heard from others that the bat wing can fight you at high speeds. which sucks to hear so i should get the road glide, right? but why do my eyes keep wandering to the bat's wings?
i don't know. when i think of cross country harley baggering, it has to be the batwing.
I’ll share my experience with batwing and shark nose fairings. I have owned five bat wings from 2008 to 2021 and combined have ridden them for over 150k miles.
I still own the 2021 Street Glide and I also own a 2022 Road Glide.
Back up a few years and my wife and I always preferred the look of the batwing.
Yes as others have mentioned you must and should test ride both. The problem for me anyway was the short test rides on the Road Glide were underwhelming. I rode at least three over as many years at Daytona and at York PA. I was so used to the batwing that the Shark did not feel right, felt top heavy and the front end felt so much lighter that it made me feel insecure with the handling.
My experience with so many miles on a batwing in almost every condition was that they do NOT cut through the air very well. Head winds would really slow them down and the buffeting was really bad at times.
Fast forward and we have now owned a Road Glide for 17 months, have 15k miles on her and she has been to 11 states. My experience is the shark nose is far superior on the open road hands down.
I am really happy I took the leap. You don’t know what you don’t know. The first few 100 miles were weird. The RG feels very top heavy compared to the Street Glide, the fixed fairing messed with my mind. My mind could not accept I was turning when the fairing was still pointed straight.
Now 17 months later I get on either bike at any time and never even think about it.
Figure out what you want the bike for and how it will be used. If you are planning serious touring my vote is hands down for the shark nose.
These two bikes even though they share the same bones are very different. Around town, solo with my H.O.G. chapter and up in the mountains I like the batwing Street Glide best. It is very nimble. On a trip, even just an overnight with a few 100 miles the Road Glide makes the ride way more enjoyable.
Try them both with an open mind and be honest about how you plan to use the bike. Then pick your color and definitely buy a good windshield for maximum enjoyment.
Bottom line is the fixed fairing is less affected by wind. A side wind will move the bike (lean) slightly but the handle bars never move, it is very stable and it just self corrects.
Knowing what I know today I would not have owned 5 batwings.
Best of luck finding the bike that will serve your needs.
Age old argument. I have a bat wing and have never had it fighting me, but I've never ridden a shark nose on the freeway either. If you are torn between the two, take a test ride on both.
The only time I really notice it is when going around a semi , you get used to it and subconsciously plan for it. I wouldn't mind having a road glide though, even though I do think the batwings look better, except maybe the new ones.
Going from a Fatboy to a StreetGlide was a little learning curve with cross winds and speeds above 70. Tractor trailers blow you around a bit as well, but you deal with it as mentioned above. Definitely a lot nicer riding on the cooler days!!
I can’t speak to the new fairings, but I put 17,000 on a 2020 batwing, plenty of interstate. I had added fork fangs for buffeting.
Then I put 16,000 on a 2022 shark nose, with added fairing lowers for buffeting.
And as an aside, I now ride a 2024 police Road King with stock tall police seat and 22” windshield (I think “stock” windshield height was 19.5” when discontinued on Road King standards).
The Road King configuration with fork fangs provides good protection, but doesn’t compare to the batwing or sharknose at speed.
All that said, if I buy another bike with a fairing, and the new styles behave like the pre-2024s, I would buy another batwing.
*This assessment has nothing to do with my perception of their appearance.
There are millions of batwings on the road, and people are riding them. Bunch of road glides last few years too. People ride both. I have rode my batwing on interstate at highspeeds, as everyone else has too. I can't say if shark nose is better, because I have not rode one.
Sharknose riders like them, but its not like people are not riding batwings. One reason I chose batwing is more hand coverage for cold and rain. In CA that may be an issue for you.
I have always owned a batwing Harley. Five of them over the years. I've never had any issues at speed, and I think a batwing protects much better than a shark nose. I've put some miles on a friend's Road Glide, and it felt like there was a giant coffee table strapped to the handlebars! The thing is huge and too far away. Plus I never got used to, but probably would have, the fairing not turning with the handlebars. Weird at first. Would I take a shark nose if you gave me one? Sure! Would I buy one? No.
08-23-2024, 12:35 AM
heart wants the batwing
