I own a 2004 Road King Custom with the full size shocks and rode my friends 2007 electra glide standard the other day. I expected the bikes to ride the same because they are both touring bikes. However, the Electra rode MUCH better and had much more "cushion" to the ride. His bike had no suspension upgrades. Is this normal or do I have something wrong with my rk? My rk feels much more rigid and is much rougher when driving over bumpy roads. Yes, I have adjusted the air in my rear shocks many times.

In fact, my rk seems to have less of a cushiony feel than my 2001 heritage classic had.

The only visible difference I could see was that the eg had a larger and softer seat. Does a seat make that much of a difference for the "cushion" feel when riding over bumps or riding on a bumpy road? I always heard that the shocks were what determined the ride and the seat basically determined how long your butt could stay in the saddle without having to take a break.

Your thoughts?

 

Have you checked the air pressure in your shocks? I am sure the seat makes a difference, but shock pressure can greatly affect the ride.

 

A correctly set-up pair of shocks will trump seats when it comes to ride quality and driveability.

 

07 also has the cush drive. The rear drive has rubber inserts which remove sharp pulses from the engine. Will make the ride feel smoother.

 

That came in '08, but many of us retrofitted our '07s.

 

a "cushy" ride in this comparison is gonna come from the seat. My 01 RK rides fine barring a minor issue I am having but compared to other touring bikes I have ridden it feels pretty much the same as far as comfort but I have a Mustang seat.

 

Guys that have spent lots of money on a seat will say the seat. Guys that have spent lots of money on aftermarket shocks will say the shocks.

Since I have spent a pile of money on both upgrades, my experience indicates that the shocks are by far more important in stability and ride quality and trumps any comfort supplied by the seat. All that said, it's no fun riding an ill-fitting seat.

Poor suspension will tend to emphasize a poor fitting seat. With good suspension, you can endure a poor fitting seat much longer. With good suspension and a good feeling seat, well, you got it dicked.

But this is just my experience, YMMV!

 

You have to consider that the electraglide has the added wieght of the fairing and the tourpac which will help give a smoother ride. All in all I would the shocks should account for smoother ride, the seat more for comfort.

 

The difference is that your RK Custom has 12" shocks and your bud's Electra has 13" shocks. It makes a big difference.

You can fine tune the PSI in your 12" shocks to the cushiest setting, but it will never give as smooth a ride as the 13" shocks.

You can get a pair of 13" take off shocks on ebay for around a hundred bucks, install them, and then put yours up for sale on ebay and get your $ back.

Then your RK Custom will ride just as plush...no money out of pocket.

 

When you put on the 13" shocks will it raise the seat height?