[vtwinned]

To the OP, I used to ride a Street Glide. Took it on the Tail of the Dragon and scraped floorboards pretty easily. The next year, I took a Gold Wing F6B on the tail and had a MUCH better time. It was so much more agile and fun to ride. I think I went up and down three or four times that day.

I think if you're torn between Harley and Honda, you may want to factor in where and how you like to ride. Hondas are more fun in the twisties -- if that's your riding style/location.

Edit to Add: (1) The newer Wings have much smaller dressers while Harley is still super bulky. If you hate wind, go with Harley. (2) The Wings are quieter. If you enjoy hearing your music and not having to wear ear plugs on long distance rides, go with a Wing. There are so many trade-offs. But like someone said earlier, it's not a permanent decision

 

[Flatsixbasic]

I don't own a '18+ wing, but had a 2006 H.D. Road Glide. Many factors weigh into comparing a R.G. to G.L. like others have stated, it depends on your riding style and your tastes. I will say one thing that I have experienced: the fairing on my F6B does a much better job, than my R.G. did - even after I bought the fairing/fork deflectors, and the tall windshield.

My F6B is quiet and smooth at stop lights, my R.G. was a paintshaker and a thumper. Of course, I had the big bore kit on that engine, so it was a little more noticeable, than my other big twins. Of course, once you get on the highway, the R.G. is smooth and comfortable, but the buffeting is worse. The F6B is a little lighter than the full Goldwing, but my '06 R.G. was lighter than the '09 and later versions, so my F6B is actually about 70 lb.s heavier than my '06 R.G. ( Harley changed frames on all FLs in '09, which increased their weight substantially.). Also, when I mention my Road Glide, I am talking about the base model - not the Ultra - no lower fairings or Tourpack. I guess that's why my F6B appealed to me.

It is more difficult to compare my Heritage Softail Classic to my F6...the Softail is much lighter and remarkably balanced - both the counterbalanced engine and it's a we'll balanced bike in general. It offers real competition to my F6B. I have to say, on long tours, the F6 would probably win. However, I do more short, easy-going rides, and the Softail makes those rides truly a pleasure.

At the end of the day, it does no good to worry about it - ride whatever makes you happy! After all - This is supposed to be fun!😁

 

[ShanghaiDan]

I actually think Harleys sound nice with stock pipes, but who leaves those on?

Pipes and saddles - they're like the box the bike came in!

 

[Airborne06]

I actually think Harleys sound nice with stock pipes, but who leaves those on?

FWIW: I still have the stock pipes. Sounds like a Harley, but doesn't annoy the neighbors or fellow motorists. This is the first Harley I've owned (and I've owned 7 since 1999) that I didn't change the pipes/ac (Stage 1) as my first modification.

 

[jstrenn]

The number of snot nosed boys that broke all the rules in the car to unbuckle get out of there child restraints was amazing compared to the Wing. They smash the face to the window and throw the grip twist. On the Wing, never.

What does this even mean??? I've read and re-read and can't seem to make sense of it.

 

[vtwinned]

I don't own a '18+ wing, but had a 2006 H.D. Road Glide. Many factors weigh into comparing a R.G. to G.L. like others have stated, it depends on your riding style and your tastes. I will say one thing that I have experienced: the fairing on my F6B does a much better job, than my R.G. did - even after I bought the fairing/fork deflectors, and the tall windshield.

FYI about the F6B vs. '18+ wing fairing: I just traded in my old F6B (2013 model) for a 2019 DCT. The fairing on the newer bikes is significantly smaller. I rode in 45 degree weather yesterday and even with gloves and heated grips, my fingers took turns going numb from the cold. It was also much colder on my legs. Did not have this problem on the F6B.

My next accessory will be upper wind deflectors.

 

[JackFlack]

Love to hear current 2018+ GL owners who previously or currently own a HD Road Glide. I've reviewed a few online comparisons but would like to hear from "real" owners about their thoughts, experiences, surprises (good or bad), etc.

Thanks

I used to own a HD RG. I loved that bike. However, it was not a great bike for both my wife and I. It worked ok, but was definitely not a bike to spend a long trip on. The thing I appreciated about my HD was the fit and finish. I think my HD had the best paint job of any bike I've seen. I never had any trouble with my HD and simply did the routine maintenance.

I came to my RG from a yamaha FJR and boy was it a change. the HD was much more well mannered on the highway and I loved the lower center of gravity on the HD.

All that said, I love my GW. I tell people I cried when the person that bought my HD road away, at least until I picked up my GW. I love my GW even more than I did my HD. I think my GW is a much more refined bike. It rides better, corners better, is more comfortable, fits me and my wife better. I honestly don't have much to say about the GW other than I hate the paint job. Compared to the HD, Honda's paint really sucks. It scratches if you look sideways at it. However, if that is the only problem I have, I'll be a happy camper.

Oh and like someone said in the thread, I hated the heat from my HD. The GW is a much more comfortable riding experience.

 

[Roadie]

FYI about the F6B vs. '18+ wing fairing: I just traded in my old F6B (2013 model) for a 2019 DCT. The fairing on the newer bikes is significantly smaller. I rode in 45 degree weather yesterday and even with gloves and heated grips, my fingers took turns going numb from the cold. It was also much colder on my legs. Did not have this problem on the F6B.

My next accessory will be upper wind deflectors.

Your better off getting heated gloves.😊

 

[Mengy]

I owned two Road Glide Ultras (a 2011 and a 2016) before my 2018 Goldwing DCT Tour, and while they were both the best Harleys I ever owned or rode, they don't hold a candle compared to my Wing.

Some points where the new Wing slaughters the Road Glide:

• Ride quality. The new Wing rides so smooth and planted compared to any Harley today. This bike eats the highway better than any Harley I've ever been on.
• Handling. The Wing is like a sport tourer in how it rides, so much more fun than the Road Glide ever was.
• Power. The Honda flat six has more power and torque than any stock Harley, it can be scary fast.
• Quietness. The Wing is incredibly pleasant to ride all day long. Makes the radio very easy to hear, and makes conversations with my girl on the back so nice even at highway speeds.
• Electric windshield. It's SUCH an awesome feature, I wish at least ONE Harley had an electric shield on it. This might be my favorite feature on the entire Wing its so damn nice.
• DCT. I didn't expect to like it before my first test ride, now I don't think I'll ever own a non-DCT bike again. I thought I'd miss shifting manually, I was 100% wrong.
• Comfort. The Wing's sitting position is SO SUPERIOR to the Road Glides. This has been the biggest surprise to me going from Road Glide to Goldwing.
• Stock heated grips and seats. I had no idea how handy these were going to be.
• Less maintenance. Not only are oil changes less frequent but they cost less than HD oil & filters do. Plus Honda reliability, I've had zero issues in 20K miles. Tire changes are also cheaper.
• No more cooked legs. My Road Glides were painful in traffic jams during the summer, my legs would literally cook. I've felt no heat off the Goldwing motor even in 100°+ days.

There are a few areas where the Road Glide wins out though:

• GPS. The Harley GPS is leaps and bounds better than Honda's. It's embarrassing honestly.
• Storage. The Road Glide has much more storage space, and I still prefer top opening saddlebags.
• Radio reception. The whip antennae on the RG gets a bit better reception.

I still love Road Glides but the new Goldwing is in a whole other class of motorcycle. I am so glad I traded up, I might never own another Harley again unless they can make a bike to match the new Goldwing!

 

[Martinsurg]

Owned a 2009 CVO Road Glide and I loved that motorcycle! It was great for touring after the addition of a tourpak! The primary reason I traded that machine was the extreme amount of heat that radiated off of that engine, especially in the summer! I agree this new 2020 bike is a hybrid of a sport and touring motorcycle. The DCT, smoothness, power and suspension has made the transition from a 2017 CVO Harley Street Glide to A 2020 Honda Goldwing Tour effortless. I enjoy riding without pain and look forward to warmer weather and cross country touring . In all honesty if Harley made a Road Glide with DCT and a better suspension I doubt that I would have ever considered Honda.

 

[Flatsixbasic]

I actually think Harleys sound nice with stock pipes, but who leaves those on?

I DO!

 

[grampi]

I DO!

View attachment 378085

Thank you! I get sick of hearing these bikes with loud pipes...

 

[Flatsixbasic]

Thank you! I get sick of hearing these bikes with loud pipes...

I've had a few used bikes that came with loud pipes. I have kept the ones that weren't too egregious, but others, I removed the louder ones and looked for stock "take offs", that were left over from guys who bought aftermarket exhaust. Usually, got them at a very reasonable cost. I usually look for used bikes that haven't been " molested" - hard to find, sometimes! Bad thing is, these guys screw-up the bike and then throw away the stock exhaust. Price replacement stock exhaust new - big $$$!
Funny thing is, I myself only bought a set of aftermarket pipes on one cruiser: a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Nomad! It was a set of Vance & Hines " Bagger" pipes, to go along with rejetting the carburetor, upgrading the air filter, and installing a different intake manifold. Wasn't too loud and really improved gas mileage and performance.
When I moved up to the 1600 Nomad, I left it stock. It was fuel injected and didn't need upgrading. As far as modern Japanese bikes, I don't see the sense in it.
I believe "Piping & Jetting" was useful on some older carbureted Harleys and some Jap cruisers, but was unnecessary with multi-carbureted or the newer, fuel injected bikes.
I had a couple of fuel injected Harleys that the previous owners had done Stage 1 kits ( basically, the same thing I did with the Nomad 1500), that I took in to have them remap to the original settings. I then found stock exhaust and that quietted them down, considerably.
If you examine the stock exhaust systems, you find very high quality materials were used in them. Not true with many of the aftermarket varieties. Harley Davidson, "Screamin' Eagle" or Vance& Hines, seem to be the best to me.

 

[blast]

What does this even mean??? I've read and re-read and can't seem to make sense of it.

I'm sorry,, but if you can't understand that descriptive statement. Do you really ride a motorcycle and you most have never been a little boy.

 

[Largeandy]

Have an 18 Wing..and prev owned a 15 CVO Roadglide...the HD Roadglide was too top heavy to suit me...but far better storage/Nav and service availability. I love the way the 18 Wing handles and rides....I also own a 2018 Road King with an M8...I love that bike and it handles great too...I have had zero problems with the M 8 motor but then, the oil sump problem was solved by 2018...I have also owned two Indians...if you want to talk about getting your legs roasted, ride one of those 111’s...all in all, my HD is my favorite bike, the 18 Wing is my wife's favorite two up bike ...but I love em both for very different reasons.

 

[IdahoHacker]

I had a 2015 Road Glide Special. Ended up with damn near $30k in it, including cam, exhaust, dyno tune, seat, major lighting improvements so I don't die at night, windshield, etc., etc. I put 55,000 miles on it in three years. Had to replace front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, steering head bearings, and fuel pump, twice. Sincerely, now, I loved that bike. Did my IBA SS1000 on it, with the stock seat and windshield. West coast to east coast and back, twice. Canada. But, I was very much aware of the sumping problems with the M8, plus the transmission emptying its oil into the primary, and at 55k I was feeling a decision coming.

So, I bought my '18 DCT Tour, without a test ride. Can't really tell in a few laps around the block anyway, and I figured I'd be kicking myself if I didn't give the DCT a fair trial.

Because my Road Glide had 55k on it, it took me six months to sell it. For $18,000 less than I had in it. Wrap your head around that. So, once a month or so I'd take it out for a short ride, just to keep the oil moving. Holy ****. It was like riding a dump truck. A very old, rattling, clanking dump truck. I'm not kidding. And this one had the CVO rear suspension for that year, and I had upgraded the front fork oil, but NOT to oil thick enough to make the ride harsh.

The DCT Wing is the most unbelievable, stunning, comfortable, fast, touring motorcycle I've ever ridden. STOCK. Like many guys, I've got my fantasy of a garage full of "one of each", and including an ADV/Touring bike, of course. Well, the R1250GS is off the table because you can't get a DCT with it, and it has been replaced by the Africa Twin.

I'd still love to find a beater Sportster to wrench on, but a new Harley? Not a snowball's chance in hell. The Honda Goldwing DCT is the bike for a lifetime. You will not regret it.

 

[GOV5]

I DO!

View attachment 378085

ME TOO! The stock mufflers on the 2015 have a nice sound and are not obnoxious.

 

[WalterMitty2]

I had a 2015 Road Glide Special. Ended up with damn near $30k in it, including cam, exhaust, dyno tune, seat, major lighting improvements so I don't die at night, windshield, etc., etc. I put 55,000 miles on it in three years. Had to replace front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, steering head bearings, and fuel pump, twice. Sincerely, now, I loved that bike. Did my IBA SS1000 on it, with the stock seat and windshield. West coast to east coast and back, twice. Canada. But, I was very much aware of the sumping problems with the M8, plus the transmission emptying its oil into the primary, and at 55k I was feeling a decision coming.

So, I bought my '18 DCT Tour, without a test ride. Can't really tell in a few laps around the block anyway, and I figured I'd be kicking myself if I didn't give the DCT a fair trial.

Because my Road Glide had 55k on it, it took me six months to sell it. For $18,000 less than I had in it. Wrap your head around that. So, once a month or so I'd take it out for a short ride, just to keep the oil moving. Holy ****. It was like riding a dump truck. A very old, rattling, clanking dump truck. I'm not kidding. And this one had the CVO rear suspension for that year, and I had upgraded the front fork oil, but NOT to oil thick enough to make the ride harsh.

The DCT Wing is the most unbelievable, stunning, comfortable, fast, touring motorcycle I've ever ridden. STOCK. Like many guys, I've got my fantasy of a garage full of "one of each", and including an ADV/Touring bike, of course. Well, the R1250GS is off the table because you can't get a DCT with it, and it has been replaced by the Africa Twin.

I'd still love to find a beater Sportster to wrench on, but a new Harley? Not a snowball's chance in hell. The Honda Goldwing DCT is the bike for a lifetime. You will not regret it. View attachment 378227

Thanks for all the info.

And as for scratching that Sportster itch....maybe check out the Honda Rebel 1100 with DCT!! Though it will probably not give you any chance for wrenching as it will run flawlessly.

 

[Flatsixbasic]

I had a 2015 Road Glide Special. Ended up with damn near $30k in it, including cam, exhaust, dyno tune, seat, major lighting improvements so I don't die at night, windshield, etc., etc. I put 55,000 miles on it in three years. Had to replace front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, steering head bearings, and fuel pump, twice. Sincerely, now, I loved that bike. Did my IBA SS1000 on it, with the stock seat and windshield. West coast to east coast and back, twice.

I chose to keep my Heritage Softail Classic, and sell my '06 RoadGlide for many of the reasons you mentioned. Mine was not a CVO model, and bought used. It came with the big bore engine and although smooth on the highway, was a paint shaker at idle. I don't spend the kind of money you do on bikes - no judgements, just not me. I won't spend $20k on ANY motorcycle.

I am sorry for your bad experience, but I've always felt that CVOs are rip-offs. You pay twice what a standard model costs and then lose your butt on depreciation. At the end of the day, I think any Goldwing is better for long distance touring. My old saying about my having owned over 30 bikes was, " If you told me to ride to California in 3 days, I still would pick my '95 Goldwing 1500 Interstate over any bike I've owned, for a long trip".
BUT: For my current style of ride, my '08 Heritage Softail Classic is my favorite. I have done my share of long tours across several states. I never saw the sense in doing an Iron Butt. Riding is for fun - not bragging rights. My favorite style now: Short, Two lane country roads, at a moderate speed - no question about it.

There are different bikes for different styles. My Harleys have all been dependable and problem free. But so have my Jap bikes. I bought some new, and more used. Not all of my Jap bikes have been the best for long tours, either. I will say, the best combination cruiser and tourer motorcycles have been my Kawasaki Vulcan Nomads, and one Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700 ABS.

I don't know about the Milwaukee 8 engine. I test rode one, when they first came out and told the salesman I already had experienced that engine - on my Kawasaki Nomad! The Softail Twin Cam engines are counterbalanced, so they are much smoother than other Harley engines. My '06 RoadGlide had the regular Twin Cam engine, like all Harley engines (Except Softails), with rubber mounts, BUT no counterbalances. My Kawasaki Vulcan big twins (5 of them), had rubber mounts AND counterbalancers. Big difference! Harley finally caught up with that idea on the M8 engine, but you mentioned hearing of mechanical problems with them. All I know, is the new Harleys go for a lot more money. Conversely, my '13 Honda F6B is silky smooth, and very comfortable, like all of my Goldwings. And just like some of my previous GoldWings, I bought this one used and cheap, with only 7,000 miles on it.

As you may surmise, my opinion is: Whether it is a $30k Harley, or a $27k Honda, at that price range, the idea of practicality is a moot point. When it starts to rain, your equal to the poor man riding a $1,500 used 650 Suzuki - and inferior to the gal driving the $1,000 Ford Escort, who remains dry!

I have had multiple Sportsters. They are fun and cheap, but aside from the weight, you may as well keep your old Road Glide. Cheers...

 

[SeaDogActual]

I actually think Harleys sound nice with stock pipes, but who leaves those on?

I did, so I could hear my stereo!