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[andy.blumberg73]

First let me say that I am 5'9".  I rode a Sportster from 1995 to 2000, then a Dyna FXD from 2000 on.  I toyed with the idea of touring bike starting in 2009 w/ the touring bike frame change.  I liked the looks of the Steet Glide and rode a friend's 2009 in 2010 and decided that I didn't like the lack of visibility because of the fairing.  I know the Street Glide had been lowered, but didn't think much of it at the time.  I decided I would have to go the Road King route if I wanted to go to a touring model.

In 2014 I picked up a 2013 FLHRSE5 CVO Road King.  I have been happy with it.  I find the 110 complains a bit more than I like when it turns over/starts cold, but it always starts in the end, and besides that I have enjoyed the ride and music.  I have a slight interest in the new engine.  I test rode a new 114 Fat Bob at the end of the summer for the fun of it; a replacement for the old Dyna I still have sitting around.  I was impressed with how easily it started and how smooth it was.  I was really impressed, but I still prefer the old Dyna's riding position.  I felt like my body was way too far forward on the Fat Bob and I had to stretch my foot too far on fully apply the rear break.  That day I sat on a new Street Glide Special and CVO Street Glide.  Again, I found like I was staring straight into the batwing fairing; I thought, "Man, I am not that short, how do people ride like this?"

I was killing time at a dealer the other night, sat on a CVO Limited and immediately realized I could see over the batwing.  "What, how is this?"  I talked to a salesperson and came to the realization that the seat rear suspensions on the CVO Street Glide is a good bit lower than the CVO Limited.  Huh....  I wonder if I could live with visibility over the Limited's fairing?

Anyone else ever have a similar issue with visibility over the batwing fairing? Thoughts?

[grc]

Are you talking about the actual fairing, or just the windshield?  Windshields come in various sizes so you can tailor the height to suit how you prefer to ride, looking through the windshield or over it.  The fairing itself, however, isn't height adjustable.  The seats determine how high or low you sit on the bike relative to the fairing.  Compare the seat "pocket" depth for the rider between the Limited and the SG, I think that's where you will find part of the difference, along with the 1" lower rear shocks on the SG.  If you prefer the SG style but want it to sit like the Limited, all you have to do is swap the rear shocks and the seat.

Jerry

[Grizzly]

Jerry is correct... There is a definite difference in the seats of a stock SG vs. the LTD, with the SG being much more scooped out for a lower seating position, and on the LTD you sit much taller.

Also, with the SG being lowered in the rear end makes the fairing higher in the front, unless you put progressive shocks on the front which lowers the fairing.  From a side profile the LTD sits level from front to back, but the SG goes downward from front to back.  Hence the difference in the height of the fairing from the sitting position.

I have a CVO Ultra with a lowering kit front and rear, and with it being level the position of the fairing is the same as a stock Ultra/LTD.  If I sit on a SG the fairing is higher to see over.