2018 Harley-Davidson Touring Street Glide

One of the coolest Southern rock songs ever, “Black Betty,” would sound right fine blasting from the Vivid Black Street Glide’s audio system. And that gives you an idea of the Street Glide’s mission in life: a whole lotta street swagger. To H-D’s latest touring chassis, the Street Glide adds a fork-mounted batwing fairing with a low-cut windscreen, hard side bags, and linked Brembo triple-disc brakes.

The standard Boom! Box 4.3 audio system is more than just music. It also includes a Bluetooth feature and a USB port so you can use your phone—for either calls or entertainment—on the fly. Although it’s received mixed reviews, an available accessory amp and two-speaker kit can be further upgraded to four speakers. The batwing fairing is basically an old-school touring piece with a cut-down windscreen, which makes it great for visibility in town but flawed in highway wind protection. The hard bags are brilliant—easy enough to use and versatile—while the linked braking system lets you operate both front and rear brakes with the foot pedal.

Likes: Thanks to the improved Milwaukee-Eight platform, the Street Glide excels at city and freeway work.

Dislikes: Baggers are big and wide, making smaller bikes a way better fit for congested traffic corridors.

Verdict: Some folks are natural-born baggers. If that's you, the Street Glide is your authentic self.

2018 Harley-Davidson Touring and CVO First Look