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Home  Articles Test Driving the 2008 FLHX Street Glide |
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Test Driving the 2008 FLHX Street Glide |
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Page 2 of 3 Looking at the motorcycle or the wheels alone, there's no way to tell if the motorcycle has the ABS braking system. To find a Touring model with the ABS option for the test ride we had to pop off the right side panel of several motorcycles to identify one. 
One thing that sets the Street Glide™ apart from the rest of the Touring models at a glance is the short smoked windshield on the fork mounted Bat Wing fairing. Other features include a 160 Watt 4-speaker; AM/FM/WB/CD/MP3 advanced audio system by Harman/Kardon®; solo headlamp and bullet front and rear turn signals; low-profile, air-adjustable rear suspension; color matched saddlebag latches; rear fender ground effects with tri-line fender lights; fuel range countdown indicator and cruise control.
Road test: A magic carpet ride
The Street Glide™ is the luxury sport model of the Touring line. I loved the short smoked glass windshield in the bat wing fairing. You can see clearly over the shield and at the same time have complete protection from the wind. Not sure what would happen in pouring down rain though. This model also comes with all the gauges including cruise control and a stereo.
As with all of the other models in the Touring line, this rubber mounted engine runs real smooth until you stop. Then that rubber mounted engine thrashes around as if it is going to come loose. But as soon as you twist the throttle and start moving the bike, it resembles a magic carpet ride. The ride is very smooth and solid. It handles great in traffic and the acceleration is acceptable in the lower gears. The sixth gear is great while on the highways. The only problem is the lack of power over 60 mph. You will find yourself shifting to a lower gear to find an acceptable acceleration rate. This engine was built to be upgraded. I am not sure how many stock Harley’s are out there, but I highly recommend upgrading the horse power for better performance. As for the fly-by-wire, not sure I could tell any difference. According to several people, they all said that they found the vibration on the handlebars to be much less. My main ride is a Sportster, so the Touring ride is so much smoother to start with, that I may not be able to tell the difference. I did notice how much cleaner the look is without any cables though. Looks great!
I could tell the difference in the isolated drive system. There wasn’t a loud clunk when you shift. Then when you are in stop and go traffic the transition from slowing down to accelerating and back again was very smooth. Nice feature!
Now what I really wanted to test was the new ABS brakes. I did notice that they had separate systems for the front and rear brakes. So, of course, I wanted to test the rear brakes first. Aside from the knowledge of the presence of the ABS system, you would never know they were on the motorcycle. You cannot tell by walking up to the bike and looking it over or by riding the bike and using the brakes. That is, until you create a situation that calls for its attention.
The first thing I did was find a nice quiet out of the way asphalt road. Then the fun begins. The first thing I did was apply enough rear brake to simulate a lockup. And of course the ABS system took over and pulsed the rear brake, not letting it lockup or skid. The peddle feels a little funny as it seems to go down a little more and you can feel the pulsing in the peddle. The bike came to a very controlled stop.
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