1. All Harleys are lookers the more bling you add the more looks you get.
2 Old refers to extra creature comforts and smooth ride. See point #1
3. Train tracks could be bad on any bike. Just head for the middle of the lane it's usually the smoothest part.
4. Seat height make it easier for a woman to reach the ground, so what.
5. Yes only difference will be the seaton each bike. Interchangable.

If you go with a Softail, The Heritage covers both you needs up front. The RKclassic came be stripped of its bags and windsheildas well.
Dealers always have demo bikes out front. Ride them both then you won't have to worry about making the wrong decision.

 

compromise, and buy the all around best Harley produced- the Heritage Classic. And I also own an Ultra.

Just a suggestion- if you do settle on a Road King- buy the Road King Standard. The hard bags are more practical. They won't scratch as bad as the leather bags on the Classic. They won't bunch up in time, the was the leather bags tend to. And they will lock, unlike the leather bags.

Then, the solid mag type wheels on the Standard are more practical than the laces wheels on the Classic. Much easier to clean, and not as likely to get warped, or bent. You have to keep spokes true. And you have to have a tube with the spoked Classic rims, whereas you run tubeless on the solid Standard rims. You can't plug a tubed tire, but can a tubeless.

The stock seat on the Standard is bearable, whereas the stock seat on a Classic is the most uncomfortable seat on any Harley.

BTW, I've had a couple RK Classics, so I'm not dissing them. Just giving an educated opinion.

 

I have a easier solution,,,,buy both, RK for you
delux for her!


Taaaa Daaaa!!!
and the crowd goes willlldddd!

 

Everyone will give you a different spin on what to do-whichbike isto own is a very personal choice. My advice is first decide what kind of riding you plan to do. This sounds intuitively obvious but if you plan to do overnight trips, or plan to ride a lot of miles in a day then you need to be thinking about the usedRoad King or investigating a used Heritage Softail. Two up riding is going to be much easier on these bikes and you can pop the windshield off both, and in the case of the Heritage take off the saddlebags in no time. Simple things like riding to the store to pick up something is a chore on some bikes, but it's a no brainer if you're on a bike with bags. You're going to have to strike a balance between the "cool factor" (whatever thatmeansto you), and functionality.

I don't think age has much to do with it frankly. I know several riders in their young 30's riding Road Kings. It's one of Harley's most popular models for a reason-it looks great, rides great, and you can put some miles on it comfortably. It will do everything you ask from a motorcycle IMHO.

To tell you the truth, if you want to look "cool" and bar hop around town then get a Big Dog. If you want a motorcycle that is comfortable for trips, looks great, rides great, and is easy to ride two up then strongly consider the Heritage or Road King. But you first have to decide what kind of riding you want to do. All motorcycles are different, and if you buy the wrong model you'll be spending more of your money to customize it with bags, windshields, etc. and you'll be kicking yourself in the rear for not buying the right bike to begin with.

You can't go wrong with a Deluxe, and it's a great bike. Just decide how much the cost of customizing it might be compared to buying a Heritage.

Good luck! Whatever you do, this won't be your last Harley anyway. I guarantee you'll be in the market for something different in a few years!

 

RK is a great touring bike fully dressed, it ia also a great looking crusier when debagged. These bikes last for a long time, you are young enough now but if you are smart,skilled and lucky you willmake it to the old stage in life. The RK can last the rest of your life if you want. Being cool is more important than looking cool in the long run. All Harleys look cool, actually, riding any bike over250 cc looks cool. Be safe riding no matter what you decide.

 

IMO, if you will be riding two-up a lot and doing any type of touring (overnight away from home or LONG days in the saddle), then the touring models are the best choice. I have ridden them all fromSportys to Ultras,have owned a Low Rider and a Deuce and now have a RKC. Another consideration to think of, what size are you and your gal? I'm ~6' tall in my boots and ~275lbs, my girlfriend at the time weighed 150-160lbs and we were too much for my Softail Deuce. The suspension bottomed out a lot. I had to put forward control extensions on it because I was too cramped, had to add a luggage rack and roll bag to be able to carry anything, the wind beat me to death at any speed over 50,etc. I worked for the company who made the radios for Harley for several years and rode Ultras more than my own bikes and even rode one all the way to the West coast.I got spoiled by the windshield and bags and basically got to the point that I feela bike isn't good for anything more than light cruising/bar-hopping without bags and a windshield, both of which IMO detract from the looks of bikes other than Touring models and the Softail models styled like tourers (Heritage Classic, Heritage Springer, etc). Once you factor in the cost of adding bags, luggage racks,windshield, air-ride,etc. to a Softail,you will be considerably over the cost of just going with a RK in the first place. You can also add a detachable TourPac (sp?) to a RK to further increase luggage capacity and passenger comfort for road trips. I guess the difference could be summed up as, do you want to ride 5 - 20 miles to the bar to stand aroundand look like a biker, or do you want to ride for long periods of time? You can't see what most of the bike looks like when you're on it (although the chrome nacelle on the RK headlight is a beautiful thing to look at while riding!!), but you will definitely feel it if your bike is not comfortable to you and your gal, and you will feel it in your wallet if you have to add everything to it that it "needs" for your intended use.

 

I had a Deluxe and it was a GREAT bike. I loved being able to go from single seat, stripped down cruiser to full bags and a passenger in minutes. IMO, it is one of the best looking retro style cruisers available. I rarely went anywhere without someone going out of their way to compliment the looks of the bike. Although I prefer the ride of the Ultra I have now, I do miss the clean, cool look of the Deluxe. If Harley would not have offered ABS in 08, I would have stayed with the Deluxe.

Good luck!

 

Everyone needs to suit their own sense of style. Both of the bikes will suit for what you want to do. I was originally looking at the deluxe till the forum members said that they tended to feel cramped over time for a six footer.I ended up going for the road king classic as I like the look of the leather bags and the retro style more than the hard bags. Will they last? I guess we'll see but I like what I like. I liked the feel of the heritage too but I dont like all the studson the seat andthe bags.Im not big on the laced spokes or the whitewalls but have gotten a lot of compliments on both.Im gonna go with chrome mags when I need new tires. As to the Deluxe being a chick bike thats bull but you will have to add a lot of expensive things to get the level of comfort you will get with a road king.

 

You have a true dilemma. I met 2 people in South Dakotathis summer riding Heritages. One was on his way back to Cincinnati from Denali, Alaska. The other was headed to the Colorado Rockies from Florida. The name of the game is seats - they had the best, and said they were great rides. Both bikes had well over 50k miles on them, were 1998's and looked like new. Gotta love those huge bags.

If you want to look bar hoppingcool, buy my Low Rider - it's a great ride and set up to travel or hop. I'm 62 and going to buy a Road King when I sell the Dyna (specs are in the Forum classifieds). I've been looking at Road Kings and had about changed my mind into going with the Heritage because of the seat and handle bar issues with the Kings which can be solved (thanks forum members).

 

I've put 22,000 miles on my '06 Road King Classicin 14 months and I'd buy another one if it ever needs replacing...

Edmo