10 Reasons Why We Will Miss The Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited
Harley-Davidson has entered 2025 with a bang. The line-up is more accessible and vibrant than ever, with cheaper entry-level cruisers, new suspension upgrades to the Sportster S, and new motorcycles like the Street Glide Ultra. The latter is the spiritual successor to the iconic Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited, which is bowing out in 2025. This top-spec cruiser was the pinnacle of American luxury touring bikes.
So much so that it was the best non-CVO touring bike on the market. A clever combination of old-school design, raw V-twin muscle, several luxury and comfort features, and hidden technology bits made the Ultra Limited a one-off Harley-Davidson. Here's us delving deeper into each of its perks and reminding you why this luxury grand touring bike will be greatly missed.
To ensure accuracy, the information in this article was compiled from authoritative sources, including the respective manufacturers' official websites.
2025 Harley-Davidson Road Glide in red front third quarter view
The Most Exquisite Non-CVO Harley-Davidson Model
With A "Practical" Edge Over CVO Models
Harley-Davidson
The Ultra Limited was arguably the most desirable Harley-Davidson full-dresser touring bike, bridging the gap between the standard line-up and the exquisite CVO models. Barring the exclusive paint job and the eye-sore price tag that the CVOs carry, the Ultra Limited was on par in terms of comfort, luxury, old-school appeal, and touring capabilities. In fact, if you compare it to any of the 2024 CVO grand touring bikes from Harley, its touring credentials were superior as none of the CVOs came with a standard Tourpak top box, hence dwindling on the luggage carrying and passenger comfort features. Also, the cheapest 2024 CVO touring bike was priced at $42,999. That's a whopping $10,500 over the Ultra!
Comfort Of The Highest Order
Especially For The Pillion
Harley-Davidson
The Ultra Limited was one of two Harley-Davidson touring bikes (the other is the Road Glide Limited) with a standard Tourpak luggage box. This not only added to the total luggage space (which we will come to later) but also greatly elevated the pillion comfort. Credit went to the standard back and arm support cushioning attachment. The passenger sat cradled and enjoyed chauffeur-driven privileges.
The rider was not left unattended either. The Ultra Limited's batwing fairing windscreen was tall enough to deflect the fast gush of the oncoming wind. The Batwing was vented just below the windshield to relieve some of the vacuum from the wind pocket and reduce head-buffeting. You also had standard adjustable lower fairings with flaps that could be adjusted to redirect the hot engine air away from the rider's legs. Couple all these features with a low seat height and relaxed rider triangle, and the Ultra Limited posed as one of the most comfortable touring cruisers.
Notable Comfort Features And Specs
- Standard Heated Grips
- Adjustable Lower Fairings
- Low Seat Height Of 27.5 inches
- Back and arm best for the pillion
- A tall windscreen atop the vented Batwing fairing to fend off wind fatigue
Enough Storage Space To Make The Road Your Home
Total Luggage Space: 4.7 Cubic Feet
Harley-Davidson
The addition of a Tourpak elevated the Ultra Limited total luggage space to a wholesome 4.7 cu-ft. That's over 35 gallons. A solo rider will have enough space to pack luggage, even for a traipse cross-country trip. Two-up riding will also have ample storage for casual weekend luggage and two helmets. This is possible because of the Ultra Glide's long and well-contoured hard saddles as well.
Dimensions And Weight
Length | 102.3 inches |
Width | 37.8 inches |
Height | 56.7 inches |
Wheelbase | 64.0 inches |
Seat Height (Laden / Unladen) | 27.5 inches / 29.1 inches |
Ground Clearance | 5.3 inches |
Rake / Trail | 26 degrees / 6.7 inches |
Rider on a 2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide
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Luxurious Features
Harley-Davidson
The Ultra Limited packs ample luxury features to elevate its comfortable touring capability. Most of these features are confined to electronics, specifically infotainment and connectivity. Below a four-pot old-school analog dial assembly, the Ultra Limited has a neat 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen display that controls its Boom! GTS system. This includes an audio system with four speakers; a pair neatly tucked away in the front fairing, and another pair hidden behind the pillion in the lower section in the rear.
This setup ensures that both the rider and pillion enjoyed the tunes. The system is intercom compatible with the rider setup offered as standard as well. The pillion needs to get an add-on package to get in the loop. GPS functionality and voice recognition come standard, too. This made toggling around with connectivity and infotainment features a lot easier when on the road.
Notable Luxury Features That Enhance the Touring Experience
- Voice recognition
- Hands-free mobile phone control via Bluetooth
- Standard rider intercom; Add-on passenger intercom
- Boom! Box GTS audio system with GPS and touchscreen
Iconic Old-School Design Language
Harley-Davidson
The old-school charm is strong with this one. The Ultra Limited has a design language that strongly reminds us of the FLH/FLHT family. The classic Harley-Davidson DNA is evident from the onset with its iconic Batwing fairing. The front full-sized fender is also an ode, despite it dropping the classic chrome skirt and trim in its last year.
Harley uses beercan skirts to hide the fork tubes and make the front quarter look beefy. An old-school V-twin is showcased in all its glory as we pan along its 64-inch wheelbase. The engine adds to its old-school charm and muscle. Also, being blacked out adds more contrast to the overall package.
Harley-Davidson
Neatly hidden behind the batwing fairing are four gorgeous analog dials, with the Boom! Box GTS touchscreen display located right below it on the dashboard. The two-to-one blacked-out exhaust is neatly tucked under one of the hard case saddles designed to flow with the curvy form factor. Despite having luggage stacked at the rear, the Ultra Limited doesn't look disproportionate as all design elements balance things out. Personally, we love the above-showcased White Onyx Pearl paint job. It adds a more profound contrast and subtle drama to the bike.
Notable Design Features
- Painted saddles and top box
- Old-school badging on the tank
- Full-length front fender with a chrome skirt
- Four color options, including a dual-tone shade
- Iconic batwing fairing reminds us of the 1969 Electra Glide
Nostalgic Big Twin Power
Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin
Harley-Davidson
The touring bike packed a beefed-up Milwaukee-Eight 114 with a meaty torque of 122 pound-feet that peaked at just 2,750 RPM. This early surge was necessary to help move the behemoth of a land yacht. Harley utilized a clever twin-cooled setup to tackle heating. This was primarily air-cooled but had coolant running through the head to keep the valves within operation temperature.
The radiators were neatly tucked away in the fairing lowers to not ruin the old-school air-cooled look. A six-speed gearbox with a slip-and-assist clutch sent power to the rear wheels. The wheel was propelled using a carbon-reinforced belt drive system. The Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited has a top speed of 110 MPH, which was governed.
Engine Specs, Gearbox, And Performance
Engine Configuration | V-Twin; Twin-Cooled (Air and Liquid) |
Engine Displacement | 1,868cc (114 cu-in) |
Bore X Stroke | 4.016 X 4.5 in. (102 X 114.3 mm) |
Compression Ratio | 10.5:1 |
Power | 93 HP |
Torque | 122 LB-FT |
Transmission | 6-Speed |
Built Like A Tank To Gobble Up Miles
Fuel Economy: 43 MPG
Harley-Davidson
A heavy-duty mild-steel tubular frame underpinned the Ultra Limited. This setup cradled the big twin and also added a lot of rigidity. Despite being a low-slung touring bike with a ground clearance of 5.3 inches, the suspension setup offered above-average travel at both ends. Harley utilized 49 mm dual bending valve forks up front and hand-adjustable rear shocks.
The rake angle of 26 degrees was further pushed out to 29.25 degrees because an offset in the triple tree was ample to keep this low-slung, stretched-out heavy roller stable at high speeds. Braking duties were taken care of by Brembo with dual 300 mm discs up front and a single 300 mm disc at the rear. The Ultra Limited came with standard dual-channel ABS. Its gorgeous 18-inch gloss black wheels were wrapped with touring-ready Dunlop Harley-specific rubber.
Hardware Specs
Frame | Mild steel; tubular frame |
Swingarm | Mild steel; two-piece drawn and welded section |
Front Suspension And Travel | 49mm Dual Bending Valve Forks With 4.6 Inches Of Travel |
Rear Suspension And Travel | Hand-adjustable Dual Shocks With 3 Inches Of Travel |
Front Brakes | Dual 300 mm Floating Rotors Coupled To 32 mm 4-piston Fixed Calipers |
Rear Brakes | Single 300 mm Fixed Rotor Coupled To A 32 mm 4-piston Fixed Caliper |
Front Wheel And Tire | 18-inch Gloss Black Slicer II Wrapped With Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series, bias blackwall |
Rear Wheel And Tire | 18-inch Gloss Black Slicer II Wrapped With Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series, bias blackwall |
2024 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide Revival cruising through town
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Technology That Elevates The Touring Experience
Without Dampening The Old-school Appeal
Harley-Davidson
A recurring format you might have noticed until now is that Harley neatly hides away any "modern" features on the Ultra Glide. This was to help retain its old-school charm, and this feat also continues on the technology front. The Ultra Limited was loaded with top-spec safety and needy assistive features. The package included just the right amount of sauce, which wasn't overwhelming to its old-school appeal. One handy feature was the electronic-linked braking system, which helps control this heavy-duty touring bike during hard braking. Another cool technology feature was its lighting assembly, which included standard auxiliary lights, which, apart from increasing nighttime illumination, also gave the Ultra Limited a distinctive look.
Notable Technology Features
- Vehicle hold control
- Electronic cruise control
- Electronic linked braking
- System-wide security system
- Tire pressure monitoring system
- Linked braking with standard ABS
- Standard auxiliary lights (20W each)
- Electric power accessory ports
- Corner-enhancing safety feature (ABS, linked braking, traction control, and drag-torque slip control)
One Of The Most Desirable Grand Tourers
Beats Its Arch-Rival—The Indian Roadmaster
Harley-Davidson
The Ultra Limited helped create a new segment of old-school-vibing touring cruisers. Its sole arch-rival was the Indian Roadmaster, which also deployed a similar construction. While it is devoid of the historical reference that the Harley carries, the 2015-introduced Roadmaster does an impressive job of being an alternative to the Ultra Limited.
It has a bigger air-cooled engine with less power but more torque. It is lighter and has more luggage space but is low on fuel capacity. Together, these cruisers constitute the pinnacle of American luxury touring bikes. But sadly, the comparatively affordable Harley touring bike is wrapping things up.
Specs And 2024 Pricing Compared
Model | 2024 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited | 2024 Indian Roadmaster |
Engine | 1,868cc V-Twin; Twin-Cooled | 1,890cc V-Twin; Air-Cooled |
Power | 93 HP | ~90 HP |
Torque | 122 LB-FT | 126 LB-FT |
Transmission | 6-Speed | 6-Speed |
Curb Weight | 917 LBS. | 909 LBS. |
Fuel Capacity | 6.0 gallons | 5.5 gallons |
Total Luggage Capacity | 4.7 cu-ft | 4.8 cu-ft |
Price | $32,499 | $32,999 |
A One-Off Fusion Of Lux-Appeal, Comfort, Big-Twin Torque, And Old-School Charm
Harley-Davidson
The best part about the Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited is how this motorcycle manages to marry many conflicting elements into one gorgeous bike. It is old-school but under the skin and has enough technology features for a rookie to feel comfortable. The engine is a classic V-twin but gets sophisticated twin-cooling technology to keep the heat in check. You get the gist, right? But now, with the Ultra Glide bidding adieu, we are truly missing out on one of America's greatest luxury grand touring bikes that justified its price tag, at least better than the CVOs!
