Long live the King!

 

Not always the case, I have a 2010 Road King Classic, The classic comes with leather bags that wrap around a plastic case. Bags have the leather looks but never wear or droop like leather bags.

 

Road King.. you won't regret it!

 

Raunchman, think about waiting because there is talk of the touring bikes getting a new frame and if you bought a RK with the "old" frame you might feel slighted. Out of all the new Softails I like the 114 Heritage the most. I`m looking forward to a demo ride also

 

To answer your question I would say "your passenger's comfort" would be the main thing.

 

The 18 Heritage has the same Showa dual bending valves in the front fork as does the RK and WILL out perform the RK in tracking, cornering, braking, acceleration however the saddlebags hold way less volume. The M8 will get better mpg.

Test ride both 18's then decide. The 17 Heritage was a good match on touring for the Road King. The 18 Heritage is many levels higher.

I tour a 17 RGS, a 16 Heritage and a 14 Road King. The Heritage to me has the most comfortable stock seat. The RGS the best in high cross winds. The Road King gets beat up in strong (30 mph +) cross winds. The Heritage is between the two. It's lower center of gravity is a handling plus.

My worthless suggestion is get them all.

 

I've not test rode the new bikes yet so I'm speaking here about my experiences with older model bikes.

This topic has came up may times before an IMHO, the answer depends mostly on what type of riding the buyer does the most, and of course what bike they like the looks of most.

If you're a local rider and occasionally take a long trip, either bike would be fine but the Heritage is a bit lighter and more nimble than a RK

If you're mostly a tour rider the RK may be a better choice but again either bike would do either job very well for you.

In short, the Heritage is a nostalgic cruiser and the RK is a basic tour bike.

I've owned three Heritage Softails (EVO's and still have one) and one RK EVO and I rode all of them locally as well as on long trips.

My wife owned a Heritage EVO and refused to switch to a RK (EVO)!
She rode that bike until we go her a new '08 Heritage and got it set up for her and loves it to this day.

Twice, she's rode straight to MI from SC (over 720 miles) and never complained and she's 60+ years old.

As for a tour pack on a Heritage, I mounted her a detachable leather tour pack on her '99 (later made it a solo bike) and it serves as rider backrest.

The other visual distinction (at least on the new bikes) between the Heritage and the RK is the saddlebags. Both types of bags now open similar to the old style "cop bags" and if you maintain the leather as you should the leather bags will look great for many years.
I installed the "Got Saggy Bags" kit in both of my wife's Heritages and her l bags looked newer than most bikes many years older than hers.
In addition to the Saggy Bags Kits, I use Doc Baileys leather (shoe polish) twice a year and then an application of a leather conditioner after I wash the bike.

That said, there's a lot to how an owner see's their bike and if they're happy with the way it looks they will usually accept some "short comings" here and there, just as they do with their significant others