Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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P126 RIDE REVIEW I 2024 HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET GLIDE AND ROAD GLIDE think a motorcycle half its weight would. I never felt like I was wrestling the bike like I thought I would. You could ride it all day without getting tired once you get into a good flow. The brakes were plenty strong for the speeds I was going. I was perhaps overly cautious about overcooking it into the turns; after all, it's an 800- plus pound motorcycle versus my 165 pounds, so I planned my corner entry speeds carefully. How- ever, my over-shooting concerns quickly went away because I learned that grabbing both brakes simultaneously slows down the ST, like now, and controllably. Wyman and Rispoli had us start out in Sport mode, and as we got more laps in, we switched to Track mode and then Track+ mode. The most signifi- cant difference I noticed was that Sport mode had a bit more roll-on snap than Track mode's slightly smoother throttle re- sponse. That makes sense when you think about it. I probably wasn't going fast enough to appreciate most of the ST's rider aids, such as cornering ABS and cornering Traction Control; I didn't feel any of them, or at least didn't notice, but it was reassuring to know they were there just in case. The ST makes a ton of power and delivers it all smoothly. It's not a revver; I was a bit surprised how often I'd hit the rev limiter, which eventually taught me to take advantage of the ST's juicy bottom-end and torque and not just pin it like a two-stroke motocrosser, which I'm more used to. The ST changes gears surprisingly well under load and downshifts were accurate, but I couldn't help but imagine what a quickshifter would be like on it. Luckily, we experienced great weather on this day, and I enjoyed riding the ST on the track until the Las Vegas skyline lights started illuminating. I must say that I was shocked at how well this big bagger performed on the track, and I can only imagine how well it will work blasting down back-can- yon roads en route to your distant destination. CN 2024 HARLEY-DAVIDSON CVO ROAD GLIDE ST ($42,999) ENGINE: Milwaukee-Eight 121 High Output V-twin DISPLACEMENT: 121 c.i. (1977cc) VALVETRAIN: Single cam w/ pushrods; 8-valve BORE X STROKE: 4.075 in. x 4.625 in. MAXIMUM POWER (CLAIMED): 127 hp at 4900 rpm MAXIMUM TORQUE (CLAIMED): 145 lb-ft at 4000 rpm COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.4:1 EXHAUST: 2-1-2 dual exhaust w/ titanium mufflers and carbon-fiber end caps COOLING: Air/oil LUBRICATION: Dry sump TRANSMISSION: 6-speed Cruise Drive CLUTCH: Hydraulically actuated w/ assist and slipper functions PRIMARY DRIVE: Chain FINAL DRIVE: Belt FRAME: Mild tubular steel w/ two- piece stamped and welded backbone FRONT SUSPENSION: Showa, inverted 47mm fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: Showa remote- reservoir emulsion shocks, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL: 4.6 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL: 3.0 in. WHEELS: 7-spoke cast aluminum FRONT WHEEL: 19 x 3.5 in. REAR WHEEL: 18 x 5 in. FRONT TIRE: 130/60 x 19; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series D408F REAR TIRE: 180/55 x 18; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series D407T FRONT BRAKES: 320mm wave-style discs w/ radially mounted Brembo 4-piston calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: 300mm disc w/ Brembo 4-piston caliper, ABS WHEELBASE: 64 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 26.7 in. (28.3 in. unladen) RAKE: 26° FORK ANGLE: 30° TRAIL: 6.7 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 6 gal. ESTIMATED FUEL CONSUMPTION (CLAIMED): 44 mpg CURB WEIGHT (CLAIMED): 838 lbs. COLORS: Raven Metallic, Golden White Pearl S P E C I F I C AT I O N S