Why The Ultra Limited Is Dearly Missed In Harley-Davidson’s Lineup

When you think of full-dress tourers, only a few brands come to mind. One of the first ones that will jump to your mind is Harley-Davidson. It has a long and storied history of making some very famous tourers, so it is no surprise that some of the most popular ones today also come from Milwaukee. The current range has stalwarts like the Street Glide and Road Glide, not to mention the CVO models, which are the pinnacle of American tourers as far has Harley is concerned.

However, if you intend to ride with a pillion, there is only one standard model that offers the trunk/backrest that makes the pillion seat a throne, and that is the Street Glide Ultra. This model has replaced the Ultra Limited in the Harley-Davidson lineup, but enthusiasts of the brand know that when H-D names a model ‘Limited’, it is special, even among its siblings. Here is why the Ultra Limited is dearly missed in Harley-Davidson’s lineup.

To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from authoritative sources such as Harley-Davidson USA.

The Ultra Limited Is Dearly Missed In Harley-Davidson’s Lineup For A Few Reasons

Price (When New): $32,499

The Ultra Limited went on sale in 2020, and it was the top-spec full-dress tourer in the Harley-Davidson lineup. What this means is that if you wanted a Harley tourer that cosseted the pillion as well, and you wanted the best example, this is the one you wanted. It had the trunk as standard fitment, which automatically meant that you got the backrest for the pillion as well.

The Ultra Limited didn’t skimp on the comfort of the pillion; the armrests came along for the ride as well. It also got all the tech you’d want from a tourer of the time: a Bluetooth-enabled music system, sat-nav, and also features that elevate the riding experience, like cruise control, hill hold assist, and linked brakes. It also had a six axis IMU for cornering—enhanced safety features. All of this was available for a genuinely reasonable price for the time, and that is why the Ultra Limited is dearly missed in Harley-Davidson’s lineup.

Why We Miss The Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited

• Twin-cooled Milwaukee Eight 114 had strong performance
• Very reliable
• Less need to dip into the options list with the Ultra Limited
• Great bridge between the Street Glide and the CVO Street Glide
• Genuinely good value for money when compared to the CVO Harleys

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Engine

One Of The Most Reliable Powerplants

Harley-Davidson is currently powered mostly by the Milwaukee-Eight 117, with the only two-wheeler in its lineup powered by the smaller Milwaukee Eight 144 is the Road King Special. The Milwaukee Eight 117 might be a larger, more powerful engine, but the fact remains that H-D’s trikes are all still powered by the M8 114, which speaks volumes about its reliability. It can’t be easy having to shift that much weight!

The Ultra Limited, as befits a top-spec tourer, got the highest tune of the Milwaukee Eight 114, which is 93 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of torque. It is quite a flexible engine as well – peak power arrives at 5,000 revs, while the peak torque is much lower, at 3,000 RPM. This is the version with the liquid-cooled heads, so you get more consistent performance, and the heat should be less than a purely air-cooled engine in slow-moving traffic as well.

Harley does an intelligent thing and circulate the water around the exhaust valves of the rear cylinder first, then the intake valves. The coolant is then pumped to the exhaust valves of the front cylinder, and finally around the intake valves. The radiators are tucked away out of sight in the lower fairing, sort of like a dirt bike, so as not to spoil the air-cooled look of the engine that Harley fans like so much. It gets a six-speed ‘Cruise Drive’ transmission and final drive via a belt to the rear wheel.

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Engine Specifications

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Chassis

Traditional Frame Is All That Is Needed

The Ultra Limited doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, or its chassis. It is a traditional full-size Harley tourer, and as such it utilizes a double cradle frame. This sort of frame might be a little heavy, but the chassis’ extra weight doesn’t really matter much on a motorcycle with a curb weight of over 900 pounds. The front suspension is provided by Showa, and these conventional forks have dual bending valves and beer can covers.

The rear is a twin shock setup, and in a nice touch, the preload adjustment is tool-free. There are disc brakes all around, and this is one of the few motorcycles that uses three brake discs AND three calipers that are identical. Two of each are situated at the front wheel. The front and rear brakes are linked electronically, and the six-axis IMU also allows for cornering ABS, making it one of the best braking systems possible today despite the fact that it is a discontinued model. The Ultra Limited also uses a highway-friendly 18-inch wheel setup, which gives it a lot of stability at speed.

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Chassis Specs And Dimensions

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Features

Can Keep Up With Anything In The Segment Today

It might sound a little old by now, but the ‘Limited’ moniker in ‘Ultra Limited’ means that Harley did not hold back on the features of this model. It starts with a 6.5-inch TFT color touchscreen display that sits below the analog instrument cluster. The display is exclusive to the audio and navigation systems. It is a Boom! Box GTS audio system, so you’ll have all the volume you’ll need on the road. It even has voice recognition.

You get a bunch of features on the Ultra Limited, including heated grips, charging ports, a tire pressure monitoring system, aux lights, cruise control, hill hold assist, and the previously mentioned electronically linked brakes. Harley has also given it the six axis IMU treatment, so you get cornering functions for the traction control, ABS, and drag-torque slip control. A pair of 20W aux lights is also standard, and if there is something you wanted in particular, you could have ordered it from the massive accessories list. Not that you’d need to, with its great standard list of features.

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Features

• 6.5-inch TFT color touchscreen
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Satellite navigation
• Boom! Box GTS audio system
• Voice recognition
• Heated grips
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Aux lights (standard, 20W each)
• Charging ports
• Cruise control
• Hill hold assist
• Electronically linked brakes
• Six axis IMU

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Alternatives

Options Both From Harley-Davidson, And Other Brands

The Ultra Limited is not on sale anymore, and as we’ve pointed out, you could pick up a used example. However, if you still want a spanking new motorcycle, there are a few worthy options. The budget option is the BMW R 18 Transcontinental ($24,395). It has everything you’d expect from a large BMW tourer, including a large-displacement boxer twin engine, shaft drive, and a large windshield at the front, and a trunk that doubles up as the backrest for the pillion. Add roughly $4,000 to it, and you can have one of the unquestionable leaders of the segment: the Honda Gold Wing Tour ($28,700). Among its many unique features are the flat six engine layout, the navigation system that keeps working even in tunnels, and options like a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a rider airbag.

If you prefer traditional American Iron, then there are a couple of Harley-Davidsons that you can look at. The Road Glide has a ‘King Tour-Pak’ that adds the trunk and backrest for $1,896 for a total of $29,894, but it still is cheaper than the Street Glide Ultra ($30,749), which is the model that replaces the Ultra Limited. The upgrades include a massive 12.3-inch TFT color touchscreen, the larger Milwaukee Eight 117 engine that powers most of the Harley-Davidson range, and a more modern look.

If you’d rather opt for the other American motorcycle company, Indian has the Roadmaster that competes directly with the Ultra Limited, with its fork-mounted fairing. It offers a most interesting choice: you can go old school and have it with the largest Indian engine ever, the air-cooled, torquey Thunderstroke 116 for $31,999 that nevertheless offers ride modes, cruise control, and rear cylinder deactivation. The other option is the liquid-cooled Roadmaster PowerPlus 112 for $32,999 that offers a more modern, high-revving feel. The difference in pricing between the two is negligible at their asking prices.