2014 Street Glide Special report

[randyman]

Have had my 2014 SGS almost two months and have a few things I have learned in 3500 miles.
1. Bike handles awesome
2. Stock power is plenty for me
3. Very comfortable but seat could be better
4. Controls very different, but easy to adjust to
5. Infotainment system sounds great but don't expect any reception out in the country
6. Radio reception sucks

I have had the brakeline recall done it took dealer 1/2 hour.  The dealer has checked the antenna connections and found no problems.  Dealer did Infotainment update download but it didn't help.

Overall I am pleased but I think a lot of people will find out in Sturgis just how bad the radio reception is as I was in Custer the other day and couldn't tune any stations.  My friends riding 2002, 2008 and 2009 E Glides had great reception.

[ken6217]

Get the XM/Sirius module. Why bother with radio?

[Iamwill]

Yea what's another $600-$700 dollars.

[sfmichael]

Love my 2013 - and yes, stock seat no bueno 

[88b]

I test rode a 2014 Limited and was totally unimpressed . I wanted to try a Street Glide which wasn't available at the time . Two months later the dealer still hasn't phoned to rebook the original test ride.

[Karl H.]

Buddy of mine had the same reception issue. He unplugged the antenna cable and plugged a small car antenna with integrated booster in. He stowed the antenna inside the fairing and is happy now. Obviously it's not a receiver issue! Could be bad cable routing from the rear antenna to the receiver.

Karl

[AlexB]

Hi 88b,
Which dealer are you close to? the 2 in the midlands both had SG / Ultra demo bikes.

I wanted the 2014 SG, BUT.... I test road the 2014 Ltd and the SG and then looked at the difference in spec versus price and also what accessories I would want to add on the SG....
When comparing the prices SG @ £18,295 Vs Ultra Ltd @ £21,395 (£3,100 Diff) you get an awful lot more for your money with the Ltd, when I got my last bike and after 12 months had spent over £4,000 on add ons so the maths made the choice for me... especially when you consider the following;

1 - SG & EG Ultra Ltd are same frame, same handling (when you remove top box which takes all the weight off the back off the bike, a 20 minute job for UK bikes!) OK shocks are slightly lower and what HD class as "Premium Ride" ..... TBH I always ride solo and could not tell the difference between the shocks, I run 11 psi in mine and have no issues... the new 2014 chassis is the same on the SG, RK, Ultra & Ltd...
I fitted the hidden radio aerial (£70) and it works BETTER than the stock one on the top box

2 - New SG front tyre is virtually unavailable anywhere other than and HD dealer who would have to order one and will take at least 3 days!!! i.e. You get an unrepairable puncture on a new SG and you are screwed !!! Get one somewhere like mid France and you are really really screwed lol... Believe me!, I had a 2011 Crossbones with the 220 back tyre which had the special HD tube, one puncture and bike off the road for 5 days to order a tube !!!!!! and it cost over £50..... NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE makes a tube for that tyre on a spoked wheel other than HD.... was a big learning curve !!

3 - Ultra Ltd has tyres in sizes you can get aftermarket and from other non HD tyre dealers... a big + in my mind.... though I have to say I am happy with the stock tyres so far....

4 - Ultra Ltd has as "Stock", LED headlamp and passing lamps, (they work awesome  and I would have wanted to add the passing lamps to the SG anyway as I do a lot of night riding and they make a hell of a difference) also chrome wheels which clean easier and do not have to be hand polished with the HD bare metal polish, and the one big one it also has the 6.5" boombox with sat nav and also CB (good in Europe and here if you ride in groups), also wind deflectors on fairing, painted inner fairing, saddlebag and top box liners, heat deflectors on engine and the fairing lowers (ok so they can't be taken off due to the wet heads, and they don't have glove boxes, but I felt was an OK compromise)...

5 - There are a few minor trim differences in the bikes, screen, mirrors etc... I have fitted the chrome fairing mirrors same as SG but have left the stock screen on for now..... tried the SG screen but prefer the lack off buffeting at high speeds with the stock screen.

6 - I loved the clean back end of the SG, but removing the top box and adding the SG stock seat at £180 gave me this look with the Ltd... I weigh 13.5 stone and stock SG seat is comfortable enough for me..

Overall I am really happy with the Ultra LTD and with some minor tweaks is to me the same as an SG but with all the goodies...

I test rode a 2014 Limited and was totally unimpressed . I wanted to try a Street Glide which wasn't available at the time . Two months later the dealer still hasn't phoned to rebook the original test ride.

[88b]

Alex I'm in Essex, I won't even go in to my nearest dealer Lakeside. I had the test ride at Maidstone, I had to suffer 20 minutes of total project Rushmore BS before I told the sales liar I was leaving . I think he finally figured out I knew more about the bike than he did and let me ride it. I didn't think it handled much better than my 04, the brakes were better but it was a lot slower. I know the bike wasn't set up properly but the sales idiot was genuinely surprised when I said I didn't want it.
I never thought I'd get to this stage but I've been riding Harleys a long time, been a chapter assistant director and head road captain, now I'm bored with all the BS . I honestly don't think I'll buy another Harley, maybe a Victory or Indian.

The Ultra has the water cooled heads something else I don't want, I could make the tour pak on my Road Glide detachable . I'm running a police seat as I ride solo .

[gabbyduffy]

Alex I'm in Essex, I won't even go in to my nearest dealer Lakeside. I had the test ride at Maidstone, I had to suffer 20 minutes of total project Rushmore BS before I told the sales liar I was leaving . I think he finally figured out I knew more about the bike than he did and let me ride it. I didn't think it handled much better than my 04, the brakes were better but it was a lot slower. I know the bike wasn't set up properly but the sales idiot was genuinely surprised when I said I didn't want it.
I never thought I'd get to this stage but I've been riding Harleys a long time, been a chapter assistant director and head road captain, now I'm bored with all the BS . I honestly don't think I'll buy another Harley, maybe a Victory or Indian.

The Ultra has the water cooled heads something else I don't want, I could make the tour pak on my Road Glide detachable . I'm running a police seat as I ride solo .

Surprising enough all my buddy's sold there Harley's and bought Victory's............... the cross country model and they love them.
          I'm a Harley guy and I have to say the cross country is a impressive bike. My buddy's pick on me by saying more parts on there Victory's are made in America then on my Harley. Which would mean Victories are more of an American bike then Harley's.... . I wonder if there is any truth to that? Anyway I may end up buying myself a cross country but I will always keep my Roadglide...........

[88b]

I know what you mean Gabby , if anything I'd probably keep my RG and replace my Buell with a Cross Country. Victory are not that common in the UK and there are good deals to be had on them. I like the look of the Indian Chieftain but the seat to foot boards just isn't right for me.

[gabbyduffy]

        You have to admit............. its a sharp looking bike. Don't knock it until you take one for a ride you just might be surprised...

[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[88b]

Why did you have to post a pic of a white one , now I'm really lusting after one 

[simmz]

Looks like Victory has some problems of their own.

simmz


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall notice for a number of 2014-2015 model-year Victory motorcycles owing to a potential crankcase issue. Included in the recall are the 2014 Victory Cross Country, Cross Country Eight Ball, Hammer Eight Ball, High Ball, Jackpot, Judge, Ness Cross Country, Vegas Eight Ball, Vision, Boardwalk and the 2015 Gunner. The 872 potentially affected units were manufactured between January 22, 2014 and April 25, 2014.

According to the defect notice submitted by Polaris Industries Inc., "Victory has determined that some crankcases may have been manufactured with insufficient clearance between the crankshaft and crankcases which can result in too little crankshaft endplay...Engines assembled using a faulty crankcase may unexpectedly seize. This could cause the vehicle operator to lose control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash."

To-date there have been no reports of engine failures from the public and Victory discovered the issue during quality control assessments on the production line. Procedure dictates that all engines be "started and ran at the end of the production line. These engines are not in chassis at this point and are attached to an engine run-up stand." On March 26, 2014 one of the engines seized due to the aforementioned issue, and further investigation resulted in two additional engine failures in mid-April.

The defect notice goes on to conclude that "Victory's investigation has determined that the vendor's quality control measures had allowed some out-of-specification crankcases to be delivered to Victory."

Victory has begun to notify owners of affected models and are asking that motorcycles included in the recall not be ridden until a dealer has conducted an inspection and made any necessary repairs. Victory has also issued a stop sale notification to its dealer network until the problem can be remedied.

Crankcase clearance will be fixed free of charge on motorcycles found to have the defect. Owners may contact Polaris at 1-888-704-5290 for more information. Owners may also go to www.safecar.gov or call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for details. The NHTSA campaign number is 14V227000.

[88b]

To-date there have been no reports of engine failures from the public

I'm sure HD would have delt with it in the same efficient manner, just after they denied all knowledge and continued selling affected bikes.

[Buffalo]

  Do you mean just like the 100's of 1000's of HD bikes out there with cranks flopping around at out of spec tolerances Briggs & Stratton wouldn't tolerate!! 
Every Victory, all 872 affected are being recalled for inspection and repairs if necessary. I'd say that is taking the responsible route. Just like Honda did when they had a frame issue with the Goldwing, every bike in the recall was fixed free without t litigation or denial by the company.
Harley has continually downgraded the quality of the products while buying more and more overseas parts, upping the profit to the company, while blatantly denying anything is wrong and claiming they make the finest motorcycles on the planet.
I think my next bike will be a Royal Enfield made in India, at least I know up front I'm buying a POS!!Even at that it will likely outlast a new Harley. The last good HD was 2002, when they still had Timken bearings, a forged crank, and tolerances accepted by the rest of the world! My 01 Dyna will be with me a long time. I'd never even consider a new HD.  fwiw Buffalo

[ken6217]

To-date there have been no reports of engine failures from the public

I'm sure HD would have delt with it in the same efficient manner, just after they denied all knowledge and continued selling affected bikes.

That would be followed up with a serve bulliten stating that this issue was now deemed normal.

[sfmichael]

"I think my next bike will be a Royal Enfield made in India, at least I know up front I'm buying a POS!!"

good one   

[tomcat64]

lets see if I can get this thread back on track... LOL

2300 miles on my new FLHXS,, came from riding a 2008 flhx,,

love the handling,,, absolutely night and day from my old bike..
infotainment is great but i'm not a gadget guy so I am using very little of the capabilities.. I did upgrade the amp and speakers,,
this is the first new HD I have owned in over 20 years that I left the motor pretty much alone,, pipe, AC,, and tune,, power is pretty impressive for a stock motor,,
I like the new controls,, but I fear they are not going to hold up,, time will tell

un-impressed with the GPS,, but I don't really care as I like getting lost,, find the best bars that way!
stock seat sucked but I replaced it with a sundowner,, I have always preferred them anyway..
the 'gap" between the rear fender and the lower facia is unacceptable,, crap streaming down it even if I hit a 1 foot puddle

overall I think this is the best HD I have ever owned,, but then again I said that about my 2008.. I will wait 20k miles or so before I pass full judgment..   

[sfmichael]

"lets see if I can get this thread back on track... LOL"

     

just came in from a nice, scenic ride and am loving my bike - the seat will have to be changed at some point

Tom - what seat did you buy and how do you like it?

[76shuvlinoff]

Rode a 2014 SG about 5 miles a couple weekends ago.  SG had intake, cams, (no details on cams) pipe and tune. I liked it but didn't have time to really assess anything, it felt much much lighter than my 12 Ultra EG and made me grin.  Did just under 100 miles on the EG between beers last night. It felt like a Cadillac... and made me grin.

[tomcat64]

"lets see if I can get this thread back on track... LOL"

     

just came in from a nice, scenic ride and am loving my bike - the seat will have to be changed at some point

Tom - what seat did you buy and how do you like it?

Sundowner.. But my arse is use to it as it's my 5th bike with that seat...

[ricochet]

Hello.  I've read a few "shock" strings looking for a basic answer but can someone tell me the difference between the Street Glide and the Street Glide Special rear shocks?  The SG has air and the SGS is regular but easy adjust.  I thought the air would be the upgrade.  What's the scoop?

ricochet

[peckerwood]

give me a break , who needs a radio on a MC, 

[moscooter]

 
Rico.....I had an '09 SE Ultra Classic 110 with all the bells and whistles.  I now have a 2014 Street Glide Special.  The rear shocks on the "special" are considered by H.D. to be their "premium" shocks.  At first,  I was concerned because I think these are 1" lower than normal (stock) in height.  Therefore,  I thought the ride would be stiffer and more jolting...........Not the case.

One up or two up with my wife on board,  I found the new shocks to be pretty good..........compared to the "air" system I have had on the Ultra and prior Road Kings.

I do NOT like the fact that for adjustments you have to remove the left saddle bag to get to the adjustment knob and make a change.  Per my understanding,  one of the shocks handles bumps (going down) and the other shock handles (rebound) going up.......

All and all,  the SGS handles waaaaaaaaaaaay better than that pig of a heavy weight Ultra did.   Obviously,  part of that is a lack of a tour pack and no lower fairings......but the over 150 pounds lighter (per the specs) feels more like 300 pounds lighter to me.  Maybe wheel/tire size plays into it.  Whatever the case,  best handling H.D. I have owned.........and it is my 5th.
   

[Skullfork]

As far as the radio reception is concerned, I just plugged an 8gb thumb drive, with over 300 of my favorite tunes, into the usb port and let it play on random. I haven't listened to the radio since the first day I bought it.