I've been spending a lot of time trying to decide which Harley suits me best and after today's demo rides I've come away with a clear winner for me and that's the almighty Road King. What a bike!

It was just the regular 96 cubic inch motor and that was plenty of power for me, I can't see myself spending extra coin for that 103 engine seeing as the 96 cu.in does the job without breaking a sweat.

While I really like the looks of some of the Softails, they just aren't at all in the same league as the Road King and other Touring bikes. The ride quality of the touring bikes is far superior in my most humble opinion but that's just my two cents of course.

I started out on a Street Glide that was blacked out, it looked really mean and I liked that but I just didn't really appreciate sitting behind that large fairing after a while and tunes aren't a big deal for me when I'm on a motorcycle. Plus, the batwing bikes are more expensive too.

After that I got on a Road King, I loved everything about that bike! Harley makes one heck of a nice touring bike I'll tell ya.

I then had a chance to take out a beautiful Softail Deluxe and while it's a real piece of eye candy, I just didn't enjoy the ride nearly as much as the RK. The Deluxe's suspension wasn't as good as the RK of course, no surprise there but the engine even seamed rougher. Must be because the RK has its engine mounted on rubber isolators.

The Deluxe seemed to rattle and hammer away when I was at the upper end of a given gear (my Vulcan 1600 Classic with balanced engine doesn't do that). Maybe that's normal for a balanced Harley engine? Anyway, I didn't like the feel or the noise coming from that engine. Maybe there was something not quite right with it? Maybe another Softail would have run smoother? I don't know.

I was going to have a chance to prove that to myself on the last and final demo ride because I was slated to get on the Heritage Classic next but since there were only a few people left at the end of the day and nobody was taking out the Road King, I asked to be switched over and they said yeah, no problem. So, I got to try out the RK twice today and I can safely say that it's the Harley that ticks all of the boxes for me.

I got to say too that the way that these touring bikes shake at idle is too cool, it just gives you this feedback that hey, this bike is alive and bad-*** as hell too! 8^)

Oh and on a side note, the paint on this particular bike was gorgeous, I think that it was that Merlot Sunglo/Vivid Black, wow! They sure do know how to put together a beautiful bike.

The Ultras, EGs and Road Glides are all great touring bikes I'm sure but I just can't get into these bikes because they seem like way too much bike and they just don't float my boat on a visual level. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that they're hard to beat out there on the super-slab but I just don't find them to be the best looking bikes out there but there again, that's just my opinion for what it's worth.

The nice thing with the RK is that it's those bikes stripped down and it can be easily transformed with an added detachable backrest with luggage rack or detachable trunk.

Long live the king of the road..........The Road King!

BTW, were there any noteable changes in the Road King since 2009? Anything noteworthy between the 2009, 2010 and 2011 model years?

I had a blast trying out these bikes today and I just wanted to share my experience.

 

Glad that you liked the Road King. I have an 02 Road King Classic with 42K miles and love it! I bought it in April 09 and at the time it had 22k miles. I love the vibration at idle, the Harley "clunk" when going into first and everything in between!

 

I bought a 2010 Road King about 3 months ago and I really like it. Unbeliavable ride, this was my first touring Harley and I purchased it for pretty much the same reasons you are. Im not happy about the Cat Converter stuck in the headpipe, but I guess all new ones have them now. The cat really does muffle the sound. I put on Rush 2.5 slip ons and for my budget the 2.5's sound good on this bike. Im happy! Good Luck!

 

I rented a RK in Maui one year, I think it was an 01 with 88,000 miles. That bike rode nice, it seems like the windshield is just the right size. I needed more storage and tunes, but I still love the Road King.

 

Congrats on your new bike. Love my '09.
Jim

 

You'll enjoy that Road King; I know I love mine! As you stated, you can strip it down and make it a nasty old school boulevard cruiser, or you can bag it up and add an after market fairing and have everything that the glides have for those cross country trips with the OL. It is easily the most versatile bike in the touring line.

Secret to Road King happiness is new bars, grips and good seat. Add the stage 1 and you can be done for a long time...unless you're into lots of chrome or a HP/TQ junkie.

-Dusty

 

2009 is first year of new frame. CA bikes only have a catalyst in the headpipe, next to trans. 2010 all of them got the catalyst, and the rerouted exhaust. 2011, not much new besides the power pack on the RKC and some different colors.

Good choice. Much like you, I demo'd all of them. Love the looks of the Deluxe, and the Fat Boy I rode was noticably faster, but the Road King does everything else better. I picked up my 2011 RKC about 2 weeks after demo'ing them all.

 

The 103 engine is not a factory option on a 2011 Road King, but it is standard equipment on the 2011 Road King Classic. For me the 103 was worth the extra, it has a very noticeable improvement in power over the 96. They are all great bikes, I'm sure you will love any one of them.

 

Thanks for the feedback...when I think of HD I think of the Road King, hence one of the reasons I went in that direction. Sounds like you have a color picked out as well!

A friend at work bought a Heritage Classic after his Vulcan 1500 was wrecked while parked in his garage....Landlord had a seizure and drove his car right through the garage taking the Vulcan with it

Anyways he said he never has gotten used to the Heritage and it's rougher ride (his words not mine) compared to his Vulcan. I wonder if things might have been different if he got a King instead

 

The Road King is a great choice... Very versitlile and alot of fun !!! Post some Pics when you finally pick one out !!