Thinking about pulling the trigger on a road king
#12
My RK has 14" bars, I'm 6'2" and tall in the torso, works perfect for me. Keeps my hands just slightly below shoulder height. The higher your hands are, expecially above the shoulder, and the quicker you will get finger numbness on longer rides. In terms of it looking right, I think 14's and 16's look fine. If windshield matches height of bars that looks good, or no windshield at all looks good. IMO it would look odd to have apes and one of those short bullet-nose windshields but again that's just my opinion.
#13
I agree. Traded a '14 SG in last fall for a low mile 2001 RK. Much happier riding that old RK. Better ride in my opinion, even with the big difference in age of the bikes. And I guess I just wasn't a bat wing fan after all.
The following users liked this post:
SomeOld Biker (01-07-2021)
#14
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Great State of Canada
Posts: 6,166
Received 1,934 Likes
on
1,111 Posts
My RK has 14" bars, I'm 6'2" and tall in the torso, works perfect for me. Keeps my hands just slightly below shoulder height. The higher your hands are, expecially above the shoulder, and the quicker you will get finger numbness on longer rides. In terms of it looking right, I think 14's and 16's look fine. If windshield matches height of bars that looks good, or no windshield at all looks good. IMO it would look odd to have apes and one of those short bullet-nose windshields but again that's just my opinion.
I'm only 6' and ride a BO but the 14" apes are what I have too. Is there a reason why a tall rider would want the grips "closer" to him ? If not, then you're gonna wind up angling taller apes forward to keep the grips out of your pits during slow maneuvering. I wouldn't like the look but thats just me.
#15
I was dead set on a Road Glide as my next bike in 2 years. I wanted touring, GPS and to keep the wind off me.
Started looking at the Road King this weekend (I'm a planner). Realized it does 99.5% of what I want to do at a cheaper cost. The difference between what I want on the 2 bikes is about 5,000. For 5,000 I can buy GPS rather easily and mount to the bars. I don't care about tunes.
So I went to HD's bike builder for a Road King, added what I wanted and basically ended up with a RK Special with a windshield. Wondering if a guy is ahead of the game to simply go Special and add the windshield as an option by the time I get done with the rest.
Started looking at the Road King this weekend (I'm a planner). Realized it does 99.5% of what I want to do at a cheaper cost. The difference between what I want on the 2 bikes is about 5,000. For 5,000 I can buy GPS rather easily and mount to the bars. I don't care about tunes.
So I went to HD's bike builder for a Road King, added what I wanted and basically ended up with a RK Special with a windshield. Wondering if a guy is ahead of the game to simply go Special and add the windshield as an option by the time I get done with the rest.
#17
#18
Sold my Street Glide last summer after being laid off. Took a new job 6 months ago and ready to get back on a bike. Thinking about a Road King. I like how i could get a fairing and take it on and off. Dealer wants to give me a much better deal on a 2017 but i'm not so sure about the new M8 engines so not sure if ill get a 2017 or a 2016. Question is bars. I'm 6ft 2 and had 13 inch LA chopper bars on my street glide. Always felt I should have went with 14s. What about the road king? I plan on having bars put on it when i buy. Would 16s be too high for a road king?
Being to tall is a matter of personal taste and persons size. If you feel that 16" bars would have fit you on the SG, then they should fit you on the RK.
Now if you were going from a Softail or Dyna to a Road King, this would not be as true.