My first Harley was an E Standard and loved it, during the winter months here in VA the fairing came in real handy. It was a great bike. Got back from a tour over in the sand box in Dec and wife gave the go ahead for me to get a new bike so traded in the standard and bought a new 07 Road King Classic. Each bike has its Strong Points and Weak ones as well. I will tell you that the Road King to me handles much better due to the fact of not so much weight up on the handle bars. The windshield that does come with the Road King is more than enough for protection against high wind and debrie. I do miss the radio I had with the standard but can get a handle bar radio for the king so no big deal. even though the RK is a tour bike it looks a lot sportier to me and not so clutterded with stuff. Just my opinion but the RK is my bike of choice no regrets for getting it and would buy another RK to sit next to the one I have now if CincHouse would allow it.

 

I have the Road King and except for the motor that I haven't touched I have enjoyed making her over, and every now and again I think about theElectra or the Street Glide for the fairing the tunes and the gages are right in line with your sight line. Maybe some day. Enjoy making your decision on the 08.

 

The thing that convinced me that I wanted to buy a Harley was my buddy renting a Road King for a weekend. He did it on a whim because his Beemer was broke down. My wife and I took a spin on it and that was all it took, it was off to the Harley shop.

Anyway, I walked back and forth in the showroom looking at Road Kings, Electra Glides, Fat Boys, Softtails, just trying to give everything a fair chance. I bet I poked and prodded and sat on bikes for two hours. Then, that evening, I brought my wife with me and we did the whole thing over again. Little by little, I kept going back to the line of Road Kings and Glides. The sales gal was very patient and answered all of our questions and kept her opinions to herself. She finally suggested that we ride both a Road King and a Glide. So, we did. For us, the test rides told us that the Glide was the way to go. We took the Glide for a 20 or so mile loop and really liked it. We jumped on the Road King, rode about 5 miles and turned around. Again, for us, the Glide was just the best bike.

The reasons why the Electra Glide was the better bike for us was the fairing, the lockable bags, and the stock seat. One other thing that didn't seem like much at the time, but I really appreciate now, is having the speedo and tach up in a spot where they can be easily seen. As far as why we bought the Standard over the Classic... I have no use for a radio, didn't want a tour trunk (even with the quick detatch system), Ididn't want the extra chrome trim on the fenders and bags, and, believe it or not, I really prefer the machined look of the engine over the blacked out look. So, we ended up with a redStandard.

The things I have done to the bike are adding lower fairing deflectors, the air deflector that mounts between the forks, a 6 inch windshield, a Road Glide seat, a Moustache Engine Guard with highway pegs,3/4" floorboard spacers, a backrest,Stage 1. Between thedesign of the bike and the additions I have made, it is as close to "perfect" for me as anything I have ever had. And with a T-Bag on the passenger seat, I did 2 weeks on the road and never for a second wanted a tour trunk. But that's just my preference. And two weeks behind a fairing. Yep, there ain't nothing wrong with that, LOL! Less wind pounding at you (which translates to less fatigue), fewer bugs, and fairings are great at deflecting smallbirds!

Long story short. Find a dealer who will let you ride everything. Take your time, be honest with yourself about what you really want and need, as well as what you don't want or need, and get the ride that is best for you. After that,add some goodies to the bike and make it even better.

A side note. I kinda laugh when I read about folks talking about how a Harley handles because of weight issues. I was riding a Vulcan 2000 before the Glide.Trust me, the Harleys are pocket rockets compared to that boat anchor! LOL!

 

I went through the same struggle. The main attraction for me was the EG standard's price. I think RK's are priced too high. But I went with a RK anyway.

I like popping the windshield off on a hot day for shorter putts. That factor alone makes me sure that I made the right choice. I don't like the distraction of a radio on the bike. I ride to get away from that kind of stuff, therefore the batwing with the ability to install a radio means nothing to me. I had an Ultra five years ago and never used the radio except in the driveway while cleaning the bike. I also hate the big blind area created by the batwing. I like to check the road surface when rolling up to a stop, impossible with a batwing. Also it makes me feel more closed in and gives me a more car-like feeling with the fairing. To each his own, and as much as I liked my Ultra I prefer my RK.

 

Road King Classic has Cruise. Excellent for longer trips. Never ridden a Standard but I put 11,000 on my 07 RKC and loved every minute of it. I have since traded for an Ultra which I consider the total package and have not looked back.

 

Another option to consider when looking at a RK is that there a several high quality, after-market companies producing removable fairings for the RK. They include radios if that is a concern. These fairings allow you to have the best of both worlds. Seats and bars can be changed easily, but its kind of hard to take a fairing off a Glide when it hot.

 

I love my Road King. But, the E-Glides are awesome bikes as well. For me, it was the styling of the bike, (love the classic look) and the ability to take off the windshield for around town rides. Plus, I like the wind in my face, somewhat, and the batwing seems to block a little too much wind for me.

 

I like the RK because you can take the windshield off.

 

with the RK, you can remove the windshield (or fairing if you choose to buy one) on hot days or simply to just change the look. the classic has standard cruise control too.

as for the speedo/tach being in your line of sight- to be honest, i rarely- if ever- look at my speedo and i dont need a tach (if i did, i wouldve added one)

 

owned all types, if you like minimal go with the RK for the choice to remove the windshield, however I now run a SG and it kicks my previous FLHRS's butt when it come to running for hours.