2017 Road King Special Gets Amped
Harley’s Iconic Bike has an All-New Attitude – Plus Much More Power
Harley’s new Road King Special motorcycle pushes the company’s touring line in a dramatic new styling direction by swapping chrome for black to create a sinfully sexy and sleek aesthetic. Also infused into the bike’s slick and very powerful contemporary perspective is a muscular Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine that offers quicker throttle response and more passing power. Each Milwaukee-Eight engine produces 10 percent more torque than the engine it replaces in touring models. In addition to increased displacement, the Milwaukee-Eight engine features a higher compression ratio and four-valve cylinder heads with 50 percent more intake and exhaust flow capacity. In other words, it’s powerful, badass and will get you where you need to be a helluva lot faster.
Harley’s VP of Styling and Design, Brad Richards, sums it up best: “The Road King Special pounds down the boulevard like a gleaming locomotive rolling through a train yard at midnight.”
“The Road King has always reflected the purity of the Harley-Davidson riding experience,” he adds. “By exchanging chrome surfaces for black and lowering the bike’s profile, we’ve moved the traditional Road King into a new space that’s very current in the custom bagger scene.”
‘The Road King Special pounds down the boulevard like a gleaming locomotive rolling through a train yard at midnight.’
“We [also] added a new engine-turned air cleaner insert, a finish that’s also featured on the tank console,” says said Harley-Davidson Designer Dais Nagao. “Chrome was retained only on some key engine components. The lower rocker boxes, pushrod tubes and tappet blocks are finished with chrome to emphasize the V-Twin shape of the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine.
A dark front end topped by a massive gloss-black headlamp nacelle is the signature styling element of the all-new Road King Special. A new nine-inch-tall, 1.25-inch-diameter mini-ape handlebar puts the rider in an aggressive posture on the bike. Yet the positioning is also reportedly comfortable for long runs on the open road.
The 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special’s engine guard, handlebar and hand controls, mirrors, turn signals, engine covers, air cleaner cover, mufflers and exhaust shields also feature black surfaces. New gloss black turbine cast-aluminum wheels include a 19-inch front wheel topped by a low-profile fender.
Stretched saddlebags flow over the mufflers in the back to provide what Harley calls a “slammed-to-the-ground appearance without reducing suspension travel.” A low-mount license plate module completes the tight, low lines of the rear.
All-new front and rear suspension components enhance riding comfort, control and performance. New hand-adjustable emulsion-technology rear shock absorbers offer 15 percent more pre-load adjustment than previous low-profile touring shocks.
Set to soon cruise into Harley-Davidson shops nationwide, the Road King Special is comes in four colors: Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim, Hot Rod Red Flake Hard Candy Custom and Olive Gold.
