Harley-Davidson goes to the top shelf for the goodies on its 2020 Road Glide Special. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 powerplant carries over from the previous year, as does the well-rounded infotainment system and ABS protection. Harley's Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS) is available as optional equipment, but if you like your paint to be a little on the wild side, the Special Edition model carries it as part of the standard equipment.
2018 - 2020 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special
- Make: Array
- Model: 2018 - 2020 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special
- Engine/Motor: Milwaukee-Eight 114
- [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Design
The current FLTRXS runs with a curious blend of old, new and custom. As for the old, the full-length front fender on the Road Glide Special and its deep valence channels the look of some of the earliest sheet metal, same with the beer can fork skirts that hide and protect the swept area of the inner fork tubes. The skirts, and indeed the entire front end except for the fender, comes shot with blackout paint for a custom flavor with a sinister touch.
A wide sharknose fairing splits the wind and sports a short, smoked windshield that extends the pocket upwards and comes vented to mitigate the wearisome head-buffet effect. LED headlights ride paired up in the shark's mouth, but the front turn signals almost look like an afterthought where they are perched on the outside of the fairing in blackout bullet housings.
At the inner fairing, there's a pair of large round analog gauges for the speedo and tach with a smaller pair of gauges and full array of indicator lights and a small LCD screen to handle the mundane metrics. All of the top-drawer wizardry is handled by the full-color, 6.5-inch TFT screen that lets you swipe, pinch and drag your way through the menu options. You can pipe in your favorite tunes from your smartphone or through the satellite radio feature, field phone calls under way, hands-free, via a Bluetooth connection a Bluetooth connection}}. Plan your trips with real-time weather data and GPS-supported navigation, and if that doesn't cover all your needs, you can power another mobile device through the 12-Volt socket in the inner fairing.
Across the available color spectrum, the blackout treatment continues onto the tank cover and fuel door, and you can pencil me in as a fan. I hate chrome right in front of me, especially down low because it throws glare up under my riding shades, and blackout mitigates that effect quite nicely.
Laden seat height rides at a low, 25.9 inches off the deck, providing you're packing at least 180 pounds body weight to push down the rear shocks. The tapered, Mustang-style seat has just enough cushion for a passenger while it maintains a solo-ish look, and there's a set of fold-up footpegs that all but disappear into the black hole under the sheet metal.
Stretched, hard-side bags give the machine 2.7 cubic-feet of secure, dry storage, and complete that boulevard bruiser bagger look. LED turn-and-taillights ensure that you remain visible from behind next to the external radio antennae that mounts to the left of center.
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Chassis
As a member of the FL family, the Road Glide Special relies on a rectangular, stamped-and-welded, mild-steel backbone with tubular-steel members and cast/forged unions for its structure and strength. The steering head establishes a primary rake angle of 26 degrees, but a 3.25-degree offset in the tripletree gives it an effective rake of 29.25 degrees. This works with the long, 6.8-inch trail figure to lend the chassis a great deal of stability with solid tracking that will make for low-stress mileage on the highway or interstate.
A remote handwheel lets you dial in the preload in the rear emulsion shocks, and while this is the only actual adjustment in the system, the 49 mm Showa Dual Bending Valve forks deliver event-based variable damping for a plusher ride. Suspension travel measures at 4.6 inches and 2.1 inches on the front and rear, respectively.
Cast aluminum-alloy wheels round out the rolling chassis with the Gloss Black Prodigy design in a 19-inch wheel up front opposite an 18-inch wheel, and all-around 300 mm discs and four-piston Brembo calipers take care of the braking business. H-D's Reflex Linked brake system and ABS comes standard to help you keep the thing rubber-side down.
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Frame: |
Mild steel; tubular frame; two-piece stamped and welded backbone; cast and forged junctions; twin downtubes; bolt-on rear frame with forged fender supports; MIG welded |
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Swingarm: |
Mild steel; two-piece drawn and welded section; forged junctions; MIG welded |
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Front Forks: |
49 mm Dual Bending Valve |
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Rear Shocks: |
Premium low hand-adjustable rear suspension |
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Suspension Travel: |
Front Wheel: 4.6 in. (117 mm), Rear Wheel: 2.1 in. (54 mm) |
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Rake: |
26° |
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Trail: |
6.8 in. (173 mm) |
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Lean Angle, Right/Left: |
32°/31° |
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Brakes, Front: |
Dual 300 mm floating rotors, 32 mm, 4-piston fixed calipers |
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Brakes, Rear: |
300 mm fixed rotor, 32 mm, 4-piston fixed caliper |
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Anti-Lock Braking System: |
Standard |
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Wheels: |
Black Glass Prodigy |
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Wheel, Front: |
19 in. x 3.5 in. (483 mm x 89 mm) |
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Wheel, Rear: |
18 in. x 5 in. (457 mm x 127 mm) |
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Tire, Front: |
D408F 130/60B19 61H |
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Tire, Rear: |
D407T BW 180/55B18 80H |
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Drivetrain
Power for the Road Glide Special comes from the 114 cubic-inch Milwaukee-Eight engine to the tune of 123 pound-feet of torque at a low 3,250 rpm. That's a lot of grunt folks, even if it is hauling an 853-pound wet machine plus rider. A single camshaft works the pushrods to mark the divorce from the Twin Cam design, and they actuate two pairs of poppets per cylinder, hence the “Eight” in the name.
Harley sticks to its classic guns with ample cooling fins instead of a radiator, but there is a stock oil cooler that adds a layer of protection for your engine's lifeblood. Induction control falls to a single throttle body with a split intake manifold to service both cylinders, and in combined mileage, you can expect something around 45 mpg. That figure goes down if you use ethanol blends, so keep that in mind, 'cause the corn liquor just doesn't have as much punch as pure gasoline. After that power washes through a chain primary drive, six-speed transmission, and belt final drive, the speed tops out at around 105 mph.
On the Eagle-Eye Special Edition model, the electronic wizardry includes the Reflex Defensive Rider Systems bundle that adds corner-sensitive ABS, Drag-Torque Slip Mitigation, and traction control to the mix for all-around protection. If you aren't down with the neon yellow paint and eagle graphic of the SE, you can add the RDRS to any other color in the range for a tidy $995. Security and cruise control are stock across the board.
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Engine: |
Milwaukee-Eight® 114: Pushrod-operated, overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters; four valves per cylinder |
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Bore x Stroke: |
4.016 in. x 4.5 in. (102 mm x 114 mm) |
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Displacement: |
114 cu in (1,868 cc) |
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Compression Ratio: |
10.5:1 |
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Engine Torque (J1349): |
123 lb-ft (167 Nm) @ 3,250 rpm |
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Fuel System: |
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
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Exhaust: |
Black, 2-1-2 dual exhaust with tapered mufflers |
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Lubrication System: |
Pressurized, dry-sump with oil cooler |
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Primary Drive: |
Chain, 34/46 ratio |
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Final Drive: |
Belt, 32/68 ratio |
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Clutch: |
Hydraulically actuated 10 plate wet, Assist & Slip |
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Transmission: |
6-speed Cruise Drive® |
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Gear Ratios (U.S. - Overall): |
1st: 9.593, 2nd: 6.65, 3rd: 4.938, 4th: 4, 5th: 3.407, 6th: 2.875 |
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Pricing
As usual, the prices on the Road Glide Special are tied to the paint. At the bottom of the scale, Vivid Black rolls for $27,299. You can add five Benjamins to the stack if you fancy the Billiard Red, River Rock Gray, or Barracuda Silver Denim finishes. The yellowish Eagle-Eye package rocks an eagle graphic on both tank and fairing, and includes RDRS for $29,294. At the top, the two-tone paint comes home for $29,399 in Scorched Orange/Silver Flux or Zephyr Blue/Black Sunglo without the stock RDRS bundle.
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Model ID: |
FLTRXS |
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Standard Equipped: |
ABS Option, Security System Option, Cruise Control Option, (Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS) standard with Eagle-Eye Special Edition) |
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Options: |
Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS): $995, Premium Radio Option: $895 |
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Warranty: |
24 months (unlimited mileage) |
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Colors: |
Vivid Black, Barracuda Silver Denim, River Rock Gray, Billiard Red, Scorched Orange/Silver Flux, Zephyr Blue/Black Sunglo |
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Price: |
Vivid Black: $27,299, Color: $27,799, Special Edition (includes RDRS): $29,294, Two-Tone: $29,399 |
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Competitors
The obvious choice is the best one in this case, especially considering the controversy swirling around the other American marque and its Road Glide clone, the Challenger Dark Horse.
Indian Challenger Dark Horse
Much like H-D, Indian Motorcycle has its own rich history to draw on for styling cues and it shows up right off the bat in the war bonnet fender ornament and full-length, shallow-valence front fender. Blackout treatment is a constant across the board, but the MoCo is in a league of its own in the paint department as the Challenger Dark Horse can only be had in black or tan for $27,499 or $28,249, respectively.
As for electronics, Indian meets the MoCo point by point, down to the color TFT interface. Lean-optimized traction control, ABS, and Drag Torque Control delivers a heapin' helpin' of safety, and it comes stock across the color range. Indian slips a bit in the suspension with plain vanilla forks on the front versus the Showa DBV stems on the Harley. Indian's new water-cooled powerplant, called the PowerPlus, produces a whopping 128 pound-feet of torque against the Road Glide's 123 pounds o' grunt for a slight edge in power.
The most striking similarity, of course, is the sharknose-like fairing. And, maybe the fact that it's a blacked-out bagger. With a short windshield. And stretched bags out back. Whatever, I don't judge.
Read our full review of the Indian Challenger Dark Horse.
He Said
“Lovin' the eagle graphic and how it ties the fuel tank and fairing together. Not a fan of the price tag. H-D makes a hell of a product, but the pricing is killing them with the newer generations of riders. I guess I should also mention that I'm not a huge fan of this particular look, but what a boring world it would be if we all liked the same things, right?”
She Said
My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “Talk about brothers-from-another-mother, the looks are so incredibly similar. It's almost like – dare I say it? – Indian set out to copy the Road Glide. Price-wise, they're both out of reach for a lot of folks. If I wanted a frame-mounted fairing, I would probably be looking at a Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Vaquero for a full $10k less, but there isn't as much in the way of amanities.”
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Specifications
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Engine & Drivetrain: |
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Engine: |
Milwaukee-Eight® 114: Pushrod-operated, overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters; four valves per cylinder |
|
Bore x Stroke: |
4.016 in. x 4.5 in. (102 mm x 114 mm) |
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Displacement: |
114 cu in (1,868 cc) |
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Compression Ratio: |
10.5:1 |
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Engine Torque (J1349): |
123 lb-ft (167 Nm) @ 3,250 rpm |
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Fuel System: |
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
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Exhaust: |
Black, 2-1-2 dual exhaust with tapered mufflers |
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Lubrication System: |
Pressurized, dry-sump with oil cooler |
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Primary Drive: |
Chain, 34/46 ratio |
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Final Drive: |
Belt, 32/68 ratio |
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Clutch: |
Hydraulically actuated 10 plate wet, Assist & Slip |
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Transmission: |
6-speed Cruise Drive® |
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Gear Ratios (U.S. - Overall): |
1st: 9.593, 2nd: 6.65, 3rd: 4.938, 4th: 4, 5th: 3.407, 6th: 2.875 |
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Chassis: |
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Frame: |
Mild steel; tubular frame; two-piece stamped and welded backbone; cast and forged junctions; twin downtubes; bolt-on rear frame with forged fender supports; MIG welded |
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Swingarm: |
Mild steel; two-piece drawn and welded section; forged junctions; MIG welded |
|
Front Forks: |
49 mm Dual Bending Valve |
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Rear Shocks: |
Premium low hand-adjustable rear suspension |
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Suspension Travel: |
Front Wheel: 4.6 in. (117 mm), Rear Wheel: 2.1 in. (54 mm) |
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Rake: |
26° |
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Trail: |
6.8 in. (173 mm) |
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Lean Angle, Right/Left: |
32°/31° |
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Brakes, Front: |
Dual 300 mm floating rotors, 32 mm, 4-piston fixed calipers |
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Brakes, Rear: |
300 mm fixed rotor, 32 mm, 4-piston fixed caliper |
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Anti-Lock Braking System: |
Standard |
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Wheels: |
Black Glass Prodigy |
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Wheel, Front: |
19 in. x 3.5 in. (483 mm x 89 mm) |
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Wheel, Rear: |
18 in. x 5 in. (457 mm x 127 mm) |
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Tire, Front: |
D408F 130/60B19 61H |
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Tire, Rear: |
D407T BW 180/55B18 80H |
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Dimensions & Capacities: |
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Length: |
95.7 in. |
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Width: |
39 in. (990 mm) |
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Height: |
52.2 in (1,325 mm) |
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Seat Height, Laden/Unladen: |
25.9 in./ 27.4 in. (695 mm) |
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Ground Clearance: |
5.1 in. (130 mm) |
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Wheelbase: |
64 in. (1,625 mm) |
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Fuel Capacity: |
6 gal. |
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Fuel Economy: |
45 mpg |
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Oil Capacity (w/Filter): |
5.2 qt. |
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Dry Weight: |
818 lb. (371 kg) |
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Curb Weight: |
853 lb. (387 kg) |
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GVWR: |
1,360 lb. (617 kg) |
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GAWR Front/Rear: |
500 lb. (227 kg)/927 lb. (420 kg) |
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Luggage Capacity: |
2.7 cu ft |
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Electric: |
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Battery (per Battery Council International Rating): |
Sealed, maintenance-free, 12V, 28-amp/hour, 405 cca |
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Charging: |
Three-phase, 48-amp system (600W @ 13V, 2000 rpm, 625W max power @ 13V) |
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Starting: |
1.6 kW electric with solenoid shift starter motor engagement |
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Lights (as per country regulation), Indicator Lamps: |
High beam, running lights, directional lights, low oil pressure, neutral, engine diagnostics, battery, cruise control, speakers, accessory, security system, gear indication, low fuel warning, ABS, miles to empty display, fog/aux lamp indicator |
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Gauges: |
Gauges styled to complement each vehicle. Display features odometer, trip A, trip B, range to empty and gear indicator; and larger tell-tale indicators. |
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Electric Power Outlet: |
Electric power accessory port in fairing |
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Infotainment: |
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Infotainment System: |
Boom!™ Box 6.5GT audio system with GPS and touchscreen |
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Type: |
Full Color TFT |
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Watts Per Channel: |
25 |
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Speakers: |
2 |
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Speaker Size: |
6.5-inch BOOM standard |
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Headset Specifications (If Equipped): |
16-64 ohms |
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AM/FM/Weather Band (WB): |
Standard |
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Sd Card, Flash Drive and MP3 - via USB Connection: |
Supported |
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Siriusxm Presets: |
20 - P&A Upgrade for Boom! Box GTS (USA & Canada only) |
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Languages: |
English (US/UK), German, Spanish (Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese |
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Hands-Free Mobile Phone - Via Bluetooth: |
Standard |
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Voice Recognition Languages: Phone Functions Only: |
English (US/UK), German, Spanish (Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese |
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Voice Recognition Languages: Tuner/Media/Navigation: |
English (US/UK), German, Spanish (Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese |
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Text-To-Speech (TTS) Languages: |
English (US/UK), German, Spanish (Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese |
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Vehicle Information Screen (Air Temperature, Oil Pressure And EITMS): |
Standard |
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USB: |
USB/MTP/iPod/iPhone |
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Bluetooth: |
Phone/Media Supported |
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Details: |
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Model ID: |
FLTRXS |
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Standard Equipped: |
ABS Option, Security System Option, Cruise Control Option, (Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS) standard with Eagle-Eye Special Edition) |
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Options: |
Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS): $995, Premium Radio Option: $895 |
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Warranty: |
24 months (unlimited mileage) |
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Colors: |
Vivid Black, Barracuda Silver Denim, River Rock Gray, Billiard Red, Scorched Orange/Silver Flux, Zephyr Blue/Black Sunglo |
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Price: |
Vivid Black: $27,299, Color: $27,799, Special Edition (includes RDRS): $29,294, Two-Tone: $29,399 |
Further Reading
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