I think you might regret it down the road if you jump ship on the bike so soon. Give it some time. The road kings are pretty nimble bikes once you get used to them. The plus side is they do not beat you up on longer rides. They are not affected by the cross winds and gusts from semi's. The touring bikes also seem to retain a fair amount of their value over the years. Just stick it out through the rest of the season and see where you are.

 

Sorry to hear that, I'm sure it won't be long before you've got a buyer wanting to take it off your hands.

 

Front fender says that it is a standard RK (because nobody would deliberately put a standard fender on an RK special).

 

Gorgeous bike. Tastefully done.


Curious to get your thoughts on how it compares to the Switchback?

 

I did the same thing,kept my fatboy for blasting around locally and RG for the road trips

 

Entirely different machines, altogether. Switchback was much narrower, lighter, and felt like a combination of several bikes. It was a bit of my old Lowrider and my Fat Boy in one. If I were to put a wider seat, larger tank, and hard bags on the Lowrider, it would have been the Switchback. It did run well on the interstate. Bags are smallish.

Road King is all touring, in my opinion. I know a ton of folks enjoy scurrying around town on them, but they're called touring for a reason. Wide, heavy, and solid at all speeds, no matter what you're passing or is passing you.

I think I'd be happier with the Switchback for my riding style and agenda.

 

I think you should hold onto it for now and trade it on a 2018 Softail such as a Heritage or Fat Boy which likely have the M8 engine.

 

I was the other way, after riding RK's & SG's I purchased a softail and was impressed with the balanced motor and the lack of upper motor noise from the rockers and said I'd never go back to touring. But with riding to Florida from PA yearly to get my ride to my home for the winter, I needed cruise control so I purchased a 2015 RK. I didn't realize how much I missed the RK ride and style. So I can understand your drive to go back. Good looking ride by the way...

 

Whats a reasonable asking price for this? Tried getting an idea based on what used Road Kings are priced at, but just about every one I see is crazy overpriced, in my
opinion. Hard to use those as a basis. Having said that, I guess all i
can do is use msrp + fees as a guide.

 

I live in Atlanta and have been looking at getting either a RK or SG and this is a beautiful RK. Heading to the dealer again today to sit on a few more and begin to lock down what I may want. I was also thinking about waiting to see what the 2018 models bring since I hear talk about some changes.

Question for some who may know, I've been riding a Triumph Bonneville and will be moving up to a more travel worthy bike, like this RK, and I was wondering how it handles compared to something like a Bonneville. What differences can I expect in the handling and ride?

Also, may I ask what you're asking for this RK, please PM me if you don't want it posted here? Do you have any additional photos of the bike that you can share?