The Road Glide entered Harley-Davidson’s Touring lineup for the 1998 model year as a frame-mounted-fairing bagger aimed at long-distance riders who wanted the stability and weather protection of a full touring machine with a more streamlined profile than the classic batwing-fairing bikes. The FLTRI designation identified the fuel-injected version of that Road Glide, and Harley-Davidson also offered a 95th Anniversary Edition in 1998 to mark the company’s milestone year. The model drew on the earlier Tour Glide concept, but the Road Glide’s sharknose-style fairing became its defining feature and helped give it a distinct place in Harley’s touring family. FLTRI remained in the lineup through the mid-2000s, after which Harley-Davidson’s touring nomenclature changed and the Road Glide name continued in updated forms. Enthusiasts tend to view the original FLTRI era as the first modern Road Glide chapter: a factory touring bagger that established the model’s long-haul identity and set the template for later generations.
MODEL HISTORY