2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra Review

At the introduction of the new Road Glide Ultra, Harley's brass pointed out that the previous RG Ultra led all other H-D models in annual mileage put on by owners. That emphasis in mind, the bulk of my time on the newly Rushmore-ized 2016 Harley Davidson Road Glide Ultra was on open highways with my favorite ballast aboard, wife Martha. (I'm gonna be sleeping on the couch for that crack.)

As you might know, the Road Glide Ultra was gone for two years while Harley tooled it up for the liquid-cooled, 103ci engine and a number of other improvements given to the basic Road Glide as part of the sweeping Rushmore updates, including things like a radically reworked frame-mount fairing with better aerodynamics, totally new luggage with brilliant new latches, and a big-screen infotainment system. Where the Road Glide and Road Glide Special are more custom-styled baggers, think of the Ultra as H-D’s true touring version, with a standard top box.

Real touring takes two, and the truth is that my wife requests that I “refrain from riding like a jackass” with her on board, so the RG Ultra is the ideal choice for a comfortably paced trip. She loves the passenger accommodations and says, “From the back seat, the Road Glide is roomy and comfy, with a huggy backrest and big flat passenger footrests. It’s easy to snap photos from the road and shift positions to keep the blood flowing in the nether regions.” She spent most of the 425 miles each day listening to music on her Bluetooth headset, taking in the scenery, and noting how “nicely” I was riding. Never did she ask for an early stop.

It’s a happy place for the rider, too, if you’re the right size. Our taller staffers weren’t thrilled with the Ultra’s aerodynamics, but I found them to be perfect for my 5-foot-9 frame. Taller windscreens are available, but I found a turbulence-free ride by carefully choosing which of the vents to open—there’s one at the base of the windscreen (open) and two surrounding the headlight (closed for cold weather), and extra closable louvers in the lowers. I’m not naturally a fan of the cruiser slouch, but the Ultra would have been just fine had my textile riding pants not slithered all over the seat. Swipe left on that match.

The tall-geared, rubber-mounted engine is, however, the perfect match for the Ultra’s rail-car stability, carrying it along at supra-legal speeds with just a hint of rumble. Contented at 65 mph, tolerant of 75, and just starting to whine above 85—that’s your working range. True, the tall gearing saps much of its roll-on performance, especially two-up with the excellent hard luggage brimming, but a downshift or two gets the 103ci engine back up the power curve. Peak torque of 92.4 pound-feet arrives at 3,600 rpm with horsepower topping out at 75.9 at 5,000 rpm, just 500 short of the redline. The Ultra is never fast by motorcycle standards, in part because it weighs 926 pounds with the 6-gallon tank full, but it rarely feels painfully underpowered.

As my wife and I ventured off the main highways, the Ultra helped me maintain inner calm. Limited cornering clearance—something Harley says rarely appears in the “voice of the customer” owner feedback—makes you choose an easy pace and smooth style. All is serene and sight-seeingly delightful until the road goes to hell. Then the fork (with one cartridge) and twin air shocks (pressured to the max) come unglued, allowing the Ultra to bottom violently. “More than once, Mr. Cook’s Wild Ride took us on beautiful but not recently maintained back roads,” reports Mrs. Cook, “and the first time we hit a lump in the tarmac, I felt my vertebrae do the bone-cracking equivalent of playing telephone, sacrum to cervical 1.” You can go to the aftermarket and make the Ultra’s suspension better, but you shouldn’t have to on a $26,000 motorcycle.

Harley’s version of linked brakes needs work, too, because the transition from independent and mixed braking is far too abrupt and unpredictable. Too bad, because the bike’s manners otherwise contribute to smooth piloting, from the predictable steering, broad clutch-takeup range, and the amount the bike’s size seems to shrink as you put on the miles. The effort put into the Rushmore updates have made the Ultra so user friendly in so many ways that I can completely see why owners put on so many miles.