Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide 2012 — Specifications

So here's a question that often comes up in biker bars: can you be both a custom bike slicing through the air and a road yacht without getting lost along the way? The 2012 Street Glide, with its muscular bagger look, is precisely trying to answer yes. It freely draws on the DNA of the Electra Glide Ultra Classic, but it has removed the excessive bodywork, the top case, and that triple headlight that served as a prow. What remains is a more taut, almost streamlined silhouette, where the large single headlight and the shortened windshield set the tone. You're on a machine that embraces its touring vocation, but with a streetfighter edge that borders on audacity. It's the touring bike that has decided to stop hiding behind its saddlebags.

Beneath this bad boy disguise lies a grand touring equipment setup. The rigid saddlebags are present, the rear suspension is air-adjustable, and the dashboard on the tank resembles the console of a vintage fighter jet: tachometer, speedometer, gauge, voltmeter, oil pressure gauge, and even an ambient thermometer. And then there's the Harman Kardon audio system, because in the States, a ride without a soundtrack isn't one. The engine is the famous Twin Cam 103 with a displacement of 1690 cm3, now standardized across the entire Touring range. With its 81 horsepower and, above all, its 135 Nm of torque available from 3250 rpm, it doesn't mince around. It pulls this mass of 373 kilograms fully fueled with sovereign nonchalance, a constant push that makes you forget the weight. The six-speed gearbox remains very Harley: crisp shifts with that characteristic mechanical clack-clack. It's not about surgical precision; it's about raw authenticity.

On the road, the behavior is in line with the character: imposing but surprisingly docile. The redesigned and stiffened frame, combined with the new swingarm, offers roll stability, especially in a straight line. But don't dream, with a wheelbase of 161 cm and this weight, you don't carve up the roads of the French Riviera. It likes wide curves, fluid sequences. In tight corners, the footpegs quickly remind you of the ground clearance limits. It's a machine made to swallow asphalt, not to sculpt it. The brakes, with their 300 mm discs and now standard ABS, inspire confidence without being transcendent. They do the job, with the necessary progressiveness to maintain the cruising speed.

Ultimately, who is the driver of this Street Glide? It's the globetrotter who refuses the excess of the Ultra Classic but doesn't want to give up comfort and autonomy. It's the one who wants his motorcycle to have style in a parking lot, but who intends to do stages of 300 km without getting off. With its nearly 23-liter tank and a consumption announced at around 5.6L/100km, the range is considerable. At a price that flirts with 24,000 euros, it positions itself as a credible and more stylish alternative to a Gold Wing, while remaining faithful to the Milwaukee-made cruising philosophy. It will never be a sportbike, and that's a very good thing. It's there to make you smile at 130 km/h on the highway, with music in the background and that typical gurgle as the main melody. A declaration of love for the road, slow and cool version.