Pugs approached me (Jonesy) recently and asked if I’d like to test some bikes for LTR. Let’s just say he only needed to ask me once.
Now I’ve worked with Pugs and LTR years ago, both testing bikes and as a columnist, which was always fun and enjoyable. But after not having ridden any late-model bikes for a while, I jumped at the opportunity.
So over the next few issues, I’ll be throwing my leg over a few test bikes, and with this in mind, we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible by breaking up our test bikes into four easy categories:
- Affordability speaks for itself – what are the costs, how much to service it and how much fuel does it chew?
- Versatility – big ride, small rides, can you commute on it and could you ride it every day?
- Braggability – sometimes someone asks you what you ride – are you happy to unashamedly tell them about it?
- Look back ability – this purely is about love when you park it, do you hesitate and look back over your shoulder before going about your business?
Miles Of Smiles Rating System
Each category has a ‘Miles of Smiles’ rating – 1 being the least, 10 being the most. So let’s go meet our baby…
Today we have the Harley Davidson Street Glide ST. Now I’m familiar with the H-D Ultra I’ve had over a few years, and the Street feels like an Ultra that went on a diet. It’s the high-performance bagger that H-D released on the back of the King of the Bagger series in the US and comes standard with the 117ci motor along with the hi-flow heavy breather air cleaner.
Affordability
The basic model is priced in the mid-forties, services every 8000K’s, which is quite a lot of distance between each one, and it’ll cost you around $400 for a minor service. You’ll get about 320ks before it clicks over to reserve and it’ll cost about 40 bucks to fill.
Versatility
It’s pretty versatile. If you’re a bit of a loner you could rip down the shops and put a fair bit in the saddle bags. If you wanted to bring the better half you could easily buy a pillion seat. It’s not bad in the rain either, mainly due to the traction control. It’s extremely comfortable too, but most would agree that a bike is never 100% comfortable – if you want total comfort get those padded undies or buy a car.
Braggability
It’s a Harley! So yes, it’s definitely worth bragging about. Unless of course the person asking you about your bike is a Ducati owner. If that’s the case, there’s no need wasting your breath trying to explain something they’ll never understand.
Look Back Ability
And finally, look back ability. This is without a doubt the sort of bike you’d make some excuse at dinner just to go out and have another look.
So the verdict? Well check out the rating below:
- Affordability 6
- Versatility 7
- Braggability 9
- Look Back Ability 10
So with all that said and done, we definitely rate the Street Glide ST as a Sled worthy of your Shed…