You can learn a lot about a motorcycle over the course of a 3400 mile road trip. For ten days straight we called the saddle of Harley’s 2016 Road Glide Ultra home. Our ride started at Harley’s fleet center in Carson, California, and ended in Grants Pass, Oregon. In between, we blazed a path across the Mojave Desert on an overcast day, got stuck huffing car exhaust fumes while stuck in Vegas traffic on a sweltering evening, then were rewarded with a chance to explore the splendors of Zion National Park. We kept revs up and rode hard, the only sane way to approach the desolate 110-mile stretch between Salina and Green River, Utah. It’s so long between services signs warn against fatigued driving and roadside pull-outs are provided. Stretches with 80 mph speed limits suited us just fine. Montana’s I-90 means go 90, right? On the final day we just missed going iron butt with a 900 mile run, the Road Glide Ultra never missing a beat.
That said, long, lonely stretches gave us plenty of time to think about the features of the 2016 Road Glide Ultra that were the most useful during our trip. Let’s start with No. 5. (Just click on the page links below).