I am planning a road trip next month. Plan is to rent a bike in Denver and ride in the Rockies... My question is for anyone that has ridden both a Road King and a Street Glide (say 2012 model year and up). Since this will be a rental and be all stock parts, I am curious if anyone has experience comparing/contrasting the ride between the two, with stock setup.

I have previously done a similar trip on a Road King. Great ride, good wind protection with stock windshield. However the bike got a bit heavy for me after a long day. I am considering renting the Street Glide since it appears to sit a bit lower to help with the weight. However the stock windshield seems much lower as well and have read other posts where wind buffeting has been an issue for some on the SG. I am 5'9".

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

Road King. If you come off the jiffy stand with the front turned to the right, the bike is much easier to pick up. Have a great vacation in the Rockies. R

 

The bikes are the same frame. The road king is a little lighter feeling when driving due to less weight and force on the front that is created on the street glide due to the fairing.
I bought a 2013 Road King soley due to my cousin purchasing the street glide.
i have a helmet communication system and do not use the radio. he likes the radio but did notice the steering 'weight' when riding in the twisties with his wife on the back.
we both had older road king classics before upgrading and both bikes are better handling than the older bikes. I rented a road king custom in phoenix and rode the the grand canyon memorial weekend which prompted me to upgrade my old road king classic to a new one. You won't go wrong with either bike. I like the old school look of the classic but would have gottne the street glide and even looked at the road glide as option 3...

 

Do you want tunes or not?


Also, I prefer the less unobstructed view the RK windshield provides.

Really can't go wrong with either.

 

→As you mentioned the stock shield on a SG is pretty much useless. So if you want wind protection the RK wins.
→The RK is lighter and will feel lighter. SG being an inch lower doesn't change that it weights more and has a whole fairing attached to the front bars.
→SG gives you a radio. Also, since you have rented an RK previously, it will give you the experience of a different bike to help you decide what you want when you are ready to buy a new bike.

Sorry Bro, I don't think there are any easy answers here. It really comes down to you. What part of the weight was bothering you? I only ever notice the weight when putting it on the kickstand or lifting it off the kickstand.

 

Thanks guys for the feedback, very good points.

Regarding the weight, it was after a long day of riding and, similar to what you said, when getting to the slow/stop stuff. When the bike is moving it was fantastic. Amazing an 800+ lb beast can feel so nimble when on the move.

 

I have ridden many road kings , owned 2 Electra glides,3 street glides,and currently a road glide . I felt like I sat high on a road king and at 5'8" that windshield was horrible had to crouch down or stretch up to see clearly, a stree glide would be my choice, that small sheild isn't as bad as everybody thinks, bud my road glide is the best so far IMO .

 

I'd go with the Road King because I love looking down at that RK headlight. A thing of beauty.

 

this was not one of your choices but I would look at the Road Glide Custom same ride height Street Glide but fairing mounted to the frame

 

For the additional wind protection, I would rent the Street Glide, and have them put on a taller windshield (takes just a minute).

Depends a bit if you like to look over the windshield (street glide) or through it (road king)

If it gets cool in the Rockies you will appreciate the wind protection your hands get with the street glide.

Nice to have a built in stereo so you can slip a little John Denver in the CD player.