Welcome, you are at the right place for getting questions answered...

You cant go wrong with a HD. Trust me. I have ridden all other types of scooters and they dont even compare...

Do it!

 

Harley-Davidsons are world class motorcycles. 100,000 mile quality machines. Be aware, though, they are completely different from metric motorcycles. A Harley-Davidson is an awesome and very serious piece of machinery. Unique amongst all the others. They are easier to work on than the metrics too. Be unafraid.

 

Former metric riders 'see the light' more then any new Harley Owner. The difference between USA made Iron and most of the metrics is night and day.

Harley's look and feel like there were make in a machine shop. Metrics look and feel like they were make on an assembly line. Opposite worlds. Not bashing by any means. Just owned enough of BOTH metrics and HD's at the same time to make a solid opinion and comparison. I'm not bashing the VTX....great bike for a great price but your riding experience will completely change if you make the ultimate commitment to motorcycling. Good luck.

 

I have never been afraid to air my gripes about Harleys but I can honestly tell you that most of my complaints have involved annoying assembly line mistakes. I would not be afraid to jump on any bike, from any dealer's showroom, and ride it cross-country.

 

You can expect a lot easier wrenching and basic maintenance on the harley. You will not beleive how easy most of that stuff is to do. Oil filter by your left leg. Air filter by your right leg. You will see significant drops in cost for parts as well. No valve adjustments either. On top of that in 2006 I think they added an automatic primary chain adjuster so you don't have to do that anymore. If you take it to a stealership, however, they will charge you like $300 for "checking" a lot of stuff and changing the oil. Not to mention not everybody is happy with the work they do and there are several horror stories circulating around.

The bike uses a lot of steel and chromed pieces that are not chromed plastic. The paint on these bikes tends to be outstanding. Everything fits well together. Basically, IMO the fit and finish on these bikes is superior to metric bikes.

The harley is different from a metric in how it rides and feels though. Those air-cooled motors are louder than water cooled motors as liquid muffles sound. The bikes who still have straight-cut gear trannies will clunk into gear (a property of the transmission, but it's a stronger transmission than a helical gear cut one IMO). Sportsters with their four cams can be even louder and take some getting use to. Once you understand your engine is fine, you won't have any problems.

Everything on the bike flows and is just very well put. You may experience going into the garage late at night just to stare at it. This is normal for new owners. You may even experience other people in your family going in to stare at it. This is something that probably didn't happen with any other vehicle you owned.

There is some vibration at idle with the bikes. Many people use the vibration issue to make fun of harley's. However, once you roll the gas the engine instaneously becomes smooth. Ironicially, some harley's will ride smoother at speed than metric bikes. They will, however, vibrate more at idle. Most people welcome the vibration and it doesn't bother many.

As for the engine the TC88 is a good engine that is built to last 100K mi. or more, but it does have its issues. The first is that it tends to run hot. Especially with how lean it has become to make the EPA happy. You can see temps of around 250 degrees with that engine. You will either want to run synthetic oil or perhaps add an oil cooler. Many have not done that and the engine has been fine, but my paranoid nature would seriously consider it. The next thing is the cam chain tensioners tend to wear out at 20-30K mi. or less. That is a big annoyance to some who put a lot of miles on these bikes. In 2006 harley supposedly put on automatic tensions, which may help with the problem. Time will tell.

Finally, the road king is a great choice for touring. Many people love the comfort of the road king. If you tour a lot, then you may want to consider and electra glide because of more storage and a few other extras.

Be warned that I ride a 05 1200 sportster so this is mostly what I have heard from others and what I have noticed from my cousins; one rides a 2002 road king the other rides a 2003 springer softail. Some of this information may be in error and other just based on opinion. So I will let the more experienced chime in about any errors I made.

Also, if you are looking for speed the road king will be slower than your vtx1300. A sportster, however, will be as fast or faster than that bike and priced comparably. If you are looking for touring comfort, then just ignore this last part. Going to one of those demo days to try out several bikes wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Well said, except...

The automatic chain tensioner is for the primary chain. The cam chain tensioners are the same as previous models. No big deal they just need to be checked. my .02 cents.

 

Jump in man,.....the waters great.......

'05 Road King Classic

 

Howdy, I see you're in Oregon. Check out http://www.hdcoosbay.com, several members got their bikes from them at nutty low prices and I might get mine from them as well. Tiger is the guy to talk to.

 

Wow, alot of great input form you guy's, thanks! Was not expecting all this. What's the good, bad and ungly on carb's vs. EFI? Thinking EFI this time. I like the idea of hitting the road and not having to worry about what kinda elevation I'll be climbing. Running EFI though, there has to be a bad side to it..?? When considering a stealership, what should a first time buyer look for? Also, what's a good deal regarding the price tag? How much room is there to work on the asking price?

 

Beefier Engines and Better Brakes? I have a 2005 Springer Classic and after 11,000 miles I have to say I am very pleased with the power and brakes I have. As a sideline note I rode down to San Antonio last week then rode with 7 other bikes Saturday in the Hill Country. 6 were Harley and one Honda. Well after 50 or so miles, my friend on the Honda lost his alternator. He caught so much hell and then $800 later he was on the road again. We had a blast.