Harley-Davidson Road Glide returning in 2015

Harley-Davidson Australia has confirmed reports which recently came out of America – the Road Glide will make a comeback in the 2015 model year after a 12-month sabbatical.

The FLTRX (Road Glide Custom) and FLTRU (Road Glide Ultra) were among a number of models discontinued in 2014, the list also including the Softail Blackline FXS and Electra Glide Classic FLHTC.

John Olin, the Senior Vice President of Harley-Davidson, said in July 2013 that the decision to discontinue the Road Glide was part of the company’s typical process of bringing models in and out of the line-up each year as it introduces new bikes.

However, with the Road Glide previously commanding about nine per cent of Harley-Davidson’s sales volume in America, the model’s purge was never going to be permanent.

Now, expect to see the Road Glide given the ‘Project Rushmore’ treatment, which was the moniker given to the overhaul of the Harley-Davidson Touring range in 2014, which included updated front suspension, a new fairing with slipstream venting, high-tech linked brakes, remodelled panniers, a twin-cooled (ie water and air) High Output Twin  Cam 103 engine, and modern infotainment system. In total, about 100 renovations were made to the Touring range.

Based on past experience, expect to see Harley-Davidson release full information on its full 2015 line-up around August 2014.