I went from a 08 883L, forwards, Sundowner, luggage rack/sissy bar, hard locking saddles, windshield. Traded in on a 09 Road King. Don't get me wrong. The Road King has been EVERYTHING & probably a little bit more than I could have ever expected, but man I do miss my Sporty! Would have been nice to be able to keep both.

 

That's what scares me about ever "moving up". I've had the bigger bikes, although never a Road King, and still love the Sporty more. I was VERY close to getting a Street Glide, but at the last minute backed out. Still wonder if I should have done it, but every time I get on my bike, all indecision is gone. Anyway, enjoy the new ride and congrats! You can still stop in now and then.

 

Damn. That was quick.
What, no pic for the Sportster crowd?
Enjoy!

 

Added a pic to my previous post!

 

Good move

no need to say Farewell ... the touring section isn't too far away, we're all one big happy warm & fuzzy family

 

Fine! Just get outta here... we didn't like your kind anyway!

;+)
Congrats on the new sled. You can still visit the forums here, nothing wrong with that. Great looking RK, BTW. I am wanting another one so bad, myself.

 

Thanks for all the kind words. After my first weekend of riding the RKC, I can confirm what alot of people have said here. While the Road King is really fast with the 103 once it gets rolling, it is nowhere near as quick off the line, at least with stock air and pipes. The way mine is set up now, it is not going to win any challenges at the stoplight.

The pleasant surprise to me though was the handling. I expected the "sofa" experience, taking curves slow and wide like I was driving a Chevy Suburban. I took the bike out on some twisties yesterday and it handles great! I really hugs the road and corners nimbly. The word both my wife and I used was "sure-footed." It may be the difference in having bigger tires, especially in the front, where my Sporty could get a little "tracky."

One of the funniest things I discovered when I first test rode the bike was the size. People are always asking on this forum if the Sportster is too small a bike for a 6' plus rider. I always said no (I'm 6'2, 215), especially about the Custom with its forward controls. When I got on the RKC, I realized that the Road King in stock set up is too small! After the Sporty, I felt cramped and my knees were too high and bent. So one of the things I negotiated for in the purchase was a Tallboy seat to move me back 2 inches. That made the bike perfectly comfortable. I think it stole the room from my wife's passenger space, but she is petite anyway, so that wasn't a problem. Anyway, I thought that was ironic since people always assume you're stretching out on the "big twins."

 

Have fun on the rolling sofa.

 

Yeah, that's kindof what I decided. I do alot of long day trips and have a weeklong trip planned for the spring. The Road King is the perfect heavy cruiser/light tourer for me.

I'm in western Fairfax County.

Thanks for the good wishes. I'll still be lurking around here to see what my friends on the Sportster board are doing to their bikes.

 

I agree about the feeling cramped situation. Every once in a while I take my dad's EG out. It feels like I'm hugging the tank and is too weird with floor boards.