Was wondering who has gone from a fatboy to a roadking.What are your thoughts or impressions.Was it worth it or have you wished you had stayed with the fatboy.Any regrets? or was it the best thing you have done? Or maybe you went to a roadking but went back to the fatty.

 

I love the Road King (second favorite after the Fat Boy) and currently have a Fat Boy, but the Road King is going to be "if someday" my second bike. I won't get rid of the FB. Fat Boy rules...

Regards.

 

Well, I rented a Road King once and really enjoyed it. No complaints at all. Except that the fatboy is so much cooler for my tastes. I'm with MIMo, If I can ever get a second Harley it'll be a road king. I stay stick withthe fatty rick. I'm rather impartial to the color of it as well.

 

I dont plan to get rid of the fatboy especially since it's my first HD.But if i ever get a second,maybe when i get close to retirement i'll opt for a roadking.Just trying to inquire to everyones thoughts.

[IMG]local://upfiles/7312/41CCB666074845A0AC8050418147A996.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7312/691FE25A837E4C5EAAB31C66A1A3E6FA.jpg[/IMG]

 

If it was me, I would keep the FB.

When I get a few years older (double nickle in a few years), the S.E. Ultra Classic will probably be my choice (a bit of a road sofa, but what the heck)

 

I may have given the wrong impression here.I'm keeping my fatboy,i have no intention of getting rid of it.Never has crossed my mind.

[IMG]local://upfiles/7312/02AF5305B63C4C95A13F7BFF4D2C0D84.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7312/B1D440BF956E47B684FEE18A83455E43.jpg[/IMG]

 

Then in that case, get yourself a roadking. I'd love to have 2 bikes again.

 

I did not think that you would get rid of it. I just said I wouldn't

Get the Road King also keep both and make anubiss and myself two envious MF's

Regards.

 

I bought a 2004 Sportster Roadster when I decided to get back into riding after almost 25 years, after a few months I realized how much I loved riding again and traded it in on a 2005 Road King Custom. The Road King was a great bike , super comfortable on the freeway after 55 mph, a lot more shake at lower speeds and at idle. I then made the mistake of riding a friends Fat Boy and realized that the Fat Boy fit my riding style much better so I traded for a 2005 Annv Fat Boy. I don't do a lot of trips, most of my riding is 100 miles or less a day on freeways, canyons and around town so the Fat Boy is great, I prefer the feel of sitting more into the bike also.

All of the HDs are great , it's just finding the one that fits your style best.

 

Rick,

I have an '04 FatBoy and have spent a fair number of hours in the saddle of my brother's Road King Classic. We recently did a 3 day, 800 mile tour of north eastern Pennsylvania and swiched bikes often. If I were to go to a bagger, the RKC is the best looking ride to me. I would suggest you rent a RK and ride the wheels off it before you do anything.

The ride and handling is so different it's difficult to compare. You definitely sit "taller" on the RK than the FB, partially because of the slightly higher seat but also because the floor boards are located further rearward and the bars pull back to you and kind of make you sit up. The RK is a joy to ride on the open highway. Motoring along with the windscreen and the cruise control makes gobbling up the miles a breeze. If you do a lot of crusing on the superslab or two-up riding, the RK makes a lot of sense.

But, it's definitely different. On the FB, I feel more like I'm sitting down in the bike rather than on top of it. I feel closer to the ground and the handling is much more "seat of the pants" than the King. The FB ride is definitely firmer but not uncomfortably so. You know what I mean, you ride a fatty too. The RK feels soft on the road, not in a bad way, it and soaks up the bumps very well. It's just a completely alien feeling from the FB. One thing that's really different is idle and low rpm. The baggers shake like crazy at idle and it can be a little disconcerting at first. The soft tails are so smooth at idle and throughout the rev range that it takes some getting used to the RK's behaviour. Once the engine comes up to speed the shaking stops and it's all good.

One other thing that seems odd to me is the perception of a difference in power between the two bikes. Conventional wisdom (and the Harley spec. sheet) says that the bagger and dyna motors are marginally more powerful than the soft tail motor. About 1 hp is lost in the TC-88B motor because of the energy needed to spin the counterbalance shafts. What's odd is that the FB "FEELS" quicker than the RK and also seems to have more torque. In a comparison between my '04 FB and my Bro's '06 RKC, both my Bro and I agreed that the FB felt quicker. My FB motor is stock with a SE Stage 1 intake and a set of SE 16 gauge double barrel pipes. My Bro's RKC has a stock motor with the Stage 1 intake and a set of SE slip-ons, so the set-ups are virtually the same.

Beyond mere "feel," while riding up a pretty good incline at 45 mph in top gear, I could roll on the throttle and the FB just pulled along like a freight train. Not blindingly fast, mind you, but also no hesitation, bucking or complaining. The RK, on the other hand, had to be dropped down to 3rd gear to keep up. This was verified both by my Bro and by myself. He loved riding my bike on the twisty, hilly mountain roads where gear changes were optional. Not so with the RK as it seemed like I was constantly stirring the gearbox to keep the thing happy. Now before you say that maybe his bike wasn't tuned or mapped properly or this or that, I'll tell you that we did the same comaprison with his '04 RKC two years ago. Guess what? Same result. My bike consistently out "torqued" his bike and we were both amazed that this time around we had the same experience. Nonetheless, this is his second RK and he loves it and for the kind of riding he does, it's perfect. I love riding the RK too, but for the kind of riding I do, the FB is a better fit (for me).

Bottom line is that every rider is different and everybody likes something different. That's why it's so hard to choose when you walk around the showroom. But I'll tell you this: Before this recent tour I was starting to get the itch for a new bike. The RKC is my favourite bike in terms of looks and appearance. It's so retro and so classic that I just can't get enough of it. It's friggin' gorgeous. I was about 85% convinced that I was on my way to a trade in. Then we took our three day ride and swi