Harley Road Glide fairing vs. the Street Glide/Electra Glide fairing…?

Do any of you Harley folks have any input regarding the differences in the two fairings as far as weather protection, buffeting and general air flow…?

The Road Glide is that forward, frame mounted rig that seems to be too far forward to be of any use while the Street Glide and Electra glide have the bar mounted Bat Wing fairing that looks to offer better protection.

I have no interest in the radio and all that, just interested in the air flow and weather protection pros and cons of the two…
Any comments either way…?

Thanks much,
Rob

If you use the search function at hdforums.com, Im sure its a topic that has been beat to death. From personal preference, both offer good protection, but the frame mount handles/rides far better than the fork mount. For comparision of the two, a Roadie is like driving a long hood Pete, while a fork mount is like driving a cab over engine. One is spread out, the other in your face.

That is an interesting analogy…

So the Roadie fairing is not too far out in front so as not to be effective…? I can understand the better handling from the frame mounted but, to be honest, like the Bat Wing look better.

If the Roadie is a better handler due to the fairing then I guess there really is not much choice is there…?

Yeah, I was hoping to stay away from the HD Forum but I may head over there…

Thanks Chickenlegs,
Rob

I just bought my first HD this spring and only have about 3,000 miles experience with it, here is Mrs. Easy at blast off on our first 500 mile day on it




We headed from Nashville, IN to Memphis, TN that day and we had 15-30 mph winds most of the way through KY coming from differing angles depending upon our direction of travel, and we didn't run much below 80 mph the length of the state. When looking for a touring rig the EG was the one that the other choices needed to beat in "my" mind for various reasons. I considered the RG, and thought obout the advice of others that the frame mounted fairing handled better than the batwing. Not only is this my first HD it's my first ever bike with a full fairing. I have to tell ya I was pleasantly suprised at the way the thing performed in the wind. I didn't find wind to be an issue at all, on that trip, in those conditions.

As far as low speed handling, you might have a hard time convincing these guys that there is something wrong with the EG




from the midwest motorcop rodeo this weekend

This is about like asking what oil is best if you go to the other forum. It's been beat, kicked, and blasted to bits, and then revived and beaten again.

I have the Road Glide and it handles great. If you get the right windshield buffeting won't be a problem. If you are tall the RG feels more open, my father in law's EG makes me feel cramped.

The good thing about the EG is that every other bike you pass will look just like yours.

Yeah, I did not know if thta was the case here or not...

I do like the look of both although there is a bit of a price difference.

Just think of all the Harley buds that would wave back on the EG's...

I have the Batwing on my Street Glide and love the protection it provides. I'm only 5'7" with short arms so I don't feel at all cramped sitting behind it. Have never ridden a Road Glide so I can't compare but lots of guys complain about the buffetting with the Road Glide fairing and it seems to be related to the windshield height and rider height. Most who complain eventually fall in love with the Road Glide once they get the shield sorted out.

Weather protection behind the Batwsing is great for me and winds don't seem to bother it enough to even make an issue.

May of '08 we rode west on I-40 from OK into Amarillio in 30 mph cross winds with gusts to 45 easily maintaing 70 mph. Other than leaning down into the wind there was no issue.

The stock shield on the SG is like 4", it's worthless and I put an 8" on it. If I'm moving more than 40 mph my chest and arms barely get wet in the rain.

Can't speak about the handling between the 2, everyone claims the Road Glide handles better and it may be a smoother ride with less effort/rider input needed but I've never had a problem going anywhere or keeping up with the the better handling Road Glide.

Test ride them both and see which one you like, other than the fairing and the do-dads in the fairing the bikes are identical, ie. same frame, engine, tanny, wheels, etc.

Rob, you're not thinking of going over to The Dark Side, are you?

Actually, since I'm looking at a pending early retirement and some serious road trip time, I've been looking at HD pretty hard too.

I guess it would be even more repetitive to enter the Road King into this discussion, huh? That's the bike everyone seems to love, and I'm not entirely sure why, compared to the others.

That is the kind of honest feedback I'm looking for. I realize that you cannot comment on the Roadie as you have not ridden one but you bring up a great point, try them both out.

I have ridden an '09 Street Glide that belongs to a good friend, he insisted that I try it with barely any miles on it, I did fianlly. Rode it for some distance in fact, enough to gather good input from it. I like it.

I have yet to try a Road Glide though... Will a dealer let you (me) just take one out for a blast, well a good evaluation ride...?

The reason I would go with the SG over the EG is that I do not want all the added bling around the fenders, bags and all that, just too much for my tastes. Gorgeous m/c just not for me.

Just recently the Road Glide came into the picture, great, just what I need, more choices...


I have read the current Rider magazine review on the RG which touches on a fairing compro between the two, frame vs bar mounted....


That Batwing cannot possibly weigh 30 pounds can it..?

Good stuff.
Thanks,
Rob

Hey Steve,
I am actually. Sue's comfort is at the top of the list and I have always dug HD's, I'm a big twin kinda guy... so... Maybe.
I knew I could not get away with this... friggin' Guzzi lurkers....

We just took a blast South on the Norge and that was not the most comfortable thing for her to be on for days. She is a good sport but I do not want to abuse that too badly.

As you may know, one of the EV's is on the way back from California, I lent it to a friend for his cross country gig, it is now in Conn and I should have it back tomorrow or so. Well, that m/c was not here for us to go for a riding vacation on and I was not about to use the Hack for that kind of twisty road action.

Anyway, it has lead me back to HD-Ville... not a bad thing.

Besides, we can come visit you guys on that rig...

Oh, leave the Road King out of this please...

Best,
Rob

I am at the same problem with choosing a *street glide OR a *road glide .
Road both today at harley dealer .
I like the looks of street glide better .
The street glide had bad buffeting .
The road glide felt better and no buffeting ( but ) it had a taller aftermarket shield.

Dealer is going to put a taller shield on street glide ( thurs ) and i will try them back to back again .

We're everywhere, we're everywhere!

And I will respectfully cease any further discussion of the RK, and do my own research. I also won't discuss my coin-toss on the HD Big Twin tourers and the ST1300 for long distance road tripping. :eek1

I have a Ultra with the lowers and in the rain the only thing that gets wet while moving is my knees. Bat wing works great but I never rode a fix fairing Harley( too ODD looking for me).The only bike that had better wind protection for me was a 99 Concours.I do have the stock(12inch) windsheild on,sometimes it's hard to look over it after a hard day at work but works great when I'm fresh in the morning.I doubt you would think "I should have got the other one" no matter which one you got.

I'm currently on an 07 Streetglide and had a Police Electra before that with around 70K of riding between them.

The stock SG windscreen is garbage imo. It puts all the wind right on my face, I'm just short of 6' fwiw.

I've tried all the different size windscreens and have found the CeeBaileys the best so far with the buffeting. I've got the tallest version and I run a reallly low profile seat with an Airhawk. Been across the country and back in comfort

The Batwing is great at keeping thae rain and wind off of me but still allows enough air to not get too hot in the summer.

a pic

I've owned several of both, and the last couple have been RoadGlides. I don't think I'll ever go back to the batwing.

Hello, I have ridden both the EG and the RG for years. I am 5'9" tall and weigh 180lbs. I owned a 95 Ultra Classic and logged over 100,00 miles, mostly 2 up on it. Never had any problems and only did regular service on it. Offered great protection from the elements as well. In 2007 I purchased a Road Glide. After test riding the 07 I realized a couple of differences that for me were substantial. The Electra Glide did offer more protection in stock form. But the frame mounted fairing made the front end seem much lighter and easier to manuever at slow speed.I put a Clearview + 1" windshield on and got much more protection from the Road Glide after that. The Road Glide does not have all the extra bling with saddlebag rails, lowers and all the bells and whistles the Ultra has and therefore seems lighter to me. In the end it came down to what was I using the bike for. I wanted a touring bike that I could ride two up, back and forth across the country and enjoy my ride at the same time. Either one of these bikes will do this and they do it well. If you want wind and element protection first, consider the EG. If you want lighter weight, a little better handling and a little less protection from the elements, consider the RG. Keep in mind both of these bikes are enormous in size and weight. Also, some folks never find the combination to fixing the buffeting on the Road Glide even though they may make the exact same changes that I make to mine. I believe it is a subjective thing.

Electra Glide
Better wind protection
Heavier
More bling
More bells and whistles

Road Glide
Less protection, (in stock form)
Lighter in weight.
Less bells, whistles and bling
Handles a little better for most at slow speed.

Hope this helps.

I have yet to try a Road Glide though... Will a dealer let you (me) just take one out for a blast, well a good evaluation ride...?

The dealers are happy to let you test ride. The last test ride I took (on a Street Glide) I rode it about an hour and a half.

Ride both back-to-back. If you need more time, rent one from the dealer. They'll credit the rental toward the purchase price, should you decide to buy.

Fwiw, the time I rented a Road Glide, I took a large envelope with a stiffener inside and taped it to the top of the windshield to cure the buffeting.

road glide..........uglest harly made.........i love mine, got the big back saet and tourpack with speakers the wife is much happier (no easy task) :eek1 oh shit did she read that

Something to consider about the Street Glide; I think it has less suspension travel than an Electra Glide. If you are going to be doing long distance touring, it might not be the ticket. And like FE said, that short windshield blows .

The turbulence can be an issue. If I keep my EG (which I might have to) I am planning to do some experimenting with the windshield. I think the large vacuum behind the fairing/windshield needs to be fixed and I have a couple ideas...

The lower fairings that come on the Ultra cause a terrific amount of turbulence (and make the engine run hot, even with the vents open). The nylon covers that pull over the engine guards are much better and easier to deal with in changing weather conditions.

IMO, the best buy is a Standard EG (which they stopped making) with a quick detatch King Tour Pak. I hate not being able to remove the Tour Pak, especially when doing tire changes and stuff (gets in the way of my big melon).

I have about 50k between my '07 Standard and my '09 Ultra. I liked the Standard better (except for the cruise control, that's AWESOME).

YMMV.

Oh, and to answer your original question, I have never had a handling problem with the EG's while riding in high winds.

If you put a tour pak on the back of a FLTR, I don't know if I would bother with rear speakers. There in a bad spot. I would probably get lowers.

If it doesn't have cruise I hear that costs about $600. Ultra does have more read lights, which is nice safety feature, but you can add.


I have FLHTCU and FLHR, which does feel lighter. But the Ultra is well balanced and handles good.

I would like to try a FLTR though.