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I'm sure the RK owners absolutely love them. Give me another 10 years (57 years old) and I may be on a RK. I agree with "Spivitz, both bikes are very cool." However, I love everything about my Heritage Classic the ride, responsiveness in city driving and the open road and the personalization. Just offering my opinion...
Well, I'm going to throw in my nickels worth. This isn't my first Rodeo as the pictures of all my bikes since 1964 will show. My wife just bought me a 2008 Cherry Heritage Softail classic For my 70th Birthday. You heard that right, MY WIFE Bought it for me. She found it on Craigs list and bought it. I've been on it for a couple months now and can honestly say that the Heritage "speaks" Harley more than any other bike I've owned. By far the best and easiest to ride with a perfect center of gravity and perfect power to weight ratio. Hope I'm not uploading too many pictures. YEA YEA I know, I betrayed Harley and tried a BMW, but at least I can give an honest appraisal. The BMWs were fine bikes, but I just couldn't get myself to "own" it. Just didn't feel like ME.
1962 CB125 Honda 1980 Triumph Bonneville 1982 Kawasaki 1000LTD 1981 Wide Glide 1986 Liberty Tour Glide 1999 Night Train 2007 ElectraGlide Deluxe 2006 BMW 1150RT 2008 K1200LT 2008 Heritage classic
Biggest drawback to the the Softail is those bass akwards spring
loaded cans they call rear shocks. Those things are GARBAGE.
I had put the Progv 422's on my 00 Heritage. Softest poss setting,
highest ride height. That thing rode like a brick. They were on there
for one month and I took em off. I had found a set of orig shocks
on ebay where the person had removed em when new & put the
HD Profile shocks on.
(Those are even worse- I've had them too)
I just don't have the answer for that. I guess the air ride is the way
to go. but it's a million bucks.
The 18 up ? Now those ride NICE !!
For day rides and the occasional multi state ride, a Heritage is fine.
Ya just need to keep adj those shocks to find the happy spot.
If ALL you're going to do is tour, then one of the Glides is the way
to go (Or RK if you don't want a fairing.)
Last edited by byersmtrco; Nov 3, 2020 at 07:27 PM.
Biggest drawback to the the Softail is those bass akwards spring
loaded cans they call rear shocks. Those things are GARBAGE.
I had put the Progv 422's on my 00 Heritage. Softest poss setting,
highest ride height. That thing rode like a brick. They were on there
for one month and I took em off. I had found a set of orig shocks
on ebay where the person had removed em when new & put the
HD Profile shocks on.
(Those are even worse- I've had them too)
I just don't have the answer for that. I guess the air ride is the way
to go. but it's a million bucks.
The 18 up ? Now those ride NICE !!
For day rides and the occasional multi state ride, a Heritage is fine.
Ya just need to keep adj those shocks to find the happy spot.
If ALL you're going to do is tour, then one of the Glides is the way
to go (Or RK if you don't want a fairing.)
The (OEM) shocks on the Heritage are a little to be desired, and you will have to spend a decent amount to get a good ride - I have the 422 RAP`s & it took a little time to dial them in, one or two up the ride is good & ive ridden with guys on street glides who are more beat up than I am at the end of a long day, so the...............get a glide and all will be better is BS.
one just needs to take the time to dial in their suspension, I know guys who have rode for years & never even touched their shocks, the pre 18 softails arent going to be the most comfy ride off the floor - Hell, no Harley off the floor is set up perfect ( not that ive ever heard of) The Heritage is just as good a bike as any out there for bouncing around town or taking a 2 up tour for a week putting on 1500 to 2000 miles and believe me............if it was terrible my wife would let me know & id be upgrading - But thats not the case - she likes the Heritage for what we do.
I had the same predicament. Which RK or Heritage? So I took both for a ride from my local dealer. I'm 5,6 29" inseam. Most (80%) of my riding is town type. less than 200 miles per trip. For my like I chose the 2018 Heritage 107. What I like about it more than anything else was it fit me perfectly. I rode the Heritage 114 with a stage 1, and actually did not like it, found it snappy on the throttle. The RK is very comfortable. But what I notice was that I felt more natural on parking lot turns and U turn in the heritage. If I were to do more long trip highway, I would choose the RK. But my type of riding the Heritage was the top pick. 2018 Heritage 107.
I'm a newbie to HD, but I've ridden since @ 1970 on one scoot or another. I've just finished my first season on my FXSTS, and totally dig it. I haven't yet ridden a RK, but I plan to in the spring, just for a point of reference.
Yeah, the shocks.... I understand why HD did it that way, but what a PITA to adjust! I rode it the way I took delivery and felt it was a little mushy, but what did I know? LOL Along the way, I acquired a girlfriend. I knew I had to get under there and get it right, so I did what every Softail owner should; look it up. Well, the PO had them set to nearly all the way soft. I cranked them up for our combined weight, and bingo! Nice ride, as long as I don't hit any larger bumps. She did complain (not too much) about her back going over them, as she has had back issues in the past. There just isn't a lot of travel! I don't readjust to ride solo BECAUSE it is a pain, but the firmer ride without a passenger is fine by me - to each his own.
Delboy's Garage (replacement) and Doc Harley (simple adjustment) are a couple of sources that have videos regarding this stuff. I've found them to be quite informative. There are more, but these guys seem to have a good handle on this.
RTFM. Adjust accordingly. They work. As always, YMMV.
The (OEM) shocks on the Heritage are a little to be desired, and you will have to spend a decent amount to get a good ride - I have the 422 RAP`s & it took a little time to dial them in, one or two up the ride is good & ive ridden with guys on street glides who are more beat up than I am at the end of a long day, so the...............get a glide and all will be better is BS.
one just needs to take the time to dial in their suspension, I know guys who have rode for years & never even touched their shocks, the pre 18 softails arent going to be the most comfy ride off the floor - Hell, no Harley off the floor is set up perfect ( not that ive ever heard of) The Heritage is just as good a bike as any out there for bouncing around town or taking a 2 up tour for a week putting on 1500 to 2000 miles and believe me............if it was terrible my wife would let me know & id be upgrading - But thats not the case - she likes the Heritage for what we do.
I will agree that a stock Street Glide does not ride as good as a Heritage.
Any of the touring models with REAL rear shocks will ride better.
But again, if I had a 6 sp or taller gear, I wouldn't hesitate to ride the Heritage
anywhere.
But on the freeway (Long distance) ya can't beat a Glide with a batwing
I haven't spent enough time in the saddle on an RK or RG
RoadKing's almost require a handlebar & seat change
I guess the newer ones with the orig "Heritage Style" bars are a little better
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
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Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
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