This Is One Of The Most Common Problems Riders Have With The Harley-Davidson Street Glide

The Street Glide is one of Harley-Davidson's most popular bikes. In fact, it's the most-sold Harley-Davidson model ever in the United States. That may explain why the CVO Street Glide ranks so highly on the list of the best Harleys of the last decade. But no matter how popular a motorcycle may be, none is free of criticism and problems. 

We scanned owner reviews and complaints across the web to find the most common problems riders have with the Street Glides. Many of its problems are also found in other Harley-Davidson, including the following: a faulty fuel pump, which can lead to stalls and oil sumping in the engine; electrical issues, which can affect the infotainment system and display; and weak braking, which may be partially due to the bike's near-800-pound weight. However, one issue stands out more frequently than the rest, and that's excessive engine heat. 

Excessive engine heat isn't always related to malfunctioning components. Instead, it's usually a question of rider comfort (or, rather, discomfort). Earlier models, especially those with the air-cooled Twin Cam engines, shed a lot of heat in the area where the right thigh is placed. For instance, in a Reddit post asking about whether their Street Glide model would be able to handle the extreme heat of a desert trip, one user replies, "The bike will be fine. You will have roasted thighs!" 

Unfortunately, the standard Street Glide engine doesn't have any fancy tricks for cooling down its hot metal components. Instead, it simply relies on the flow of air. To counter this, Street Glides are built with heat shields to protect riders, but the Twin Cam models of 2007 through 2016 had an unfortunate oversight. The catalytic converter was located high up in the header pipe near riders' right legs, where heat built up quickly and shielding was inadequate. To solve the problem, some riders simply remove their bikes' catalytic converters, but this is bad for the environment and typically illegal.

As expected, the air cooling works nicely at high speeds but doesn't work well in stop-and-go traffic. An owner of the 2014 Street Glide writes, "It baked my leg (mostly right side) enough I bought a heat shield for my leg and wore it every time I rode." Lengthy stop lights are where the problem becomes painfully obvious. "I have found the greatest heat is sitting at a light in 90 degree temps," writes one owner, while another says, "The hot air blows into the thigh area... when the bike is standstill in traffic." 

Finally, the company addressed the problem head-on when it introduced the Milwaukee Eight engine to the Street Glide in 2017. The catalytic converter was repositioned further down the header pipes and the heat shielding was improved. Some special editions were even given a "Twin-Cooled" engine, which featured liquid cooling and heat exhaust fans, such as the Street Glide Ultra, CVO Street Glide, and Limited Street Glide. Since then, complaints about heat have died down somewhat, but Street Glide riders still often need to invest in Harley-Davidson cooling accessories to avoid scalding their legs. 

We collected first-hand reviews and complaints from a wide variety of sources to determine common problems with the Harley-Davidson Street Glide. The most insights come from rider discussions on forums like Reddit. There are also numerous forums specifically dedicated to Harley-Davidson riders, including HDForums.com, HDStreetForums.com, and Harley-DavidsonForums.com. YouTube reviews from private owners are also useful, since they often provide visual proof to support a complaint. Then, there are blog posts, which are good sources for more experienced perspectives.