I currently have 2 bikes, a 2001 heritage Classic with 20k miles, and a (new to me) 2004 Road King Custom with 10K miles.

I have noticed that when driving over bumps, the heritage suspension seems noticeably smoother when compared to the roadking. I have tried everything from 0 psi to 40 psi in the roadking rear shocks, but it still does not have the smooth feel of the heritage. I have pushed on the rear of the bike to make sure the shocks are working...and they are.

Isn't this backwards? What can I do to improve the "cadillac" feel for the roadking? Does the rk custom have different shocks than the other rk's?

I am 5'10 and 210 lbs.

Thanks

 

Heritage is a soft tail with a B motor

 

Are you sure it doesn't have a rear lowering kit on it?

 

RK Custom has 12" shocks vs 13" for Standard or Classic RK.

 

Test ride a new softail and a new touring bike, same route, same day etc. Otherwise
your not really comparing apples to apples.
Do both have stock suspension (front and rear) including oil, and stock seat?
Could be that the suspension on your softail has gotten softer with age. Air pressure in the tires? Possibly the king has some other issue, such as loose neck bearings.
Also opinions vary. Personally I like a smooth but firm ride. I know guys who like it so soft that the bike feels like its floating down the road.

 

Kinda nice to hear....love my heritage ride...progressive shocks upgrade....firm on the curves

 

Had the same problem with my '10 RKC, Putting in SE Heavy Fork Oil in the front forks cured the problem. Pretty sad you have to spend $200 to get the bike to ride like it should out of the box but that was my fix.

Kevin

 

I've always felt Heritage Softails ride better than baggers.

 

Will the 13" shocks make a noticeable difference compared to the 12" on the RK custom?

 

Absolutly. There's a huge difference in the ride quality of the 12" lowered shocks on the RKC Vs. the standard 13" shocks. There's a bunch of posts on this board where people have tried to improve the quality of the ride with the 12's, and I've tried a few of them for some of my guys with the 12's, but still find the 13's will ride better. If you want to keep the 12" size (for looks, leg length etc) we've had good luck using Progressive 440's.