The seat was also positioned a little higher and more forward, almost above the rear of the Electra Glide gas tank. This positioned the rider to see above the windshield and to also position the rider's legs and feet for a more neutral stance. This set-up allowed for a very comfortable ride with your arms falling to a comfortable handlebar height. With the lower center of gravity of the older bikes (engine and frame closer to the ground) the rider had good control of the bike. As modern suspension raised the level of the frame, that along with styling changes dictated a lower seat height. This "chopping" of the seat position, moved the rider back and closer to the ground at the expense of some ergonomic control. The handlebar reach is more forward and the rider's leg position is moved more forward. Now you may like the modern seating position but have your tried the more classic upright position?

Police Bikes 

Notice how the Police Harley-Davidson bikes have the higher riding seat with seat suspension. This puts them up higher on the bike offering them more control and better visibility. Pre-80's model year bikes have this riding position from the factory. Current bikes with the much lowered and moved back seat, force your feet forward. You can actually control a heavy motorcycle with your leg in a more neutral position. You can hold up a heavy motorcycle seat with a straighter leg position as opposed to the squat position you get on a low set.

Simple things like having the choke right in the middle of the tank instrument pod was a welcome feature. Harley (before fuel injection) soon moved the choke down and to the left side of the motorcycle. The accessory stereo radio pod on the 1979 FLH has its antenna integrated near the front fairing. At present day, the antenna is mounted on the rear of the tour-pak, where it is more susceptible to damage and simply gets in your way as you walk around the bike. With the antenna at the front fairing, it is within the motorcycle's envelope and is out of the way.

The 1979 has a fat front tire and nicely designed wrap-around chrome supported rubber bumper. Newer Electra Glide now come with narrower front tires and Harley chose to eliminate the rubber bumper which is a nice feature that helps protect the front of the bike. Even the older style Electra Glide square mirror seem to give you a bit more rear visibility as compared to the newer styled rear-view mirrors.

When the factory eliminated the cable actuated clutch the rider lost the ability to adjust the cable setting which allowed a rider to modify the clutch lever reach. The 1979 cable clutch allows you to make this adjustment where the hydraulic clutch of today does not. 

Harley-Davidson Invented the Tour-pak 

Harley-Davidson offered early style OEM accessory tour-paks for the Electra Glide. You could purchase one from your dealer and outfit your FLH to carry more luggage for the long haul. The original offering had a poorly designed lid brace. The lid brace worked ergonomically but failed over time. It was quickly replaced by the factory with a cable and then a retracting tether that now lives today in modern tour-paks. But the operation of the tour-pak lid was now a compromise. Many of these factory changes were to save money over time; but at the expense of ergonomics and performance. Tour-pak lids were also lighter because the passenger backrest pad was not part of the lid but was connected to the buddy seat. This made the lid easier to use the many repeated times you open and close it during a ride.

The Future's Bright 

Of course, there are a multitude of modern features on the new touring bikes that are absolutely great and we appreciate that. Harley-Davidson continues to maintain the DNA of the Electra Glide family heritage while at the same time advancing the design. From ABS brakes to modern improved suspension to the migration from the shovel-head through the Evolution, Twin-cam and now Milwaukee Eight engine, the Electra Glide has improved immensely. The recent Project Rushmore improvements are very much appreciated. Hand controls, audio, paint, the improvements over time are too numerous to list. But what we are doing here is discussing the things that are not quite as good; and they deserve mention.

Note: In the 2021 model year, Harley-Davidson has brought back the cable clutch. We have always thought the cable clutch worked better than the hydraulic. (Feb. 2021)

One of our major themes here at eGlideGoodies is that you can take a modern Electra Glide, Street Glide, Road Glide or Road King and with some of our product offerings, you can upgrade that bike to include many of these anachronistic features that were thought to be lost. What was OLD can now once again become NEW!