I have ordered the 06 Softail Deluxe--which I haven't actually finalized yet; but I will be going home in 10 days for 2 weeks of R&R and my plan is to relook the Road King Custom. I have a lot of feedback so far but none from the Custom owners. I am willing to accept any views here. Some of the things I've read about are: awkward placed handlebars, and the bags are extremely small. I actually sat on this bike before I came to Iraq and this was my first love; but I'm not between these two bikes. How is the ride for passengers---I don't know anything about air shocks???

Also; I see that someone has the black one that I want and they have the whitewall steel laced on it. I was planning on getting the optional steel laced---do they come with the white wall????

Thanks in advance guys & gals

 

The Road King Classic comes with the laced wheels and wide white walls. As for ride, the RK std, custom or Classic should all be about the same. Can't keep the wife off the back of mine.

Chris

 

Hi SF,

I can't give you any advice on the Road King Custom as I have the Classic, but wanted to THANK you for your service to our Country. You are one of my heroes, please stay safe and know that we support you!

 

First of all, enjoy your 2 weeks of R&R, well deserved and thank you for all you are doing.
I love my RK Custom. The handlebars are extremely comfortable for me. The wife loves riding and we go out all day/weekends with no problems. Just pump up the air shocks to the recommended level for 2 up riding and we are off. I was concerned with the smaller bags compared to the hard bags of the RK Standard, but have realized that they both are adequate for any day trip. Over night or longer you would most likely need some more room regardless of which King. I just bungee a pack or duffel to the sissy bar and am good to go. You really can’t go wrong with any of the road kings. Boils down to personal choice in the end…The Deluxe is a sweet ride, looks like you have a tough choice, not a bad spot to be in...

 

Man you can go ride ALL day on the RK's and your butt won't be barking at you.

That RK Custom is killer. Coming from a softail owner who's next bike will be an RK probably, if you're even thinking of doing any longer than 30 mile rides, you'll love the RK. I'm leaning to sell off the fatboy and get one myself.. My wife wants a nice cooshy ride and she loves the long and fat RK look..

How many bikes look that good in YELLOW!? [sm=bling.gif]

[IMG]local://upfiles/3244/11C6D21B42B5476CB28257AB51D245C5.jpg[/IMG]

 

Let me first tell you thanks for your service to our country. The Pastor of my church has the picture of the Korean Memorial in Washington where that slogan is etched in stone....."freedom is not free".....never has been or never will it be.....someone always pays the price....so the words can not say enough.....Thanks!!!

Now for your question. I just bought an '05 RK Custom....and I can tell you that I love it. My first love was the Fatboy, but I wanted the ride of the RK and I think the Custom is a cross between the RK and a Fatboy. Low and lean with a bit of an attitude. I did change out the bars and went with the RK extended reach bars......I didnt care for the position of the beach bars that came with the bike. The bags are a bit small....but they flow with the "lean" look of the bike, so I really like them. I went with the "slotted" wheels over the "laced" which is an option....I like laced but they would be mounted on the black walls and I would want them with the white walls for sure. I'm planning on going with a custom wheel with white walls when I wear these tires out.....which wont be long with how much I'm riding . I did take a long look at the ST Deluxe....it is a "looker". But I finally decided on the RK Custom and very glad that I did.

Hope that helps.....at the end of the day.....you'll be happy with which ever bike you get....we all have our taste and that why HD building all the different models.

Be safe....thanks again!!....and enjoy that R&R!

 

The first reaction is usually the correct one. That being said, go down to your local dealer on your RnR and rent both and give them a proper look over. Your spending a large chunk of duckets on a bike, a few hundred dollars it would cost for the rental would be well spent.

 

I truley like the looks of the Deluxe but the RK Classic is a lot more bike for the money as you get bags, windshield, cruise control, and EFI standard. If you want to travel, the RK would be the choice. If you take just short trips, the Deluxe would better fit the bill. You can't go wrong with either.

 

As others have said, Thank you for your service to our Country!!!!! Your sacrifice and service allow each of us to enjoy freedoms not known in any other country and will secure freedom for our children and future generations. Please tell all of your buddies how much I appreciate all of ya'll!!!!![sm=americanasmiley.gif]

When I purchased my 2005 Road King Classic, I test drove the Custom and liked many of the features it offered. In particular, I liked the handle bars and the lower seat height, but really liked the overall Classic better. So, I replaced my bars with the Custom "Beach Bars" and love them! I also lowered the front and rear of my bike. Prior to my Classic, I owned a Softail Standard and liked the Softail ride, but I like the RK ride better.

I hope this helps.

I pray for your safety each day, maybe not by name, but for each of you.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for doing what you do and have a great time on your R&R. As others have said, you can't go wrong with a Road King. Comfort plus they a good handling bike that does not seem as heavy as it is. I chose the RK Std primarily because I like the looks and function of the hard bags. Best to you.
T