Monday, February 2, 2015
2009 Harley Davidson FLHX Street Glide – Motorbike Bicycle
Riding North on Highway One from Big Sur to Carmel is a treat, and it’s a great stretch of road for any kind of street bike. The Street Glide soaked up the miles with ease, making for an enjoyable ride. The comfortable saddle, well positioned bars and streamliner floorboards minimize fatigue on long rides. The handlebars and grip position, combined with well-placed and easy to use controls create a natural and comfortable riding position. The white gauges are easy to read during day or night riding. Audio controls are easy to locate and operate while riding. 4-piston Brembo calipers, 300mm rotors (dual front and single rear) are very effective at controlling speed, and the front and rear brakes are easy to control. Ground clearance was never an issue on Highway 1 and 17 even when riding at a “spirited touring” pace.
The 2009 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide is more than just a good looking bike—it’s a very capable touring bike that can handle twisty roads at a spirited pace. MSRP: Black $18,999, Color $19,449, Custom Colors $19,849. Options included on test bike: ABS ($795) and California Emissions ($200). Willie had his design hand hard at work on the new Street Glide. The cover feature with the new Touring bike and Willie G in the October 2005 Hot Bike magazine was even named No Spots. That original bike I rode was powered by the Twin Cam 88 with a five-speed tranny, came standard with a carburetor, a five-gallon fuel tank, and dual 16-inch wheels. Speaking of tires, both of them were developed with Dunlop engineers specifically for H-D Touring bikes. The change from the previous 140mm to the current 180 rear skin adds 1.6 inches of width to the rear tire. To accommodate that extra rubber, the rear fender was widened by 1/2-inch. Of course, H-D owners love to change parts on their bikes that also affect handling, such as tires, wheels, suspension, lowered shock and forks, etc. Aside from the other chassis redesigns the motor also received an extra motor mount on the bottom front of the engine. No matter how hard the bike was pushed there was never any sort of handling irregularity. This bike handles way better than a 800-plus pound motorcycle should. Keep in mind too that the Street Glide is an inch lower compared to the other Glides. Large Touring bikes like this can be awfully intimidating, especially if you’re not a tall, hefty type. However, this Glide feels as nimble as a bike half its weight. I’m average size and just a hair over 150 pounds, yet find maneuvering this bike at any speed is effortless. Due to the way the exhaust headers exit the motor, particularly the rear, engine heat was directed right at the rider’s right thigh. An additional heat management system, the Engine Idle Temperature Management System (EITMS) is a Rider-Activated Rear Cylinder Cut-Out that electronically deactivates ignition to the rear cylinder when the bike is stopped, idling, and the motor reaches a temperature threshold. In addition to the triple disc Brembo brakes that work extremely well our test bike is equipped with H-D’s ABS system. It doesn’t cause any ill effects during normal riding, only activating if the bike speed changes from the wheel speed. Once we had a few miles on the bike, the brake lever felt perfect. The handebars are comfortable to reach and control the bike with.
General information | |
| Model: | Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide |
| Year: | 2009 |
| Category: | Custom / cruiser |
| Rating: | 79.9 out of 100. Show full rating and compare with other bikes |
Engine and transmission | |
| Displacement: | 1584.00 ccm (96.66 cubic inches) |
| Engine type: | V2, four-stroke |
| Torque: | 131.00 Nm (13.4 kgf-m or 96.6 ft.lbs) @ 3500 RPM |
| Compression: | 9.2:1 |
| Bore x stroke: | 95.3 x 111.1 mm (3.8 x 4.4 inches) |
| Fuel system: | Injection. Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
| Cooling system: | Air |
| Gearbox: | 6-speed |
| Transmission type, final drive: | Belt |
| Exhaust system: | Two-into-One-into-Two chrome exhaust |
Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels | |
| Frame type: | New mild steel, single spar rigid backbone with |
| Rake (fork angle): | 26.0° |
| Trail: | 173 mm (6.8 inches) |
| Front suspension: | 41.3mm telescopic, cartridge-style damping |
| Front suspensiontravel: | 117 mm (4.6 inches) |
| Rear suspension: | Enhanced handling |
| Rear suspension travel: | 51 mm (2.0 inches) |
| Front tyre dimensions: | 130/80-B17 |
| Rear tyre dimensions: | 180/65-B16 |
| Front brakes: | Double disc. ABS |
| Front brakes diameter: | 300 mm (11.8 inches) |
| Rear brakes: | Single disc. ABS |
| Rear brakes diameter: | 300 mm (11.8 inches) |
Physical measures and capacities | |
| Dry weight: | 355.0 kg (782.6 pounds) |
| Seat height: | 690 mm (27.2 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting. |
| Overall length: | 2,430 mm (95.7 inches) |
| Ground clearance: | 119 mm (4.7 inches) |
| Wheelbase: | 1,625 mm (64.0 inches) |
| Fuel capacity: | 22.70 litres (6.00 gallons) |
Other specifications | |
| Starter: | Electric |
| Color options: | Vivid Black, Black Pearl, Pewter Pearl, Dark Blue Pearl, Pewter Denim, Red Hot Denim; Red Hot Sunglo |
| Comments: | Black powder-coated engine with chrome treatment covers; “Batwing”, forkmounted fairing with integrated side mirrors; Chrome, low-profile fuel tank console; Clear-lens reflector-optics headlamp; Full-length height adjustable rider footboards; Passenger footpegs; New redesigned rider footboard supports for increased lean angle; Stainless steel, classic touring handlebars; One-piece, two-up Street Glide® classic seat; Lightly smoked, Electra Glide® low windshield; Injection-moulded GTX® saddlebags with locks; Harman-Kardon® Advanced Audio System; Cruise control; |
| Modifications compared to previous model: | Retuned front and rear suspension for enhanced handling |
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