I love my bike. It's a 2007 Road King Custom, Stage 1 with Python slip ons. I've added 10.5" mini apes and a comfy Mustang seat. She rides really well. Just for fun, I went to an open house at a nearby HD dealer yesterday and, as we all do, I perused their stock. I was NOT in the mood or the market for a bike. I sat on some 2015 Ultras, Ultra Lows and Road Glides and thought "maybe one day". Then I went out and looked over their pre-owned inventory. Big mistake. I've always wondered what my next bike might be and how I'd know. I'm a pretty analytical guy, so I never expected to be "grabbed" by a bike. But I love bright ones, ones that would be visible and eye-catching. Well, you know where I'm going. They have a 2012 Street Glide (Stage 1 with SE sucker and 4" Rineharts) in two-toned Tequila Sunrise/HD Orange, with detachable tour pack. It's beautiful and now I've been thinking about it non-stop since then.

I know a fairing bike is in my future. And my plan is/was to keep the RK as more of a "local" bike that I could keep customizing here and there, including engine mods for performance and noise volume (ha ha). But I'd get a fairing bike for longer distance rides, weekend and longer trips, etc. My question is: is the SG the right ride?

My RK is the Custom. So it's a couple inches lower than the standard RK already. I'm wondering if that's sort of equivalent to the way the SG's suspension is lower than other touring bikes? Lots of people have complained about the SG on long rides, but I don't foresee rising cross country any time soon. 6-8 hours riding on the bike in a day is sort of my limit. So I don't need a La-Z-Boy. I just want a comfy ride.

What would I be giving up, in going from at RK Custom to a SG? What are the pros and cons? I know I'd get hard bags, tour pack and fairing (with gauges and tunes) and a 103 over my 96 engine. What other benefits with the SG over the RK Custom? What negatives?

I plan on riding the SG this week. So that will answer the question of whether THIS specific bike is the right one for me (and damn, if she rides as good as she looks, I'm in trouble! lol). But in the bigger picture, I'm curious about your experience going between touring models. I'm not looking for you guys to tell me what to do. Just share your experience with the different models.

And last: if I wanted to upgrade the SG suspension (which seems to be the biggest beef with the SG), what would that entail? Just new shocks?

Thanks

 

To me, the only thing you'd lose is the option for a naked bike. I love the SG. It's smooth, fun, and comfortable. It is my only bike and I'm very happy with it.

If you are worried about the suspension, a new shock is all that is needed. I'd recommend Ohlins from all I've read about them. You can also upgrade the front forks as well. The Rushmores introduced the 49mm forks which really stiffened up the front end.

 

I can't say I'm worried about the suspension, but I'm aware it's lower than other bikes. But so is my RK, so...

And I'll say this: my first mod would be swapping out the stock bars. Just put 10.5" mini apes on my King last year and love them. So I'd be doing that again, or maybe 12", on a SG. What are those you're running?

 

We have done a bunch of over 800 mile days on mine. It did just fine. Only problem I have encountered is when it's over loaded the the shocks may bottom out with big pot holes. Ae good set of shocks will take caere of that. I haven't changed mine because it is rare it bottoms out. I'm 5' 7" and flat foot.

 

You will notice a difference with the new frame, and I'm sure you'll like it. Anything '11 and newer is a good year. You may notice more heat since it comes with a catalytic converter in the head pipe but that's easy to remove.

 

ohlins for shocks for sure. dont waste your money on other shocks. as for bars it kinda depends on your height and how you set up your bike. getting a seat thats lower will raise the bars to your arms. i have 10" wild1's with a C&C seat and they fit jut like the 12" wild1's with a stock seat. i am 5'7" and the dyno guy 5'9". i think the 12" look better but the 10" function better for me. they definitely help keep my neck and shoulders from hurting.

 

you'll be looking at new seats if you carry passenger regularly

 

Agreed!!

 

Made the transition from 2001 Road King Classic to 2015 Street Glide.
Best decision.
Love the new front end, wider rear wheel, 6-speed transmission, and the overall performance of a better upgrade on the engine.

 

Well, I went and road the SG this week. Gorgeous bike: Tequila Sunrise and HD Orange two toned. The bars were bad (I'm used to my 10" Wild1s) and the seat was way too close. But those are easily fixed. The ride was surprisingly smooth. I'm still scratching my head over that, because my bike isn't exactly a rough ride. Whatever they did with the new frame, the forks and the 103 engine, they've isolated more vibration (the bike didn't have the same engine vibe as my RK) and the engine purred smoothly. The purring was likely the true duals and Rinehart 4" pipes and (I suspect) no cat.

Being the first time at the helm of a fairing bike, I was surprised at how little distracting the fairing was. It was much smaller than I expected, but still provided excellent protection on a chilly day. This SG had the color matched tour pack, the passenger floorboards. Where it didn't compare to the EG were no aux lights and a bad seat. And a lower suspension, of course.

All in all, it was a really great ride and I left trying to figure out how I could swing it. My plan is to get a SG or EG one day, but to keep my RK. I can't do that and buy this one now, I'd have to trade. And the different would be about $10k. Is a 5 year newer SG "worth" $10K to me at this time?

They were asking $18,600. And in initial discussions, they didn't move a lot other than to offer to remove some of the "extra" fees ABOVE that figure. lol I didn't push because I wasn't ready to deal at that time. I looked on chopper exchange and cycle trader and found SG and EG's all around me at all sorts of prices. Lots in that range. Even found some UC's at that price with the same mileage (and many had lowers, with speakers.. bonus). So the SG premium appeared to be in effect!

I guess the bottom line is that I've decided NOT to go ahead with the purchase for now. instead of spending $10k, I can spend under $2k and put a detachable fairing on my RK. That should get me tunes and a longer riding season! But I'm going to be scratching my head about how I can get my bike to purr a little smoother... perhaps new head pipes are in order? I have a Stage 1 AC and Pythons and a tune, and it's a 2007 RK, so I don't believe I have a cat to remove.

Anyway, thanks for the comments - you've given me a lot to think about for this bike, and the next one!