Just picked up this 2023 Road King Special from Falcons’ Fury H-D in Atlanta, GA September 30th! BTW, look into Fuellings’ or Drag Specialties’ replacement machine plug as its’ shorter length will give you better OIL FLOW! They’re available for M-8’s AND Twin-Cams.

 

Any chance anyone is running an HPI full length on an all black rks? Not sure I’m sold on the brushed look. Theirs seems so damn nice tho.

 

 

Hey guys, getting prepped for some winter projects.

Is anyone running Lucky Dave's Heavy Hitters? San Diego or Lucky 13. I have questions and would love to see some pics. Thanks!

 

Older guy (69) thinking of downsizing from a RG to a RKS. From what I’ve read the RKS has 12” shocks vs the RK Standards 13” and is the more comfortable ride for some. While most of my riding is local I do take the occasional overnighter and like to tour. Shocks aside, will a proper shield and other touring amenities turn my RKS into a comfortable mile eater? Will the angle the shield would sit at affect its effectiveness ? Comfort, not performance, is my main priority. Are there any other differences between the two? And no I don’t want a Heritage although it is a beautiful bike. Thanks in advance.

 

Hi flynn believe me I'm not trying to be a wise guy but I have seen posts like this before. Guys say they want to downsize to a RK or RKS but in the same message they talk about wanting all the touring items on the RKS that they already have on their SG or RG. They are basically all the same bikes just more stuff on two of them and one has a fixed fairing. In my opinion you are not really downsizing you are just selling an already loaded bike to buy an unloaded bike just to load it up with the goodies you already have. I have a 16 Street Glide Special and a 20 Road King Special and I love them both but from what you are saying you are better off keeping what you have. Again this is all meant to help keep you from regrets but it's your call obviously.

 

You may be right Cornpipe. That is my dilemma. I DO love my RG and I will miss the NAV and Boom and I know the RKSis only about 80 pounds lighter. I just feel I need a lighter bike as my skills erode. Trying not to go back to a metric where there seem to be other options for mid size cruisers. Thanks for your view.

 

RKS can absolutely be set up for a long haul, just need to find a proper wind protection (windshield, fairing, etc). The angle of the windshield absolutely impacts its performance, I actually had to modify stock windsplitter brackets to change the angle of my 20” freedom shields windsplitter and it made a big difference. However I went the opposite route and upgraded to an RGS. Road king is a very versatile bike, but I wanted an infotainment and a fixed fairing after test riding a RG. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

while RKS does feel lighter I believe the visual aspect contributes to it, that big fairing on the rg makes your brain think it’s a lot heavier. To me once you hit 3-5 mph the weight difference just goes away. Both bikes feel about the same when rolling. I know you said no heritage, but IMO that’d be your best option in terms of weight reduction if that’s your concern. Good luck!

 

I think a lot of what your'e wanting to do on the bike, is an important factor. When I was doing A LOT of long trips, I wouldn't have anything else but my Street Glide or My Ultra. 2-3 day trips I'd take my Road King Classic. Now, I take maybe 2-3 long trips a year (by long, I mean 5 or more days), and my RKS is sufficient. I have a QuadLock on the handlebars for music and Nav. I have a wind splitter for warm months, and a taller Freedom Shield for the cold. Lucky Dave seat. Ohline shocks. KST bars. Life's good. For the type of riding I do now, which is mostly day trips or around town stuff, the RKS is perfect. For the 2-3 long trips I take every year, the RKS is outfitted and comfy enough. Just my $11 (.02 adjusted for Bidenomics)