the 'new' iteration of the street glide came out in 2006.

 

Harley sells millions of street glides , if it had issues nobody would buy them .

 

They could put a bar and shield on a rock, and we would buy them.

 

Yup. When I find myself arguing over tall shield vs. short shield vs. no shield, the winner is whatever I feel like that day.

And then there's the choice of trunk or not, passenger backrest or not, luggage rack or not, GPS or not, and full face vs. open face.

My shrink says it's because I never got to play with Transformers as a child.

 

Beautiful bike...

Yup, same here. I use the Memphis Shades clear hand guards with the same tint as the windshield on my '22 RG 107. You have to look for them to notice them. Was on a trip last year doing heavy high speed travel for 2 days in the rain on the interstate. I was LOVING having the handguards, while my buddy on his RK was not loving it since his gloves were soaked through and hands were cold. The hand guards, heated grips, and good gear had me all snuggled up and relatively dry without drama, as well as very comfortable. Actually, I think I have the same seat and windshield as your setup. Is that the Standard Solo from Mustang?

As to the OP's question, aside from a test ride here and there, my only experience with a batwing was renting an Ultra for a week in Montana with my wife. I had zero problems with that bike, outside of not being used to the weight. Was in rain here and there. With the higher standard windshield over the SG and lowers, the bike's weather protection was very effective. Caught some wind here and there, and never experienced any drama.

If strictly talking "stock" bikes, when the M8's came out I did a back to back test ride on both an RG and SG....

• RG's fairing felt very far away, while the SG's was almost too close
• SG had more shielding from the wind, while the RG felt more in the wind
• Pre '24 stock handlebars absolutely suck on the RG ('24 RG handlebars are very good), while the SG's are livable
• SG feels more compact overall, while the RG feels big but svelte if that makes sense
• SG provided hand protection from the elements better
• SG felt easier to pilot, largely due to the handlebars

Going outside the realm of "stock" bikes.....

• Changing the handlebar on the RG is much easier than the SG
• If you get a higher handlebar on the SG, you lost the super effective hand protection
• A replacement windshield on the RG will almost even the playing field for weather protection to the batwing

I would have no problem with an SG, but I have an RG and love it. I came from a Dyna Switchback, and going to a touring frame's weight took a little adjustment, but feels very intuitive and natural now. I wanted a touring bike for high speed travel, and 2 up comfort....the RG delivers. The frame mounted fairing makes sense to me in the way you don't see fork mounted frames for sport bikes, ADV bikes, etc. I've highway slogged at 90mph for a couple of hours, and the bike felt like it truly cuts through the air. I've changed the handlebars, added heated grips, changed the guts in the forks, etc., and in each of those situations, was grateful to not have the SG, as the access to getting to the fork clamp, gauge nacelle, etc was much less hindered on the RG since I didn't have to open up the fairing, as you would on an SG. The 2024 RG's have an even less complex handlebar setup to tinker with.

Overall, if you're heart tells you SG, get the SG. The capability of the RG and SG are very similar. They are more alike than different, and both excellent choices. Test ride as much as possible, and if possible, rent each for a day or two with some miles ridden.

 

I had 13 inch high bars on my Ultra Limited, 2015. Loved them, hands caught rocks and bugs too.
Part of riding I think.

 

The differences are slight at best. Nothing you can't easily adjust to. Ignore all the crap & follow your heart.