I just went from a Suzuki DR 650 to a 23 Road King Special. Its my first "road" bike, and holy shit a giant leap from a dual sport! Absolutely fucking love my Harley!
Nice video. I own a Sportster/Heritage Classic/Road King Special. The Road King Special is by far my favorite Harley. I'm on it 99.9% of the time. BTW I'm 5'6" and trust me you get used to the weight. Very versatile and nimble model. My favorite bagger. Take care.
U own an 883, Slim, and Road King special! Could not part with any! I’m 6’4”, 260, look a little strange on 883, but all different rides. Oh, I upgraded the 883 to 1200👍 it hums! Ride safe!
I too migrated from Sportster to Road King. Like night and day. My progression went like this….Sportster, Softail Deluxe, Road King 103, Road King 107. Once you go Road King, you never go back.
I started with a 94 XL sporty damn nice bike rode it for 15 years then went to a 90 softail custom rode it for 5 years still have it then i fell in love with a 03 road king classic ( gun metal blue ) super nice ride barely showing 30 k on the clock out of all to me thats the one man i love my road king
@@scottdavis9318 yeah I got my cam tensioners changed at 29 k and went to hydraulic push rods and while I was there got new needle bearings should be good for a while its a Good practice to keep an eye on those tensioners its a pain but just one of those things with a twin cam 88 engine
Helluva leap from a Sportster to a Road King brother. I have the former right now and I love it. I can see myself on the Road King eventually but I think I’ll blend into one, probably via a sport glide. No other Harley puts a smile on my face like my Sportster does though.
In early 2007 I had to leave my 2005 1200R at the dealership one 34 degree morning. They asked me if I wanted to borrow a bike to get back home and I said "sure". They rolled a new Firefighter Special Edition Road King out of a C-can, gave me a quick tutorial, then said "have fun". With EFI, it started instantly and settled into a smooth idle. I clicked it into gear and rode off. No stumbles, no staggers, no misfires. Nothing that your car wouldn't do. It was a very automotive experience. No, I wasn't able to persuade the Office of Management and Budget to upgrade my ride, and it was too cold to go out riding.
@@TheMotoJawn , perhaps this story might be more relatable: When we started going to Myrtle Beach, our good car was a 1982 Rabbit. Four cylinder, four speed, no air. It was an endurance run and we drove at night so our son would sleep in the back seat. In 1988 we bought a new Dodge Caravan. The drive to Myrtle became more like watching TV for 12 hours. That's the major difference between a Sportster and a bagger: baggers are designed for 500 mile days in relative comfort. Earlier this year I was looking at a deal on a used Electra Glide but wasn't fast enough. One warning: maintenance costs on Big Twins are far higher than Sportsters. Oil changes and tires, and they wear tires out faster than Sportsters, will just gag you. A new front tire on the Sporty will run around $200, $300 for the rear.
My wife went from a 1200 Sportster to a Road King. It was literally double the price. She loved it though. At 5’11” she had no problem with either. Alan
Dude, I feel like Motojawn is my other half. That's exactly what I've wanted. I love my sporty for my downtown living/riding, but would love a Road King for longer trips.
Went from a 2001 rigid mounted 883 Sportster XLH (which I'd ride on the interstate year round) to a 2020 road king special and it's basically the difference between 1956 and today.
Recently bought a new Sporty 883, and I’m absolutely in love with it. Thanks for the videos! I remember trying a big kitted out Softail a long time ago and just felt unsafe on it. At the time I had a ZX6R.
Yea I own a 2018 Iron 1200 and just traded in my 2017 Street Glide for a 2022 Heritage 114. It is so much more lighter and flickable then the Road King. I love it more then the Street Glide. I'm considering selling my Iron now. I do still enjoy my Iron for doing some moto camping though.
I suggest test riding a Heritage Classic 114. I recently traded my Road King Special for a 2022 Heritage Classic in Redline Red and Vivid Black. The Heritage is more nimble, lighter, and smoother suspension vs Road King.
@@johnbelculf5441 I went on a 2 up test ride. Unfortunately, the Heritage I tested didn't have a Back rest. I thought it handled well with a passenger. I've not had a chance to 2 up since the test ride
I swung by Brandywine a few months back. Someone helped me out when I sat on a few different bikes. Might have even been that specific guy. The Softails felt manageable, but the Road Kind still felt heavy enough that I'd be psyching myself out on a corner. It was COMFY though. I still just feel so apprehensive about test riding bikes that I know I can't afford, and feel concerned that I'd damage by screwing up a turn from a stop.
Thanks for the vid bud. I realize I’m late to the party here. Interesting, because I too am 5’6” and recently test rode a road king and flat footed it. There are different inseams for the same height of course, but I was flat down. Anyway good perspective coming from a sportster. I’m on a Honda CB1100 and looking for something more long distance.
I'm debating upgrading from the Sportster 1200 to a Softail. I really like the '20 Heritage but used they're still like $20k. Everyone tells me the 2017 and older Softail lean angles are terrible. So I could get an old Road King for now. I'm always debating. lol
Why does everybody that has 4 inches of camera on the bottom of their helmet complain about having to really look down to see the speedo?Anything to do with the camera?I can look at my speedo without moving my head.....eyeballs look down(true story).