Originally Posted by Roadking Cal

Well...You've gotten a LOT of good advise so far, it seems.[that, I have, in spades] The extrovert in me demands that I give my input as well:
an' who would I be to begrudge you?
As was said earlier, if touring is your main focus, go with a bike designed for just that thing. The Road Kings are very adaptable to various styles of riding, in that they have all the quick-detach stuff. Add to that the after-market things, like fairings, and you can set it up to be very close to an Electra-Glide for relatively little added cash. The Switchback might seem like a worthy tourer, but once you get your wife and all of the needed luggage for the both of you on board, you'll have one very over-loaded, and therefore, a less nimble bike. That's a disappointing thought.

As far as the Road Glides are concerned, having the fairing mounted to the frame makes it much more stable on the highway. All of the wind forces are directed to the frame, and not the steering head, so there's less chance of wobble. Also, the design of the shark-nosed fairing actually gives a little bit of lift when you're at speed on the highway. That makes the front end just a little bit "lighter feeling", and some riders claim that it makes for a much better handling bike.

The Street Glides are a cool-looking bike, no doubt. But that's just the point. They look cool. Not quite a full-on touring bike, but not a stripped-down hot rod, either. Just my opinion, but I think they were designed for the "Almost Grey-beards", who are just easing the devastating blow of accepting the fact that they're getting older, and still want to look cool.

I have a 1999 Road King Classic, with a detachable tour-pak. For around town, I can strip off the windscreen, or add the trunk & back rest for the long trip, as well as soft lowers that snap onto the engine guard for the rain. I like having tunes when I ride, so I added a smallish, inexpensive system mounted to the engine guards. I can turn it on or off as I please. The long-and-short of it is that within a matter of a few minutes, I can change the character of the bike to whatever is needed.

I can't agree enough with the test rides and/or rental of a bike that you might like. Just looking at them in the showroom, and collecting opinions won't be enough. Whatever you end up choosing, remember to add at least 10-15% of your budget to allow for after-market parts. You might tell yourself that you're "going to leave it stock", but, really, we all know that it's an outright lie. I have no such delusions. What I DO keep trying to tell myself is that I plan to keep mods to an absolute minimum until the warranty runs out.]


Whatever you decide on, enjoy it, be safe, trust no one on four or more wheels, and welcome back to the family!

Originally Posted by TKDKurt

I got my slightly used (~2800 miles) 2011 RKC (which comes standard with the new frame, 103, security and ABS) for around 18K. It was "Certified Pre-owned" so there is that additional warranty, plus the original factory warranty follows the bike until it expires. My factory warranty is good until May 2013.

Look for a low mileage "pre-owned" 2011 RKC and you can get everything you want for the price you want to pay.