Everything You Need To Know About The Harley-Davidson Road Glide

When you think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, what's the first word that comes to mind? In this particular circumstance, the word we're looking for is "muscular." Nothing brings the Harley name to mind like a mighty motorcycle with a massive body, high-riding handlebars, and a ferocious, high-speed engine with that distinctive growling rumble. The bigger Harley bikes — not to mention the fastest ones ever built — make a real impression on your fellow drivers and riders that you are the apex predator of the road, and everyone had better get out of your way.

Out of Harley-Davidson's many monster bikes, perhaps one of the most monstrous is the Road Glide, a touring cruiser that meets every condition we just listed with confidence. With 29 generations and a pedigree dating back around 30 years, the Road Glide is one of the big daddies of the modern Harley age. It takes guts to master a hog like this one, but if you're interested, we can provide some details.

The original version of the Harley-Davidson Road Glide was released back in 1995, when it featured an air-cooled, four-stroke, 1,337 cc 45 degree V-Twin engine. It was a beast of a ride for the time, outputting 65 horsepower at 5,000 RPM. This wasn't a bike for casual drives around the neighborhood; the Road Glide was a full-on touring bike for experienced riders, intended to ferry across the open highways of the untamed west.

In addition to its impressive specs, the original Road Glide had some nifty customization options, including a removable windscreen, a dual seat, and heavy-duty locking saddlebags. Cruising comfort with extra features became one of the domineering design philosophies of the Road Glide up to the present day, with each subsequent generation adding new gimmicks and technology to make your cruising experience that much more pleasurable.

Perhaps the most prominent aspect of the Road Glide line is its distinctive shark-nose fairing, a fixed fairing mounted directly to the frame that doesn't turn with the handlebars. The mighty maw on this fairing would give the Road Glide line its signature silhouette for years to come, up to and including the modern model, the 2024 Road Glide.

The 2024 Road Glide is equipped with a Milwaukee Eight 117 V-Twin engine. This bad boy can output a mighty 105 horsepower at 4,600 RPM, giving you 130 ft-lb of engine torque. Besides being fast and powerful, this nifty engine also features liquid-cooled cylinder heads. Not only does this help preserve the general health of the engine, but it also helps to cut down on spicy exhaust, which aids in keeping things cool and comfortable for the rider, especially on hot days.

The chassis measures in at 94.9 inches in length, boasting 5.7 inches of ground clearance with the seat located a comfortable 26.6 inches off the ground. The wheels are 19 inches in the front and 18 in the back with a cast-aluminum construction, wrapped up in Harley's signature Dunlop tires.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Road Glide without the signature shark-nosed fairing. This fairing includes a slick windshield and fully integrated LED lighting, all designed to make the front of the vehicle as aerodynamic as possible. The sides of the fairing actually have adjustable air vanes to redirect air streams away from the rider for increased comfort.

As a touring bike, the Road Glide is designed to offer as many creature comforts as you can realistically fit on a motorcycle to help make your journeys as pleasant as possible. The centerpiece of this goal is the Road Glide's infotainment system. Rather than a dashboard or standalone gauges like you might see on a traditional Harley bike, the Road Glide features an entire 12.3-inch touch screen color display, giving you a full readout of the vehicle's status and gauges in crystal-clear definition. 

You can also access information about the bike and utilize Bluetooth connection, all powered by Harley-Davidson's proprietary Skyline OS. In addition to music and information, the infotainment screen allows you to directly control how the Road Glide functions via its four Ride Mode settings. These settings — Road, Sport, Rain, and Custom — allow you to carefully tune the bike's power delivery, anti-lock brakes, cornering traction, and more to get your ideal cruising experience.

The base 2024 Road Glide starts at $25,999, with quotes available on Harley-Davidson's website. The default package comes with the Chrome trim and Billiard Gray coloring, though you can switch to a solid Black trim for an extra $1,350, as well as one of the other seven colors for an extra $850. Color options include Vivid Black, White Onyx Pearl, Whiskey Fire, Blue Burst, and Alpine Green, as well as Atlas Silver Blue and Sharkskin Metallic exclusively for the Black trim.

Additional accessories available through Harley-Davidson include heated handlebars, touring seats, and speaker kits, to name a few options. These accessories are available individually, as well as in bundles ranging from $626.95 to $2,886.95 in price. The most prominent accessory for the Road Glide is the embedded navigation system, which you can purchase for $349.95 to add full GPS map functionality to the bike's infotainment system.