I road both before I purchased and I don't mean for a few minutes around the block. I took both the RK and the Heritage out for the day. I thought the Heritage handled better, but did notice the limitation in lean angle, but I don't ride my Harley like a sport bike anyhow. Once I determined how far I could lean before scrapping the boards, I have never scrapped since.
Have you seen a Road King without saddle bags? Seriously, it looks like a RK w/o saddle bags. The Heritage does not suffer from an ungly *** end when the saddle bags are removed. If you don't believe me, go to the dealer, set each bike side by side and have the dealer remove the saddle bags. There will be no question in your mind!
I have ridden my Heritageon many long trips, two up and solo, with no complaints from either me or my passanger. I ride with brothers who ride both RK's and Softails and both bikes click right along with no issues.
Best bet is to test ride both and determine which is right for you, but in MHO, the Heritage is the most versitle HD out there, and one of the best looking!

 

If you're serious about touring, you're going to want hard, lockable waterproof bags and a suspension that can be easily adjusted to compensate for passenger and baggage weight. For less $$$ than either the Road King, Fat Boy or Heritage, you can pick up an Electra Glide Standard which not only includes a real suspension system, it includes more instrumentation (speedo, tach, voltmeter), significantly better lean angle, better lighting and cast wheels (tubeless tires). And contrary to what some may say, baggers are very competent every day commuter bikes.

Other than the lack of engine vibration at idle, I don't see a compelling reason to buy a softail.

 

I own an '06 Heritage Softail Classic. The bike is great for all the reasons stated above.
Prior to purchasing the bike, I had it narrowed down to the Road King and the Heritage. I made my decision after riding them both.
While on vacation I rented the Heritage. During a later trip to Americade, I signed up to ride the Road King.
At low speeds the vibration is signifigantly different, due to the rigid mount/counter balanced engine(Heritage) vs. the rubber mounted engine(Road King).
The only way to make an informed choice is to ride them.

 

My choice was a Fat Boy, for in town and short trips, if I was looking for a bike for in town and long tripsit would be the Road Glide. My last bike was a touring bike, a Yamaha Venture Royal. It did everything real well. The only thing it lacked was soul. When I bought my Fat Boy I was looking for a bike that was more enjoyable to ride and didn't feel likeI wason an overstuffed convertible.
Tom

 

With a Fat Boy you can load it up or strip it down. Two different bikes to match your mood.

 

Or you can do what I did.
Ultra Classic for the road trips,
Heritage Classic for around town and day rides.

Problem solved.

 

PlanoRider, I had the same problem. I wanted a fatboy in the worst way. Went to the dealer several times and kept sitting on all the bikes. Got more confused at first but soon found that the Heritage softail classic fit me the best. Couldn't get past the studded saddlebags - eeekkkkk! Then kept looking at the roadking. Got it down to the heritage and the Roadking. Heritage fit me better and doesn't vibrate as much. Since I'm in traffic alot and ride the backroads I finally bought the Heritage. Took a few months to get used to the studded saddlebags but now I couldn't image the bike without them. Enjoy the hunt!

 

I do not like the look of saddlebags on a Fatboy. Especially studded saddlebags. Like someone above said, test drive em both and make a decision. To me, if your gonna be doing any day trips or more, I'd personally go with the RKC. If your gonna be just cruising around town, I'd get the Fatboy. Just don't get the saddlebags....eww...good luck!

 

+1

As an added bonus, the radio can be very helpful in heavy traffic - it's amazing how cagers (and other bikers) keep their distance when you have Clay Aiken blasting through a pair of HogTunes.

 

Slap in some Bluegrass and watch the gap grow.

Regards,

Bill