Already drove! The new Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special 2019
The Vivid Black paint isn't really dry yet and the new Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special 2019 model year is already ready for testing at Lake Faak.
It's very easy for me to make a general judgment about the Road Glide. I've ridden the Ultra version in particular a lot, but the Special version was also one of them.
When it comes to tourers, Harley-Davidson is still holding back with the drastic model changes; every year there are always smaller changes and of course improvements.
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special engine
The 2019 model shines with the new Milwaukee-Eight 114cui V2 engine, which has 13 NM more torque than the 107cui engine. On the other hand, the new one weighs approx. 3 kg more, the performance has increased by 1 HP, which is now at 5020 rpm (previously 5450 rpm) a little earlier (data according to the manufacturer).
The extremely powerful 114cui engine now works in the Special
The 114cui engine runs very cultivated, the high torque of 163 NM has plenty of pressure from below. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to try out in Austria whether the heat development at high outside temperatures is as positive as with the 107 Milwaukee-Eight engine.
According to the manufacturer, consumption is slightly higher, but in my experience with the Milwaukee-Eight engine even able to use less gasoline than the manufacturer stated, despite driving quickly.
With a tank capacity of 22.7 liters and a consumption of around 6 liters, these are the optimal conditions for a tourer.
The differences between the Road Glide Special and the Street Glide Special
The difference between these models is the paneling and lighting.
While the fairing of the Road Glide Special is firmly mounted on the frame, the fairing of the Street Glide is attached to the handlebars and moves with the steering movements, which leads to a weight difference of approx. 15 kilos on the handlebars.
Taste decides on the cockpit
The cockpit is designed differently, the wind protection is also ok, you can still feel the wind. The disc in both versions is more of a narrow lip.
It can also be replaced later with a larger lens, such as the Ultra versions, but this only makes sense for long tours or problems with turbulence on the helmet.
The turbulence will settle down at some point when you have finally found your correct sitting position on the machine. Anyone who has ridden the first 100 kilometers will notice how they slowly adjust their posture behind the fairing and slump a little.
I couldn't find a real explanation for this either, but it was never the helmet or the windshield, it was always just my posture when I had strong turbulence on the helmet.
The Road Glide's LED reflector LEDs are unbeatable
The biggest difference is the lighting, the Road Glide Special has double reflector LEDs installed, the Street Glide can only access the light with the additional spotlights available as accessories.
This is a very big safety factor for me, the double LEDs simply look cool and have so far illuminated my way in the most remote corners of Europe brilliantly and always inspire me.
The new Boom! Box GTS infotainment system
Anyone who has a thing for technology will be impressed by the new Boom! Box GTS will be thrilled.
The navigation system finally runs smoothly and is displayed in full color, Apple Car Play and the digital radio system have also been introduced, the sound comes from slightly larger speakers, but this is not visually noticeable.
The display is very easy to read
Even in strong sunlight I was able to read the display very well, the entire operation has become clearer and certainly easier for many people.
The display can be operated by touch, and multilingual voice recognition also enables control with voice commands, or conveniently via switches on the left and right on the handlebars.
This was already possible in the BoomBox II, but now everything looks a little nicer and what's particularly good is that the processor and more power have been added for smoother data processing.
Check out my video on YouTube.
External web link to Harley-Davidson
