Touring also involves packing, and in my opinion the Harley-Davidson TourPak trunk is the best single piece of motorcycle luggage ever devised. It includes an integral passenger backrest, and because it opens to the side the passenger does not need to scissors forward to clear the lid. It contains a form-fitting insert lined with a flocked material to cushion the load, and the body incorporates LED side lighting. The saddlebags, meanwhile, load easily from the top with their lids removed, and are quite long at 22 inches. My only issue with them is that the bags start large but taper down to only 5-6 inches wide, which can make them difficult to pack. The same key locks the fork, ignition and luggage.
The passenger sits in a true lap of luxury, ensconced against a backrest that’s equipped with wraparound armrests and built-in 
speaker’s—the volume control is on the side. The rear seat is as comfy as the rider’s portion, and the feet are placed on fold-out footboards. It all results in a spread-out, settled-in feeling. Just note that the protruding speakers inhibit the ability to carry long items that overlap the seat, such as the tent and camp chair I carried on my weekend sojourn. Your H-D dealer will cheerfully sell you a luggage rack that attaches to the TourPak lid, but lacking that I was able to position these items toward the front of the passenger- seat where they cleared the speakers. The 63.5-inch wheelbase enhances straight-line stability on the highway, where the Ultra can thrum along with the tunes pouring from the stereo speakers and the intercom system allowing the rider to easily speak with the passenger. The full-featured cruise control holds speeds steady across hills and valleys, and can be fine tuned by nudging the thumb control.
With rake/trail figures of a relatively steep 26 degrees combined with a laid-back 6.2 inches, the Glide offers a satisfying blend of surprisingly light, quick steering for a 850- pound motorcycle, with stability. It becomes fun to hustle down a twisty road until it runs smack up against the bane of most Harleys—lack of cornering clearance. Way too soon the side-stand and footboards begin to drag, and cooler heads need prevail; the Glide forces the rider to remain within its cornering limitations or suffer the consequences. With its three four-piston brake calipers, the days of having to immediately upgrade your Harley brakes are over. Now with the addition of optional anti-lock brakes, things get even better. Head for that patch of gravel across the road, keep the bike upright and nail the brakes. You’ll feel the initial deceleration, a sudden pulsing in the brake lever and pedal as the brakes momentarily release and by contrast the bike almost seems to accelerate across the gravel patch, then immediate reapplication of the brakes and deceleration. All you need to do is maintain pressure on the brakes and the bike does the rest; ABS can save your hog’s bacon (as long as you’re upright rather than leaned over in a corner).
The FLH has an air-adjustable rear suspension, and Harley calls for no additional air pressure for a solo rider of up to 150 pounds, on up to 20-25 psi for a big rider and 200-pound passenger. Air pressure in the system acts as a spring, and the rear suspension is adequately damped. My only comment is that I wished for greater damping in the non-adjustable fork, which moved too readily for my tastes. With the 9.2:1 compression ratio you’ll run 91-octane (premium) fuel in your Big Twin. Another notable change this year is that fuel capacity has been increased from 5.0 to 6.0 gallons, yet the tank still has a clean look. The 38.4 mpg I recorded during my solo, mostly highway time on cruise control was a bit disappointing, and translates to a range of about 230 miles.
Some riders have a tendency to dismiss Harley- Davidson’s air-cooled twins as antiquated dinosaurs, as overpriced bikes that don’t measure up in terms of technology. Granted, that was true a number of years ago, and today their power and smoothness do not match that of the multi-cylinder bikes. However, considering that the Ultra is a toured intended for comfort, luggage carrying and a satisfying ride, the new, better one reminds us not only how far Harley-Davidson has come, but that it’s still moving onward and upward.
