Im ready to sell my dyna street bob as me and my girlfriend have been planning longer and longer trips and i get out so far and dont even enjoy coming home im so uncomfortable, ive tryed seats, bars, its just not the same i have ridden my fathers 98 road king and never wanna get off it. Now im considering a road king or an electra glide. I dont know the big differences in the electra glide family like how the ultra differs from the rest. Im not concerned about years mainly just want a clean low mileage bike with some storage, what years should i stear clear from if any i really been looking at the electra glides i like the fairing, stereo and tour pack and most used ones are priced fairly close to road kings if not cheaper i dont know just looking for some experienced input, thanks

 

09 and newer have the newer frame and wider rear tire. That would be ideal if you can swing it.

The issue I have with my Ultra is it's too much for me, meaning, I don't feel like I'm riding a motorcycle. It's great when it's me and the OL (she loves the trunk back rest) and the stereo sounds great and all, but it's a little closer to a car than I prefer when riding solo. She got used to the Ultra, so I'm probably going to keep it just for when we ride 2 up.

If you have some extra dough, I'd consider a road king. It's motorcycle enough to feel like a bike and touring enough to have a great ride. If you want a fairing, you can get an after market fairing and you can get a HD tour pak for when the OL wants to ride.

If you like the fairing bike and you ride 2 up more times than not, the Ultra is probably the way to go.

And just for posterity's sake (you're gonna hear it from other people), test ride them.

 

yeah i hear what your saying ive road both and the road king is more well rounded i just see prices and there all over the board like usual i was looking for like an 04ish year with reasonable mileage. Is there any year road kings that had any service bulletins or years i should stay away from? The ones ive seen have the leather covers over bags, for looks i prefer the fiberglass bags, do the new bags hold more or less whats the scoop

 

I went with the Electra Glide Standard. As you, I wanted storage and a tourer, but not lots of extras. This fit the bill for me. Check out the Street Glide also. A sportier version of an Electra Glide.

 

I had an 04 road king and loved it. Upgraded last fall to a 12 and its a huge difference. I thought the 04 was comfortable until I traded it in. The 12 has the hard bags and they seem way bigger than the old bikes leather covered bags.

 

If ya can swing an '09 up, do it for the new frame! At least get an '02 up for newer FI. I would stay away from '07-'08 as they are transition bikes and have some weird parts? My favs are roadglides with roadking a close second. Do get cruise! I like the tunes but I'm really ok without. The differences are fairings and comfort/convenience/apperance extras. They all have the same frames/engines/trans so ride about the same. Get the one that gives ya wood! Enjoy

 

It sounds like you are interested in the comforts of the touring bikes more than the looks. That being said, I would go for the ultra/street glide/standard. Don't make the mistake of buying a windshield bike (road king) and then 6 months later you decide you really wish you had a fairing, tunes, intercom, etc. I would suggest some serious consideration about what you intend todo with this new bike. It sounds like you already do some significant riding, so why not go first class? I think you will find that after a long day of riding, a fairing bike will leave you feeling better than a windshield bike.

 

It all comes down to personal preference. My first Ultra was an 01 W/FI, it ran fine. Had no thoughts of replacing,but an unfortunate accident had me shopping for a replacement. Drove all over looking at many years and options. Ended up with the 07. There's a big difference between the bike you want and what we can afford. The 07 has the 6 speed tranny, and is light years ahead of the 01. I ride to work any day mother nature permits, luv the cruise control. Have a stretch of road where I crank up the tunes set the cruise and put feet on the pegs.

 

Longer and longer trips 2up=Ultra Classic.

I wanted a Road King but my wife said she wanted us to do some touring so we got the UC.

 

I say get all the extras that you can afford. Like the Ulra Classic. you can always strip it down for the solo rides and put it back on for the two up rides.
But if u don;t have the xtras.
they cost alot more to add later.