Softail Heritage vs. Road King/Road King Classic

Drew

hello all-
I will most likely purchase a Heritage or Road King to go along with my Sporty. I would appreciate pluses and minuses of the two, as they relate to each other. The Heritage feels a little more comfortable when I sit in it compared to the Road King, but all else equal, I like the looks of the RKC marginally better. I will be test riding them both soon.

thanks
Drew

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"if you ride, an explanation won't be necessary... if you don't, an explanation won't be sufficient."

martysnarf

The main difference there is the FEEL of the ride. The RK has the adjustable touring suspension, and the Heritage is a Softail. Softails have a totally different feel to them, and the ride is not as smooth. The Touring line is known for their "cadillac"-type of ride, and the Softail line are more related to the old hardtail feel. The seat position is a bit different on both as well.

That said, both are really nice bikes and are quite similar in many ways. I would suggest riding both before you make your decision, or even renting one of each for a weekend or something to make sure that you get what you want. It's relatively expensive to rent a Harley, but compared to dropping $20K on something then finding out down the road that you aren't truly happy with it makes it worth it, imho.

Good luck with your decision!

Sharky1948

Second the above.

I'm doing the same thing as you. I went with the RK because (1) I know my wife's back side wouldn't be happy on the Heritage, and (2) the RK gives me more options and flexibility, e.g., adding a Tour Pak, etc. for longer touring.

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"Dance like there's no one watching, sing like no one is listening, love like you'll never get hurt, and ride like there's no tomorrow."

martysnarf

Yeah man- I dig the HECK out of my King; it's an EXTREMELY versatile machine. My wife loves riding with me, and she's really comfortable on the Mustang passenger seat. I've said before on this Forum that the key to the King is versatility. It's a great bike.

Fourdogs

The Road King is the only Bike I ever owned. When I was in the market I was led to the Road King by friends...being 58 and starting as a new rider I wanted something I felt very comfortable on...of course all I did was sat on em in a dealer..I did the Heritage...RK...and Ultra... my experience was Heritage for me just felt a bit uncomfortable ..probably my age and old bones...lol The RK extremely comfortable...felt a bit better with the center of gravity and I'm not sure why...then the Ultra ..as a first Timer felt very top heavy and kinda scared the old man so I went with the RK ..also you can do many things with the RK you can't do with others...I don't think...lol I'm pretty new at this ...but after riding 50,000 plus miles and the different things I've done with the RK for me it was the best decision ...Thats was for me! mind ya...lol But get whats most comfortable long trips it very important...lol Check my links and you can see what you can do with the RK..I can go from Ultra-King to RK..in less than 10 minutes...oh! my friends call my bike a Ultra King...lol

Custimized my Roadking a bit - Harley Davidson Community Members Gallery

With stock Windshield and tour pak - Harley Davidson Community Members Gallery

martysnarf

Nice ride Fourdogs!! Very cool additions to it!!

WHM1

Knowing what I know now.... Roadking... touring bike is much more comfortable for longer rides and personally I do not like all the metal on the Heritage seat and bags...

Drew

I agree about the studded bags and seat... that is a drawback for me on the Heritage. But my wife actually seems to like that look, and the people who ride them seem to be madly devoted. All those questions will be answered when I give one a test ride. I can deal with the metal studs if the bike "speaks to me." I want to like the RK better, but I will be honest with myself after test riding as to which feels better for me. Plus, this doesn't have to be my last bike ever.

I assume either bike handles well around town? That is the bulk of my riding now, but the reason for the heritage or RK is to give myself the option of doing some longer trips more comfortably than on my XL. But still, majority of riding will be local.

Drew

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"if you ride, an explanation won't be necessary... if you don't, an explanation won't be sufficient."

Sharky1948

Give me a week and I'll hopefully be able to give you a first-hand, up-to-date view of Sportster vs RK handling. Expecting to get delivery of my RK this Thursday! Can you tell I'm excited!

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"Dance like there's no one watching, sing like no one is listening, love like you'll never get hurt, and ride like there's no tomorrow."

smitty901

Two different worlds both fine bikes The RK would "IMO" be the better of the two for two longer trips. Even though I really like the Heritage

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