It’s been loads of fun, but our 2018 Harley-Davidson bagger upgrade project has finally come to an end. Along the way, we went through our Wicked Red bagger and focused on three main areas. The first area—and most important one, in my book—we focused on was performance. As far as I’m concerned, doing any kind of project without trying to enhance performance is a waste, but to each their own. The second category we focused on was ergonomics. The Road Glide Special is a very comfortable motorcycle for me in stock form, but we tweaked a couple of things to lower my rear a bit and raise my arms a tad as well. Both of the ergonomics pieces also happen to overlap into the last category too, which was styling.

With Harleys, the world is your oyster. No matter what modification you can think of to add to your ride, chances are the part is already out there and available for purchase. Harley-Davidson alone has a parts and accessories catalog that’s damn near bible-size. And even apart from H-D, there are tons of aftermarket companies around with great options. We stuck with all Harley and Screamin’ Eagle parts for the performance upgrades, since I did notice that you do get a special fit and finish when staying within the brand.

Now that is one good-looking bagger. Our 2018 H-D Road Glide Special in the Wicked Red color looks great with our hand-picked accessories.

Jeff Allen

The Screamin’ Eagle Extreme-Flow Air Cleaner with Ratchet Cover really stands out against the Milwaukee-Eight 107 motor.

Jeff Allen

The thinner Badlander two-up seat makes for a comfortable ride as well as giving the back end a cleaner line.

Jeff Allen

The Burst Collection Fork Medallions are a nice addition that make a normally bland part of the bike really pop.

Jeff Allen

The Road Glide Fat Ape 15-Inch Handlebars are a great fit for my long arms and they look rad on top of it all!

Jeff Allen

The Defiance End Caps give the Street Cannon Mufflers of the High-Flow Exhaust system a finished look that really catches the eye.

Jeff Allen

Even the back end gets a boost!

Jeff Allen

The matching Defiance Covers for the cam and transmission side door make for a clean look.

Jeff Allen

The Defiance Handgrips fit right in with the black controls, levers, and mirrors on our Road Glide Special.

Jeff Allen

Another nice piece in the Defiance line is the Speaker Grills, which add a more finished design to another normally boring area.

Jeff Allen

We couldn’t neglect the left side of the motor, so we got another Defiance cover for the derby cover.

Jeff Allen

Adding the Gloss Black Headlamp Trim brings more shine to the front of the bike, and who doesn’t want that?

Jeff Allen

The Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Power Kit not only adds power, but look at the beautiful torque curve. You have damn-near peak torque throughout the entire powerband. It’s a thing of beauty.

Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Power Kit

Specifications

Year/Make/Model	2018/Harley-Davidson/Road Glide Special
Engine
Year/Manufacturer	2018/H-D
Type/Size
Cam	Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Power Kit
Air Cleaner	Screamin’ Eagle Extreme-Flow
Exhaust	Screamin’ Eagle High-Flow Exhaust with Street Cannon Mufflers
Tuner	Screamin’ Eagle Pro Street Tuner

Accessories

Windscreen	Harley-Davidson 4-Inch Low-Profile Windscreen
Air Cleaner Cover	Screamin’ Eagle Round Ratchet Cover
Handlebars	Harley-Davidson Road Glide Fat Ape 15-Inch Handlebars
Seat	Harley-Davidson Badlander 2-Up Seat
Handgrips	Harley-Davidson Defiance Handgrips
Speaker Grills	Harley-Davidson Defiance Road Glide Fairing Speaker Grills
Headlamp Trim	Harley-Davidson Gloss Black Headlamp Trim
Fork Medallion	Harley-Davidson Burst Fork Cover Medallions
Cam Cover	Harley-Davidson Defiance Cam Cover
Transmission Side Cover	Harley-Davidson Defiance Transmission Side Cover
Derby Cover	Harley-Davidson Defiance Derby Cover
Exhaust End Caps	Harley-Davidson Defiance 4.5-Inch End Caps

This Road Glide Special session turned out to be a fun project, I love doing engine work, even if it’s something as minor as installing a new cam, which is what we did here. Adding a taller bar made me more comfortable while riding, as I am 6 feet tall, on the dot, and the Fat Ape 15-inch bars gave me a nice little raise. Adding a sprinkle of styling on top of it all got us a nice-looking Road Glide that coolly stands out from the rest.