I'm looking at a 2004 road king police bike.I am coming from a 2006 sportster and looking to upgrade. My question is are they good bikes ? i have heard they have faulty welding in the frames , is this true?

 

They are great bikes, never heard anything about faulty welds on any harley.

Look into the dyna line if you liked your sportster. They handle the twistys just as well but are much nicer on the freeway or long trips.

I went from a 2006 sporty to a 2011 dyna superglide custom and couldn't be happier.

 

+1 on rooti, I have a RK, and couldn't be happier but going from a sporty to a RK is like going from a sportscar to a full sized sedan performance wise. The dyna superglide is a great stepping point if you ride aggressively. Now if you want a touring ride and don't hammer twisties

 

Then a RK is a great bike. I've ridden both, love both, but need the touring chassis myself

 

thanks, i do alot of country road riding and highway riding, and i had certain things i was looking for so you guys just made up my mind. I loved my sporty but being a bigger guy at 6'1" i need something bigger.

 

Just upgraded from a sporty to a RK...
The RK is a great bike! I do miss that "zippy" ride but I'm doing a lot of 2up riding now so the upgrade was needed. As with any HD, you'll be able to customize it to your liking, just keep in mind the RK is a touring bike, since I've upgraded I'm not taking turns as hard now

 

I'm another that went from a Sporty (1200 Classic) to a RK Classic. The two are not even comparable other than they both have 2 wheels. Built for different purposes and ride totally different from each other. RK is a great choice.

 

the only other question is , what does the police models have on it that the regular rk's don't? and do they have the se air cleaner kit on it already ?

 

they probably have alot of hard miles and lots of idleing(rode hard and put up wet)

 

I do not know about the 2004's 100%, but usually - larger motor, oil cooler, better/heavy duty charging system, and a better price.

Go here for any police bike questions you may have.

HTH

PS: I just bought a 2010 FLHP as a 2nd bike - love it!