Hi everybody, i am fairly new here and wanted your guys opinions. I am thinking about moving up to a touring model like a road king or an electra glide classic from a softail classic. Should i keep what i have and what are the pros and cons of king and glide? Should i go for the king or glide? Thanks in advance.

 

Ride 'em all and then decide.
they're all good bikes.... can't go wrong, with any of them... but you gotta go with what works for you,

me??? well DUH... a Road Glide.... but it ain't for everyone..... which is why I like it

 

I went from a Fatboy to an Ultra. I thought I loved my Fatboy and was nervous about the switch....that lasted about 1 mile. Couldn't get the grin off my face after that. The biggest difference in the King and the Glide, in my opinion, is obviously the fairing and tunes!

 

I've got a nice Road King Classic for sale in the Classified.

 

HANDS DOWN THE ELECTRA GLIDE!!! then I'm a little bias. But the creature comforts ROCK!!!

 

The road king can go from being set up for cross country to cross town in about a minute. Tunes would be nice but ipod with ear buds works just fine.

 

Hope you asked the same question in the Softail section!

 

Yes i did.

 

I didn't have a softail but i did have a fxr and i miss it.... but not as much as i miss a second with out my big white couch! I miss the nimbleness of the fxr. I mis the fact that i didnt have to pack when i rode because i had no room for storage. Storage now takes up so much of my time when before i never used it. Honestly, I love both bikes for what they were/are.

 

I moved up to an Ultra from a Heritage a couple seasons back. Not sure how much my experience will help, but it might be helpful to know why I went Ultra instead of King or Glide. I consider both.

The first big difference is the shaking. The HSC's counter-balanced motor is a LOT smoother at idle. The touring bikes (King, Glide, Ultra) all now have a longer frame and that means a better ride at speed. It took me several weeks to stop noticing the shaking of the motor on the Ultra, though. I eventually got used to it, but I have to say I'm not sure I'll ever be as big of fan of the shaking as some guys on here seem to be. So you'll want to really consider just how much shaking you're willing to put up with. Don't merely accept the die-hards accolades about the shaking. It ain't for everyone. If it were, the Heritage and other softies wouldn't sell nearly as well.

The overall ride of the Ultra is a LOT better than the HSC. I rode the Road King as well, but it reminded me of the HSC a lot. The overall wind resistence and basic feel are fairly close. So for me the difference between HSC and Road King were just not enough to justify the extra expense.

That's why I looked at the EGC and Ultra so closely. If I was going to spend the extra money on a trade/upgrade I decided I better get what would fit best.

As for the EGC and Ultra, once you get going the shaking disappears almost immediately. At road speed, especially at the 65+ MPH range, the touring models are much smoother than the softails. So it's a trade off on which you want.

I can't say there is noticably more legroom on the touring bike, but it certainly sits differently. I thought I really liked being down in the bike, but after riding the Ultra I now think I like being up on top more. Again, the difference in the price for the RK was too much to justify the moderate changes I would get, so that may be a big issue for you as well.

Since both the touring bikes you are looking at and the HSC have floorboards you won't notice that much difference in foot position. At least I didn't. I put floorboard extensions on both bikes. I had Harley Goodies on the Heritage and Soos on the Ultra. Both sets worked well.

I also put highway bars on the HSC. With both I had/have highway pegs as well, so being able to stretch out is very nice. As for the difference in stretch length, I think I feel just a tad bit more of the reach on the Ultra. That may be in my head, though. I've never measured, so maybe someone on here has and can tell you the exact differences.

Riding 2-up is where the touring bikes really start to pull away from the softail. With the air adjustable rear shocks on the Ultra I can get the ride just right. The manually adjustable shocks on the HSC allowed for some room, but just not to the same level. Being able to adjust the shocks fairly easily with the air pump is a plus, and the overall riding comfort makes the extra money seem worth it.

More importantly, when riding 2-up with the Ultra my wife has LOTS more room in the back. She also has something much more substantial to lean up against. The Tourpak on the Ultra is fairly well placed, at least for us, and she loves the feeling of the wrap around cushion. For that reason, I'd maybe suggest you consider the EGC over the Road King. Of course, you could get the RK and then add the Tourpak (either hard bag or leather hard for the RKC), but that would be like just stepping up the EGC to begin with.

For many years I road cruisers, and the HSC -- like the rest -- didn't provide nearly as much by way of creature comforts. With the big fairing of the Ultra I am more protected in rain storms. Better still, with the Ultra I can listen to a decent radio, but on my HSC I had to rely on my cell phone or an MP3 player with headphones. The stock radio on the Ultra is relatively decent, and the speakers are acceptable. Upgraded speakers give you just that much more, though.

How much storage capacity do you want? I love having the Tourpak. I know some guys take them off, but I don't. I haul too much stuff, and having the ability lock it up is a great feature. Again, the RK is a good bike, but if you want the storage capacity the EGC gives -- especially with the Tourpak -- then it may be worth the $$ to just get the bigger bike now.

A last thought, what type of riding do you do? I ride 9+ months out of the year, and I put more miles on my bike than my truck. I also ride between 4000 and 6000 miles a year, so having a full touring bike is worth it for me. I have to admit, though, that if I weren't putting that kind of miles on the bike I'm not sure I'd be as easily convinced I need a full dresser, and I'd probably be telling you to stay with the HSC.