For the most part, I am REALLY enjoying my new 2017 Road Glide Special. There are a few things I would like The Motor Company to correct or update as they look for ways to improve the bike. Not deal-breakers by any means:

* The LCD dash display is tilted too much, sun glare renders it nearly invisible at mid-afternoon. Bring it more level, or better yet make it rider-adjustable.

* With all the electronics and interface, why is there no speedometer display on the LCD screen? That would see to be a relatively simple software code to make that happen. All my BMW bikes have a digital speed readout - analog is much harder to glance at.

* The new suspension, while far better than prior years, is punishing on pothole-patched roads, so much so that the bike has to be slowed down or else it's spine-jarring. Mostly in the rear.

Has anyone fitted aftermarket shocks (Ohlins, etc) to their '17 Road Glide/Street Glide Specials and noticed that harshness has been eliminated?

 

I came off a 2014 Road King with 16" wheels front and back, so the ride was very cush with all that tire sidewall and 13" shocks.

Got my RG with 19" front and 18" rears with its 12" shocks and the ride difference was noticeably harsh, Very Harsh.

I put on Ohlins set up by Howards, I went with his 2-2B that have increased travel. My ride is now equal to the King with Cush, but the bike handles much much better.. Win,Win!

 

I put on Ohlins set up by Howards, I went with his 2-2B that have increased travel. My ride is now equal to the King with Cush, but the bike handles much much better.. Win,Win!

Did you modify the front as well?

 

Yesterday, was able to test ride a Stage III SGS and a stock RGS. The suspension experience was night and day between the 2 bikes. Both bikes use the exact same suspension components. Never once did I feel a jarring ride from the SGS, while the RGS felt like it was trying to launch me out of the seat on just about every bump.


Is the Ohlins going to be better, yes of course. You didn't mention if you futzed with the adjustment on your shocks, but, if you haven't, you may want to experiment with the preload settings on your shocks. While it won't get to Ohlins plushness, my experience on the SGS's suspension was very positive (yeah, so was the Stage III). It was as good or better than my Switchback with Hagon 13" Nitro shocks and Racetech forks. If you do go Ohlins, contact Howard at Motorcycle Metal. He is the Ohlins / HD guru.

 

Digital speedometer: Just in-case you didn't know. I had the same gripe until I changed the right hand data on the NAV screen. Now I have a digital/GPS driven speedometer

Shocks: I had to adjust mine, now its kush! Took me a bit of tweaking but got it to my liking.

 

No, just the shocks made all the difference.

 

I also noted the suspension in the rear being a bit harsh. Experimented - changed the 13 inch shock for the 12 because I wanted the bike to sit lower. Then adjusted preload to very little. Ride ell now. Not harsh

 

sgs and rgs are basically the same bike. faring and handlebars main difference. Wheels and shocks, frame, seat all the same. why would the ride on one be harsher than the other? Not making sense to me.

 

Are you saying there's a way to have a speedo on the Boom screen? If so, can you please list the steps to get it to appear?

 

Are you saying there's a way to have a speedo on the Boom screen? If so, can you please list the steps to get it to appear?

On my SGS, with the sat nav on, if you touch the bottom left or right of the display you can select what data you want to appear in those two sections of the screen. One option is the vehicle speed.