While outwardly the changes seem relatively modest, when you ride the new CVO Road Glide or Street Glide, the changes made by Harley-Davidson with these new bikes make them so much better it’s not funny — it’s kinda tragic for those who own older models.
The grunt and handling offered by the new bikes is all cliché — game-changer, next-level, night and day. I’ve been testing Harley-Davidson Grand American Tourers for decades and have appreciated how they have improved over the years, but these bikes? So, so much better than the earlier models in every aspect — except the price. These bikes come in at an eye-watering $62,495, ride away.
NEW DESIGN, NEW MOTOR, NEW BEGINNINGS
The two bikes here represent what I believe will be the future of Harley-Davidson Grand American Tourers for the foreseeable future — the updated style of the Batwing (Street Glide) and Sharknose (Road Glide) fairings and how they interact with the tank, side covers, guards and saddlebags is how all the models will evolve in future releases.
It’s revolution disguised as evolution — everything important is either brand-new, updated or didn’t need fixing, yet to the casual fan of the brand the changes don’t appear radical. It adds up to a 15kg drop in weight for the Road Glide, which you can feel.
They would be wrong though, for the cleaner look of the integrated indicators, new LED lighting and new silhouette are quite different to the older models. The Road Glide’s Sharknose fairing integrates better with the rest of the bike, looking far less like an add-on compared to previous models.
Visually, the most striking addition are the Combo Cast laced wheels, which look awesome. The 19in front and 18in rear have black hubs and rims with
