As I posted previously, I'm a Sportster rider looking to move to something a little bigger/more touring oriented without losing too much of the sporty maneuverability of the XL1200. Thought I had done all my research and narrowed it down to either a Road King or a Heritage Softail. Made the mistake of doing a little more thinking and talking to a buddy and now I'm considering the Road Glide as well.

My main objection is not being able to do any simple neighborhood cruising without any windshield/fairing like you can with the other two models.

Anybody have any experience moving from a RK/Heritage to a RG? Any regrets? Do you miss the wind in your face occasionally?

 

Dude i have a fat boy and a street glide fairing and no fairing i get wind with both!!!

 

Two words............ Street Glide

 

When I was looking for a new bike 1st Harley.

I went to the dealership I was planning on buying from. Talked to the salesman and wanted to test ride their rentals that corresponded to the models of bikes I was considering. I took each one for 24 hours and talked them out of rental charges with promise of buying from them. Worked out very well for me. Good luck. Buying a bike is like picking a wife, all of them are Hot on the show room floor but how do they look once you are in the garage?

 

Go with the Street Glide or the Road Glide what ever your fancy is....put a short windshield on for your "I want wind in my face fancy" and you will still have tunes and storage. When you no longerwant wind either change the windshield or put on a full face helmet.

 

Go for the Road king if you don't want the radio, go for the Road Glide if you do. I ride an Ultra and I borrowed a Bro's RG when I was down for repairs. The RG steering is very light and the bike handles as if it were lighter than it is. I can tell you from experience that this is due to the frame mounted fairing. My next bike, if I ever, will be a RG and I'll dress it out like my Ultra. Just my 2 cents worth...

 

ROFL!!! If that ain't the truth!!!

 

Look, first off you will get a wide variety of responses to a question like this. Some good, some bad. Many will be biased. As far as wind goes, you will get wind even on a bike with a fairing. Just not as much as a bike without. Put a short shield on it and you will get more wind. All of the touring bikes actually handle pretty well once you get used to them. I have owned wide glides (2 of them), Road King, Road Glide and now a Street Glide. All are great bikes. Once I went to a bagger I knew there was no looking back. Absolutely no comparison. You may not want to ride your Sporty after getting a touring bike. As far as getting a touring bike that handles with the maneuverability of your sporty, your best bet would be the Road Glide. My Street Glide handles well but will not handle as well as a RG..

 

Road Glides Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sorry but the road glides are so fugly looking. I just can't stand that fairing. Now the street glide is sooooo sweet!! That will be my next bike.