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2021–2023 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, Highway Ready
The Street Glide Special is a factory custom that still has to earn its keep on the interstate. The 1868 cc oil-cooled 45° V-twin makes 93 hp and 118 lb-ft, and the torque figure is the one that matters here: it moves 827 lb of motorcycle on a lazy handful of throttle in sixth gear. Behind the batwing fairing sits real touring hardware, ABS, cruise control, a TFT screen with navigation and phone pairing, and an LED headlight. The slammed stance and the fairing are the signature. The equipment behind them is what makes long days possible.
On the road it behaves like what it is, a long and heavy machine that comes alive above 55 mph, where the 64.0 in wheelbase settles everything and the engine barely turns. The 27.2 in seat lets most riders plant both boots at a light, and 6.0 gal sets an easy range between stops. It suits a rider who wants presence and a genuine touring platform in the same bike. The caveats are honest ones. The rear shocks take preload and nothing more while the fork is fixed, and a recall covers brake lights that can illuminate without brake input on 2021 and 2022 bikes.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 93 hp (69 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 118 lb-ft (160 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1868 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Oil-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Front tire | 130/60B19 |
| Rear tire | 180/55B18 |
| Wheelbase | 64.0 in (1626 mm) |
| Seat height | 27.2 in (691 mm) |
| Wet weight | 827 lb (375 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
The first thing you notice is the idle. The V-twin shakes the whole motorcycle at a stop, then cleans up once you are rolling, and by highway speed it has settled into a low hum you feel through the floorboards more than through the bars. The bars are wide, the reach is short, your feet sit forward, so you ride it leaning back rather than over the front wheel. At walking pace all 827 lb are in your hands and you think ahead about parking lots. Above 50 mph that weight stops existing. Air comes off the top of the stock shield right around helmet level if you are tall, so you hear it as much as you feel it. And on a hot day in stop-and-go traffic, the rear cylinder puts real warmth on your right leg every time you come to a stand.
None of this comes from a press launch. It's what I've picked up over years of parking-lot conversations, club nights, and the messages owners send me directly. On this bike the chatter is unusually consistent. Praise and complaints both land on the same short list, repeated back to me year after year.
The engine comes up first, every time. Riders talk about the low-end pull as the thing that makes the bike easy to live with, plus the rumble that comes with it. Comfort is the other constant. Owners describe all-day stints without the usual aches, crediting the seat, the legroom, and a relaxed upright position. A fair number single out the audio, which they say stays clear and strong at highway speed.
Heat is the gripe riders raise most. Crawling through traffic on a warm day, owners consistently report it building on the right leg. The rear suspension sits close behind. Riders say rough pavement comes through hard and takes the edge off the comfort they praise elsewhere. The stock windshield draws steady criticism as well, for the airflow it sends at head height and the fatigue that follows on a long day.
Recall 22V781000: Brake lights may illuminate without brake input
NHTSA campaign 22V781000 (Harley-Davidson recall 0635, filed October 18, 2022) covers certain 2020-2022 Touring and CVO Touring motorcycles, including the 2021 and 2022 FLHXS Street Glide Special. A software error can make the brake lights illuminate without the rider applying the brakes, which fails FMVSS 108. Unintended brake-light illumination can confuse following drivers and raise crash risk. Dealers reflash the software free of charge; owner letters went out November 2, 2022.
Engine heat discomfort in slow traffic
Many owners report excessive heat from the rear cylinder onto the right leg during low-speed riding or idling, especially in warm weather.
Stiff rear suspension impacting ride quality
The stock emulsion shocks feel underdamped and harsh over road imperfections, leading to a jarring ride for rider and passenger.
Wind buffeting from batwing fairing
The short stock windshield creates significant head buffeting for taller riders, causing noise and fatigue on extended highway trips.
Intermittent electrical glitches
Some owners have experienced random issues with the infotainment system, turn signals, or accessory power, often resolved by dealer updates.
Where this Harley-Davidson Touring Street Glide Special FLHXS pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Touring Street Glide Special FLHXS is actually built for.
This is the bike that fits the ritual. Sound, presence, and a parts catalog deep enough to make it unmistakably yours, with enough comfort left over for the ride to Sturgis and home again.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
It will do the big routes two-up, and the fairing, cruise control, and navigation all earn their place. Budget for a taller shield and better rear shocks before a week of mountain passes.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
You get the miles and the sound, not the agility. On tight, technical roads the 827 lb and the low stance ask you to slow the pace down and take in the view instead.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2017–2020
Milwaukee-Eight In Its Element
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 Street Glide Special FLHXS. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
