A short look back on 30 years of the Harley Davidson Road King. Email: csa1nt@outlook.com #harleydavidson #motorcycle #motorcyclelife #harley #harleydavidsonlifestyle #motorcyclelifestyle #roadking #roadkingspecial #roadkingvlog
I was seriously considering a Road King before they dropped the chrome. You couldn't give me that ugly black crap which,by the way, cost an extra $1,800 . And that "Highway King"? Give me a break!
I currently own a Road King and had one prior. The Road King is really is just what the original Electra Glide was before a bat wing fairing and tour pack was added.
Agree 100% about the Road King being an important classic model and I do think we’ll see something in July. If not there will be many of us not happy about it.
I ride a 1998 FLHR, the last year of the EVO. It's such a great bike to go out for a ride on. I had planned on upgrading to the M8 version at some point but as you mention, Harley took the RK standard out of the lineup and only the special remains. I had stopped into a dealer a couple years ago to look at the Road King. The salesperson was trying hard to get me into the special. At the time it was about $3000 more than the standard. It did have the larger motor but the 107 was plenty for me. What I noticed was the special did not have passing lamps. It did not have the windshield. It did not have passenger floor boards. It did not have rear crash bars. And the bars were not as comfortable and the seat was not quite the same. That was a lot of "did not haves" and items I might need to change out to spend $3000 more than a bike that had all I needed other than a back rest. But now I am in my mid 60s and thinking perhaps a lighter bike may be better anyway. Keep the old King for what it is. Get something smaller and lighter. My son has a Moto Guzzi V7 and it is a blast to ride. And less than half the cost of a new touring Harley. But then, maybe Harley will release an updated Road King to the lineup?
I agree. Of all the bikes I have owned, I miss my Road King the most. Wish I had never got rid of it! Hopefully HD will breathe new life into this iconic scooter…
Harley isn’t going to discontinue a model if it’s making money. Fact is the younger generations “I’m 41 and consider myself in the younger sec lol” just aren’t buying the old
I hope they do some kind of special edition for the 30th at mid year. I’m not hopeful with all the attention going to the coast style/sport touring and performance bagger trends. The RK is being forgotten and it’s a shame, such a great Swiss Army knife bike in the lineup and the best looking. Classic with everything you need and not a lot that you don’t, and you’re not married to a bulky fairing.
If the only version of the Road King they come out with this year is the blacked out versions I would say Harley signed it's death certificate. Just my opinion. I've got to have some bling. The gray and black one you showed us the other day couldn't accommodate white walls and look good. Folks love white walls and bling on Road Kings. It's a signature of this model.
Bought my 2020 Stiletto Red FLHR brand new on Labor Day 2020. It is my first Harley and most likely will be my last. I have never seen another one like it in the wild. Only thing I've done to it is change out the exhaust to get more of a Harley sound, even though it still doesn't sound like the quintessential Harley Davidson. I think the RK is the most iconic HD ever. I didn't want the fairing and all the electronic BS. However, it did come with ABS and the RDRS system. I have just over 20K miles on it and am looking forward to putting some more miles on it this year. I turn 70 in July and want to take some multiday trips on it while I still can. I think HD will pay homage to this iconic model at some point in the near future. They came close with the "Highway King" Icon models, but they still aren't Road Kings.
