Currently have a Springer softail, but have been thinking about a Road King. Looked at the different models on the HD website, but apart from some minor details (at least to my untrained eye), there doesn't appear to be a lot of difference. Can those of you who own these share any information on what the major differences (design or ride use) is? Thanks in advance.

 

ill chime in
ive ridden my buds softail, and its a great ride, i enjoy that "down in the frame" feel it gives when i sit on it
my road king kinda makes me feel up high, im 6', so im not real tall. the stock seats on the kings suck (dont they all)
i think you'll like the air ride suspension better on the king, they are a bit longer too, front to rear, so that makes for
a smoother ride as well.
personnaly, i would take the road king over the softail, just for comfort, but i like the looks of the soft tail better (ever seen a road king without its saddle bags on? i got one word, YUCK!)

personally, im moving up to an ultra as soon as the season is done, im doing alot more long distance riding now, and want the luxury, and this way my girl can be more comfortable as well on the 2 up dayz

 

I chose a Road King. The Soft Tail suspension starts to move as soon as weight is applied. The RK doesn't. The Soft Tail is a softer ride. The RK handles better, particularly when loaded. The air suspension makes the ride adjustable. I can adjust for varying load conditions so the headlight doesn't blind oncoming drivers when loaded.

The RK uses the 88 unbalanced engine and the Softtail uses the 88B which has a balance shaft to smooth out the low speed vibration. In MHO, the RK is for long distance riding where the Softtail shines in a particular styling and is great for around town riding. If you plan on doing touring two up, the RK is the King.

 

I owned a Roadking for 10 years, and my wife currently has a Softail, so I have considerable experience with both. The only place the Softail MIGHT win out over the Roadking is in the looks department, and that is a subjective thing. When it comes to riding, the Roadking wins, especially if you are two up and going any distance.

Regards,

Bill

 

Hi there,

I have both a Road KIng Classic and a FatBoy, love them both, but which is best depends what type of riding you want to do. If long distance multiday touring the King every time, if just short blasts then the Softail my be best. You however have a choice within the RoadKing range, and the only real solution is to ride em to see which suits you best. The newest RK Custom is the "dogs b*llocks" to look at but for me at 6ft 3ins a pig to ride, the very reasons I love the King have been designed out of it with the Custom model, however if you are not as tall then it may fit perfectly. My partner and I were keen to try the Custom when it first came out so when my Classic was in for a service we tried one as a loaner, MOST UNCOMFORTABLE BIKE WE HAVE EVER RIDDEN!! just didnt suit us, we only went 20 miles to a friends place, but when it came time to pick up our own bike she went on the back with him rather than even another 20 miles. just didnt fit!! Someone else tho may suit fine.
As for the choice between RK and RKClassic, purely the look these days which do you like, although you cant easily lock the leather panniers.
I have done 50000 miles on 2 Classics suits me perfectly.

Enjoy the chance to choose!

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I went from a Heritage Softail to the RKC and can tell you there are differences. The Heritage (in my opinion) is a smoother ride from bump to bump, apples to apples. The RK is a smoother overall ride considering all the variables such as distance, 2 up so forth. Hands down the RK handles better on the freeway. It is the most solid bike I have ever ridden. No gust of wind and no semi has adversly affected me yet. You will have to ride both and see which is best for you!

Paul

 

Cant go wrong with the king!The ride and handling is way more enjoyable than the softail,and the versatility compared to the other baggers(as far as upgrading and customizing)cant be matched.Check out my pic gallery!
Either way,it's a Harley brother, get in the game!!!!!

 

As I am new to the Harley family I have limited experience. I just bought a '06 Road King Classic and I love it. The ride is better than any metric bike I have ever riden. The stock seat is just fine for me but not for the Mrs. While talking to a buddy that has a Road King Standard I learned that the Classic has a much narrower passenger seat. My wife is fine for about 150-200 but anything after that is sheer torture for her. I can feel her trying to get comfortable as we go down the road. Recently that buddy and I took our wives for a little ride and swapped bikes. His wife was mad as he!! after about 2 hours. We weill soon be purchasing a mustang seat to make our Road King Classic the Perfect Ride! Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Hogboy, I will tell you the differences that I know of between the RK models.
RK Custom sits lower, (I think a shorter suspension) has a few custom looking parts on it like turn signals etc., and hard bags .
The RK Classic, sits higher, has electronic cruise control, leather covered bags.
Obviously, I am partial to the RKC. If you do much 2 up riding then I think that the RKC is the way to go. If you just like to scoot around on shorter distances alone, then the custom styling may be more of what you are looking for.
Good luck

 

In April I bought a RK Custom 06' changed the seat with a HD 52622-03 and now the wife and I can ride for long hauls without the pain in the .... or back. Two of my coworkers have RK's one a RKC and the other RK Standard, as far as ride, we all agree the RK's have a great ride, plenty of power in stock form, and good looking. Leave the bags on though.