Harley Street Glide Vs Road Glide: The Ultimate Battle!

Harley Street Glide vs Road Glide is a never-ending battle. But if you’re thinking about getting your first Harley Davidson and you are confused between these two attractive touring rigs, then this post is for you.

We have carefully handpicked several basic contrasts between the two very exciting Harley models based upon a couple of important factors.

So, let’s cut to the chase and talk about how exactly do the two differ from each other, and which one is best for you.

Difference Between Street Glide and Road Glide

The basic difference between these two will be based on several features like style, price, design, and obviously the comfort. So let’s dig into the battle—

Fairing Style

The very basic difference between the two lies in their fairing styles. The fairing differences aren’t just cosmetic.

The Road Glide has a frame-mounted fairing and the Street Glide has a fork-mounted fairing.

The fork mount of the Street Glide means that the fairing is front-end-mounted. So when you move the bars, the fairing moves with it.

Whereas the frame mounting of the Road Glide refers to the fact that manufacturers mounted the fairing to the body-frame as a whole. That means when you’re rotating the bars the fairing stays stationary.

Handling and Turning

The fork-mounted fairing of the Street Glide makes the front side heavier compared to the Road Glide. On the contrary, the Road Glide doesn’t have extra weight directly attached to the handles. Therefore, they can provide you a lighter and better handling.

As far as turning in compact spaces and passing through heavy traffic is concerned, the Street Glide has a better reputation over Road Glide. The main reason behind that is the Street Glide’s fork-fitted moveable fairing helps to swirl and squeeze through your heavy commute.

The fairing of road glides, however, negligibly restrict the rider from making swirly and sharp turns in close-packed spots because of the stationary fairing wield.

Comfort and Accessibility

The first thing that comes to our mind when we speak of comfort is the seating. Even though the saddle of both the models is equally luxurious and comfortable, the Road Glide has a slightly lower seating and more ground clearance.

On the Street Glide, the fairing is closer to you from the saddle, making the touchscreen ‘infotainment’ and other controls closer as well. The speakers are pretty close too, which makes it easier to hear the stereo.

Even though it’s somewhat subjective, the Road Glide handles the wind quite better. Since the fairing is a bit farther compared to the Street Glide, it looks much spacious. It also means that the windshield can prevent buffeting even after staying low in our vision. The Road Glide’s fairing also has more space in the glove compartment.

The Rider triangle is also different in both motorcycles.

Kerb Weight

One of the few differences between the two lies in their Kerb weight. The Kerb weight of the Road Glide is 372 Kg. On the other hand, that of the Street Glide is 361 Kg.

While the 10 kg (nearly) difference might not seem a lot to you. It actually makes a difference when you’re cruising at a high speed on highways. So, it comes down to your preference for handling.

Lights

The Street Glide has a single headlight. Both the front and tail lights are LED.

The Road Glide has dual headlights. The front lights are halogen and the taillights are LED only. As far as the field of vision of the lights is concerned the dual lights provide a wider emission.

When you turn your bars on a Road Glide, the headlights do not follow. Rather it stays put like those on a car, due to having a frame-mounted fairing.

Price and Sales

The listed price of The Street Glide on the Harley Davidson website states 21,999$ for the standard ‘Vivid Black’ version. The same variation of The Road Glide costs 21,699$.

Even if you go for colored or custom colored, the prices increase by a few hundred but the difference of 300$ between the two remains constant.

Even though it’s hard to draw a conclusion on the number of sales, the Harley Davidson Company claims that Street Glides were more popular among most riders in terms of sales per month.

In Conclusion

Lastly, it all comes down to aesthetics and personal preference. You can never go wrong with either of the choices.

Rent or test drive both. Try contacting your local dealer or lookup HDMC-sponsored-events that host demo rides. Get some miles under each motorcycle individually.

When you are done with your trial rides, you will surely like one more than the other. That’s when our job to help you choose one is finally complete. It’s time to throw a leg over your motorcycle of choice and hit the roads. Choose your perfect touring motorcycle today!