I took the riders edge course last fall and I had the opportunity to rent a variety of H/D cycles. I liked the street glide, smooth riding easy to handle, not sure if I liked the fairing, radio was distracting to me. As a new rider I need to concentrate on my surroundings, I had the football game on, it was great but my concentration on riding was not what it should've been. Maybe in the future the SG would be A nice choice. My ques. is I really like the looks of the Rkc. The geometry of the two are the same, wheelbase, rake, trail, rkc being 1" higher seatwise. My dealer did not have an rkc to rent. If I wait till spring to rent one, then order it summer will be almost over. Life is too short, so I'm asking for some input are the two similiar in ride and handling? Thanks

 

I've had both.2005 RK Classic and now an '06 SG.

If you are one of those "in the wind" guys go with the RK.

If you like a wind buffered ride then go with the SG.

The rest of the difference is in styling and amenities.

For me the SG blocks the wind more which equates to a more comfortable ride at this stage of my riding life.

Can't go wrong either way.

Primo

 

if you want a radio get a street gilde if not get the road king otherwise very similar to ride.

 

They DO RIDE & HANDLE A BIT DIFFERENT...

RK will give you a softer overall ride due to the fact the Rear Shocks are 1" higher... With the RK you have the windshield attached to the front forks where as the SG you have an extra 30+lbs on the same front forks making the steering at slower speeds a little bit heavier

The SG has lockable saddlebags - as do the RK - the RKC (Classic) has the leather looking saddlebags with no locks (you can buy aftermarket saddlebag locks for these bags)
SG has full set of gauages - RK has a Speedo
SG has Tunes - RK has the wind
SG is better overall for front wind protection as the fairing cuts the wind a bit different - RK has a removeable ft windshield that makes it look long and lean without it...

If this is your first HD - I would highly recommend the Road King - If later down the road you can add a Good Aftermarket Fairing kije the DragonFly or others...

 

....Dude...you can leave the radio off you know...if the SG was smooth riding and easy to handle for you, then by all means don't let the radio be in the way...when you get comfy with it then you can enjoy the pleasure of a cool mornin run with some Stevie Ray....

 

I appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I value the opinion of those who speak from experience.Can't wait till spring!

 

SoCal-Pappy has more knowledge and better answers

than any of the HD salespeople I have talked to in the last

2 weeks. I am glad you are in here Pappy, keep up the good work

 

Tried both before purchase,To me my the King felt as thoughI was leaning forward sitting position,theS Glide felt as thoughI was more laid back,sitting in it as opposed to on it,Couldent resist the overall feel of theS Glide.

 

Hey Legman55...

Something I wrote after rental rides on both a RKC and a SG (I posted this a while back, but it seemed fitting given your post).

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Its almost eerie how many people said they had considered the RKC before buying a Street Glide. Add me to that list. On Saturday, I signed papers for an 08 SG.

To all of you who have a RKC, you gotta know I respect the bike and it's owners. Earlier this year, I rented an 07 RKC. I thought (before riding it) that it was the coolest looking big tourer Harley made.

I took it out on a day-long trip down the country highway that follows the Mississippi river south. It was a late October mid-week day and the temperature was about 49 degrees, so I saw less than a half-dozen motorcycles on this entire journey. Somewhere along the way I had a strange realization. For as much as I liked the looks of the RKC, it seemed like something just didn't feel right. (Notice how subjective "just didn't feel right" comes across). I couldn't really put my finger on it. I got to the 1/2 way point of my journey and stopped for a bite to eat.

My wife called and excitedly asked "How do you like it? Could you see yourself owning one?"

My honest reply was, "yeah, its pretty cool, but it just doesn't say buy me!". I had my heart set on the RKC for a year and after riding it for just three hours, I realized that I was no longer interested in owning one. Somewhat disappointed, I got back on the bike and headed north back home (just on the other side of the Mississippi).

The ride north from Red Wing, MN is quite picturesque as you cross the Mississippi and enter into extreme Western Wisconsin. There are a number of nice sweeping turns with hills and valleys to cruise though. I was just north of Prescott, WI and was kind of going through the motions, mentally preparing to return the bike (an hour or so early) to the dealer where I rented it.

Then, it happened.

I came around a long sweeping turn that had a bit of an elevation rise to it. Quickly coming into my view was another rider. Again, I had seen maybe 5 other nondescript motorcycles the whole day, but this on-coming motorcycle quickly caught my attention. I could tell from about 1/4 mile away that this was one of those "bat-wing" fairing bikes that I had walked by so many times at the dealership. The bike was jet-black with a single headlight (and no mirrors to be seen!). Not sure why it took a combined speed of 150 mph for me to see how cool this bike looked on the road, but there it was in all its glory. A vivid-black Street Glide. The bike must have been equipped with some serious pipes because as he passed me with a friendly wave, his bike was roaring! As safely as I could manage, I turned around and looked at the bike that was quickly disappearing from my view. No nonsense, lowered, no tour-pack and that massive 38 inch-wide bat-wing with the single headlight. What a cool-looking bagger.

In that moment, it had all become so clear. What I felt I was missing on the big RKC was a big touring bike-feeling up front! I didn't want a 20" high clear windshield, I wanted something substantial.

I got back to the dealership, tossed the RKC key to the rental guy and immediately headed back to where the batwings were located on the showroom floor. It looked just as good parked as it did on the road.

Not another 24 hours had passed and I was back at another dealership (the first one I went to didn't have a SG renta

 

I have a RK and got it before the SGs were introduced so I was spared the decision. The King is a great scoot! However, now that I'm up in the Pacific Northwest (after 30 years in SoCal, Vegas and Arizona) I'm really leaning toward either selling the RK and getting a Glide (now the decison would be between Road and Street) or getting an aftermarket fairing for my ride. Since you "Can't wait till spring!", I'm guessing you are somewhere that gets at least a little chilly in the winter. I test ride Glides all the time at work and there is definitely a difference in riding temp with that fairing on it compared to my ride to and from work on the King. Just my 2 cents.