The CRAZY Reason I Chose A Street Glide Over Any Other Motorcycle
Ride with me as I discuss the 5 reasons I chose a Harley Davidson Street Glide over any other motorcycle that was available for sale. I also cover what's gone wrong with the bike and what I dislike about the bike. There was an overriding factor that some would call crazy and others would understand that led me to chose the Street Glide over any other available motorcycle. Lets discuss the decision making process and which motorcycle you ride and why?
There’s a crazy reason I chose a Street Glide over any other motorcycle and 5 other reasons that backed this decision up.
With so many awesome motorcycles to choose from and a long 40 plus year history of riding -- why did I choose a street glide special over all other motorcycles? That’s what we are going to discuss today. I’m also going to cover some negatives and what’s gone wrong with the bike and what I don’t like about the bike.
Which bike to choose can be a dilemma for many people. I’ve owned countless motorcycles over the years predominately Kawasaki sports bikes and sports tourers and Harley’s with a few other odd bikes thrown in over the years.
I think I have enough experience to make a wise choice but at the end of the day – it’s very subjective. The craziest reason led me to first choose a street glide and I haven’t looked back since.
I’ve got an M8 114 Street Glide Special, they don’t sell plain street glides here in Australia – so there was no choice on the special or standard part.
Let’s get into it.
1. Engine
One of the main reasons I picked the street glide over any other motorcycle is the engine.
First of all Harley engines are high torque so that makes them easy to ride, but more importantly fun and relaxing to ride. The M8 114 gives you a great starting point in terms of both power and torque. Much better than the Harley’s that came before it.
In stock form you get about 90 Hp and 110 -115 ft pounds of torque – at the rear wheel. These figures are always elastic because they have different ways of measuring and it’s not always obvious how these figures come about. Is it measured at the crank or rear wheel?
What gear was the Dyno run done in? There are other intricacies that im sure a Dyno expert can educate us on.
Personally, I think seat of the pants Dyno is always the best. I say ride your bike – ride a more powerful bike and see what the difference is – what the possibility is.
Do you want that? Do you need that? How much will you pay for that?
The later model Harley engines are a great “starting point” because I like my motorcycles to have some punch to them. I don’t need a crazy lightweight thing that has 200 plus hp…
But I need some pep and throttle response and I like the engine to be able to wind up a little more than a stock Harley does. The later model Harley’s have much more pep than the older ones – the twin cams and those that came before that - so it means you don’t need to spend as much to get them going.
The standard 115 foot pounds of torque would be more than most stage 4 twin cams. Although the older stage 4 bikes feel faster. Even though I think it’s the best way to determine what right for you - Seat of the pants - is not that accurate because a crisp responsive bike feels faster. A bike with a fairing and less wind feels slower. That sort of thing.
On my bike I have modified it with a high flow air cleaner, header pipes, mufflers, cam and tuner. I have an aftermarket non-Harley tune, which I think is more aggressive than the Harley tune. I have ridden a couple of 131’s, Harley tuned bikes now and let’s just say I am happy with mine.
Watch the video to see what the other reasons I chose a Street Glide over any other motorcycle, were. Let me know in the YouTube comments what motorcycle you ride and why?