After riding a 1914 Indian coast to coast on the cannonball last year any thing is an improvement!

 

Like has been said....Gold wing is comfy.....but kind of cramped for the driver.
Hyper speeds (over 80) is smooth. Bike is well made. I guess if I were riding cross-country and had a choice of how to get there....Goldwing would be right up there.
Owning one? Nah....maintenance nightmare (Ask salesman to show you the air cleaner).
Ask how long it tales to change a light bulb...any of them.
Last Goldwing I owned was a 1500CC......Barbara misses it.

Chuck

 

Now that there is funny, I don't care what you say, GETRRRR DUN!!!!!!!

 

Much depends on your planned daily mileage. If you reckon on short riding days and long relaxing evenings at regular intervals, or even stop overs, comfort becomes less important. If on the other hand you plan to break records with long days in the saddle, comfort takes on a different meaning!

 

My buddy. Big Harley guy....all his life...was even a Harley MC cop for years...Harley man all the way.....from nj he will ride to key west fl on a whim......loves to hit the road......pulls up last year on a Gl1800 red wing 2010. I was dumbfounded....
He said comfort and performance is what he wants now.....hence the wing. Year later he still loves it. Go figure.

 

Congratulations on finishing the Cannonball.. we left Virginia at 2am and road down to Kitty Hawk to see the start of the race.. it was the coolest thing I have seen.. all the pre 1916 bikes fire up and take off for a cross country trip.. I was really impressed by the German girl on the little single cyl bike..

BTW to the OP I would buy the Harley.

 

While the GoldWings are definitely nice machines, I'm much happier with my '08 RoadGlide. My first bike was an 81 Wing, and I had major problems with any sort of extended ride because of the control position being so far back. Yes, I know you can get highway pegs, but on the newer Wings, the fairing comes back so far that you either have your feet splayed way out, or the fairing can dig in to your legs. Basically, I just like the forward controls on a VTwin over the position for a GoldWing.

IF you can deal with the control position for long trips, then maybe a Wing is right for you. Add my vote to the "rent each bike you're considering for a day" camp, then make up your mind after giving them each a good test.

As far as maintenance, I helped a friend do an oil change on his before we headed out to Sturgis. Blew my mind to find that the oil filter swap is just the filter element and O-rings, with the case being a permanent piece that's re-used. Which of course meant actual tools needed to be used just to get the filter off. Weird.

 

OP has a Road King and wants to keep it. What does a Ultra Limited have that can't be added to a Road King, thus making it similar in features and comfort for both passenger and rider?

I have a 2009 Road King Classic with over 60,000 miles. I ride to work every weekday--if not raining in the morning--and average 300-500 miles on it each weekend. I purchase it new with the following:

Cruise Control
Anti-lock Brake System
Side saddle bags
Leather [RKC] tourpak
Passenger Smooth Touring backrest
Foot boards for the rider and passenger
Rider highway pegs

I have added the following "comfort" items:

Leather covered hard lower fairings
Heat Demons heated hand grips
Battery pigtails for rider and passenger [heated jackets, jacket liners, gloves, pants, socks]
(3) different seat combos: OEM, RKC Sundowner [rider/passenger], Mustang Vintage Solo w/ rider backrest and passenger pillion
200W Rumble Road handlebar speakers
FM/SD disk mini stereo [made for an ATV] (stuffed into a windshield bag)
Universal saddlebags lock set (some modification was required)

It may serve a similar purpose and be more practical to add options that are missing from the OP's Road King that are available on the Ultra Limited. Hard lockable Tourpaks and lower fairings--similar to those on Ultra Limiteds--can be purchased new from dealerships or used in classifieds, e.g. Craigslist, Ebay, etc. Removable batwing fairings w/ stereo options can be purchased from several aftermarket providers that have been mentioned in HDF.

I have no experience with Goldwings; therefore, I can't offer an informed opinion. Regardless, if the OP was to purchase another bike--whether it be a UL or GW--he is going to be adding the expense of insuring and cost of maintenance of a second bike. Being that the OP wants to keep his Road King, adding the options that the UL has to his RK will be more cost effective in the long run, IMHO.

 

GOLDWING vs ULTRA

I have had my last Goldwing a 1998 GL1500 SE, Pearl White since 1998. I actually lost interest in riding it but I love to ride. I purchased a 2011 Ultra Limited ,Vivid Black, earlier this year and love it. I have the passion for riding again just because I needed something different. I was going to keep the GL and had it in the garage for several months after the Harley. I would start it run get it hot and kill it. After about 3 months I decided that I needed to run it on the road and not just start it. I took it for a day ride and it at 13 years old rode smoother than the new FLHTK, and I was supprised because I thought the supsension was shot because it was not what it once was. The only maintenance I had to do was change oil in forks once a year,(my 83 had anti dive on the forks/ 2011 not) 1 hour, easy. Coolant every two years, easy, Air Filter don't want to talk about that, but not difficult once you learn. Engine/Transmission Oil Change, put on center stand, unsrew drain bolt, replace filter, dump 4 quarts oil, easy, 30 minutes and no mess. The only parts I had go out were head lamps and driving lamps. Didn't matter if one went out I had 3 more burning to see. And see the headlamp were 45/45 watts and the reflector was so good I can see 200-300 yards ahead on high at night. Tail light was all lit up from all the lights and cars saw you and didnt get on your axx. Radio and all controls are so much easier to work that you do not have to take your eyes off the road to work them, and if you did want to look at them in the dark they were illuminated. Center stand, rotate rear wheel put air in , clean, and check, while on center stand push up on fairing approx 25 pounds of force, rotate front wheel to get to valve stem, check, clean. Power - from a stop in second gear with my wife on the back I can take off. I could take off just by letting out the clutch at idle, and go through all gears to OD and it would pull at engine idle. Fairing blocked 3 times the wind that the FLHTK does. I would drag the highway pegs and foot pegs all the time without trying because it was so wide. It's not uncommon to hear of 200,000 on a Goldwing with ori engine.

You wonder with all this why did I switch, because it had gotten boring and I wanted to ride just lost that passion on the GL I had several of them.
I am back again smiling while I ride on the FLHTK. It is I just cant descibe this new ride. It's like I just started riding bikes with 30 years of knowledge.

And don't bash a man because he rides something different than you, we all ride because we love to ride.

 

Up until recently I owned both a wing and a 2010 ultra limited. No longer have the limited but I did like the bike. IMO the wing is superior in comfort for the passenger and unless you are really tall I think it would be for you too if you are doing big mileage. It is cooler roomier and has a lower center of gravity. I think it is much easier to pick up and balance. Get a good set of pegs for crusing and just try to be aware that it handles a little differently at VERY slow speeds. I always like to be in second gear if dong parking lots. Also if you are doing hills you will not need to do nearly as much shifting.