What are the best years for the Road King
#156
12-01-2015, 01:47 PM
Grand HDF Member
For the Road King, '94 to '98 are bargains. But the FLHS from '89 on are also great.
Then, the frame change in '09 made a huge difference and the 96/103 are hard engines to beat.
I would not shy away from TC 88s. The 6 gallon x 6 speed of the '09 and newer are big pluses if you are touring and the handling is improved.
Bikes of most value are near stock or have stage I changes. Breather, pipes, headers and remap/rejet are fine. Cams and horsepower races are often more problematic. Many are self installed, ridden hard, and they tend to need work sooner than stock or stage I bikes. Beware the pipes. I see lots of great bikes but with pipes that are the first thing I'd change. You'll either like them or hate them. Some are loud, some make rumble, they are not the same. Listen first. Seats might be the same, otherwise almost all Road Kings are good to go. Evo's should be good for at least 60,000, 96/103 stock or stage 1, good for 100,000. I went from an EVO to the 96, so I skipped the TC 88s, and have no experience with them.
I have a friend whose 02 has every performance feature, aggressive cams, been dyno'd, etc and is ridden hard all the time. I would not touch that bike unless I planned to rebuild it at some time.
Then, the frame change in '09 made a huge difference and the 96/103 are hard engines to beat.
I would not shy away from TC 88s. The 6 gallon x 6 speed of the '09 and newer are big pluses if you are touring and the handling is improved.
Bikes of most value are near stock or have stage I changes. Breather, pipes, headers and remap/rejet are fine. Cams and horsepower races are often more problematic. Many are self installed, ridden hard, and they tend to need work sooner than stock or stage I bikes. Beware the pipes. I see lots of great bikes but with pipes that are the first thing I'd change. You'll either like them or hate them. Some are loud, some make rumble, they are not the same. Listen first. Seats might be the same, otherwise almost all Road Kings are good to go. Evo's should be good for at least 60,000, 96/103 stock or stage 1, good for 100,000. I went from an EVO to the 96, so I skipped the TC 88s, and have no experience with them.
I have a friend whose 02 has every performance feature, aggressive cams, been dyno'd, etc and is ridden hard all the time. I would not touch that bike unless I planned to rebuild it at some time.
#158
12-27-2016, 07:58 PM
I would have to say Evo or 09 plus RK. You either go old school or new technology. Or all the years in between! Hell they are all cool. Major question would be what you are going to ride it. Bar hopper, heavy touring, one up, two up, etc. around town or bar hopping the older bikes with less gears and less sophisticated suspension will be fine. If you are doing a lot of touring and laying down some miles the 6 speeds are nice and the improved frames and suspension are nice to have. Good luck in your search! Whatever year you choose will be a nice bike!
