street glide.
06:00Cause there's going to be people that are like,
06:02nope,
06:02nope,
06:03nope.
06:03Absolutely not.
06:04That was a,
06:05that was a,
06:06you know,
06:07not a street glide.
06:09That was a different glide that they called the street glide.
06:12Cause it was options in this way or whatever,
06:14but we're going to go with,
06:16would they say it was the electric glide?
06:19Yeah.
06:19They would say it's electric glide that they got stripped down.
06:22Um,
06:23but we're going to go with 85.
06:24Yeah.
06:25The FL FL H X would be the model,
06:29right?
06:30Yep.
06:31No,
06:31is it?
06:32I thought it was the FL FL TR.
06:35No,
06:36that FL TR is the road glide.
06:40Hmm.
06:40Okay.
06:41All right.
06:41There you go.
06:41So I get,
06:42I'm corrected.
06:43I stand corrected.
06:45Uh,
06:46but yeah,
06:46it was in 85 and it had the Evo motor,
06:48which the Evo motor was,
06:50it was my first experience with Harley Davidson.
06:53That's my experience.
06:55Doesn't go back any farther than that.
06:57Uh,
06:58I mean,
06:5885,
06:59that's 40 years ago,
07:01dude.
07:01I know.
07:02But,
07:02but when you say the Evo,
07:05people are like,
07:05Oh,
07:06new guy.
07:07Yeah.
07:08The new fangled.
07:10I want some old school Harley.
07:11Yeah.
07:11Yeah.
07:13But,
07:13uh,
07:14you know,
07:14and that,
07:15that's the motor again,
07:16that is like post AFM year.
07:18So that's the motor that,
07:19you know,
07:20widely regarded as,
07:21you know,
07:22saving that company,
07:24saving the motor company.
07:25Yeah.
07:26But,
07:26uh,
07:27yeah.
07:28And that,
07:28that,
07:29the,
07:29the bat wing,
07:30like I said,
07:30it was like from like the early,
07:32uh,
07:33or from the,
07:34what I call the cop bike,
07:36but that came around like in the late sixties.
07:39I want to 65.
07:41Yeah.
07:41So it was invented by,
07:43or designed,
07:44I should say by,
07:45um,
07:45cause fairings have been around a long time.
07:47So he didn't invent a fairing,
07:49um,
07:50guy named Dean Dean Wixom,
07:52um,
07:53designed that fairing,
07:55made a deal with Harley to make it as like a bolt on accessory in the,
07:58in 65,
07:5966,
08:0067,
08:01something like that.
08:02And then,
08:03um,
08:03it became a standard part on the 71 electric light.
08:07So,
08:07I mean,
08:08we're talking,
08:09um,
08:1060 years of bat wing fairing.
08:13Yeah.
08:13Here,
08:14here.
08:14I like,
08:15I really liked that styling.
08:16Yeah,
08:16I do too.
08:18Iconic.
08:19Like just looks so good.
08:20Yeah.
08:21Yep.
08:22Yeah.
08:22And I,
08:23I mean,
08:24I just,
08:24I like being on those bikes in general,
08:26just cause it's a chance to relax on a motorcycle.
08:32You know,
08:32sometimes while he does like grip it and rip it,
08:35you know,
08:35I'm sometimes I try to keep up with them,
08:37but you know,
08:38if you're,
08:39if you get on,
08:40on a,
08:41uh,
08:41on a bagger,
08:42it's a,
08:42it's a much different,
08:43uh,
08:44intention,
08:45you know,
08:45most of the time.
08:46Yeah,
08:46very much so.
08:47Most of the time.
08:48Yep.
08:49So,
08:49okay.
08:49Cruisers are made to cruise,
08:50you know?
08:51Yeah,
08:51exactly.
08:52Cruisers are made to cruise.
08:53So,
08:54um,
08:54I guess we should touch on all the different,
08:55uh,
08:57errors of,
08:58of the street glide.
08:59And then,
09:00uh,
09:01we'll just get into the road glide after that.
09:02But so 85 was the Evo engine 2006,
09:06which a lot of people are claiming is the first street glide,
09:10uh,
09:11was the twin cam 96,
09:14uh,
09:15cubic inch twin cam.
09:16Um,
09:17and then in 2017,
09:18um,
09:19and then in 2017,
09:20um,
09:21and that was the first Milwaukee eight,
09:23uh,
09:24power plant.
09:24And then in 2023 was the CVOs,
09:28which,
09:29um,
09:30um,
09:30the design language was the,
09:32the most modernized design language of,
09:35um,
09:36street glide and road glide.
09:38Um,
09:39they got like,
09:39you know,
09:40led lights and all that stuff,
09:41but they also got an updated Milwaukee eight.
09:43That's a one 21,
09:44uh,
09:46with variable valve timing,
09:47which was a first for Harley.
09:49So yeah,
09:50those,
09:51those,
09:52those bikes in 2023,
09:53the,
09:53the CVOs,
09:54they also got the show,
09:55uh,
09:56suspension front and rear and,
09:58uh,
09:59Brembo brakes.
10:00Yeah.
10:00And Brembo brakes.
10:01So yeah,
10:01uh,
10:02big upgrade.
10:03And then,
10:03uh,
10:042024 came,
10:05uh,
10:06one 17,
10:07um,
10:09uh,
10:10glides as well that are non CVO.
10:12So,
10:12uh,
10:13lots of changes.
10:15What about the,
10:16what about the road glides?
10:17Let's get some quick history on the road glide.
10:19So the,
10:20the road glide came out just slightly after our official,
10:23uh,
10:25uh,
10:26the launch of the,
10:27of the street glide.
10:29We said 85 and the road glide came along in 88 with the,
10:33uh,
10:33with that,
10:34that shark nose fairing.
10:36Yep.
10:37Yep.
10:38And that shark nose fairing was,
10:40uh,
10:41originally on the tour glide.
10:44So shark nose fairing those days,
10:47like it's,
10:47it's definitely slimmed down and the headlight profile,
10:50but you've got twin front headlights.
10:54So two headlights instead of the single in the,
10:56in the bat wing it's,
10:58um,
10:59fairing mount or frame mounted.
11:01So it's,
11:02um,
11:03it's a bit more substantial in width.
11:07I don't know if it's technically wider,
11:08but yeah,
11:09it's definitely a bigger,
11:11it looks like it.
11:12Yeah.
11:12It's definitely a bigger,
11:14as you would say,
11:15it looks a bit more aerodynamic than a bat wing.
11:18Right.
11:19Yeah.
11:19Makes a nice pocket behind it,
11:21you know,
11:21for sure.
11:22Avoid the wind turbulence.
11:24Yeah.
11:24So that's a,
11:26that's a super truncated quick history of those two glides that we're doing here.
11:31This,
11:31uh,
11:32you know,
11:33um,
11:33we could be here discussing the nuances of glides and road glides.
11:39And each year we could be here for four hours.
11:42It would be a college college course we could do on them.
11:46So,
11:46um,
11:47we're going to just,
11:48you know,
11:48um,
11:50say 88 was the first,
11:51uh,
11:52first road glide.
11:53And then it kind of followed along with the street glide in terms of updates with the twin cam and the M8 and the 121 VVT all kind of in,
12:03in line with each other,
12:05running in parallel the whole time,
12:06because they're very similar bikes.
12:08Um,
12:09for the most part,
12:10you know,
12:11like it's,
12:12it's,
12:12uh,
12:12it's two iterations of a very successful recipe.
12:16It's like,
12:16do you like your,
12:17your cookies with chocolate chips or do you like them with walnuts?
12:21You know?
12:22Yeah.
12:23Chocolate chips.
12:25Since you're asking.
12:27Yeah.
12:27Okay.
12:28Yeah.
12:28I mean,
12:29I think most people choose that one or the other,
12:31just based on appearance.
12:33And,
12:34you know,
12:35possibly a,
12:36a,
12:36a slightly better wind pocket behind the,
12:40yeah.
12:40And I guess,
12:41uh,
12:41before we get into,
12:42I want to talk about why they're so popular and all that stuff,
12:44but let's,
12:44let's get into that because that is maybe the,
12:47the most,
12:48uh,
12:50we'll say that what people think about the two fairings and maybe it's,
12:55some of it's true.
12:56Some of it's not.
12:56Um,
12:57one is maybe better in certain situations than the other,
13:01because one is fork mounted and one's frame mounted.
13:05Right.
13:05So if you,
13:07the fork mounted one,
13:08there's a big.
13:11Aerodynamic wall there,
13:12right.
13:14That,
13:14that is attached to your steering.
13:17So,
13:18you know,
13:19um,
13:19some people say that,
13:20you know,
13:22crosswinds and things can affect a bat wing fairing more than a shark
13:28nose.
13:29So I don't know what your guys's personal opinions are on it.
13:33For me,
13:33I think both bikes are ridiculously stable and I've never had a issue with
13:41either in terms of stability.
13:43So,
13:44yeah,
13:45nor have I,
13:45I like them both as well.
13:47It's kind of a styling thing,
13:48whichever really what,
13:50what other you prefer,
13:51prefer aesthetically.
13:52And they both look cool too.
13:55I,
13:55you know,
13:56just kind of depends what look you're going after.
13:58Really?
13:59You mean people debate till they're blue in their face about which one is
14:02better.
14:03For whatever reasons,
14:04but it's just all comes down to personal preference.
14:07Yeah.
14:08I,
14:08I've not,
14:09I've,
14:09I've not had any issues like you were saying with that dogs.
14:12The only thing is I do prefer the,
14:14the street glide fairing,
14:16uh,
14:17for appearance,
14:18but also like when you're at low speed,
14:21my,
14:21when you're on the road glide,
14:23like parking lot speeds,
14:25you go to turn,
14:25my brain expects to see that fairing move.
14:29Yeah.
14:29Cause it is big in front of you.
14:31So I,
14:31I can't,
14:33uh,
14:33but I mean,
14:34okay.
14:35You have that argument,
14:36but what about a gold wing?
14:38Yeah.
14:38What about it?
14:39You know,
14:39I,
14:39I agree.
14:40Yeah.
14:41Yeah.
14:41So,
14:42um,
14:42I would say though,
14:43that,
14:44um,
14:45there's gotta be a reason that Harley races the road glide and not the
14:48street glide.
14:48There's gotta be some aerodynamic advantage.
14:50Um,
14:52whether that's stability or just better aerodynamics,
14:54I can't say,
14:56but,
14:56um,
14:57they do choose to race the,
14:58the shark nose rather than the bat wing.
15:02Could it just be marketing?
15:03And it could be marketing.
15:04It could be,
15:05it could be total.
15:06You know,
15:06I don't think it,
15:07um,
15:08I think it could be a full on combination of all those things.
15:11But I mean,
15:12if you're going racing,
15:13you can race to win.
15:14You pick the best platform for racing.
15:17So,
15:17um,
15:17it's probably a marketing thing more than anything.
15:19Cause realistically,
15:20when you look at those bikes to side by side,
15:23you know,
15:24the road glide does look more sporty.
15:26It just does,
15:27you know?
15:28So,
15:29I mean,
15:29it would be a natural fit to,
15:31it's not like it's like radically more sporty,
15:33but it just,
15:34it just looks more sporty.
15:35A little bit more,
15:36you know,
15:37aggressive.
15:38Yep.
15:39Yep.
15:39Yeah.
15:39So what a crazy idea is to race those things.
15:42You know what I mean?
15:43Like whoever was sitting around the bar with a couple of beers and
15:46thought we should race baggers probably thought initially they were
15:51probably kidding,
15:52but for sure.
15:53And it becomes so popular.
15:55Yeah.
15:55Yeah.
15:56Well,
15:56I mean,
15:56that's,
15:57uh,
15:57I call it the Roland Sands effect,
15:59like racing things that don't make sense.
16:02Yeah.
16:02Turn into the hooligan race.
16:05Hooligan.
16:05You know,
16:05that kind of stuff.
16:06Like it,
16:07um,
16:08you race things that don't make sense and it actually makes for good
16:11racing because it's,
16:12it's wild and it's weird and it's a spectacle.
16:15Yeah.
16:16And now we're saying it actually turned into like,
16:19like,
16:19um,
16:20Kevin Cameron always kind of equates bagger racing to super bike racing in
16:25the late seventies,
16:26early eighties.
16:27Like there's technological advancement coming from racing into those
16:34models now so that they can have better bikes to race.
16:38Yeah.
16:39And it's even the bagger racing has even grabbed the attention of motor GP.
16:43They did a test last year.
16:45They're considering about,
16:46they're considering adding a bagger race to some weekends.
16:50Yeah.
16:51Yeah.
16:51Crazy.
16:52Isn't that crazy?
16:53So wild,
16:54but it's cool.
16:55I mean,
16:55like,
16:56you know,
16:56uh,
16:57this year,
16:58a hundred and what?
16:59Eighty seven miles an hour on the banking at Daytona.
17:03Wow.
17:03The bagger.
17:04I think it's crazy.
17:06It's awesome.
17:06Yeah.
17:07That's awesome.
17:07I mean,
17:08they're turning,
17:08they're turning,
17:09uh,
17:10I think it was Wyman that he would have been in the top five in the 200,
17:16uh,
17:17qualifying times with the bagger.
17:20Like it's,
17:21that's how fast they are.
17:22Oh,
17:22a current 200,
17:24a current Daytona.
17:25Yes.
17:26Oh,
17:26I was,
17:26I was wondering like when one 87 would have been,
17:29you know,
17:30but lap time,
17:31lap time,
17:31he was fast enough.
17:32I think it was top five or top 10.
17:34It was like insane.
17:36How far up the,
17:37the grid he would have been with that time on a bagger compared to a,
17:42a full on super bike,
17:45super sport.
17:46How humbling would that be?
17:47It'd be on your,
17:48on your sport bike.
17:49And the bagger goes past you.
17:51Oh,
17:51geez Louise.
17:53Yeah,
17:53I could,
17:54I,
17:54it would happen to me.
17:55I know that for a fact.
17:56It would happen to me.
17:58Smoke.
17:59So it happens to me all the time.
18:02Yeah.
18:02Yeah.
18:03So super rad.
18:05So what,
18:06let's talk about why they're so popular.
18:07Who's got thoughts on popularity reasons.
18:12Why?
18:14I can tell you why I like it.
18:17I like it for the reason I mentioned earlier about just slowing down and,
18:21and enjoying motorcycles in a different way.
18:25Like the sightseeing part of it.
18:27I generally,
18:28it's nice to have a passenger,
18:30you know,
18:30like go,
18:31I love it for a weekend.
18:32I love that.
18:34That would be my choice for just like a Sunday ride.
18:37Go get some lunch with a,
18:39with a,
18:39with a date.
18:40But when you say the funny part is when you say another way,
18:45because in the reality,
18:47that's the normal way because there's more Harley Davidson sold in the United
18:51States than any other motorcycle.
18:53So cruising,
18:55cruising is actually the normal way of riding a motorcycle in the United States.
18:59The most popular.
19:00Yeah.
19:01The most popular way.
19:03So,
19:03and as it should be,
19:04you know,
19:04it's yeah,
19:06no,
19:06it's cool.
19:06It's what about you,
19:09Heed?
19:09Why do you think that the,
19:10these two models in particular are so popular?
19:14Well,
19:14yeah,
19:14just like Jeff said,
19:15I mean,
19:16they're really passenger friendly.
19:18So you can bring someone along for the ride,
19:20which is an important thing to do.
19:22And they just look cool.
19:24They sound cool.
19:25They have that nostalgic,
19:27you know,
19:27potato,
19:27potato,
19:28potato V twin sound and character,
19:31you know,
19:32nowadays they've modernized them.
19:34So they have a modern twist,
19:35but they haven't lost their,
19:37their ethos to that,
19:39that type of powertrain,
19:41which is really cool.
19:42You know,
19:42so they look cool.
19:43They sound cool.
19:45They ride like a dream.
19:46You know,
19:47they just ride down the highway just so nicely.
19:50And,
19:51you know,
19:51like Jeff said,
19:52you just can,
19:53you get to look around and like see stuff where sometimes,
19:57you know,
19:57we all like going fast and riding our bikes.
20:00And sometimes you're focused more on like what's coming up in front of me.
20:03Cause you're,
20:04you know,
20:04you're kind of operating,
20:06you know,
20:06with speed,
20:07but with these cruisers,
20:08you can just chill.
20:09It's totally fine to set the cruise control at 65 and chill.
20:14Yeah.
20:14How many times have you been on some,
20:16like some fun twisty back road on a,
20:20on a bagger and you look around and you're like,
20:23I've been on this road dozens of times.
20:25It's not hundreds.
20:25I never noticed that over there.
20:27You know,
20:27you get a chance to take in your,
20:30your surroundings for sure.
20:31Yeah.
20:31Yeah.
20:32But they still have good handling in those corners.
20:34They really do.
20:35Yeah.
20:36They really do have excellent handing.
20:38The current ones for sure.
20:39Yeah.
20:40Yeah.
20:40They are there.
20:41That's the,
20:42that's what I think is one of the reasons they're so popular.
20:44And one of the reasons they're so good,
20:47I should say,
20:47is that Harley Davidson,
20:49um,
20:50they do the work,
20:51right?
20:51Like everyone looks at it and goes,
20:53Oh,
20:54like it's this old school motorcycle.
20:56No,
20:56it's not.
20:56It looks old school.
20:59They hide all the technology.
21:00They hide the work they do,
21:02um,
21:03in a way that they're,
21:05they're built so well.
21:07Um,
21:07but they hide that it's built so well.
21:10If that,
21:10that makes sense.
21:11Like they,
21:11they don't,
21:12they don't put the technology up front.
21:14They don't say like,
21:15we're an engineering company where,
21:17you know what I mean?
21:17They're selling you a lifestyle and a,
21:20um,
21:20a product for your life and for your,
21:23your hobbies,
21:23but they're not,
21:24they're not pointing at a spec sheet the whole time.
21:27They're pointing at like,
21:28look at the,
21:30like what you can do with it and how comfortable it is and how this feels.
21:34And the way,
21:35like,
21:35like that's the other thing.
21:36If you sit on a Harley Davidson and you grab the handlebars and you touch the brakes
21:40and you,
21:41you just place your hands,
21:42you could blindfold me and put me on a glide and put my hands on the bike.
21:47And I would know I was on a glide.
21:48Yeah,
21:49absolutely.
21:49Take me off,
21:50put me on a,
21:51a BMW,
21:51uh,
21:53bagger or Indian bagger.
21:55And I would go,
21:56Nope,
21:56not a glide.
21:57Like there's just something about it that there's a consistency while continuing to elevate the motorcycle.
22:05Yeah.
22:05They're one of those unique,
22:06uh,
22:07brands where you could take,
22:09you could sit on it like that.
22:11I,
22:11or you could take all of the badges off of it.
22:14It's like a Porsche or a,
22:15or a Mercedes.
22:17You take all the badges off and from a distance,
22:19you'd know exactly what it is.
22:21Like you would never mistake a Porsche for anything else.
22:23And it's the same for the most part.
22:26I mean,
22:26there are,
22:27there have been some,
22:28some copycats of Harley Davidson,
22:30but you,
22:32you look at it and you know what it is.
22:35Yeah.
22:35Yeah.
22:35Very much so.
22:36And you know,
22:38I mean,
22:38it's the,
22:40the chicken or the egg argument in terms of,
22:42of cruisers and baggers.
22:43Like,
22:44you know,
22:45is someone copying somebody else or is it just,
22:48that's the way that they evolve in the shape and they have to be that shape and all that.
22:51But still,
22:53like,
22:54like you said,
22:54like Harley Davidson,
22:55you know,
22:56it,
22:56even if it didn't have the badges on it and it can come down from the shape,
23:00but it can also come down to like the fit and finish.
23:02Like you look at the Chrome on a Harley Davidson and you,
23:06it,
23:06it,
23:07it,
23:07it's better.
23:09Like Chrome on a Harley Davidson's really good.
23:12Paint finishes are usually pretty good.
23:14Switch gear,
23:15pretty solid.
23:16Like it's just,
23:17you know what I mean?
23:18Like you could look at bits of the bike.
23:20They could hand you a,
23:21a part that's covered in Chrome and say what,
23:25what company manufactured this.
23:27And I think that if it was a piece of Chrome,
23:30I would be like,
23:30that's Harley Davidson Chrome.
23:32Yeah.
23:33So,
23:34yeah.
23:35And that,
23:35that's to their credit,
23:36you know,
23:36like being able to just recognize their product regardless,
23:41even if you don't,
23:42even if you're not a motorcyclist,
23:44most people could spot a Harley.
23:46Yes,
23:46very much so.
23:47I mean,
23:48that's the other thing you ask children to draw a motorcycle.
23:52They're usually going to draw some variation of a Harley Davidson.
23:56It might not be a glide,
23:57but it's going to be a cruiser most of the time.
23:59If you know,
24:00it's,
24:01it's just,
24:02you know,
24:03close your eyes and think about a motorcycle.
24:05And for Americans,
24:06a lot of them would first thing that pops in their head is a Harley Davidson,
24:10you know?
24:11So,
24:12um,
24:13yeah,
24:14they're just,
24:14they're just good.
24:15well-engineered bikes that,
24:18you know,
24:19uh,
24:20are,
24:20they have a presence to them,
24:23but they're also unassuming because they're,
24:25they're not flaunting all the tech all the time,
24:27you know?
24:28Yeah.
24:28Well,
24:29it's been working for 120 years.
24:30So,
24:31yeah.
24:31Yeah.
24:32I mean,
24:32let's,
24:33you know,
24:34uh,
24:35let's get into that though,
24:36real quick.
24:36The,
24:37the hunt,
24:37it's been working for 120 years,
24:39except that,
24:39um,
24:41people have said they're going out of business for 119 years.
24:45Yeah.
24:46Yeah.
24:46I mean,
24:47I wish I had a business.
24:48It was that struggled for 120 years,
24:51you know?
24:51Yeah.
24:52Yeah.
24:52I mean,
24:52let's,
24:53let's not,
24:54let's,
24:54let's be clear.
24:56Um,
24:572024,
24:59um,
25:00financial,
25:01uh,
25:02revenue was down,
25:02but bike sales across the board are,
25:05or have,
25:05have gone down.
25:06So,
25:07um,
25:07you know,
25:08they're not,
25:08they're not unique in that.
25:09They're not unique in that problem.
25:11But,
25:11um,
25:12they are a publicly traded company.
25:13Their financials are out there for everyone to see,
25:16which adds to a bit of scrutiny and a bit of,
25:19um,
25:20which it should be because if you're a shareholder,
25:23of course you care if,
25:24if the stock is down or if it's up and,
25:26you know,
25:27um,
25:28so there's that,
25:29but there's also,
25:30uh,
25:31people that always think the sky is falling for Harley Davidson.
25:33And like we said,
25:35um,
25:36revenue in,
25:37I looked it up revenue in 2024,
25:40four was $5.2 billion,
25:44$5.19 billion.
25:46Now that's down 11%,
25:48which is,
25:48that's a big number.
25:50That's significant.
25:50Yeah.
25:52It's a significant number,
25:53but it's still $5.2 billion.
25:56That's not a failing company.
25:58And you can't have positive years,
26:00year after year,
26:00after year,
26:01after year.
26:01Now,
26:02if you see a decline for,
26:03for 15 years,
26:04or you see a,
26:05a sharp downward spike,
26:09that's different than a slide.
26:11I think,
26:12uh,
26:12slides come and go.
26:14Um,
26:14you know,
26:15if I'm holding Harley Davidson stock,
26:17I'm just going to hold it.
26:17I'm not going to sell it.
26:19Um,
26:19cause it's going to go back up in my,
26:22it's a long play.
26:24It's a long running company.
26:26You know,
26:27you know,
26:28I'm no financial expert.
26:31Don't,
26:31don't take this as a,
26:32uh,
26:33as advice in any way,
26:35shape or form,
26:36but,
26:36um,
26:37you know,
26:37plenty of other companies that have had,
26:39had tough years to even,
26:41even Apple was on the brink at one point.
26:43Yeah.
26:44GM,
26:45they filed bankruptcy in like whatever that was like 2009.
26:48Right.
26:49So big American companies can fail.
26:52And,
26:53you know,
26:54Harley Davidson is not immune to that,
26:57but I think,
26:58um,
26:59you know,
27:00it's,
27:01it's not as dire as most people want to believe.
27:04I think people just root against the,
27:05the big guy,
27:06no matter what,
27:07which is okay.
27:08That's,
27:08that's totally fine.
27:10There's always some of that.
27:11You want to see the,
27:11you want to see the champion fail at some point.
27:14And okay,
27:14cool.
27:15Done with that.
27:16I understand that completely,
27:17but,
27:17um,
27:19you know,
27:19this company,
27:20that's kind of our way here,
27:21you know,
27:21in,
27:22in the States,
27:22like we,
27:23we tend to root against the,
27:25uh,
27:25the champion.
27:27And then they,
27:28then when they make,
27:28we also love a comeback,
27:30we love a comeback.
27:32And so I'm,
27:33I'm rooting for Harley Davidson to come back.
27:35I mean,
27:35there are some other interesting issues going on now with Harley with,
27:38um,
27:40you know,
27:40the,
27:40the president,
27:41uh,
27:42or,
27:42uh,
27:43sites leaving,
27:44um,
27:45retiring,
27:45and there's some battling across the,
27:47in the board.
27:48And,
27:49um,
27:50one of the larger stakeholders is pushing against sites and some other board
27:55members.
27:55And they've got a little camp,
27:57they got a campaign that they put out,
27:59not a little campaign put out saying like for shareholders to vote,
28:02to withhold those board members reelections,
28:05because they don't agree with,
28:06um,
28:07how the,
28:08how it's been run and the results.
28:10And Hey,
28:10that's,
28:11that's what shareholders do.
28:12And that's totally cool.
28:14And,
28:14but I don't,
28:15I don't think it's as dire as most people think.
28:17And I think Harley Davidson is very far from going under as some people will say.
28:23Yeah.
28:24The naysayers,
28:25the naysayers,
28:26but it's also good for the naysayers to keep them honest and make them think,
28:31right.
28:31If I,
28:31if you own shares and you're not happy with where they are now,
28:35totally understand that as well.
28:38So,
28:39um,
28:40okay.
28:40That's our,
28:40that's our quick,
28:41uh,
28:42talk,
28:42talk on the,
28:43the topic of financials of Harley Davidson.
28:45We got a little off.
28:48We got a little in the weeds,
28:48but that's okay.
28:49I could be,
28:49because people would,
28:50would call us out if we didn't talk about it in this episode.
28:53So,
28:53um,
28:54what about,
28:56okay.
28:56So let's just get to straight glide or real glide.
28:59Which one are you,
29:02Adam?
29:03Which one are you?
29:05I,
29:05I certainly like both those bikes.
29:07And I think there's a time and a place for,
29:10for either,
29:10you know,
29:11depending on what region of the country you're riding and who you're riding with.
29:14But personally,
29:15I,
29:16I like the road guides.
29:17I,
29:18I just like them.
29:19I think they look a little bit more sporty.
29:21The new 2023,
29:242024,
29:25uh,
29:26version is just awesome.
29:27I love the new design they did,
29:29you know,
29:30maybe the Harley Davidson purists don't like it,
29:32but I sure do.
29:33And yeah,
29:34it's,
29:35I would definitely go with a road glide,
29:37but street glides are awesome too.
29:39But what about you guys?
29:42Well,
29:43in,
29:43in,
29:43uh,
29:442023,
29:44when they,
29:45when they introduced that,
29:47that the new,
29:48uh,
29:48road glide and street glide with the CVO,
29:51that we talked about with the show and the,
29:54and the promo bikes,
29:55I had a chance to ride those bikes,
29:57you know,
29:58in like one of the,
30:01one of like the dream rides,
30:02like we rode on PCH up near like Big Sur and Carmel and all that.
30:06And,
30:07uh,
30:08of course,
30:09you know,
30:09performance wise,
30:10they were about,
30:10they were about the same,
30:11but,
30:11uh,
30:12love the bikes.
30:13And,
30:14uh,
30:14I'm,
30:15I'm more of a street glide,
30:16uh,
30:17as far as styling goes,
30:19I'm more,
30:19more likely to pick the street glide,
30:21even though that new fairing,
30:24I,
30:25I don't love that new,
30:26more angular street glide fairing.
30:30I love the interesting.
30:32So I like the updated bike to your point earlier,
30:35Dawes about the bikes get updated,
30:37but they are more of a traditionalist with the,
30:39uh,
30:40with the styling.
30:42Yeah.
30:42I'm going to agree with Jeff on the styling.
30:45Um,
30:46I,
30:48Oh,
30:49the,
30:49the new styling is growing on me.
30:51I think the,
30:52the real issue I have with the styling is the,
30:55the long light bar,
30:56the daylight running light.
30:57Um,
30:58it's too modern for me.
31:01I think if I,
31:02I like the shape,
31:03I just think the addition of a extra long light bar running light thing,
31:08it kind of makes it too modern.
31:12Um,
31:12so,
31:13but I like the shape and all the updates are insane on that bike.
31:17There's so much better.
31:18They're so good.
31:19So,
31:20um,
31:20but I'm a,
31:21I'm a glide guy.
31:22I,
31:23I'm all about the glide.
31:24I think I agree with Adam.
31:26And it looks,
31:28uh,
31:29it looks sportier.
31:30Um,
31:31it has more of a presence.
31:33It looks a little bit more muscular and maybe it's a little less traditional.
31:36So it's kind of like in the middle,
31:37like I feel like that's like a,
31:39a middle ground of like traditional,
31:43but very sporty at the same time mix.
31:47So I'm a,
31:48I'm a glide glide person or a road glide person as well.
31:53Road glide.
31:54Okay.
31:55Yep.
31:55So if I was going to be walking into Harley Davidson and signing my name on the,
32:03on a dotted line,
32:04it's absolutely going to be a road glide and it'll be an RR.
32:09I'm going to buy your RR Jeff before you get to it.
32:11When can I expect delivery?
32:14I'm going to buy it for myself.
32:15Oh,
32:16I thought you're buying it for me.
32:17I thought you're right.
32:18There's only 131 of them.
32:20So I'm going to get one before,
32:21before you get your hands.
32:22Yeah.
32:23I was going to say that.
32:25Oh,
32:25sorry.
32:25Go ahead,
32:25Jeff.
32:26Well,
32:26I would say that one of the,
32:27my favorite street glides I ever rode,
32:29we had for a time,
32:30we had that,
32:31that fast Johnny with the one 35 with the one 35,
32:36a crate motor in it.
32:38Holy smokes.
32:39That thing was so fun.
32:40Like for anybody watching this,
32:43Google that,
32:44that thing is awesome.
32:46Yep.
32:46Another thing too,
32:47with the street glide versus road glide,
32:49another thing that really comes into the factor of which one you'd select,
32:53honestly,
32:54is,
32:54is the colorway,
32:55the paint job.
32:56Cause you'll have street glides that come in certain colorways that will just,
33:01they will stand out and pop on,
33:04unlike the road glide,
33:05but then there'll also be road glides in certain colorways that stand out and pop
33:09different than the street glide.
33:11So yeah,
33:12a road glide on the color.
33:15Yeah.
33:15A road glide body work is works better with some sort of graphical design,
33:22right?
33:23With like a two tone or a,
33:24you know,
33:25a swoop or something like that works really well with a road glide where a street glide,
33:30a solid color looks great.
33:33Totally.
33:34Yeah.
33:34Excellent.
33:35Well-finished solid color.
33:37And I've seen some street glides with like,
33:39with some form of like glitter,
33:41almost glitter to them.
33:43And,
33:43and that solid paint with the little bit of glitter.
33:46Oh my God.
33:47Those street glides look just awesome in that configuration.
33:51Exactly.
33:51Yep.
33:52Well,
33:53cool.
33:53Um,
33:54what,
33:55what's the future look like for,
33:56in our opinion,
33:57for glides,
33:59what's going to be,
33:59what's going to be the next glide?
34:01I mean,
34:02the,
34:02they're up in the bar in terms of performance and stuff.
34:04So what do you,
34:05what do you guys see for the next glide?
34:07What do you want to see in those things?
34:10Well,
34:10I would say in the,
34:11in the,
34:12in the typical Harley Davidson way,
34:14it would be incremental,
34:15you know,
34:16like small improvements,
34:17small changes.
34:18Um,
34:19and that,
34:20that's actually kind of the way I like to see it.
34:23Mm-hmm.
34:24Mm-hmm.
34:24Mm-hmm.
34:26Yep.
34:27I agree.
34:28I think that there's some other additions that may come fairly soon.
34:31Um,
34:32you know,
34:32radar cruise is getting big and it's a cruiser.
34:35It's a tour.
34:36I can see radar cruise being put on the bikes pretty soon.
34:40Um,
34:40all the rider aids are there now.
34:42Like they've got,
34:43you know,
34:43they've added rider aids to it.
34:45So there's nowhere to go with that.
34:48Um,
34:49I don't know,
34:49man.
34:50Um,
34:52who knows,
34:52maybe,
34:53maybe an RRR,
34:55a triple R.
34:57Yeah.
34:57Yeah.
34:57Yeah.
34:58Yeah.
34:59So,
34:59all right,
35:00well,
35:00we're going to wrap it up.
35:02Um,
35:03overall takeaway,
35:05both the road glide and the street glide are awesome.
35:08They got comfort.
35:08They got style.
35:09They got power.
35:10They're a bestseller for Harley Davidson for a reason.
35:13It's because they're awesome.
35:15And,
35:16uh,
35:17they are,
35:18they're just so good.
35:20They don't fall down in any sort of way when you're riding them.
35:23And they're always surprising.
35:25Like you will get off of other bikes and get back on a,
35:27on a glide and go,
35:28Oh,
35:29this is nice.
35:30This is cool.
35:30You know,
35:31you,
35:31you never are unhappy riding a glide.
35:34So.
35:35Totally.
35:35Um,
35:35and other manufacturers try to make their equivalent of,
35:39of that vehicle.
35:40And it's never the same.
35:42Yeah.
35:42No,
35:42no,
35:43it just doesn't have quite the same thing that a glide does.
35:46There's,
35:46there's great other American baggers that do other things,
35:50maybe better,
35:51but there's just,
35:52the recipe is just a little bit different and no one can match Harley Davidson in that,
35:59that space.
36:00And it's because they've been doing it for so long.
36:02So,
36:02um,
36:03anyways,
36:04thanks for listening.
36:05We appreciate your support.
36:06Put your comments down below.
36:08Let us know if you're a street glide or a road glide rider.
36:12Um,
36:12let us know if you think what the timeline,
36:15you know,
36:17or have learned about Harley Davidson on the street glide.
36:20If it's 85,
36:21if it's 2006,
36:22um,
36:23you know,
36:24uh,
36:25any,
36:26any,
36:26uh,
36:27comments and interaction is greatly appreciated.
36:30Let us know what you want us to talk about in future episodes.
36:33Give us some ideas.
36:35What do you want us to talk about and,
36:37uh,
36:37like comment and subscribe.
36:40Thanks for watching.