2022 Road Glide Review and Ride

2022 Road Glide Review and Ride

I recently got the opportunity to test out a 2022 Harley Road Glide. This bike was equipped with the Milwaukee 8 107” engine, 6 speed transmission, Bluetooth, Boom Harley audio package that included GPS Navigation, plus all the other standard touring bike options like cruise and a passenger back rest.

First impressions. The first thing about this bike I noticed was how intuitive the GPS and Boom audio system was to use. The system can either be operated by the touch screen or by button operated controls on the handlebar. Pairing my phone for the audio was also a very simple task. I queued up some bluesy riding music, and then with the GPS I easily set my first location of Tiverton RI from Foxboro Massachusetts. The navigation system gives you the options of the most direct route, a scenic route or my favorite, curvy roads. Since I already had some scenic roads in mind, I set the location for Tiverton RI, most direct, and off we went.

For this part of the day my wife rode passenger, and immediately I noticed how well balanced and nimble the bagger was for its size. There was none of the front-end float, or delayed handling you get with some other bikes that I have carried passengers on. My wife stated that the passenger seating position was very comfortable, the back rest was at the proper height and shape, and there was no wind buffeting off the fairing. However, she said the passenger seat was a little subpar, compared to the Harley Sundowner seat that was on my Dyna.

Personally, I also found the fairing worked great! There was no unexpected wind noise and there was no weird wind buffeting or reverse wind pushing on my helmet. The design of the fairing still let enough air flow around my head so that the vents in my full-face helmet worked properly. This has been a big hang up I had with some older fairing bikes where there was too much wind blockage and the vents on the helmet don’t work properly causing a lot of sweating. Even when I was in highway traffic with semi-trucks, I found the fairing helped the bike cut a nice clean hole in the wind. This is a huge plus to me for touring.

The 107 M8 engine was nicely powerful. It has strong torque all the way through the rpm band, and on a touring bike like this, torque is what you want to focus on because torque is what allows the bike to pull regardless of the gear you are in. Merging and navigating my way through east coast highway traffic, with numerous speed changes was also effortless on this bike. Even in 6th gear at highway speeds, a simple wrist twist and the bike pulled hard, and lane changes while changing speeds were so effortless it kind of reminded me of my sport bike days.

The Ride

The scenic part of the ride started in Tiverton RI. We took route 77 south, where it curves along the coast for a few miles. This route makes for excellent scenic riding. The road winds along the coast, and at times, there is only a short stone wall between you and the sea. If you get lucky, you will have a nice breeze coming off the water, and at high tide, you can smell the ocean as you ride. As we continued south, 77 veers slightly inland and takes you along some rolling landscapes with stone colonial walls, and massive trees that are hanging over the road. We then passed through Little Compton, and down to South Shore Beach where we got off the bike and went for a walk for a brief stretch. After taking in the view, we headed north up Long Highway, to Route 81. Again, the views are open fields, massive trees, and picturesque stone colonial walls that line the road.

We stopped at McCray’s Seafood, because any time you are in Rhode Island, you have to get some seafood. This is one of my favorite casual spots in the area, because they have great seafood, and a cool outdoor patio. We had a lobster roll, fish and chips, and a pint. The food was great and the staff was super friendly. After a great meal, we got back on the bike and we headed toward Newport.

Newport RI is kind of densely populated, but if you take 138 to 138A, you will find a scenic 4 lane stretch that isn’t terrible to ride. If you follow it far enough you will end at Easton beach, which is another excellent spot to stretch and take a stroll across the sand. After that we got back on 138 and headed across the Claiborne Pell/Newport Bridge to Jamestown Island. This is a massive suspension bridge, with the main span is just over 1600 feet. From the bridge you can see for miles across the bay and out into the he ocean, but sadly, there is nowhere to stop on the bridge.

After a quick loop around the north side of Jamestown, we got back on 138 east and crossed over the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge. It’s not an epic suspension bridge, but it still has cool views of Narragansett Bay, and Plum Beach Lighthouse. From here, it’s Highway 1 north toward our B&B in Cranston RI.

The next day I did a solo ride, and used the curvy road function on the Navigation to dictate my route. I just entered destinations of Gloucester RI, Mendon MA., and eventually Foxboro MA. This is an excellent feature because the navigation took me down some great scenic byways and rural roads. This gave me an opportunity to check out the handling of the bike without a passenger, and it did not disappoint in the curves. There was no accidental scraping in the turns, the handling in switchbacks was fast and sharp, and the dual disk brakes did and killer job at quickly shaving off speed. I was impressed at how similar the handling was solo, compared to carrying a passenger. Everything was predictable and solid.

Rhode Island has always proved to be a great place for a motorcycle ride. It may not have the craziest curves, but if you want a chill ride with absolutely beautiful views of the ocean and bays of the east coast, you will be very satisfied with the ride.

The Road Glide in summary.

Overall, I did about 200 miles, and a total of a full day of seat time. So, I feel I have gotten a good assessment of this Harley. I was really impressed with this bike. Comparing it to the 2014 Road Glide that I rode through the Sierra Nevada mountains, Harley really made some great improvements and put out a solid product here. The 14 had some short comings with the wind off the fairing and how top heavy the bike felt. The 2022, had excellent air flow across the fairing and the bike felt well balanced and the weight was easily manageable. While this bike is built for long traveling miles, it would work excellent as a commuter or a reasonable canyon carver. If you get a chance to throw a leg over one, I doubt you will be disappointed.

My one big complaint! I find the finish on the front forks really phoned in.

Come on Harley…