Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide MY 2014 – Road test

When we started talking, a few months ago, about the Rushmore project, perhaps not everyone had understood the extent and quantity of changes that would arrive on the 2014 Harley Touring range. The Electra Glide we are looking at is always true to herself: full of chrome, with obsessive attention to detail and a significant size, with 411 kg in running order, but also top comfort. However, when you walk around it and look at it better, you notice it many small innovations, and it is almost a shock to come across the water pipes of the radiators, well hidden and discreet, and discover that the engine is, even if only partially, liquid cooled.

Aesthetics and finishes:

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Everything changes, but the style is unchanged

Rushmore, like the mythical mountain with the faces of the 4 most beloved US presidents carved into it, but also rush more, literally "more momentum". The operation is as simple as it is complicated at the same time. Collect customer needs and feedback to improve a motorbike that was already at the top in terms of quality and attention to detail. All without, obviously, distorting the look, because aesthetics is an essential component for a two-wheeled legend. There are over one hundred renewed details, and this is more noticeable when using it than when looking at it when it is stationary. The opening and shape of the bags has been improved, now it is possible to use the side ones while in the saddle, or to open the rear one with just one hand. Renewed theinfotainment system, now it looks just like that of a car, with the possibility of integrating it with a navigator or connecting it to your smartphone. It's called Boom! and is equipped with a Touch screen and voice commands. Everything is more ergonomic and easy to use. The instrumentation is also new, now more complete, for example with an indication of the gear engaged. The lighthouses, while maintaining the classic shape we have become accustomed to, they are completely new and LED, with a significantly improved ability to illuminate the road ahead of us. The front fairing, the legendary Batwing, has also been improved, with better aerodynamics, also thanks to the adjustable air intake.

Engine and performance:

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The change was epochal, with the transition to liquid cooling for the heads

The most striking innovation, even if deliberately kept a little hidden, concerns the engine itself. It is now a Twin Cooled, with liquid-cooled heads, with small radiators hidden in the fairings for the driver's feet, from which you can barely see the pipes that carry water to the engine coming out. The choice was forced, sooner or later we had to get there, because tradition must be respected, but the problems of air cooling were now insurmountable. Let's talk about comply with increasingly stringent pollution regulationsBut not only. The heat coming from the cooling fins became annoying in city traffic when the outside temperature was already high. On the latest versions there was the possibility of turning off a cylinder to limit the phenomenon, but only with the transition to water this is really resolved. More improve performance and regularity of delivery, both in terms of range of use and conditions of use. Both torque and power increase, albeit by a few percentage points. Numbers aside, it is in riding that you notice the difference, the big twin-cylinder is even richer in torque, and it was difficult to do better, and, above all, more lively in delivery. The sound has also been improved, kept in check by the original exhausts which, as usual, will almost always be subject to modification and customization by customers of this HD.

Ride and handling:

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It remains the queen of touring, pushing itself to new records in terms of comfort for rider and passenger

Also here the improvements are there and can be felt, with a Bosch control unit manages the integrated Reflex braking, but only above 25 miles per hour. The fork is also completely new, more rigid and with 49mm stanchions. The clutch has a renewed hydraulic control, requires less effort, to the benefit of driver comfort. We then find the heated grips and a renewed cruise control, now easier to use. In driving and in the pleasure of being taken for a ride by your Electra Glide, it has an impact also the audio system. Even those who are not passionate about this type of motorbike cannot fail to appreciate the sensation that an object like this can convey. When you have a clear road and turn up the volume on the radio enjoying the music with the engine in the background, you can understand its success. Performance increases here too, with 25% more power and greater quality. The possibility of one should be noted automatic volume adjustment based on engine speed. To confirm the quality of the project, the requests of motorcyclists, who often wear gloves, were accepted with 500% bigger keys! They obviously remain the over 400 kilos of tonnage in running order, but they continue to be heard only during stationary manoeuvres, where we have not yet bowed to requests to introduce, as some competitors have done, a reverse gear, to extricate ourselves from the most uncomfortable situations. However, comfort and space for both driver and passenger have been improved, with redesigned backrest and armrests.

Price and consumption:

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All the new features at the same price as before, remains challenging, but now it is even more justified

The price list starts at 27.700 euros for the Vivid Black version, then there is an endless list of accessories and customizations with which to indulge and make the bill rise. Many? Few? They are its fair price, if you take into account the various changes of MY 2014, they seem to be even more justified. In light of its dimensions, weight and displacement, one would expect record consumption. The Electra Glide will know instead make yourself loved even at the petrol pump. The average consumption declared is 5,6 liters per 100 km, what we detected never went beyond 15 km with one liter of petrol. Thanks to the 22,7 liter tank, good autonomy is also guaranteed.

PROS AND CONS

We like it:
Faithful to itself, but clearly improved in detail, and not only that

We do not like it:
411 kg of motorcycle, when maneuvering from a standstill, are always challenging

Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide MY 2014: the Motorionline Report Card

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Test clothing:

Jacket: Tucano Urbano Urbis 4g