Why I chose a Road King?
Essentially because we are planning a long travel (for now note down this hashtag: #MyHmoonOn66), which I cannot do with my 883, and we need to rent a tourer.
Since it was my first, and also my first big twin, I decided to ride the smallest of the family, just in case.
I usually drive a sporty: Skye, a 883 custom, and by seeing this big machine I was expecting something heavy, much heavier than a 883, anyway. So I sat down, and I gathered all my strength into my legs to straighten the bike up but… first surprise: I didn’t need any. The bike was much, much, much lighter than I expected, imagine seeing one huge barbell with four-five weights on it, and then when you go and lift it, you discover it’s made of polystyrene. It was surprisingly easy to handle, it was gorgeous and it was fast when I opened up the throttle, just to feel the difference with the sportster though, because this is a bike built for long comfy travels, not for speeding. Riding around it’s been a real pleasure, even if I only covered a few miles.
The feeling is Great, you and the passenger get pampered by the big floorboards, by the comfy saddle, the windshield that, even though it ends at the height of your sight line, avoids the wind and the cold to directly hit your chest (thing that can avoid you a cold), from the ample dashboard and by the engine’s music, that pawing of wild horses ready to unleash all the power of their muscles. It is extremely relaxing.
I can only say that I absolutely loved this bike. The Engine is a work of art, all shiny, so beautiful I would proudly expose it in my living room. Its design is very clean, and it is a pleasure watching it hop in the frame.
Even if the motorcycle weights 778 lbs, that can easily go up to 1000 with pilot, fuel and some load, the 1690cc engine develops 138 Nm at 3500 RPM. Despite its weight, with a little experience you can lean down easily, so handling in curves is great, also the brakes were very good, more than capable of stopping the bike in time even if you are a little closer to the previous car then what you are supposed to, Since I never used the heel/toe shift lever I shifted as with a regular one, but still everything was perfect about the six speed Cruise Drive with hydraulic clutch.
Despite its vintage looks, the first Road King was introduced for the 1994 model year, as a replacement for the Electra Glide Sport, which had the windshield and the saddlebags but no fairing; it mounted an Evolution engine that generated 60 horsepower at 3,600 rpm. As for the price, it starts from 18,749$, but to me they’re totally worth it.
This bike is simply amazing. I loved every minute of this test ride, and I suggest you to try it too, you won’t regret it.
