2009 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Old-School Bagger, Reborn Chassis
The Electra Glide Standard is the plain-spoken entry to the 2009 FL Touring line, and the 2009 chassis is what earns your attention. It settles at highway speed with a planted, unhurried calm that older baggers never managed. Up front sits the classic batwing fairing; out back, locking hard saddlebags and a 6.0 gal (22.7 L) tank built for real distance. The 1584 cc air-cooled 45° V-twin runs a belt to the rear wheel through a 6-speed box. No screens, no frills, just the core touring hardware done straight.
On the road it's a torque-first machine that pulls from low revs and asks little of you at a steady clip, which is exactly what a long day wants. The EITMS idle system keeps engine heat off your legs when traffic stops moving. Age it honestly and it holds up well, but remember this is the bare-bones trim: ABS, cruise control, and a center stand are options here, not standard, so a well-specced example is worth hunting for. It rewards riders who value substance and a clean canvas over a loaded feature sheet.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Displacement | 1584 cc |
|---|---|
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/80B17 65H |
| Rear tire | 180/65B16 81H |
| Wheelbase | 63.5 in (1613 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.8 in (680 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
Thumb the starter and there's a bark and a shuffle as it wakes, sometimes a clatter on cold mornings that tells you the compensator has some miles on it. Settle in and the riding position is upright and roomy, feet forward, the batwing pushing the worst of the wind up over your helmet so you can hold interstate speeds without getting hammered. The seat carries you a long way before you start shifting around. Roll the throttle and the exhaust note is deep and unmistakable, one of the best reasons to own this thing. It stays composed and quiet-handed at speed, though the gearbox announces every shift with a solid clunk, and fifth gear sends a whine into the fairing that you learn to tune out on a long run.
This read comes from years of listening rather than testing: rally paddocks and club nights, long talks with owners who rack up the miles, and the messages riders send me as seasons pass. For this Electra Glide the community lands in a consistent place: praise for long-haul comfort, and two gripes that keep returning.
Stability is the strength owners raise most. The reworked chassis tracks true where earlier baggers hunted around, holding steady through side gusts and highway traffic. The comfort case builds from there: the injected 1584cc twin pulls strongly off idle with a deep, unmistakable beat, the fairing leaves the cockpit calm at a cruise, and the idle-temperature system keeps engine heat off the legs when traffic backs up. Riders who added the optional cruise control point to it as what makes interstate days effortless.
The praise isn't unqualified. The most common knock is the gearbox: shifts land with a clunk, and a whine runs through the gears, worst in fifth at a highway pace. Second is the suspension, which a lot of owners call too firm regardless of the load aboard, so broken pavement comes through to the rider rather than being absorbed.
ABS module failure potential (recall 18V-076)
Models equipped with ABS may experience unintended brake failure due to a defect in the ABS module. Harley-Davidson issued a recall (NHTSA 18V-076) covering all 2008-2011 Touring, CVO Touring, and VRSC motorcycles with ABS.
Rear brake light switch heat exposure (recall 11V-506)
NHTSA recall 11V-506: the rear brake light switch on 2009-2012 Touring models can be exposed to excessive exhaust heat, which may stop the brake lamp working, trigger it with no brake applied, or cause a brake-fluid leak at the switch that degrades rear-brake performance.
Front fuel-tank mount distortion (recall 09V-457)
NHTSA recall 09V-457: on 2009-2010 Touring family motorcycles the front fuel-tank mounts can distort after severe frame damage in a frontal collision, which may cause a fuel leak at the weld of the front bracket to the tunnel.
Wheel bearing failure
Premature wear of front or rear wheel bearings can lead to vibrations and noise; some owners report failure as early as 20,000 miles, requiring replacement.
Clunky gearbox and 5th gear whine
The 6-speed transmission shifts with a loud clunk and whines noticeably in all gears, but the noise in fifth gear is particularly loud and irritating on the highway.
Compensator wear and startup noise
The compensator sprocket can wear prematurely, causing a loud bang or rattle on startup. Replacing it with an upgraded unit is a common fix.
Where this Harley-Davidson Touring Electra Glide Standard FLHT pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Touring Electra Glide Standard FLHT is actually built for.
If Daytona and Sturgis are on your calendar and the brand is part of who you are, this fits. The sound, the presence, and the deep parts catalog let you make it your own.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Built for long routes and full days. The big tank, roomy ergonomics, and settled highway manners make it a genuine mile-muncher, two-up or loaded, for cross-country runs.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
You want scenery and comfort over back-road sharpness. It'll carry you down Highway 1 or the Blue Ridge in real style, but this is a heavyweight bagger, not a nimble day-tripper.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2007–2008
Big Torque, No Frills
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson Touring Electra Glide Standard FLHT. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
