I've never been too practical with purchases, but part of not having kids of my own has made that possible.  This morning I stopped into the Harley shop in Duluth to look for a new riding jacket and after another trip there later in the day, left my 2010 Dyna Street Bob there and rode out on a 2020 Street Glide Special.  We're only in a global pandemic, why not buy a bike with the current economic climate?  I've owned a VROD, Softail Slim, and the Dyna mentioned above, so this is my first touring bike.

I have only put about a dozen miles on it so far, but wanted to give my initial impressions right out of the box.  I didn't even test ride it before buying it, I went into this based on others I know who have Street Glides.  This Street Glide Special has Harley's Reflex Defensive Rider System, an almost $1,000 add-on option which I haven't really used yet, so I'll cover that in a later review.  It does has an upgraded sound system though and the 114 Milwaukee 8 engine, instead of the 107 that's standard.

2020 Street Glide Special- Photo Credit: Joe Danger
2020 Street Glide Special- Photo Credit: Joe Danger
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The 114 engine pulls hard, and is incredibly smooth, the smoothness being something that a lot of guys gripe about online.  They claim that's not a real Harley because it doesn't vibrate enough.  I'm in between, I appreciate the older and more rattling bikes but I'm a huge fan of new technology and improvements.  I so far can't complain about it.  The 6-speed transmission shifts smoothly however it has the typical noisy Harley clunk.  I've joked for years with my buddy Rich that a $30,000 bike has that much transmission clunk, part of it's charm maybe?

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The stock seat seems like it will be comfortable for the long haul, usually on lower end models the first thing you change is the seat.  Being new to a touring model, time will tell, but I think the stock will suit me well.  Considering the bike weighs 827 pounds before my fat ass is on it, it's incredibly nimble and throwing it around wasn't difficult.  After about 5 miles I was feeling confident with it, considering my previous bikes weighed less and were pretty easy to move, I was happily surprised.

Overall so far, I don't have any buyers remorse, though I never have with a motorcycle.  I'll report back after a few thousand miles and dig in more to some of the other features that Harley packs into this ride.

 

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