I put 60k miles on my 02 Road King and rode it all kinds of weather. I have a buddy that rides his RK to work every day no natter what the weather is like. I've also had a Street Glide. You are definitely more protected from the wind but it's all a matter of dressing for what you're riding. Not sure I understand the issue with the infotainment unit. It isn't like you have to update it all the time or at all for that matter. There are a lot of slightly used bikes at good deals from individuals. Personally, I'd look for a low mileage twin cam Ultra. I'm still not a fan of the M8 and seen too many of them with sumping issues. I don't keep up with the M8 stuff so not sure if the factory has fixed the problem yet. I've seen some recent deals on 14 and 15 CVO Ultras for low 20's.

 

I have ridden my Road King in the 20’s. With good gear (heated gloves and jacket liner) I was fine. There is definitely more wind than a batwing fairing.

The nice thing about a Road King is you can easily add the things you want - fairing, lowers, tour pak, etc. I like being able to take off the windshield in the summer and like you I have no need for the infotainment system. I have added a tour pak recently that will be nice for longer trips, but so far haven’t seen a need for lowers or a fairing. I did switch the stock windshield for a Klockwerks.

 

Here is my take on “Cold” weather riding.

It doesnt matter what bike you have as long as you have the right gear.

I used to ride all year long in Chicago area. As you can imagine there were some sub 10 degree days during the winter months. At that time I was riding a sport bike with basically no wind protection. I installed heated grips with a heat controller, and bought GOOD cold weather riding gear. SIDE NOTE: Interestingly enough, with the heated grips, my hands were actually warmer with lighter gloves (The heavy winter gloves didnt pass the heat through to hands)

On very very cold days, I actually used a snowmobile helmet with a heated thermopane face shield to eliminate fogging.

Did this for years...........

 

I don't own both, but I have an 09 Road King. I road mine on one road trip under 40 degrees for about 8 hours (ranged from 30 to 40 or so). I have a good set of non-heated gloves, which I thought would be my downfall. Surprisingly, my upper body, including hands, stayed warm enough with just my own heat, the windshield, and more than a little hard-headedness. My big issue was that I didn't have proper temperature gear on my lower half and got cold.

I definitely wasn't comfortable, but I was able to persist.

 

Basically put my bikes away for 30 years during winter. Dropped around $700 on Gerbing heated gear last October. Rode comfortably down to 25F during winter. Pretty much expanded my riding to year round. Prefer the look of the RK and Heritage and ride solo, so heated gear was a spot on solution. Oddest feeling to get back on your bike to get warm lol.

 

This is true, you can make do with any bike and dress accordingly.

I ride year round here in Virginia, we don't get as cold as Chicago, but I've ridden in the high 20's.

However, I purchased my Ultra Classic last August. Prior to that I had a Sportster with a windshield and I put on hand guards in the winter, also wore heated gloves. The Ultra Classic has heated grips, and I too have found that thinner gloves work better. I have found that I can ride 10 degrees colder and still have one less layer when riding the Ultra Classic over the Sportster. In other words on the UC at 30 degrees I wear the same clothes I wore on the Sportster at 40 degrees. If I rode the Sportster wearing those clothes I would have been very cold. The wind does take heat away from you and the extra wind protection of a touring bike does keep you warmer.

I think that is what the OP is asking, how much difference is there between a Road King with just a windshield and an Ultra with a bat wing fairing and lowers.

So I probably should have phrased it this way in my first post, in my experience it's about 10 degrees difference.

 

Makes sense. I havent owned both but have ridden both in the cold. Honestly, the only difference I noticed was unprotected hands getting wind blast.

My RK had lowers on the crash bar though so I would imagine legs being less protected would make a difference as well.

Again, easily remedied with proper pants, or put lowers on the road ring, hell, you could even put a removable bat wing on the road king and still have the option of removing it when you feel like it.......

 

You can also fork mounted wind deflectors (fangs) that help cut down on the wind. They really work.

 

I traded an Electra Glide Classic (07) for a new Road King last year. I put a set of the fangs on the RK and, when it gets cold, I put a set of soft lowers on. I also put a Clearview windshield on that is 2" wider than stock. I stay as warm on the RK as I did on the EG, and I will ride all year. The difference is that in the warmer month (I do live in TN) I don't have the lowers and my windshield has a vent, or I can remove it all together. For me that is a much better solution as I ride more in warm weather than cold.

 

I have a 2020 Road King Special. For cold weather riding, I have an 18 inch windshield, the soft lowers that go over the engine guard, and I use heated gauntlet style gloves that do an excellent job of keeping my hands toasty warm. I have ridden down to as low as 26 degrees F. or so, and I do get good wind protection. I do plan to add fork fangs sometime, I have talked to other Road King owners and they swear by them. Even with the soft lowers and windshield, I still get some wind that comes up over the gas tank, even with the triple tree deflector installed, though not as bad as without it. The fangs eliminate that wind from what I am told. I also have very good cold weather riding gear, such as insulated riding pants I put on over my jeans. The riding pants have ce armor for my knees and hips. I have a leather jacket that also has ce armor for my elbows, shoulders, and back, insulated riding boots, a neck muffler to keep the cold off my neck like skiers wear, and a full face helmet. I dress in layers so if it warms up, I can remove as needed.
The best part is the windshield, soft lowers, and fangs are easy to remove for stripped down, wind in your face summer riding. The Road King really is the Swiss army knife of the touring lineup!