Can Harley Davidson Electra Glide Be Your Next Touring Motorcycle? Find Out Here.

• Table of Contents
• 1. What Is a Touring Motorcycle?
• 2. Background of Harley Electra Glide
• 3. Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Buyers Guide
• 3.1 Is Harley Davidson Electra a Good First Bike?
• 3.2 How Fast Is The Harley Electra Glide?
• 3.3 Can Harley Electra Glide Give You a Good Touring Experience?
• 3.4 What Does It Feel To Ride a Harley Electra Glide?
• 3.5 What Do You Mean By Reflex Linked Brakes in Electra Glide?
• 3.6 Pricing
• 4. Detailed Specifications
• 4.1 Engine
• 4.2 Dimensions
• 4.3 Chassis
• 4.4 Electronics
• 5. Aftermarket Luggage and Modification Options for Harley Electra Glide

The street bikes, cruisers, or cafe bikes are the ones on me that can go along with almost all types of people. You can use them for customization, taking them for a spin around the town, or even adding some high-quality saddlebags and taking them on an adventure.

But, that doesn’t go for touring bikes. They are specially designed for long tours and every person has different needs and choices when buying a touring motorcycle.

Now, of course, there are many options out there to select if you want to buy a touring motorcycle. However, if you are a Harley fan then you would always choose a bike from Harley’s line of touring bikes.

The Harley Davidson Electra Glide is one of the most popular touring bikes of Harley. It’s not only popular among Harley fans but the riders who love going on adventures have always loved the Harley Electra Glide.

Here we will be discussing everything you need to know before buying a Harley Davidson Electra Glide so you can have a better idea of whether it’s worth buying for you or not.

1. What Is a Touring Motorcycle?

As the name tells, a touring motorcycle is the one that has the ergonomics for maximizing your touring experience.

A touring bike is generally bigger and heavier than other bike types. It’s equipped with factory-fitted saddlebags.

The riding position is all about delivering long-lasting comfort to the rider during long trips. Most of them come with a passenger seat that has a backrest. Most of the touring bikes have a windscreen so their view is not sacrificed.

Also Read: Best Motorcycle Roads and Destinations In Rhode Island, United States

Talking about the multimedia and infotainment system, the touring bikes come with GPS, satellite radio, music system, and other things that vary according to the motorcycle company.

Now heading onto the most important thing that is the engine. The touring bikes come with a bigger and more powerful engine so that they can travel long distances without needing service.

2. Background of Harley Electra Glide

The Harley touring motorcycle line was started back in 1941. At that time, the company launched its first FL model. These bikes came with the Big Twin Engines and large telescopic forks.

In 1949, Harley FL Hydra-Glide was introduced. This was the first time Harley produced a motorcycle with hydraulic fork systems. The hydraulic forks offered a better suspension which made the ride more comfortable.

The next significant change to Harley’s touring line was in 1958 when the company introduced the Duo-Glide. This motorcycle came with a spring seat which made it more comfortable, and rear brakes were also introduced. Moreover, the rear suspension had three different adjustment settings.

Also Read: Best Motorcycle Roads and Destinations In Maine, United States

Then finally in 1965, the FLH Electra Glide was introduced. It got the name Electra because it was Harley’s first bike that featured electric starting. This was Harley’s last model with the 1200cc Panhead engine.

In 1969, the company installed fork-mounted batwing fairing that later became a benchmark look for Harley’s different touring motorcycles.

Then in 1978, the Electra Glide FLH featured a shovelhead engine. The displacement was increased to 1300cc.

1999 was the Dawn of Twin Cam Engines. This engine was installed in the Electra Glide; it provided a maximum torque of 86 at 3,500rpm.

In 2007, the EFI system was introduced for Electra Glide. It came with Twin Cam 96 that produced more displacement and torque.

The company kept producing Electra Glide with minor changes till 2017. When the latest Milwaukee-Eight engine was introduced in this bike. It featured 6-speed transmission.

The latest Electra Glide is the 2022 model. Here are the details of this model:

Also Read: Best Motorcycle Luggage Options For Your Camping Trip

3. Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Buyers Guide

If you are one of those riders who have always been a fan of adventures and long trips then you definitely need a bike from Harley’s touring line.

The Electra Glide is a basic version of Harley’s touring bikes. It comes in a vivid black paint so it’s open to all sorts of customizations.

Features 107 V-Twin Engine producing 92HP and 110 ft-lb torque make it a perfect combination for enjoying long tours comfortably.

3.1 Is Harley Davidson Electra a Good First Bike?

Honestly, the Electra Glide is one of the heaviest and largest Harley Davidson so a beginner could never ride it easily. The bike has a big engine just like Harley’s all touring family.

Controlling the heavyweight of Electra Glide and about 100HP is not something a beginner could do efficiently.

Moreover, this bike is really long so turning it could be a real challenge. If you are on a tour then probably your speed would be a little high, making turns safely while controlling your bike is something only a professional rider can do.

So, the Harley Electra Glide is not a good first bike. To learn the basics of how to ride you start from engines that are low in power. Your first bike should be somewhere between 300-600cc.

In addition, riding with those big saddlebags around your bike is somehow uncomfortable as you have to make sure that they don’t get hit by a passing vehicle. And, you wouldn’t want to drop your bike and break those plastic saddlebags.

Also Read: How To Equip Your Bagger Motorcycle For Tours

3.2 How Fast Is The Harley Electra Glide?

Touring bikes are not mostly about speed. A good touring bike is one that offers exceptional levels of comfort to the rider.

However, the estimated top speed of Electra Glide is about 100mph.

3.3 Can Harley Electra Glide Give You a Good Touring Experience?

The answer to this question varies for everybody. You need to ask yourself what touring is really about for you.

Some riders feel that the technology and comfort improve their experience while others just want to feel their bike and road.

Unlike Harley’s other touring bikes, the Electra Glide doesn’t come with a built-in infotainment system. So, it gives you total freedom of enjoying the scenery and roam without worrying about directions.

If you are an old-school rider then you can remove the windshield to feel wind splashing on your face as you hit the throttle.

On the other hand, if you are a fan of technology and can’t enjoy your trip without listening to music or you rely too much on GPS directions then Electra Glide could disappoint you.

You can’t deny the performance and comfort that Electra Glide delivers for long tours. It comes with floorboards so the rider’s feet are always in a relaxed position.

The seat and handlebars are positioned in such a way that the rider is always in an upright riding position. It makes sure that there is no hunch in your back.

Also Read: Motorcycle Sissy Bars 101 Guide

3.4 What Does It Feel To Ride a Harley Electra Glide?

The Harley Electra Glide is produced under the project Rushmore. Harley-Davidson launched project Rushmore in 2014, it had an initiative for developing the best touring bikes in the world.

Everything about the Harley Electra Glide is massive. The throttle is thick, the fuel tank can fill up to 22 liters. And, not to forget the ultra-wide batwing fairing.

The seat is wide and low just like the old Dyna Lowrider. Electra Glide ditched the foot-pegs and replaced them with floorboards. Touring on this bike feels like riding something really massive.

Thanks to the suspension system, Electra Glide softly soaks up any bumps in the road.

Due to cruise control, highway riding becomes comparatively effortless. You might be thinking that cornering with this heavyweight bike would be a problem.

Surprisingly, cornering with Electra Glide is easier than some of the cruiser bikes. The geometry of the bike makes cornering easy, just lean your body and the bike will respond efficiently.

Due to the lack of an infotainment system, and low positioning of the seat, Electra Glide delivers an old-school vibe.

3.5 What Do You Mean By Reflex Linked Brakes in Electra Glide?

The Reflex Linked Brakes combine ABS with electronically linked brakes. This system is used to automatically optimize the front and rear brake balance. Once your Electra Glide goes above 25mph, the Reflex Linked Brakes are activated.

The front and rear brakes are linked in such a way that just the right amount of brake is delivered to each tire according to the condition of the road.

3.6 Pricing

Base Price	$19,429
Reflex Defensive Rider System	$1,025
ABS	Standard
Security System	Standard
Cruise Control	Standard
Freight	$650
Surcharge	$800

4. Detailed Specifications

4.1 Engine

Type	Milwaukee-Eight 107
Stroke	4.3 Inches
Bore	3.9 Inches
Displacement	107 cu in
Fuel System	ESPFI
Exhaust	2-1-2 dual exhaust with tapered mufflers
Engine Torque	111 ft-lb at 3000rpm
Compression Ratio	10:0:1
Fuel Economy	43mpg

4.2 Dimensions

LxWxH	98.5x38x61 Inches
Wheelbase	63 Inches
Ground Clearance	5 Inches
Wet Weight	403 kg
Fuel Capacity	23 liters

4.3 Chassis

Front Fork	49mm Dual Bending Valve
Rear Shocks	Premium Hand-Adjustable
Wheels	Impeller Cast Aluminum
Brakes Type	Dual floating rotors at front, fixed rotors at end

4.4 Electronics

Headlamp	Dual halogen 55-watt 625-lumen low beam
Tail	8W
Front Signal	28W
Rear Signal	27W
Gauges	Display featuring odometer, range to empty, gear indicator, and tell-tale indicators.

5. Aftermarket Luggage and Modification Options for Harley Electra Glide

Touring bikes are not always recommended for modification because they already come fully loaded. However, you can modify the Harley Electra Glide according to your comfort, and how you want people to see it on the highway.

If you want to take a rider friend along with you on a trip then you can add a passenger pillion. Moreover, to treat your back, you can add a backrest.

Like all touring bikes, Harley Electra Glide comes with factory-fitted saddlebags. However, if you want to make a style statement then you can always add some best-in-class saddlebags.

There are many other luggage options that you can add to your Harley Electra Glide. Make sure to chem them out because you would never want to miss these dope saddlebags.