Road King - Classic or Standard
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
From: New Mexico
I love my Classic. Only drawbacks are that they don't have locks except for after market and they are expensive and dont't seem too good. Also, they open the wrong way...IMO. They always hit the docking hardware for the detachables and get little blemishes on the bags. I see bags at the dealership that open out and wonder why they didn't put them on the stock classic. Sooner or later I will have the stock leather bags....for cool looks, and hard bags for.....lockability and looks.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 894
Likes: 3
From: Wyalusing, PA
I wondered about the difference in the available space between hard and leather bags. I personally wanted the classic for all the "classic" reasons, laced wheels, white walls, leather bags. Having done quite a bit of touring I can tell you that I have stuffed the bags beyond their intended "shape" with a lot of very useful gear!!!
Tourer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
From: Fargo, ND
i went classic and had them swap the bags for hard bags and told them i didnt wanna see the bike with white walls.my hd shop did the swapping for nothing. told them i wanted pacific blue and spokes hard bags and blk tires.didnt want the medalion on the tank wanted the sticker but i would have had to buy the tank and that was 1100 bucks.so im living with the medalion
Novice
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville,PA
My new RK hard bagger
I went through the same thing and decided on the standard, picked it up 8 days ago and put about 300 mi on it. The hard lockable bags and spokeless wheels swayed me. It may never happen but you can plug a standard wheel with a flat on the road but not with spokes (they need tubes).
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 894
Likes: 3
From: Wyalusing, PA
I went through the same thing and decided on the standard, picked it up 8 days ago and put about 300 mi on it. The hard lockable bags and spokeless wheels swayed me. It may never happen but you can plug a standard wheel with a flat on the road but not with spokes (they need tubes).
Fix-a-flat got my buddy from bum-ta-da Utah back to Vegas on a laced RK Classic...almost 200 miles!
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
Everyone has a right to their own opinion. And I love the looks of the Classic. The added care with the bags and wheels are not a big deal for me. You will know which one is for you. By the way, which bike did you end up choosing?
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 8,341
Likes: 714
i had a classic, i tour alot, if i had it to do again it would be cast wheels no white walls and locking hard bags. the classic looks great but, spokes suck when u get a flat(no fix a flat will save u) there hard to clean as are the white walls and the leather bags will get scuffs(unless its a bar hoping beuty queen).
