Loving my Road King. Nice option to take the shield off especially during these hot & humid days here in Ohio. I can't ride her enough and always leaves me with a smile...

 

Road King all the way. I rode a 2014 SG, and it handled really well. A lot better than I had expected. It seemed really light and was very nimble. I actually loved riding it. I didn't like the fact of not being able to remove the fairing. It's nice to have tunes, but for me I prefer riding most of the time without a shield. It's nice being able to strip down the RK and just ride.

 

Road King all the way for me! Love a clean front end on my bikes. Hate fairings! But thats my taste.. They have the same frame tho.. but thats it. Shocks are lower on the street glige so youll feel more of the bumbs in the road and you will feel the extra weight of the fairing on the front end for sure especially if your coming off a softail or dyna. Plus i like to see the road directly in front of me. And would never want to listen to music while i ride.. I like to hear the sound of the pipes on my bike echoing of the land scape! Thats music to my ears.. And if you really need a stereo the sell the atachable ones that mount on the handle bars that you could plug an i pod into! With that being said i love the clean look of the factory line Street glide better then the factory line Road king. I like the clean modern look! Thats why i went with the 2014 CVO Road King totally a different look then the standard Road King. plus i loved the blacked out 110 engine.. and all the other goodies that make it look better!

 

I have a ROad King, so I'm biased. Sometimes I yearn for one of the new Street Glide Specials with the navagation. That would be the only one.

The bat-wing fairing looks bad, but they're very common. To me they're for people who want to pretend they look like Batman. So, for me, it's a little childish.

Plus, those fairings don't work particularly well on their own terms. I have the Klock Werks windscreen on mine and I bet it works better than the Bat-wing setup, with less weight and more convertibility, which I take advantage of all the time. I don't care to be stuck on a hot day behind a fairing and you can't see the road. Also, that fairing limits your elbow room, user area. You can't put your hands anywhere you want on the bars and cruise along on cruise control like you can with the FLHR.

I'd look at the upcoming Road Glide if I wanted the radio/navagation/fairing and wait a few more months. It'll be here soon.

Also, a base FLHR is very affordable. The thing I don't care for on the FLHR is that I don't really like the highway light bar, or the saddlebag and engine guards you have to pay for. For me, I'd like a standard touring model with no bags, no guards and no lightbar, so as to lighten up the whole assembly. A FLHS. But fat chance of it coming out.

First post. Hello!

 

Ive had both...Streetglide all the way!

 

From someone who has had both models. Wind/weather protection is better on the SG and stereo is great for long trips. I also liked the more complete instrumentation (tach especially).

RK has it's charms and can look a lot "badder". Changing the speedo to a combo from HD solved my instrumental desires.

If I was to purchase another touring bike, I would be torn between the two. Probably would go with the SG as there would be less mods to do and not having earphones in the ears while riding keeps the law off your back.

 

LOL

 

I have to echo coyote... Really liked my 1996 Road King but love my 2010 CVO Streetglide. Looked at at 2013 CVO Road King. It was a great looking bike and I could almost convince myself but I wouldn't trade my SG for it. Both are great bikes. Can't go wrong with either - That's not much help, is it?

 

Interesting idea. The DID make an FLHRS (Road King Custom) from 04-07. It didn't have the light bar up front or much of the chrome trim. It was about an inch lower, too. All in all, whereas some of the Kings are made to have that retro (whitewhall) kind of look, the Custom was more stripped down and badass. I know. I have one. I've added aux lights, but I added bullet ones, which compliment the rear bullet signals. And I've added the mini apes to get rid of those God awful beach bars. it did NOT come with a windshield, either, so I don't even know what riding with a shield or fairing is like! (JK, I do. And I just need to install the mounts ... i have them). Anyway, the stripped down RK is a reality. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore.

 

LAUGHING OUT LOUD

If you've ever mistaken a Road King for a Softail, please don't tell anyone here (or anywhere else for that matter) who knows better.

If riding a Street Glide makes you feel different, you're not. The parking lot at Bike Night is full of them, yet, ole' dudes can't help but stand around them and gawk at all the cheesy Kuryakyn accessories.

Both bikes have merits. I've had short rides on both. On most occasions I prefer wind in my face. The RK can give you that. For you Radio Riders, there's the SG. There's nothing like the distorted distraction of Lynyrd Skynyrd at 70 mph.