Get ready for the ride of a lifetime with the 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special. As one of the most iconic models in the legendary Harley-Davidson lineup, this motorcycle is the epitome of power, style, and adventure. With its sleek design, impressive performance, and cutting-edge features, the Street Glide Special stands out from the crowd and beckons you to hit the open road. Whether you’re a seasoned biker or a newcomer to the Harley-Davidson experience, this article will take you through all the details that make the 2023 Street Glide Special a force to be reckoned with. From its distinctive aesthetics to its unparalleled ride experience, we’ll explore every aspect of this legendary motorcycle. So fasten your helmet and join us on this exhilarating journey. The thrill of the road awaits with the 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special.
2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special – A glorious slice of Americana
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) is a factory-custom bagger with highway-shredding power available with new two-tone paint choices and a choice of blacked-out or bright chrome style treatments, giving you the choice between a dazzling and more conventional design and one that is dark and ominous.
The 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special also comes with the powerful Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine, a redesigned low-profile engine guard, Prodigy wheels, a high-performance Ventilator air cleaner having a washable filter element, and more. Rolling behind the iconic Harley batwing fairing is the first hot rod bagger. Powerful authority combined with personal style and long-distance comfort, the Street Glide Special is a glorious slice of Americana. The Daymaker LED headlamp’s stunning punch of bright white light will illuminate the road and increase the road and greatly increase the bike’s daily visibility.
2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special Review
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special is the pinnacle of touring bikes as this is one of the most popular bikes in Harley’s catalog. With the Street Glide Special, you will be able to reach your destination in luxury. Since the company started manufacturing touring machines in the 1960s, they have been known for creating bikes to assist you in discovering them in the most dramatic manner imaginable.
Sitting on a Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) will feel like you’ve got access to driving across highways, deserts, cities, roadsides, canyons, mountain ranges, and more. An excursion on this Harley will be the first step if you are looking for adventure. Make any weekend into a truly spectacular one and make every day’s commute a true spectacle.
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) is powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine and it relies on the Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection for delivering up to 93 HP and 160 Nm of torque at 3250 RPM. There are two 5.25-inch speakers with 25 W per channel that can play from a USB-connected device, AM/FM radio, and satellite radio presets.
Surprised cruiser bikes are perhaps the most intimidating bikes that most avid riders will ever experience. The new Harley-Davison Street Glide Special (2023) and Road Glide Special (2023) released this year do not just look ridiculously large but the weight figures on the spec sheet will shock you too.
Engine and torque
The “Special” in the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) means that the bike features the bigger 114 version of Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin engine. This engine is reserved for the cream of the Touring lineup while most other bikes in Harley-Davidson’s big cruiser range utilize the 107 engine. These numbers denote the cubic wrestling in inches, with the Milwaukee-Eight 114 translating to 1,868cc. Each cylinder here delivers the same capacity as both the cylinders of the Ducati Multistrada 950.
As I expected, torque is the name of the game as I noticed huge, seemingly endless waves of torque as soon as I eased out the heavy clutch lever. With a peak of 160 Nm at 3250 RPM, this engine provides an entirely different sort of joy to offer. You will rarely have to rev it above 4000 RPM (with the limiter arriving at 5500 RPM) but the effortless, juggernaut levels of surge that these engines can offer at the slightest request of the throttle will be unique in the motorcycling world.
| Model Name | Street Glide® Special |
| Year | 2023 |
| Engine Size | 1868 cc (114 ci) |
| Engine Type | Milwaukee-Eight™ 114 V Twin |
| Horsepower | Not provided |
| Torque | 160 Nm @ 3250 RPM |
| Dry Weight | 792 lbs (359 kg) |
| Wet Weight | 827 lbs (375 kg) |
| Length | 95.5 in (2425 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 64 in (1625 mm) |
| Ground Clearance | 4.9 in (125 mm) |
| Fuel Capacity | 6 gallons (22.7 liters) |
| Fuel Efficiency | 43 US MPG (5.5 L/100km) |
| Seat Height | 27.2 in (690 mm) |
| Price | MSRP: $27,999 |
| Cooling | Oil |
| Valve Configuration | OHV – Pushrod |
| Compression Ratio | 10.5:1 |
| Starter | Electric |
| Fuel Type | Gas |
| Fuel Requirements | Premium |
| Fuel Injector | Yes |
| Transmission Type | Manual |
| Number Of Speeds | 6 |
| Primary Drive (Rear Wheel) | Belt |
| Front Suspension Type | Telescopic Fork |
| Rear Suspension Type | Twin Sided Swing Arm |
| Front Brake Type | Dual Hydraulic Disc |
| Rear Brake Type | Hydraulic Disc |
| Anti-Lock Brakes | Standard |
| Seat Type | One-Piece |
| Number Of Seats | 2 |
Comfort and handling
It is a nerve-wracking experience, as the first time you ride a bike like the Harley-Davidson Street Glide (2023), you will find out quickly that it demands a fair amount of skill and confidence. Once I got the hang of the cautious yet decisive and well-planned manner with which this bike is to be ridden, all the painfully clenched muscles started to relax. This is when you will start to recognize and enjoy the unique riding experience that these behemoths have to offer.
With that said, this bike is not just a riding experience that is all about high speeds. Despite the enormity of the motor, I found the speed spot for cruising to be around 80-110kph. This isn’t that higher than the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 but the key difference will be that if you were to demand it, the Street Glide Special can surge up to 180kph with ease.
The 114 motor is one of the sweetest engines I have experienced to date. It is surprisingly refined and the vibration you will feel is engineered to be exactly that – feel and not harshness. The typical low RPM judder from the old-school Harley twin is remarkably well controlled and the motor does not mind running as low as 1500 RPM in traffic.
Speaking of which, there may be a lot of heat if you find yourself stuck in heavy traffic. You will need to be careful of the panniers too but if the handlebar can get through a gap, the panniers can too, as long as you do not change the steering line. What I found most tiresome in jammed traffic was not the heat or the heft but the weight of the clutch as your left forearm will have to go through a serious workout.
On the highway, both Street Glide Special and Road Glide Special will feel very similar as aside from the different fairings, they are roughly the same bike. The Road Glide Special with its taller and wider fairing has slightly better wind protection, especially for the 6 feet+ riders. Over the years, I have found that the Street Glide Special’s windscreen causes a bit too much buffeting at speed but it is a personal thing that will depend on how tall you are and what helmet you are wearing.
Performance on the road
Good highway performance is hardly a major surprise, which is why bikes like the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) exist. What you won’t expect is how they handle it. I spent the day on some smooth but narrow and winding interior roads, the type where turning around feels like a three-point affair on bikes this big. You would expect them to be massively out of place here but they are not. Once the Street Glide Special carries some speed, it demands little steering effort and feels rather easy to turn into a bend.
Quite quickly, I got carried away by the fact that they can turn and brake reliably well and this is where I ran into the limiting factor – the cornering clearance. The big footboards hit the deck easily and once they are scraping, you cannot really tighten your line. This is something to be wary of on narrow roads that are full of blind corners and riders who are blind to the white line dividing the road into two halves.
As fun as the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) is on the interior roads, once you hit the fast but bumpy sweepers on a four-lane highway, the rear end felt quite wallowy on the bike. There is preload adjustability at the rear end, which would have helped but it explains why an increasingly popular mod in the international community is to switch to an aftermarket rear suspension.
In case the suspension isn’t up to the appalling roads of under-developed areas, you’ll still find it to be reasonably absorptive. However, when I hit a bad pothole or nasty expansion gap, the rear shock did bottom out. As your legs are extended forward, this will leave your spine to absorb the impact if you are not careful. I know this because I did this and it certainly wasn’t nice.
Ground clearance is not a strong point but you will be able to get by with a cautious approach. The good news here is that you cannot avoid scraping the stupidly designed speed breakers, it is the two metal tubes of the chassis cradle that need to make contact and not the engine itself.
Equipment and accessories
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) is filled with an array of equipment and accessories. For starters, there will be optional rider safety enhancements. You can increase your level of riding assurance by including features like Cornering-ABS, Cornering Digitally Linked Brakes, and Cornering-Traction Control. Meanwhile, there is also Tire Temperature Monitoring, Vehicle Hold Control, and Drag Torque Slip Control.
Thanks to the optional responsive suspension, you’ll have full control over the comfortable ride due to the high-performing rear and front suspension and adjustable rear shocks. The stretched saddlebags are designed to emphasize the low profile and length for a distinctive, customized appearance.
The Boom! Box GTS Infotainment system is an advanced user interface that features tailored exclusively to deliver impressive functionality, remarkable durability, and a modern appearance. Each component is considered carefully and tuned for improving the rider’s connection to the motorcycle and the outside world.
With the Long-Haul Package Chrome, you’ll be able to add a seat, grips that are suitable for every environment, the flexibility for swiftly attaching baggage, and more, making it an extended Distance Package. With the Long-Haul Package Black, you will be able to add a seat, weather-resistant grips, and the ability to swiftly attach baggage among others.
With the Empire Package Black, you will be able to get the perfect blend of bagger performance and style with the Black Empire Custom Package from Harley-Davidson Genuine Parts and Accessories for the biker looking for more of both. Meanwhile, the Empire Package Machine Cut will give you the perfect fusion of bagger performance and style with the Machine Cut Empire Custom Package from genuine parts and accessories for the bike who wants a bit more.
Price and availability
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) has a batwing fairing mounted onto the suspension fork. The bike performs tremendously well in terms of ergonomics. The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) undoubtedly looks cooler, with a meaner and more modern face and a set of headlamps that are up there with one of the best I have ever used on a bike.
Features-wise, the Street Glide Special features new RDRS electronic rider aids, including cornering ABS, cornering traction control, and more. The bike also has a large TFT display that sits among the classic-looking gauges while it also has music systems that playback FM radio or music off a USB drive or Bluetooth.
The funky Prodigy wheels of the Street Glide Special look like spoked rims from a distance while also looking and feeling experience. The bike is also blessed with lustrous paint jobs and beautiful chrome all over. It is a great thing as the bike is seriously expensive, with a starting price of $27,999. Then the price becomes even more astronomical when you throw in Harley’s unending accessories.
The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (2023) was one of the models whose anniversary model was released and it comes in Heirloom Red Fade color. Upon the launch of the anniversary edition bike, these were the words of Jochen Zeitz –“Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has pioneered American motorcycle design, technology, and performance, and today marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson.