What Size Motorcycle Cover Fits a Harley Touring Bike?
A Harley touring bike needs one of the largest motorcycle cover sizes, and which one depends less on the model name than on what is bolted to it. A Tour-Pak, a tall windshield, hard saddlebags and a sissy bar each add length or height, and a trike adds width. Measure the bike as you park it, or pick it by make, model and add-ons in a fit finder, and if it falls between two sizes, take the larger one.
This guide explains what changes the size of a touring bike, shows how much the factory numbers differ between Harley touring models, and walks through measuring your own bike.
Why is sizing a cover for a Harley touring bike harder than for other bikes?
Because "Road Glide" or "Street Glide" is not one shape. The same family comes with or without a Tour-Pak, with a short or tall screen, and with factory or aftermarket luggage. Riders then add highway bars, backrests, taller windshields and bigger bags. Two bikes with the same badge can need different covers.
Touring bikes are also the bikes most likely to be parked outside fully loaded, which is exactly when a cover is stretched tightest over the hardest corners: the top case, the bag lids and the screen edge.
How big are Harley touring bikes?
Here are Harley-Davidson's own published dimensions for several 2021 touring models and the Tri Glide Ultra trike. Figures change between model years and trims, so check the spec sheet for your year; these show how much the shape varies across the range.
| Model (2021) | Tour-Pak? | Length | Overall width | Overall height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street Glide | No | 96.5 in | 37.8 in | 53.1 in |
| Road Glide | No | 95.7 in | 38.6 in | 51.6 in |
| Road King | No | 96.5 in | 37.8 in | 56.3 in |
| Road Glide Limited | Yes | 102.2 in | 36.6 in | 56.1 in |
| Ultra Limited | Yes | 102.3 in | 37.8 in | 56.7 in |
| Tri Glide Ultra (trike) | Yes | 105.1 in | 54.7 in | 56.3 in |
Three things stand out.
- The Tour-Pak models are about 6 inches longer. The Road Glide Limited is 6.5 inches longer than the Road Glide and 4.5 inches taller. The two bikes differ in more than the top case, but the Tour-Pak is the biggest change to the shape a cover has to go over.
- A tall windshield adds height as much as a top case does. The Road King has no Tour-Pak, yet it is 3.2 inches taller than the Street Glide, which has the same listed length and width. The Road King's tall screen is the obvious difference.
- A trike is a different problem. The Tri Glide Ultra is about 17 inches wider than the two-wheel models in this table. A cover for a two-wheeler is not built for that rear axle.
What changes the cover size on a touring bike?
| Add-on | What it changes | Where the cover wears if it is too tight |
|---|---|---|
| Tour-Pak or top case | Length and height at the rear | The top rear corners of the case |
| Tall windshield | Height at the front | The top edge of the screen |
| Batwing or frame-mount fairing | Width and height at the front | Fairing edges and mirror stalks |
| Hard saddlebags | Width at the rear, and how low the hem has to reach | Bag lid corners and latches |
| Sissy bar or backrest | Height at the rear on bikes without a top case | The top of the pad or bar |
| Highway bars, extended bags, aftermarket exhaust | Width and length | Bar ends and exhaust tips |
| Trike rear end | Width, by a lot | Fender edges and the rear trunk |
Stock spec sheets do not include any of the aftermarket items, so if you have changed the bike, factory numbers will under-size it.
How do you measure a motorcycle for a cover?
You need a tape measure and ten minutes. Park the bike upright on level ground, the way you will cover it: on the sidestand if that is how it lives, with the windshield and luggage you actually ride with fitted.
- Length: from the front of the front tire to the furthest point at the back. On a bagger that is usually the rear fender or bag ends; with a Tour-Pak it may be the case. Use a straight edge or a wall to mark each end and measure between the marks on the floor.
- Width: across the widest point. On most touring bikes that is the fairing, mirrors, bars or saddlebags. On a trike it is the rear body.
- Height at the front: from the ground to the top of the windshield.
- Height at the rear: from the ground to the top of the Tour-Pak, backrest or sissy bar, whichever is highest.
- Write down the add-ons, because a fit finder or size guide may ask for them separately.
Then compare your numbers with the cover maker's size information, not with another brand's chart. A cover has to be larger than the bike in every direction to go over it and still reach low enough to hold.
Should you size up for a Harley with a Tour-Pak?
Size for the bike with the Tour-Pak on, because that is the bike you are covering. If your measurements land between two sizes, take the larger one. A cover that is a little long can be pulled snug with straps that clip under the bike and elastic at the hems. A cover that is too short will not reach low enough to hold in wind, and the fabric stretched over the Tour-Pak corners will wear through there first.
The reverse also happens: riders who remove the Tour-Pak for summer sometimes find their winter cover baggy. If you switch between configurations often, size for the larger one and use the straps to take up the slack.
What about trikes?
Trikes need a cover made for the width of the rear axle and body. Do not try to stretch a two-wheeler cover over a trike; it will not reach the ground at the back and will tear at the fender corners. We go into trikes, other three-wheelers and the biggest touring rigs in motorcycle covers for trikes and big touring bikes.
Does a bigger cover blow off more easily?
A bigger cover has more fabric for the wind to catch, so the hold-down system matters more on a touring bike than on a small bike. Clip the straps under the bike, make sure the elastic hems sit around the tires, and if the cover has a lock opening, run your disc lock or chain through it. On an open driveway, add a soft tie to a fixed point. Full details: how to stop a motorcycle cover blowing off.
Touring bikes are also usually covered straight after a ride, so the exhaust is hot. Let it cool first: can you put a cover on a hot motorcycle explains why.
Sizing a MotoTarp® cover for your Harley
The MotoTarp® Heavy-Duty Motorcycle Cover comes in six sizes, from Large to 6XL/Trike; the larger sizes are for touring bikes with bags and top cases, and 6XL/Trike is the top of the range. We do not size by model name alone, because of everything above. The fit finder asks for your make, model and what is fitted to it, and the size guide lets you check against your own measurements. If you land between two sizes, take the larger one.
For the bigger picture on choosing any cover, see how to choose a motorcycle cover, and if your touring bike lives outdoors most of the year, how to store a motorcycle outside for winter and protecting your bike on a road trip.
Quick answers
What size cover fits a Harley Road Glide?
It depends on what is fitted. A Road Glide with a Tour-Pak is a longer and taller shape than one without, so use a fit finder that asks for add-ons, or measure the bike as you park it and compare with the maker's size guide.
Does a Tour-Pak change the cover size?
Yes. In Harley's 2021 figures the Road Glide Limited, which has a Tour-Pak, is 6.5 inches longer and 4.5 inches taller than the Road Glide. Size for the bike with the case on.
How do I measure my motorcycle for a cover?
Measure length from the front tire to the furthest point at the back, width at the widest point, and height at the windshield and at the top of the Tour-Pak or backrest, with your normal luggage fitted.
Should I get a bigger motorcycle cover?
If you are between two sizes, yes: take the larger one and snug it down with the straps. A cover that is too small will not reach low enough to stay on and wears through at corners.
Can a trike use a regular motorcycle cover?
No. A trike's rear end is much wider than a two-wheeler's; the 2021 Tri Glide Ultra is listed at 54.7 inches wide. It needs a cover made for that width.
