2018 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide test ride - a sporty utility cruiser
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- #sportglide #motorcycletestride #harley
I continue to be in awe of the power of these 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail models, and the Sport Glide is no exception. Come along with me for my test ride on this sporty cruiser, with the utility of a tourer.
For full 2018 Softail Sport Glide specs go to:
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Link to the Matt Laidlaw Sport Glide review clip:
• 2018 Sport Glide Harle...
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I've been looking forward to your impressions of this bike. It's my favorite, at the moment, of all the new softails. I've watched a ton of videos on this model and you brought up some good points others missed. You are the first to really discuss the pegs vs floorboards. I live in the mountains with lots of twisties, so scraping is an issue of greater concern. Thank you for spending some time on that one. Beautiful ride, very good review. Thank you. Oh, almost forgot, how effective is that mini-batwing fairing? You brought up a good point about wearing a full face helmet & needing to lower your head to see the gauge. Thanks again.
The fairing doesn't do a lot. I didn't feel much of a difference of where the wind would hit me (right in the chest) compared to having no fairing. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the fairing update. Looking forward to riding a Sport Glide. Went in to ride one, but it sold the week before. Have to wait for the next one to roll thru. Thanks.
Let me know what you think, once you get your shot. Take care!
Most every UA-cam reviewers indicate the mini fairing is relatively ineffective and you would need to pay the Harley tax by purchasing the higher wind shield. I think HD, once again, went for styling over function.
nevillegreg1 ... Yes, I agree. Many I've watched say it's pretty worthless. I have watched a few that actually like it. I will just have to ride one and decide for myself. One reason I'm attracted to this model ... for local riding in my area, I love the wind in my face, but on longer (freeway, etc.) rides I prefer some protection. I know H-D offers a 5" replacement for the standard 1"-1.5" shield that comes on it. I haven't heard much if that 5" option is an improvement? Thanks for your input.
Recently bought this bike with 3200 miles and several upgrades. Love it.
Traded in my Suzuki Boulevard for a new 2019 Sport Glide. It is my first Harley and i absolutely love it! If i don't ride that Sport Glide every day i swear i feel like I'm dyin'. 😼
Nice! I really enjoyed riding the Sport Glide, as well as the style. Ride safe and keep on having' a blast! 👍🏽
Test ride it twice OK made my mind I want it 😂 I was amazed by the power of the engine and felt in love with
It was a really fun ride. It's probably the way I'd go if I wanted a Touring/Cruiser tweener. 👍🏽
So glad HD made the newer models of Sport glide to have matching saddle bags
🤓👍🏽 Seemed like such a strange thing not to do from the start.
I made the change! Sold my 18 Fat Bob and picked up a 2020 Performance Orange Sport Glide and love it! Abs, cruise, bags rider triangle is perfect for me. Rock solid ride and power is great, did research on HD.com and something I had felt but I thought sitting lower was giving me a different feel. What I found was the Sport Glide hits max torq 108 @ 2700 where my old 18 Fat Bob max torq was 107 @ 3500 it's noticeable, the 2-1 stock exhaust sounds good but Rineharts are in the near future. Love the ability to strip it down to bare bones, the decision was a great one! I added a luggage rack, br, and Sundowner seat have soft HD luggage and carried home 153 dollars of groceries. Haven't owned 4-wheels in years so this was a win/win deal.......... Good review........Ride hard or stay home😎
The Sport Glide appealed to me since I first heard about it, precisely for the reason you were saying about being able to remove the bags and fairing. And being able to do so quickly, and in different configurations is another plus. Enjoy the crap out of yours, and ride safe out there. Thanks for the positive feedback, and take care.
Glad you experienced the exhilaration of riding as it's meant to be. I sensed you being outside your comfort zone, but also the fun of being there.
Yeah, lot's of fun to be had on those demo rides! Thanks for watching.
Great review! I bought a new Sport Glide in May and love it. Great for highway cruising and mountain twisty roads. I am 6’ 1” the heel drag is not an issue. Just slide feet up between heel and sole. Sometimes I purposely position heel down to give me a sense how close I am to scraping the pegs. I like the pegs better than floor boards because it gives me more control for cornering. You can install floor boards if you want but give the pegs a chance before you do. Smooth, tons of low end torque and next to impossible to stall. Cruise is awesome and very smooth. It has keyless start too. My first HD, and I totally understand why HD owners are so insanely loyal. The entire buying experience from initial visit, demo rides to final purchase and even initial break in service was top notch. I also bought the 7 year unlimited mileage extended service plan just for peace of mind.
Thank you! You offer some awesome, first-hand feedback for people interested in making the Sport Glide their bike. Appreciate you watching, and sharing your perspective! 👍🏽
People sure love the baggers.
Definitely fit mids, lucky Dave 9"and a quarter fairing. Also a touring pack 1 on the rear.
Good video man. Very informative on this bike that I might buy now lol. Good content
I very much appreciate the kind words. Thank you!
Damn that's a good demo route, got to really roll..nice review man.
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Good review brother! Traded my 18 Fat Bob w/ 15,000 Got the custom color Performance Orange
2020 w/ 5yr warranty. I agree ride with people that ride the same style ride as you....... Ride hard or stay home😎
Nice! That color looks really sharp. Enjoy the hell out of the bike! 🤓👍
The Sport Glide looks really nice in silver :) ... I just want one!!
I really like the black, but found the silver growing on me after I rode it. Wish it came with matching silver bags, tho.
Truck is coming in june, but I have a great relationship with my dealership so I'll be riding this soon enough. So excited. My biggest bike is my 09 fatbob with the 96 ci. Can't wait. Awesome vid.
Thank you! Let me know what you think after the ride.
I’ve really been looking hard at getting this bike cuz I love the styling & the modularity. I’m mostly an in town rider so I don’t always need the fairing & bags but for longer distances I just throw the fairing & bags on and I’m good to go
It would be a great bike for what you're talking about. I really do like the styling, and for me (a guy who doesn't love the giant fairings), I actually like the small one on the Sport Glide.
My big issue is trying to decide whether or not to buy the bike as an additional bike or trade in my Sportster 😂
Love your reviews. This ride is why I hate group demo rides.
Yeah... There's definitely been better rides than this one. It's funny, because you can't always pin it on new riders. Sometimes, the old, experienced ones get overconfident, and do stupid things. Still, these rides have always been worth it to me, to get on bikes I've never ridden and wouldn't ride otherwise.
I recently rode an 18 sport glide and had no scraping issues but it is an excellent cruiser/touring bike. Currently deciding if I want to go with that or a slim
I've heard a lot of that, about the scraping and that's great, because other than that I really enjoyed the Sport Glide. I also really dig the look. The Slim is a solid bike as well, so I don't think you can go wrong with either. Good luck! 🤓
@@thatoneguymoto thanks for that, the only reason I haven't went through with the upgrade is I'm waiting for harley to work out the few unreliable kinks in the Milwaukee 8 engines.
I feel you on group rides.
A good opinion of the bike. Did well to point out that it's supposed to be a staggered formation, many riders are a Hazzard because they don't know how to ride in a staggered formation and are a nuisance to say the least. Ride safe.
Yeah, I've gotten some feedback from other riders, that they don't go to demo events because of riders like that.
Thanks for the review! Been racking my brain on deluxe, heritage, low rider and now the sport glide.
Not sure about the rims, but it does have a lot of what I'm looking for.
Just wish the $$$ weren't so high.
Yeah... Frankly, I've bought 2 of my 3 Harley's at non-Harley dealers. They tend to offer a little better prices, and I've found some real gems because both of those non-Harley dealers were more oriented towards sport bikes. And, people aren't typically looking for them at those dealers. Let me know what you decide, even if it isn't a Harley! :)
that one guy
Yeah, we've got a few of those around. Checked out one already, plan on stopping in another shortly. This will be my last purchase on a bike so I want to make sure it's right.
Thanks for the review. The Sport Glide is the most interesting of the new Softails too me, not that I could ever go back to a mid-size bike. If the Vic blew up and I had to buy a new bike it would likely be the Road King Special.
Yeah, I also really like the RKS. Of the touring bikes that I've ridden, it has been my favorite.
I'm looking forward to the HD demo truck coming to my local dealer, Yankee HD, this June.
YEAH! I'm excited for you. Hopefully they carve out a good route for you to really get a feel for the bike(s) you ride.
PaiN's RIdes how do you find the schedule
I am looking at a 2019 Sport Glide. I love the looks and overall everything about it except the not so great Lean Angle. I did ride a 114 Fat Bob and I didn't scrap the pegs in the corners but I think the Fat Bob has a better lean angle than the Sport Glide. I like the Fat Bob buy it doesn't have the Cruise control, the Bags or the fairing. But the Fat Bob is less expensive.
Looks like you've done your research and you're ready to make a decision. I would only add, since you're considering both, what will you be using the bike most for? Whichever reason it is, be sure your choice is meeting the needs of that reason more than the other. Have fun, and ride safe! :)
Just a question? How did the fairing do? what did you think about the wind deflection? Thanks for the video.
The wind deflection is decent. Definitely better than not having anything, though I guess that's not a ringing endorsement. 😆
I’m so confused by this and other test rides and guys scrapping the pegs. I’ve had my Sport Glide for months now and I have yet to drag anything. I live in Arkansas and have been through some awesome twisties so I don’t get it.
You're not the first person to mention that, so I'm just as confused as you. It's great though, to get endorsements from Sport Glide owners, because that was my only issue with this model.
I love the sport glide. I rode it a lot at the demo event and never touched the ground.
He only scrapes his boot, not the bike
Agreed, i was also surprised to see scraping was an issue. Ive bought a 2019 Sport Glide and have yet to scrape once on it. I keep waiting for that first scrape but it hasn't happened yet. I bought it brand new off the truck with zero miles on it and now have 15,000 on my one year anniversary. Fabulous bike!
Good one. Nice long ride. Looks like it fits you well. Does need floorboards though. The way your heels dangle would drive me nuts. I think the front end just looks tough as nails in the bit your wife shot. It's got the stance and looks of real FXR club bikes prior to SOA changing the image to spray painted Dynas with T bars.
As you might guess by the moniker, I'm into luggage. Even just as a daily driver, I want something to cart around at a minimum a lock for the helmet, visor cleaner and a rag, water, spare set of gloves, and an AR15 with a few hundred round mags. But I ain't a wearing no bookbag like I'm headed off to third grade.
You didn't comment on buffeting. By the sound of your voice, lack of headshake, and lack of mention, I assume the air that came over the little screen was clean.
Personally, I think the silver goes best with the blacked out engine. Kinda Oakland Raiders style. I'm a fan of the deep red against the chrome jewel in the Breakout. Looks nice on the standard Road King too.
As to the bags, there's plenty of black on the bike (to say nothing of your Johnny Cash outfit). I think the black bags meld in just fine.
Also glad the ditched that stupid side license mount. They give me a strange compulsion. Every time I see one I start looking for an axe.
Alright, tell me how you REALLY feel. :)
Oh, and, get your axe ready, because my side mounted license plate is coming soon. ;)
Please let it be the one that hangs of the axle and tilts the plate vertically and bends it. That one looks kinda kewl. The Harley Softie thing that sticks it out to the side like a flag looks ridiculous...though it might be handy to scrape the paint off a car who drives too near.
Great review! I am looking forward to riding this one as well.
Thanks, bro! Let me know how it goes. :)
that one guy I'll post a video. My local Harley has demos on the 31st.
I look forward to it. Hope you have good weather! :)
Me too! Yeah, I was a little hard on my 2018 ride reviews last time so I am going to take a different approach and describe more of what I do like about them this time. It's gonna be pretty fun!!
Hi! what would be your choice between the fat boy and the sport glide?
For me personally, I would probably get the Sport Glide, just because it's a more versatile bike. I also like the removable front fairing and saddlebags.
any opinion on the color? I'm ready to buy one but can't really decide on the black or silver fortune... :|
I'm partial to black, but the silver fortune is pretty slick!
I went black , feel the fairing looks too small on the silver color
Marc-Andre Carrier give me 5 negatives about it so far.
Have you scraped on your fat bob? As i am only just a year into Riding, I'm very safely comfortable, but have yet to scrape my fatbob. The lean angle is great.
I haven't scraped yet, either, and I love that about it!
nice bike.. I'd maybe consider one if it didn't so many 'blacked out' touches too it. I'm old school chrome.
I'm sure Harley's got some custom parts for you to chrome it out a bit. Of course, that's going to drive the price up for you on a bike that's already almost $20,000.
00:21 , red and black bike quarter fairing. Is it a sportster or a forty eight?
Kyle Jamieson I don't think it's a Forty-eight, but the the wheels make me think it's probably a modded Nightster.
I wanted to know if the harley breakout would be better for someone who is 5 foot 8. And could it be comfortable enough
I think it depends more on your inseam and arm length than your height, but I would say the average rider that is 5'8" could ride the Breakout, fairly comfortably. I always say, though, that you should go out and test ride it find out, for sure. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the reply
My dad rolled his police car a few years ago and his dream bike has always been the breakout but it seems that the stretch to the bars is too much for him hopefully it works for you !!
I'm 5"8 and have the new breakout. Fairly long arms and short inseam. I'm fine but to lock the bars on slow maneuvers I find myself moving my butt one inch forward on the seat.
Great reveiw. How did the sport glide compare to the low rider?
Oh geez, kind of night and day with those two. The Lowrider, has the mid controls and the long handlebars, that were not my favorite riding position. Contrast that with the more aggressive front controls and sportier feel on the Sport Glide, which is much more my style.
Nice bike
How did you find that fairing/screen at the highway speeds? Going 65 mph or so
No wind buffeting from the mini fairing, but also not a whole lot of deflection either. I found better than not having anything at all, but probably won't be a whole lot of help on a long trip.
@@thatoneguymoto thank you.
Is it comfy for a 250 mile 70 mph ?
Without having actually tried, I can’t say for sure, but I think it could be done comfortably. ✌🏽
Does it have heated handle bars ?
Not standard, but can be added.
How was the sport glide in terms of turn ins, is it on the better side of current Harley offerings. Or was it totally intolerable. Could you ever see yourself going back to a Harley
I'm not sure what you mean by "turn ins", but I can definitely see me going back to Harley at some point.
Great job! Thanks
Honestly, How is the handling compared to the fat bob?
It felt lighter and a little more balanced than the Fat Bob. The big hangup for me, was that I scraped the pegs so easily.
@@thatoneguymoto Hey thank you so much......it's one of the few Harley's I am considering......The scraping has to be solved though...
@@thatoneguymoto I rode it very savagely and never scraped the pegs,odd.
@@robinsmith9150 Interesting. 🤔
I just bought the sport glide and noticed on your demo bike the rear brake pedal was positioned lower, is this an after market arm or was it set that way, mine is positioned much higher seems very unnatural.
As far as I know, the demo bikes are strictly stock. I know that the rod that goes back to the master cylinder for the rear brake can be adjusted slightly, but not a whole lot. I'd check with your dealer, to see if maybe they made an adjustment for a shorter rider who was going to buy your bike, but never got put back to "normal".
that one guy Thanks for the quick response, I have a foot of snow still on my street so I will have to wait a bit before going for a ride. Appreciate your reviews.
Great video, thanks
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Does anyone know the schedule of the demo truck?
I live in Southern part of Mass., close to RI border.
The way I found the closest demo truck rides for me was by checking the event calendars for the H-D dealers closest to where I live. I'd also suggest following your local dealer on social media, as these events are good for business, and they like to advertise them pretty heavily. Good luck!
that one guy
Ended up checking the calendar and found a demo event coming up shortly. That'll help decide. Got a tough decision to make.
watching how some of those other people rode is exactly why i don't like demo rides. i've ridden with some pretty sketchy riders who have made me nervous.
Yeah, I'm debating on whether to join a large group ride for St. Patty's Day. Without the security of a demo ride (not to mention, i'd be riding my own bike), I'm leaning towards not. I'd rather get my own group together where I can control that variable. We'll see. I'll definitely post a video if I go.
Come on man!! While I typically buy in to your reviews, I’ve Gotta call BS on the whole heel scrape thing. You decide how to put your feet on the pegs, and sounds like you ballerina your pegs.
Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you. I looked down at my foot at 7:15 and you can see how my feet are on the peg. 🤷🏾♂️
I am not fond of group rides. Had a clown just miss taking a few out because he was showing off.
Yeah... I want to ride for many years to come, so it's a real drag when someone puts that in jeopardy. Thanks for chiming in!
pegs are conducive to sport/spirited riding, floor boards are not.
You're right. So, putting pegs on a "Sport" Glide is the logical thing to do. This is definitely a case of H-D wanting riders to have an option for storage, while trying to keep sportier riders happy. In essense, having your cake, and eating it, too. Thanks for watching!
that is why it got my attention. a machine that handled well for spirited riding but having some capacity if I wanted to take a short trip. my only complaint is the stock seat doesn't support the tailbone very well. but is was a very smooth machine that did everything well, nothing struck me as not working well enough.of course that said, I am hoping some more accessories come out for cargo carrying on the fat bob along with a small wind screen like the sport glide. the fat bob is a better bike for me.
Great input! I am a huge Fat Bob fan, both 2018, AND older.
I'll second that
Less likely to lose a foot with boards .
Great review! We are the same size and weight. What is your pick of the 2018 softails?
If I had to go with one, it would have to be the Fat Bob. I love the unique styling, and the sportiness.
Honorable mention goes to the Fat Boy. I really liked the feel of that bike, but I just can't get past all of that polished metal. If there was an '18 Fat Boy S, I would definitely give that one a long look.
Stagger when your moving not at stops
was thinking the very same thing lol. good call.
Any you guys notice the death wobble when you cruise at 90mph on the Sport Glide?
At 120 nope.
THE low position of that bike is not for me it takes the sport out of the sport bike ride for sure
I thought the same thing. Not exactly where the sport is in the "Sport" Glide, except that is has pegs rather than footboards. :)
Why must one have to manually adjust the rear suspension? All I gotta do on my BMW is press a button for the same feature. I also dont risk burning my hand as the knob is DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE EXHAUST PIPE! Mind you my BMW is a 2009, when is the Motor Company going to "get with the times?"
I think the idea for the pre-load is for you to do it before you ride. I've changed it on a bike during a demo ride and it wasn't too difficult to do it without getting burned.
As for H-D "getting with the times", it likely won't happen anytime soon. You may see them venture out with these new bikes (the Pan American and the Street Fighter) in the next couple years, but I don't see it happening on their cruiser models. It really is unfortunate, but something that their die-hard customers aren't asking for, so I can't see them doing it.
@@thatoneguymoto thanks, hence why I opted for the BMW over ANYTHING from The Motor Company. I've seen and heard of people who are blowing up the engines on these M8 motors. WTH?? The World Wide Web is full of people who are effected by their engines throwing counter balancers out of the bottoms of the thin cases.
I lean hard and have never scraped, needs to position his feet better.
I rode this bike again this year and didn't scrape. Maybe the suspension was adjusted or they had longer pegs on the demo. But, yeah, moving my feet wouldn't prevent the pegs from scraping. ✌🏽🤓
Cool you got to ride the shit out of that...Really cool....
Floor boards on "SPORT" glide ? Really?
The word Sport, which makes me think sporty, and Glide, which makes me think comfort, tells me this bike is straddling the fence. It has the saddlebags and pseudo-front faring, but also has pegs and a more aggressive stance. BUT, pegs aside, it has a poor lean angle, so, to me, it's an enigma. What are your thoughts on the Sport Glide?
I watched the vid but was distracted from time to time so forgive me if you mentioned this outright. I don't recall hearing whether it was the heel of your boot or the peg that was scraping. I'm asking because I am 5'11" and this tells me my feet will probably sit more parallel to the ground. Also, I've heard reviewers who really were impressed with the lean angle and even saw a moto mag that showed their rider leaning pretty aggressively on this bike. So, to beat a dead horse, is this lean issue more rider height dependent or will everybody scrape easy on this bike? - guy who is tired of scraping the exhaust off of his iron 883
It was my heel scraping, but I sat more forward and tried to get my heels up and still had a little scrape. If you are taller, and can get your feet more parallel with the ground, you'll have better luck.
For comparisons sake, the sport glide lean angles, will give you a 0.9* on the right and 0.7* on the left, more than an 883 Iron. I always encourage riders to go and take one out if they are concerned, so let me know if you do and what you think.
for me if in the name is included word "sport" mean that bike has sporty abilities and floor boards simply do not fit. That's all.
I rode the Sport Glide here in the UK (and am expecting delivery at the end of May). I am 6'2" and did scrape my heel, on the one roundabout that I was expecting to. Quite a small, offset to the left roundabout. Fortunately the tarmac there is quite smooth. To me, Sport is just a word. I have no perception of it being a Fireblade, so I will live with it. I think boards would be better protection for the feet and will look at see whether the boards from a Heritage or Fat Boy will fit, as I think the frames are the same and the mounts look to be bolted in the same places.
707
Also, this staggered riding formation is so stupid and unsafe. Each rider should have room to use all the width of the lane, what if you need to dodge a pothole or manhole cover or whatever... Seeing that you went into the other lane there.
I am about the same size as you and rode this bike last year at Ohio Bike week and hated it. The mini fairing is horrible either take it off or offer a bigger screen. The bike is in an identity crisis lol. The heritage is a better bike for a softail touring bike.
I think you nailed it when you said "the bike is an identity crisis". I happen to like the look of the front fairing as a style choice, but as you alluded to, it doesn't really do anything.
So, speaking to an identity crisis bike, it's kinda like the FXDR, in that the Sport Glide serves as a mix between a touring model and a sportier bike, as the FXDR wants to be a sportier bike, but the riding position and lean angle don't lend particularly well to spirited riding.
I just got a 2019 sport glide and I didn’t think the fairing was doing anything until I took it off.....it definitely takes a lot of wind off your chest. Guess you could call it an ‘identify crisis’ but I see it as having two bikes in one. So convenient to throw on bags when you need them....great bike.
Nice looking bike , convenience of bags and sweet color too.
But its too much $ for the performance it offers. $19,049 (color option) doesn’t make sense really.
For that much money you should just get a different bike with a 114 and buy the bags separately. Or just get the heritage for 1800 more...So its not really a logical choice is it? If it was around 14k sure, maybe.
I don't believe a lot of H-D models justify their price tags, and the Sport Glide is no exception. I'd love to see how H-D comes up with their pricing, because I take issue with the new FXDR, as well. Thanks for watching! :)
that one guy you’re welcome brother. And yea...that bike is cool but its not 21k cool lol. I’m curious to see some mods that people come up with for it tho.
I’d have a brand new fat boy right now if it wasn’t 6k over priced lol its a shame really. Ill probably wait 5 years till that price gets to where I want it.