Harley-Davidson Sport Glide test

Menus

• Duo test of the Softail model over 1,500km, including 700 km in one day from Camargue to Paris
• V2, 1745 cm3, 86 hp at 5,450 rpm, 139 Nm at 3,250 rpm, 317 kilos, from € 19,190
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• In the city
• On the highway
• On departmental
• Braking
• Comfort
• Consumption
• Convenient
• Sport Glide test video
• Conclusion

Duo test of the Softail model over 1,500km, including 700 km in one day from Camargue to Paris

V2, 1745 cm3, 86 hp at 5,450 rpm, 139 Nm at 3,250 rpm, 317 kilos, from € 19,190

After the disappearance of the legendary Dyna models in 2017 then the Street and SportSter with Euro5, what remains as models at Harley-Davidson ? Well two ranges, with the Softails and the eight models completely renewed in 2017 and the Touring with the Glide and in particular the Road Glide, Street Glide and other Electra Glide. So, to which of these ranges belongs the Sport Glide 107, with two words with apparent extremes: Sport and Touring ? Officially, the Sport Glide is a Softail, but with suitcases (and it’s the only model in the Softail range with suitcases), like a bridge between two worlds? This is what we wanted to verify with a daily test and especially in duo and kilometers (a lot) to measure its road and long-distance travel capabilities. We therefore began to survey the Camargue to measure the Sport Glide with nature and its sporting and wild aspects before going up through the small roads to Paris and concluding with daily use for two weeks. Verdict after more than 1,500 kilometers, video included…

Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 107

Discovery

While it is not always easy for the boeotian to navigate all the models in the Harley-Davidson range, the Sport Glide is the easiest to recognize with its suitcases and Batwing fairing. And both are easily removable, transforming the one that most resembles a female traveler into a standard custom, in line with the other models in the Softail range. Second component of recognition, the Sport Glide is dressed in Mantiss wheels of the most beautiful effect, as if cut in the mass and a single and very long black silencer. Connoisseurs will be able to list many other differences, but here is the essential.

A fairing and cases, for a model more Glide than Sport ?

Then we find the famous Milwaukee 8 engine and in particular its 107 version, ie 1745 cm3, which now develops 86 horsepower at 5,450 rpm for above all an enormous torque of 139 Nm at 3,500 rpm. Everything is said, a power obtained rather low and a maximum torque very low … for sensations a priori obtained very early. The icing on the twin, the 107 model is available in A2 version, unlike the 114 models in the range. Spoil: the clamping is so well done, that you have to push the bike to its limits to notice it.

Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-Twin

Its tank is well rounded and with its 18.9 liters justifies any inclination to drive far and for a long time, especially with consumption that can remain low, depending on the pace. Because with the torque figures announced above, we can already guess that under the custom usually placid, can hide a whole other personality … more sport? The Boeotian has trouble associating Sport and Custom, two generally contradictory words.

For the rest, we find more of the standard for a custom, with a well hidden mono-shock giving the impression of a hardtail and not of a softail, a ground clearance reduced to 120mm, in particular because of a very saddle. low at just 680mm. Obviously, with a saddle almost at ground level, it is difficult to have enormous ground clearance; for that there is the Pan America 1250 just tested on the Den.

Preload adjustment of the central mono-shock absorber via an easily accessible knob

Finally, the 19-inch large wheel at the front is fitted with a 130 tire, while the rear is only 180 … a small dimension for a custom of such a displacement, especially against two other models. from the Softail range, the Breakout and the Fat Boy with their 240mm rear tire.

Mantis black aluminum alloy wheels

We are then surprised to see at the front only a single disc, not disproportionate in addition with its traditional 300 mm and another disc at the rear almost as large at 292 mm. And the astonishment comes above all from the comparison of these values ​​with the weight of 317 kilos in running order of the motorcycle. Can we stop such a monster in weight with only two disks in total ?

107 ci or 1.745 cm3

In the saddle

The saddle is low, very low even with its 680 mm, compared to any roadster that easily approaches 800 mm. Suffice to say that even the 1.60m pilot will perfectly put both feet flat on the ground. And it’s crazy what the simple fact of putting both feet on the ground reassures, especially when you know the weight of the whole; 317 kilos in running order anyway! We then rush forward to grab the wide handlebars, almost traditional compared to the mini-ape of the Standard models and the flat handlebars of the Fat Bob. Yes, they are all Softails, one family but so many personalities and reasons to love or hate them. The feet themselves must also spring up to lean far ahead on the simple footrests (compared to models in the range with long and wide plates to lean on). We then appreciate the pilot saddle, very well padded.

An accessible custom for small riders

Under the eyes, by tilting the head noticeably, there is a real counter, analog and traditional for a custom, with a small digital window, which can be scrolled through the values ​​via the left stalk button. Fuel gauge (with indication of the remaining range once on reserve) then tachometer, totalizer, partial double-trip, clock therefore alternate with a single pulse.

Analogue / digital counter with gear engaged

Small mirrors provide excellent rearview, especially given their size.

With a push on the starter (thanks to the keyless start, the key in the pocket), the big Twin 107 snorts, almost without any vibration compared to older models and almost silent with its only 90 dB. We remember the models that could wake up an entire neighborhood. You will become friends with your neighbors again. But for all that, we have a real sound, serious and deep, rewarding, the size of the big double heart of 1745 cm3. The big twin purrs here at idle at just 850 rpm.

Euro 5 engine, A2 compatible

First – with a big klonk louder than the exhaust – and time to get used to finding the footrests far away (but where they are), the Sport Glide glides smoothly on the road, including in gravel. But where are the 317 kilos? They seem to have faded away, helped by this large 19-inch front wheel and relatively thin tires (130 front, 180 rear) and natural handlebars offering excellent grip. The maneuverability is thus immediately there and all the more that one remains flexible on the arms..

Invitation to travel

In the city

Once we have got used to this typical position for a custom (and also one of the most specific in the range), as rounded in the shape of a U with its body, the machine is adopted from the first laps wheel. You can start and stop easily without feeling the weight, helped by the feet flat on the ground. The starts can be daunting, handle in the corner, with a maximum power reached very quickly and a maximum at 5,450 rpm when other bikes are at the beginning of their power curve. Better, the torque is at the max from 3,500 rpm and you are there right away, in just a few meters at start-up. The big heart is now the pilot who must have it. We are so fast at 5,000 rpm, that the second happens immediately … knowing that to the ear and to the sensations, we even switch gears much earlier to 2,500 rpm, or even 3,000 maximum than 4,000. But the twin is very flexible here, accepting to wind quietly from 1,100 rpm, including on the sixth and last gear at 50 km / h. But in the end, in town, you will stay in two at 2,500 rpm or even in three at 2,000 rpm at 50 km / h, without ever changing any other gear (and even if the first can take you beyond 60 km / h). And it is not far from also being the case on the road, but we will come back to it.

At this rate, we fear the U-turns, which are done in the end without difficulty, provided they are carried out on the momentum. If, on the other hand, you are stationary, the arms may seem too short and the turning radius limited. But once launched, by swaying, the U-turn is carried out in a normal street easily on a trickle of gas.

As well capable of rhythm ride on the torque at 2,000 rpm as of attack

The only more difficult point is the emergency avoidance, more difficult than with a lighter motorcycle. Changing lanes in front of the car ahead requires a little more anticipation. But otherwise, despite the thin suitcases, the Sport Glide slips easily between the lines of cars and much more easily than its exterior size initially suggests..

And after fifteen days of daily use in the city, it even becomes pleasant, by its ease of driving, by the fact of sneaking around with ease and a playful engine, which only asks to accelerate and you have to restrain yourself. so as not to be too fast in town all the time. In short, this Sport can quickly become Dr Glide.

On the highway

The Sport Glide sets off like a long-distance runner on the motorway, at just half of its maximum engine speed at the legal motorway, at only 2,900 rpm! And despite the Batwing fairing’s very wide and all-encompassing appearance, there is hardly any wind protection. It certainly deviates a little, entirely in the helmet, to generate a lot of noise. Earplugs essential for making long journeys suddenly, especially since it starts to pull on the arms from 130 km / h. At 140 km / h, you hang on to the handlebars and at 150 km / h (at only 3,300 rpm), it pulls seriously, which means that you will not go the distance for several hours at this rate..

Batwing fairing

It all depends on the wind. With the Mistral in the south, you will limit yourself to keeping your average at 130 km / h, even if the heading is excellent and much better than some road, handicapped by their fairing. There is no fairing or windproof here, generating sensitivity to the wind, making driving in high winds easier. Go north, past Lyon and the wind drops, allowing an average 150 km / h on the (German) motorway. The Sport Glide happily accepts a much higher pace, then swallowing the big curves with disconcerting ease. At this speed, if the bitumen is excellent, all is well. If the road is not perfect, things move smoothly, without knowing whether it is the bike or the fact of holding – too – hard that freezes the steering. Suffice to say, that you will quickly ask for mercy anyway, to find a ground more conducive to the model..

83 hp (62 kW) at 5,450 rpm

On departmental

The Sport Glide rediscovers the small roads with delight. Your head finally finds its position without unscrewing, the arms relax significantly and you wind quietly on the last report, oscillating like a metronome to the rhythm of the turns that follow. The Sport Glide thus swings naturally and effortlessly from one turn to the next and if by chance you arrive a little too fast for a moment, a simple press on the enormous brake pedal and the bike brakes calmly while stabilizing. and without widening, to then bow naturally. In fact, the brake pedal becomes your daily friend, so its efficiency is there, with almost feeling and much more than we usually have on big customs, the position with the leg in front facilitating the foot pressure and power on the pedal.

The low-bitumen side gives an additional feeling of security that allows you to start to gain confidence and to curl a little more … which the bike accepts readily, until the screeching sound signaling the limit of ground clearance (yes , the crutch is quickly grated). But even there, she does it without fear and without reproach. You then look at the meter and in fact you are legal, but with sensations that you usually get with more angle and even more dynamics..

139 Nm at 3500 rpm

The Sport Glide thus gives the pilot confidence, making it possible to accelerate the pace in all serenity and to arrive strong in turns, without being afraid of being carried away, by the weight and the speed..

Maneuverability but rubs fast when the pace picks up

And you will wind more generally between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm while in any case, the engine breaks at 5,600 rpm. And frankly, the maximum torque being lower, there is no need to turn it up in the towers to fully exploit it..

Braking

You never used the rear brake, always with this phrase learned to permit the ideal distribution of the brake at 70% on the front, or even 30% at the rear? With this Sport Glide, it’s almost the opposite, so much you can press the brake pedal to brake quickly and hard calmly and all with a very unintrusive ABS. The front brake provides only a little more power, to be avoided on the other hand at slow speed in the gravel; this is already true with any motorcycle but even more with the custom, whose weight on an error can still be felt.

300 mm disc, 4-piston fixed calipers, but mostly the rear is used

Comfort

The saddle is very soft for the pilot and reasonable comfort as long as the asphalt is good. Things hit fast enough when the asphalt deteriorates (do not hesitate to set to 2 rather than 0), but it remains bearable … for the pilot, but not at all for the passenger. The latter has in fact only a pouf, or folding seat, which is moreover noticeably inclined towards the rear, having only one desire, to trigger the eject mode or ejectable pouf, especially since it does not There is no passenger handle and the small strap on the saddle is simply useless, especially given its position. In short, it is a solitary machine, which makes the sissi-bar compulsory and essential, available as an option, in the event of a duo’s desire without losing its passenger too quickly … if the latter holds the shock on the comfort side. Because once again as much comfort is acceptable for the pilot, the shock absorber quickly reaches its limits in the event of a passenger and the size of the pouffe does not provide any additional comfort. Here you are, you know, if you want to go far together, take a real Glide … not a Sport disguised as Glide.

A comfortable 680 mm saddle and a passenger ottoman

And yet, at Le Repaire, we are always ready for crazy bets and see if we can hold them! Here, the bet was to go up from the Camargue to Paris in one go AND in a duo, more than 700 kilometers in half a day! Deal ! It’s possible ! But we had to improvise quickly to put a clothing bag on the saddle, in the form of a large cushion, to improve comfort, otherwise it was not possible.

Consumption

With its 18.9 liters of tank and a consumption of about 5.5 liters per hundred, the Sport Glide can approach 350 kilometers of range and even more in pace, which it does very well. We even managed to lower the consumption to 5.3 liters per hundred. You have to drive at maximum legal speed on the motorway to increase consumption to 6 liters, or even more at 150 km / h. In fact, the reserve turns on on average around 270 km, with an announced remaining range of 70 km. And yet even arriving at 30 km of remaining range on the clock, I did not manage to put more than 17 liters in the tank. There is therefore a little more margin than what is announced by the on-board computer.

Autonomy of more than 300 km or even 350 km

On the other hand, we are always surprised to have a fuel cap, without a key and therefore not lockable, while we have a keyless system..

18.9 liter tank, with keyless cap

Convenient

The two suitcases offer a good capacity, enough to leave for a few days. A carrying capacity that will be further improved with the addition of a sissi-bar and the platform that goes with it for an additional bag. We appreciate the USB socket near the steering column, which allows you to connect a GPS to the front.

Suitcases in the color of the motorcycle

Best of all, the suitcases can be in the color of the motorcycle. And they are easily removed, after turning a simple interior knob. They can be closed just as easily, with a key, without central locking on the other hand..

Without the suitcases

The fairing is even easier to remove, without locking and here on the other hand, it is not good to keep it for a long time.

The important thing is not the destination but the journey

On the other hand, the Neiman, is still on the steering column, lockable only with the key, which obliges to take out the key, to block it. You must also take out the key for the suitcases, the transponder not managing a central locking.

Sport Glide test video

Conclusion

In the end, the Sport Glide is a real sports custom, with an engine that really delivers with its share of sensations, which it asks only to share dynamically for the greatest pleasure of its pilot. It is moreover an easy machine, "light" (in feeling), as well at ease in town for the daily newspaper, as to make the road longer. Above all, it is much more agile than all the real Glide models, which are nowhere near as comfortable in the city. Small riders will love its ease and despite its 1745 cm3, young A2 licensees will love its expressive engine character, so much so that it is almost difficult to say that it is an A2 because the clamping is well done, undoubtedly one of the best made on the market to give its sensations despite everything.It remains its price, at 19,190 euros (an increase of 1,000 euros compared to 18,260 euros for the 2018 vintage), one of the average prices now at Harley, higher than the 14,790 euros for a standard Softail, but far from the 24,190 euros for a Fat Boy or a Breakout, not to mention the prices of real Glides. For the rare models still existing among the Japanese, there are much cheaper (almost three times cheaper with the Vulcan S 650), but more in these displacements (goodbye the VN 1600 and 2000 and other Midnight Star 1900) and even more less with these sensations. You almost have to look now on the Indian side with a cheaper Scout or a much more expensive Chieftain or even BMW with the R18 to find competition. And finally, you don’t buy a Harley for its torque or power values ​​and not for its price either, but for unique machines with all their history and sensations. All you have to do is make your own opinion with a test, on the occasion of one of the test dates as part of the Freedom Tours running every year throughout France..

Strong points

• Motor
• Driving pleasure
• Braking

Weak points

• Comfort
• Protection

Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 107 specification sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small and varied roads + highways + a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 1,500 km

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