I have to agree here, I have had both, and they are equally fine motorcycles. There are some slight differences on the highway, and they both have there on pluses and minuses.

The biggest thing I noticed when I went from a batwing to a shark is how much lighter the handlebars feel when parked or moving slow.

The real reason I changed to a shark was more for the styling then anything else. As stated, each buyer. has a preference, in both the way they look and handle wind.

When my wife finannly decides to trade her ride in, she will go SG, as she says my bike is ugly, LOL

 

Maybe two mo's ago that is a good deal. If you can, wait unti the 17's are released or by mid- July and then find the dealer willing to deal. That is if you dont have to have the latest and greatest paint job. Nothing much else is likely to change on Road Glides.

I got my 15 RGS for $23,495 out the door, including Ohio 7% tax and licensing. MSRP, prep and freight was more than that alone. If you want a deal, wait, if you don't care, then this thread doesn't matter.

Good luck.

 

Was in the business also. Just seems some things are so simple people can't understand them. What's that saying, Can't see the forest for the trees?
This is a perfect example!!!
Lefty

 

Yup just shy of MSRP you got a great deal on a brand new ride! I keep saying out the door at sticker is a great deal and it is. I will have to pay for registration once i get the title mailed to me though. That will be around $35.00 for reg and new plates i'm estimating.

 

On a batwing any turbulence transferred to the fairing is transferred to the steering/handlebars. Same goes for a bike with a fork mounted windshield. Also we are comparing a Rushmore Road Glide to a Rushmore Street Glide. Harley Davidson spent a fortune in the wind tunnel testing the totally redesigned fairing on the Road Glides and they nailed it. I think the Street Glide is a beautiful machine in its own right and well its HD's bread and butter touring bike. At the dealer you see a couple RG's vs rows of Street Glides. I would challenge any SG owner to go test a RGS or Ultra and compare handling at all speeds. I haven't seen a single Rushmore Road Glide in my neck of the woods and totally ok with that. Ride safe and please bring me warm weather riding asap ..

 

I have rode both and chose the SG. I felt more wind on the Rg and didnt see that much difference in handling to justify the Rg over the trusted and trued SG. I am 5'5" with a 29" insteam and fit the sg better. I bet if you were to spend more time on the SG (Rushmore)you would of thought more on your decision unless you are a taller guy with a longer reach and wanted to stretch out but to come on the forum with no real riding experience on the batwing and say the RG is far superior to the SG is a matter of opinion and once again that is why MoCo makes both.

 

I wouldn't consider sales tax as part of out of the door price. Sales tax is between you and the State not the dealer. I never finance, I pay cash.

 

Your annoying me but i'll bite. The RG is designed more for riders of above average height 5'10 or taller. I'm 6'1. The SG is low and tailored for shorter riders. Harley seems to have this fixation with short people imo. Stock it has a rough ride and substandard wind protection. The RG has far superior handling in its aero package and lighting compared to any other hD touring bike. Fixed fairings remove the weight from the forks and bar equating to superior handling at any speed. The Road Glide Ultra is arguably the best touring bike that the MOCO makes period. I own the Special myself. The RGU was not in my price range. So the Road Glide offers better handling at any speed, better wind protection and better lighting so yeah its a better platform overall compared to the Street Glide. So what does a SG do better than a Road Glide? Nothing. Obviously that doesn't matter to most buyers and HD sells alot more Street Glides than Road Glides which i'm ok with. I'll pass a 100 bat wings this summer maybe 1000 to every RG this summer and i'm totally ok with that! I equate the SG to a Mustang and the RG to a Cadillac. Different strokes for different folks. I NEVER said the SG was a bad bike i just stated it offered the owner less than a Road Glide. I think the SG is a awesome bike overall. I just wanted more when i bought my Road Glide Special.

 

Out the door means out the door i.e. final cost to include taxes, title, etc. The only thing i have to pay is registration and plates. This doesn't mean the dealer pays the taxes for you it just means he applies the cost of taxes to his profit margin . My bike was listed at 20k i paid $21,300 OTD. OH sales tax would of been around 2k plus title fees, etc. After all was said and done i'm sure they made about 2k profit which i have no problem with at all. A business has to make a living.

 

I'm a big RG lover. It's my avatar and all obviously.

But... since being back on a Limited, it ain't bad. I mean sure, the RG is a fantastic bike and for comparison sake lets say it runs up there with a 97% satisfaction score.
In my opinion, today's batwings would be like a 95-96%. Not a 50% like some people try to make them out to be. They do not handle bad - no where near it.
On the highway and behind trucks they are fine. Not as great as an RG but not miles behind either.
In fact 2 up it's got better wind/rain protection and I can always hear the radio and I don't have to play, "Lets find a good windshield" games. Just works out of the box mostly.

That said, if the MOCO released a RG Limited.... yeah I would probably trade. I like the Limited trim (paint etc) better and I'm always looking for a reason to own another Road Glide.

As a long time owner and lover of Road Glides just take this one piece of advice. Don't bother trying to justify the looks, your choice, or your preference to batwing owners.
They really don't care that you like your bike or that you think it's better in some way. The whole thing just ends up being a waste of typing and your time. Just sayin.