Well for the last 5 months I have been on a Road King. I have been a Softail guy, except for a couple Sportsters, all my life.
I was in the market for a new used bike and my friend had just bought a used Road King. He said he loved it. I found a Road King at Harley it was a 2006, bone stock, owner had not changed anything didn't even take the stickers or reflectors off.
My girl friend and I rode the bike to Laughlin and it scared the hell out of us. It wobbled down the road, Wobbled through the sweeper turns. Went with all the grooves in the highway and when a cross wind the bike felt like it had flat tires.
I took it to Harley and they checked it twice, said everything from spokes to fall away to you name it was perfect and that is just how the old rubber mount chassis ride.
I looked into the problem on internet and found cops have been killed, people have had tank slappers and been thrown from bike and so on and so on.
Everyone recommended I change out the Dunlops, Change out the shocks, Make sure Shocks are perfect every time I ride with air pressure, Add a brace (Heim Joint) to rear of engine/trans, Add Stabo Bushings, Add Glide Pro Bushings, and the list just kept going.
I could not for the life of me figure out why I would buy a bike and then have to sink all this money into it just to go down the road at 70 mph straight with no wobble. and all this just to have a smooth ride on a Road King??? It sounds to me like the bike is just on the very edge of being junk and causing an accident, all for a smooth ride. I wonder what would happen if I left San Diego and rode to the Rocky Mountains in the fall, would the cold air cause a drop in tire and shock pressure and then the bike go into a wobble and I die??
Well Im here to say I just got rid of the Road King and I am back where I belong, On a Fatboy. I have had a Springer Softail and a Fatboy and I was very happy. So yesterday I got on a 2002 Fatboy, old school with carb, and I am happy as can be. Took the same Freeway Sweeper at 70mph last night and bike just did what I asked with no wobble. So I am back

 

Your experience is unusual. I rode a 2000 RKClassic for 10 years with none of those problems. I finally got rid of it because I was ready for a change and the RK had become a little boring. They are not perfect, neither is it normal to wobble down the road.

If they were all that way nobody would buy them. Sorry that RK's are now spoiled for you.

 

Love my 14 RK but my baggers have all been 09 or later.
Even with previous style frame - you obviously had something else going on there - with a used bike and all.
My best riding friend has an Ultra now, but successfully drove an 04 RK over 100K, and his bike was pretty solid. He did rebuild his swingarm components once in that 100K.
It was a good bike....I had also driven it.
At the end of the day....it's important you're happy and have good confidence in your ride. Try another bagger again some day when you're in the mood.
Good Luck....

 

My Heritage had some unnerving riding characteristics when I got it. Not as bad as you describe though. What really gave me the pucker factor was in turns, curves and sweep curves it felt like it wanted to head for the pavement. It also didnt seem like it wanted to go perfectly straight very much, so I was continually fighting it. After about 3K miles I carried to the dealer to see if they could figure it out. It turned out the forks weren't torqued right and they were twisting. I was trying to go one way and the front wheel was trying to go the opposite. After they retorqued everything it was solid as a rock. Been that way ever since. Not saying that was your problem, but it may have been..

 

My 09 RKC was super stable. I agree with other posters that it was probably something seriously wrong with the road king you owned. Go test ride a newer (09 and later) road king and see if you feel the same way.

 

I wonder if the fork neck was really loose.

My 06 RK custom does not wobble. But I will admit I ride around town more than open road these days and I am kind of weary of the rubber mounted shaking at low rpms. It actually makes me speed up over the speed limit in town just so I can feel the smooth part of the power band. I have cruised at 80 mph no wobble very solid balanced bike.

But I am still getting a Softail when I return to the states, figure lighter bike, lower center of gravity more power than my 88TC. The cruising will be much better around town and I will still be good for short tours. Cant wait!

 

I agree that the new frames are probably nice and after seeing how they mount the engine now I can tell there isn't room for as much wobble in the swing arm. I don't know where attlantaalen says my experience is unusual. There is millions and millions of post and web sites dedicated to just what Im talking about. there was a cop killed from it and many many many more documented experiences just like mine. It is a known issue with pre 2009 frames.
as far as test riding Harleys I don't know where you all live but here in San Diego they will not let you test ride a bike unless you are completely approved for the bike through a bank, then you sign the papers, then they let you ride the bike and if you don't like it you have 24 hours to bring it back. I thought that was horse crap also..
what could be torqued on your forks? You said your wheel was going one way and the handle bars the other? what would allow that?
the fall away was looked at 2 times at Harley on the Road king along with spokes, wheels, tires, shocks, EVERYTHING.

 

The yoke, fork tube nuts, wheel and not sure what else. They did the work and I was relating what they said about the forks twisting and torquing everything on the front end. I did see when they had it in the wheel lock and they were able to move the handlebars back and forth. Not too much, but apparently it was enough. I know they spent an hour and a half on it, partially disassembling it and tightening everything up properly. They did not replace a single part and they also did it for free, since I had just bought the bike. First turn out of the parking lot I knew it was fixed..

 

Yes, but there are billions and billions of post and web sites dedicated to those that don't have the problem

BTW, I would go to a different Harley dealer.

 

The man certainly had a problem with the bike, but never figured out what. It might be something inherent to that model. Maybe something in the design that manifests itself over time on "some" of them and if you don't get it looked at soon enough it may become a hazard to riders, even experienced ones. The problem I mentioned on my bike might have eventually landed me on the pavement under the right conditions,,,, and I am an experienced rider. Just say'in..