The riding experience is familiar to anyone who has ridden a modern Harley bagger, but pleasantly upgraded. Harley dedicated quite a lot of engineering to making the Road Glide a better road ride, with better aerodynamics, more rider safety electronics, better infotainment and audio, and new suspension with easier adjustment. I never get to use it, because it’s already dang hot, but these bikes now come standard with dual-zone heated seats and grips, which is totally rad. I also find the ergos to be great.
For starters, the wind profile of the Limited model is incredibly relaxed at the controls. The tall touring windshield, combined with a defector flap, pushes all of the air up and over my helmet with very little disturbance, even at highway speeds. The fairing deflectors and lower fairings mean I can keep the air off my legs and chest as well, if I so choose. If things got a little hot, there are a few flaps I could manipulate to direct cooling air where I wanted it, which is a nice touch.
The chassis is as confidence-inspiring as always. New retuned Showa rear shock absorbers, Harley says, provide “improved damping response and a more predictable ride” with “emulsion technology” dampers. There are also new knobs on these machines to provide tool-free pre-load adjustment, which is helpful when you’re adding a passenger or loading up with gear.
Once you get it up off the side stand, it feels largely effortless. There are big thick handlebars, a big shifter, and switchgear that is best described as substantial, but they put you in complete control. The shifter feels much less clunky than it used to be, and neutral seems much easier to find (as compared to Harley baggers I’ve ridden years previous) on the different examples I ride.
New rider safety enhancements for the 2026 model year are certainly welcome additions. Hopefully you won’t ever need some of this stuff, but it’s nice to know it’s there. The linked brakes front and rear are nice for rider comfort and stability under braking, but largely go unnoticed in regular riding. Likewise the new cornering-sensitive ABS and traction control. Of course, hill hold is a great feature on a 900-pound bike. Again, you don’t need it until something goes wrong, but Harley has also included tire pressure monitoring.
