Are you contemplating purchasing a new Harley-Davidson Road Glide, but unsure because you don’t know how much it weighs? If so, then you’re in the right place, as you’ll find that out here.
A Harley-Davidson Road Glide weighs 855 lbs or 388 kg when talking about the bike’s wet weight. Yes, the bike weighs a bit high on the weighing scale, but once you ride the bike, you’ll find it extremely comfortable to drive. The overall weight distribution of the bike has been engineered for the long hauls.
In this article, you’ll get to know all about the Harley-Davidson Road Glide, how much does a Harley-Davidson Road Glide weight, and everything else that you need to know about this powerful beast. Stick around to know all the answers that you’re looking for.
How much does a Harley-Davidson Road Glide weight?
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide is one of the most popular bikes manufactured by Harley-Davidson. The distinctive American bagger attitude will be highlighted with its classic sharknose frame-mounted fairing, which is also home to the Boom Box GTS Infotainment System.
It’s a power-packed bike that weighs a lot and packs a punch. The Road glide comes with a wet weight of around 855 lbs. or 388 kg, which makes it fairly heavy. The majority of the weight comes from the Milwaukee-Eight 117 Engine. Moreover, the bike also has one-touching opening bags, floorboards, Dual Daymaker reflector LED headlamps, and more.
With 126 lbs-ft of torque, taking this bike on long drives will be a feeling unlike any other. The high-performing front and rear suspension with adjustable rear shocks will put you in firm control of a plush ride. Meanwhile, the standard Brembo ABS brakes will safely bring you to a halt.
Harley-Davidson Road Glide – A heavy yet powerful bike for bikers
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide is one of the biggest and most desirable bikes released by Harley-Davidson. The aspects of being big and desirable are essential for bikers, especially Harley-Davidson enthusiasts. This bike brings a sense of pride and bragging rights for whoever is driving it. A long drive on a Harley-Davidson Road Glide will be a drive unlike any other. But before the long drive, you’ll want to know how the bike feels.Â
What’s new visually?
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide has received an update over its predecessors. It’s an ultra-cool bike that has bagged the reliable and heavy-duty Milwaukee-Eight 117 of its predecessor. The Harley-Davidson Road Glide features a new two-tone paint option (Vivid Black/Billiard Red) and the riders can choose between Chrome or Dark styling.
Selecting Chrome will see the shiny stuff applied to the trim, the powertrain covers, the handlebar, the front end, the tank console, the exhaust, and more. It also features machined highlights on the gloss-black Prodigy wheels. Selecting Dark will see the Chrome make way for a black finish with straight gloss-black wheels.Â
It’s a neat cosmetic option. The Chrome styling will be available with Midnight Crimson, Billiard Teal, Vivid Black, or the two-tone paint. Meanwhile, the Dark styling will be available with the paint schemes with River Rock Gray Denim. Another great skin option is the Snake Venom. It’s a pearlescent flip-flop hue that can change color depending on the angle from which it is looked at. It’ll come in either finish – Dark or Chrome. Moreover, it’ll also incorporate Harley-Davidson’s #1 graphic on the saddlebag and fairing.Â
Beyond the finishes and paint, the Harley-Davidson Road Glide also sports a new center console on the tank, low-profile engine bars, a distinctive ventilator air cleaner, and a new tank medallion based on the bar and shield logo.
Quality of the bike
Harley-Davidson is an American motorcycle brand that offers reliable and amazing products with appreciable quality. The Harley-Davidson Road Glide has high-quality written all over it. Whether it’s the plastic used on the switchgear or the Chrome finish on the crankcase, everything is created with finesse. Even something so small as the material used on the grips or the seats is of top-notch quality. The paint job screams of class as well. When you touch the mesh cover of the speakers, you’ll know exactly why the Harley-Davidson Road Glide is so special.
The comfort aspect of the bike
It’s important to take the most obvious thing out of the way – the weight of the Harley-Davidson Road Glide. Yes, it’s a pretty heavy bike. The Road Glide weighs approx. 855 lbs. or 388 kg, and it’s a huge ride. In fact, it can take multiple to move the bike in the parking. However, weight isn’t actually a factor when it comes to the comfort of the bike.
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide is one of the easiest motorcycles on the market to get on. The bike has a seat height of only 695mm. It means that even short riders won’t have any problem swinging their leg on the bike. Once you’re settled on the comfy seat, the seating triangle will feel at home. The handlebar on the bike is placed towards the rider. There are large floorboards capable of holding big feet with ease. Moreover, the seat will be able to accommodate a rider of any size.
Driving the Harley-Davidson Road Glide within the city boundaries could be a tricky task. You will need a fair bit of planning. Whether it’s looking for a parking spot or it is overtaking another vehicle. This motorcycle will make you work more than a bike normally should. If you have to take a U-turn in city limits, then you’ll be up for a complex task. It will be taxing trying to ride the bike in the city. Then there’s also the suspension setup. The suspension travel is barely even there. With the fast damping, the back will demand some break after every few hours. With that said, this bike is a tremendous machine for long roads and journeys on the highways.
The Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine
Sharing aesthetic dominance with the frame-mounted sharknose fairing will be Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine. It’s a 1923cc Milwaukee-Eight mill that can pump out 126 pound-feet of torque at 3750RPM. It’s still a hefty bike as it has a weight of 855 lbs. or 388 kg according to Harley-Davidson. This much torque will be more than enough to see the bike spear towards the horizon from a standing start.Â
It’s also a super-comfy sled. The broad saddle is only 25.9-inch off the deck, and it’s beautifully shaped, which makes the bike perfect for long days on the road. The standard screen isn’t really that tall by any measure, but you’ll find that it does an impressive job of flicking the worst of the wind’s blast over your shoulders. There’s a closable vent as well for added air flow whenever needed. It’s a modest stretch to the pulled-back handlebars, while the bike will come equipped with highway boards and forward controls for the biker. Rest assured, it’ll be tailor-made to eat up miles, at least for riders.
The pillions will get a smaller but not that unreasonably small perch with footpegs. The seat slopes will back a little as well. Investigating a genuine accessory backrest will be worth the investment if you intend to share the ride with regularity.
A special, power-packed performance
As mentioned previously, many people feel that the bike carries ridiculous weight, and it could be a problem when riding. However, that isn’t the case as the powerful engine comes alive and gets your bike in motion on the highways. Suddenly, the issue of the weight will disappear, and so will your reluctance to ride such a heavy bike. The overall weight distribution of the bike has been specially engineered for long drives. The touring chassis will make the motorcycle easy to eat up miles in no time. The bike truly feels at home when it sees a continuous tarmac, doesn’t have turns, and has minimal traffic.
The motor is loaded with oodles of torque, and it is more than enough. Twist the throttle and the bike will chug along freely even with its humongous weight. The low-end is highly addictive, as the overtaking abilities rank among some of the finest. With a lot of torque, the Road Glide is definitely the king of the highways. This one is capable of doing illegal speeds within no time. However, the main highlight of the bike is the way it does so. The engine won’t feel stressed even for a bit. The high-speed stability with this one is rock solid thanks to the long wheelbase and the chassis. Then, there are also things like the large windscreen, the comfortable riding ergonomics, and the forward-set footpegs that make it extremely comfortable when touring. The clutch is slightly hard to pull, but it should be the least of your worries on the highways.
Surprisingly, the Road Glide is a great bike on turns, but not if it’s in the middle of the city. The bike struggles in the limits of a city, especially with less cornering clearance. Moreover, back-to-back turns will bring in a bit of fatigue. The braking setup on this bike is pretty decent. The system offers good progression and for a motorcycle of this size, the power is more than good enough.
The bike is wonderfully relaxed when you’re breezing around the country straight. However, once the hills beckon, this is where the bike truly excels. The bike is surprisingly great, and you’ll be astonished by what this bike is capable of. Although it’s no sportsbike when it comes to quick changes in direction. However, it tips in with confidence while tracking beautifully through the bends at healthy angles of lean. You can crank it over a bit further than the Street Bob bikes, which is unexpected. Its engine will churn out the grunt, and it’s a true delight to wind it through the bends. You can slingshot your way from one point to the other while surfing the surging wave of torque.
As for slowing things down, the linked Brembo braking package will work really well. You shouldn’t go around looking for race bike feel or power. However, when the twin-disc front is used in conjunction, it’ll pull up as well as one can expect. Of course, the bike will be backed by ABS as well.
The technology in the Harley-Davidson Road Glide
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special will come equipped with many unique features and technologies. First, there’s a music system that offers outstanding music. Even on highways, when you’re cruising around at triple-digit speeds, the sound quality and the way the wind hits your ears is spectacular. There’s also a full-color TFT screen. It has the touchscreen feature, but it’s a bit difficult to use due to the distance from the rider. Then, there’s a full-color TFT screen. The bike has the touchscreen feature, but it’ll be slightly difficult to use because of the distance from the rider. Nevertheless, the touch is pretty efficient and the system has many practical features like radio, GPS, Bluetooth, and voice recognition. The screen will also show the air temperature and oil pressure, while also having the tire pressure monitoring system. The bike will come equipped with a USB port and charging.Â
The bike gets a feature known as Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS). It’s basically a combination of RCS, ABS, and cornering ABS. The six-axis IMU will work every second to keep the rider safe during panic conditions or on bad roads.
The Harley-Davidson Road Glide features the typical Harley-Davidson substance to it. It has got big, chunky handlebars, heavy controls, and an all-around solidity that promises that the bike will stand the test of time. Everything is beautifully put together. It has got excellent touring credentials. Protective fairing and comfy ergos aside, the stretched saddlebags swallow a heap of gear. You’ll love the simple lever for opening or closing them, while they’re lockable as well.
The Boom Box GTS infotainment system is brilliantly done, and the large touchscreen is efficient to use even when you’re wearing gloves. There’s a thumb-controlled joystick on each switch block for navigating the menu system. If you’re wearing medium/small gloves, you might find it a bit awkward to use unless cruise control was on. If you’re wearing bigger mitts, it won’t be an issue. The system features a heap of features though, such as an integrated sat-nav, a trip computer, comprehensive audio, and more.
There are Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility and voice commands as well when paired up with the accessory Harley-Davidson headset. There’s a USB charging outlet for your smartphone in one of the two glove compartments. Moreover, there’s a 12V outlet on the left side of the cockpit. The motorcycle’s range is well worth its comfort. The bike has a fuel tank capacity of 6 gallons with an Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection fuel system.
It’s also worth mentioning the LED Daymaker twin headlights of the motorcycle. They are very well named, and they’ll do a wonderful job, throwing a low and broad spread of clean, white light. These head a full LED set-up with a combination twin stop/turn/brake lights at the rear.Â
However, not everything is perfect. The bike could have had a locking fuel filler cap at this price. Moreover, it won’t hurt if the bike had some heated grips as well. Surprisingly, there isn’t any ignition cut-out on the sidestand. You might find it rather abruptly after riding off and taking the first left-hander.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading. Hopefully, now you know a lot more about the Harley-Davidson Road Glide, how much does a Harley-Davidson Road Glide weight, and everything else that you need to know about this powerful beast. The Harley-Davidson Road Glide is one of the most popular bikes in the Harley-Davidson bike collection. This powerful beast weighs 855 lbs or 388 kg when talking about the bike’s wet weight. Yes, the bike weighs a bit high on the weighing scale, but once you ride the bike, you’ll find it extremely comfortable to drive. The overall weight distribution of the bike has been engineered for the long hauls.
