2018 street glide? - help me decide

[jam788]

Hello All and thanks in advance for your help.
I'm 50 and have had a couple of big metrics and now I want a Harley. I test drove a 16 road glide today and hated the thing. I get the whole Harley thing and I love everything about it but this bike had no travel in the rear suspension and man did it shake - alot. I was kind of heartbroken because it was absolutely gorgeous - that blue they came out with in 16? WOW.
Anyway - a friend of mine has an 18 street and loves the thing - tells me that it is a lot different than the 16 i tested - more refined and the suspension is totally different.
I'm sick of over analyzing and I'm thinking of picking up a 18 glide from the dealership tomorrow - all of this bullcrap be damned.

What do you guys think about the 18 street glide? How does it compare to the 16 road glide I tested?

Thanks a ton.

 

[18flhxs]

I've got a 18 sgs and LOVE it.17 up suspension is a lot better,the m8 motor is all new and a lot better.personally I can't say enough good about it.

 

[OldMike]

If you get it, being new to Harley, ride it for a season as is and stay tuned in to the forums to learn.

I'm 64, happy with my 2014 Street Glide.

 

[Firenailer]

Hey Jam - I guess it really depends what YOU think. This is a Street Glide Forum, we all have em and love em, and will tell you WE think they’re great! I rode mine 325 miles today and smiled the whole time!

Go to your dealer and test ride a ‘17 or ‘18 Street Glide and decide if it’s for you.

 

[NGOT8R]

Get one, modify it to fit you, ride the hell out of it and smile often. The SG does have some quality control issues though. I experinced a few on my 2018 right off the bat. One was a rear rocker box oil leak (discovered on the ride home from dealer the day I purchased it). The other issues were a broken speaker tab (found when upgrading speakers to Boom Audio II) and a cracked wire tray cover that runs down the spine of the bike. There are also some issues with bolt holes rusting, etc. Having said all of that, they look good and are a lot of fun, but expensive as hell to own.

 

[muskie43]

Having owned both metric and Harleys I have to agree with an earlier post....either set up a test ride or maybe rent one. It is a whole new ride, at least to me. And it has a hell of a lot more power then what I was used to. But have to admit for me it is the best ride I have ever owned. My new motto......Once you Glide you wont go back.

 

[Portugal]

The first Harley i bought is the 2018 street glide special and i found love

 

[Hurricane]

Having said all of that, they look good and are a lot of fun, but expensive as hell to own.

Well that all depends if he likes the stock bike or continually add stuff to the bike like you. My Dad's RGS is stock with slipons installed at the day of purchase and the only thing he ever does to it puts gas in it, new tires when needed, and $100 or so on fluids every 5000 miles when I service it for him. Oh he did have to replace the battery too. I really haven't spent too much on mine either because I think it's pretty good bike to start with. Not trying to knock on you NGOT8R but I just don't understand all of the mods you do, do you take these things to the drag strip?

 

[danjoe52]

I have a 18 sgs love it, did a stage one with slipon bassani dnt for the sound and now I ride it everyday
Test ride one and I think you will like too

 

[NGOT8R]

Well that all depends if he likes the stock bike or continually add stuff to the bike like you. My Dad's RGS is stock with slipons installed at the day of purchase and the only thing he ever does to it puts gas in it, new tires when needed, and $100 or so on fluids every 5000 miles when I service it for him. Oh he did have to replace the battery too. I really haven't spent too much on mine either because I think it's pretty good bike to start with. Not trying to knock on you NGOT8R but I just don't understand all of the mods you do, do you take these things to the drag strip?

No offense taken Hurricane. I agree that some owners of HD motorcycles can get by without making any modifications and just ride them and enjoy them. However, for me, I have yet to ride a HD that felt like it had enough power or sounded good to me in stock form. IMO, SGS are heavy tanks and they can all use some performance upgrades to help them get out of their own way (especially when riding two up). While I haven't taken either of my HDs to the drag strip, I have drag raced and/or engaged in spirited riding of them many times (in safe locations of course). Prior to purchasing my HDs, I owned 5 sport bikes and I drag raced all of them at the drag strip. My last sport bike was built specifically for drag racing and made 174 rwhp on motor and over 200 rwhp with nitrous on the dyno. As for me, I am accustomed to having a powerful bike, being able to crack the throttle and have it get on down the street quickly, while sounding good as it's gettin'. Having said that, I can't imagine that there are too many HD lovers that would turn down owning a hopped up HD over a stock one if they had the option to have either.

 

[TomA]

I'll have to say I wasn't going to touch my engine until I had 50,00 on it. Didn't make it did a little work this winter and still working on the tune. I agree with NGOT8R these bikes need a little work to wake them up and it's not the same bike. The difference is amazing. In traffic I can get away when I need to now 2 up and keep some distance from cages. My only problem now is staying out of the throttle because it just puts a smile on your face. Now it's time to work on the suspension and get that a little better and then finish out chroming the front end.

 

[Hurricane]

No offense taken Hurricane. I agree that some owners of HD motorcycles can get by without making any modifications and just ride them and enjoy them. However, for me, I have yet to ride a HD that felt like it had enough power or sounded good to me in stock form. IMO, SGS are heavy tanks and they can all use some performance upgrades to help them get out of their own way (especially when riding two up). While I haven't taken either of my HDs to the drag strip, I have drag raced and/or engaged in spirited riding of them many times (in safe locations of course). Prior to purchasing my HDs, I owned 5 sport bikes and I drag raced all of them at the drag strip. My last sport bike was built specifically for drag racing and made 174 rwhp on motor and over 200 rwhp with nitrous on the dyno. As for me, I am accustomed to having a powerful bike, being able to crack the throttle and have it get on down the street quickly, while sounding good as it's gettin'. Having said that, I can't imagine that there are too many HD lovers that would turn down owning a hopped up HD over a stock one if they had the option to have either.

I gotcha and yes I would like to dump a bunch of money into mine to improve performance but truth is I'm pretty happy with mine and I don't have a bunch of money to spare to be able to do that. I do think it's pretty common for guys coming off of sport bikes to hop up there bikes, especially if you had a monster putting out 200 rwhp! I just wanted to let a new potential HD rider know that it is not necessary to spend a bunch a money to own a HD because they are good reliable bikes.

 

[Old Iron Man]

I came from a 17 Sporty, and I do miss the easy maneuverability, but I love my '18 SGS, and would do that trade again. I thought about finding a used sporty that someone else had blown the money modding, (they're so cheap used), for around town riding, but I can't imagine a time where I wouldn't choose the SGS over any sporty. After the first two months, the only regrets so far are being lazy about the radio and having the dealer install the Boom II, after everyone told me to go aftermarket. The other is the color. I was lazy about that as well. I just grabbed a black one because it seemed like the thing to do. It looked great in the showroom, and I love the blacked out engine and pipes. It's fine, but if I had it to do over, I would have gone with Twisted Cherry or the Bonneville Salt, or spent the extra for the Candy Flake or Anniversary Blue. They all look great with the SGS blacked out parts in contrast. That's my issue with the black. It has no contrast with the blacked out parts. I'm starting to think about a few chrome pieces, or maybe doing something with the seat.