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Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
I've been trail braking the RG a bit, but I have to admit I've never felt like I knew exactly where the limit was. It actually feels really good, but maybe too good? It is ridiculously heavy, after all, and the front tire is more or less the same contact patch I'm used to (with less grip than race tires, obviously).
I dunno. I really don't have any complaints about the thing. I still love to get out on it. It doesn't really beg to be pushed, and yesterday was rare (I guess it DOES have rev limiter after all ), but that was the whole idea. Most of the time I'm perfectly happy listening to Slayer at 5 over the limit.
I've ridden my RK at well over the limit. I'm not skilled enough to routinely do push the front kind of pace. And definitely not on public roads. But I too am delighted at how my big touring Harley handles and brakes. Far, far better than I ever expected. I too trail brake mine in. I find the brakes as good as anything I've ever ridden. (Fairly low bar.)
Also remember these things have much more touring, upright geometry than what most call a "cruiser".
To my feel the big Harleys handle almost, if not as good as a Gold Wing GL1800. The biggest obstacle to really going fast on one is hanging off. The tank is stupid wide and low. There is nothing to hang onto. Do it all with upper body english.
Cornering clearance also isn't nearly as bad as you would think. A couple laps into my parking lot drills and I can bang out lock-lock figure 8's with ease.
The bike is just so stupidly easy to live with. Harley has nailed the ergonomics, fit and (most) finish.
My biggest beef is the ride. Not nearly as plush as I had hoped. Completely unridable over wash-board.
Second gripe is the idiotic use of SAE fasteners.
Third is excessive chrome. I wish mine were all black.
Also the paint chips easily. Mine is copcicle white and looks like ass after a 10 minute ride.
I have very little chrome compared to most, thankfully. Unfortunately everything else is BLACK. Aye! The only chrome I'll be adding is the saddlebag guards for the front of the bags. And I'm only going chrome there because it came with chrome engine guard up front.
They must have improved the paint. There's gotta be 35 pounds of paint on this fucker.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
I'll tell you what: that big ol' Street Glide is FAR easier to ride "fast" than the Low Rider was.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
I've somehow managed to chip the tank.
I also have scuff marks on the bag covers. I understand that to be a super common thing. Dealers would go out of their way to point out that a used bike they had didn't have scuffs, like it was worth an extra grand or two.
I don't really care that much. I bought this thing to ride the piss out of, not polish and show. Mine didn't even get washed before going away for the winter. But the white paint really shows off filth and paint blemishes. Black is way better here.
I wonder what the geometry differences (rake, trail, all that) are between the SGS and Low Rider.
\
No idea, no desire to look. I thought the Low Rider was a fun little bike and after a couple hundred miles I found it really fun to whip around on. It's far from a sportbike obviously, but I *THOUGHT* it was a hoot to toss around. That was until I started getting comfy on the SGS...
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
I gotta do the math, but I should be around 400 miles at this point.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Well, over 1000 miles now and the only complaint so far is the weak-ass low beam headlight. Why can't they make a low beam headlight on a stock HD that'll give you better night vision than a 1972 Plymouth Duster? The high beam is Fenway night game bright though. Lights up everything within a mile!
Oh, and the Bluetooth connectivity. Every time you get back on to ride, you have to reconnect. EVERY FUCKIN' TIME! They should get with the 2020's and have that link up automatically like just about any other Bluetooth capable vehicle I know of.
But I guess those are small potatoes. Still not regretting this one bit.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Weird. I think the lights on my 'king ain't tea bag. I also the aux driving lights but have found those do a better job of lighting the sides of the road than the way ahead.
Lights on my v-strom were better. But those were above average.
No ray-de-oh on a Road King. So I cannot commiserate on the blooteeth thing.
I have a Sena connected to my phone. Works mint.
What year is yours? Do you have the air shocks? If so, what psi do you run them at?
If not disregard and don't mind me as I swap my shitty air shocks for yours.
I upgrade my head light on my 2000 Road King because of poor low high beam.. cant remember the year but the after mkt is Hugh for this!
Last edited by MUZ720; 05-15-20 at 08:05 PM.
I think I sent you pics, but I did the full LED setup on mine(7" headlight and 4 1/2 spots) and it's like daylight when they're on in the dark. I'll shoot you the link to the one I got, you can get just the 7" headlight assembly for like $100 and it makes a world of difference. Don't waste your money on the Harley branded "Daymaker" setup in this instance
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
The aftermarket is so vast it's actually confusing!
For now, I'm thinking of adding the spots. I want more light on the front anyway. Once those are on, I'll revisit how I feel about low beams.
Also gonna be adding brake lights to the rear. I don't like that the only brake lights are dual filament turn signals as well. I've been meaning to look into the availability of a conversion kit for the lower fender tail light to convert it.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Shocks will be the first money I chuck at my road king. My wallet says no but 13 years of sport bikes are saying ohlins remote reservoir.
I'm actually shocked at how good my headlight and driving light combo are. They are the stock headlight with the 4" driving light combo. I work nights so it's 1130 when I leave every night and truthfully I don't have much of a complaint with them. Maybe once I see a day maker at night I'll be sold. Either that or custom dynamics or hogworkz.
I just put a cal Sci shield on and wow, what a piece of shit. Came with zero instructions. Not that installing a wind screen is difficult but with all the crap attached to the front of the bike in the area of the forks, you'd think for 200$ you'd get some direction on what to remove and then replace. The hardware kit it came with is embarrassing and the buffeting hit me right in the helmet which just made the ride louder. That thing will either be getting sold or coming off.
Last edited by 01xj; 05-27-20 at 04:37 PM.
Drop the coin for a Memphis shades batwing. Do a shorter than you think screen. I think I am running a 5”. It is great. Detaches in seconds without tools too. But it spends most of the time on my bike. So much I think I should have found an electra glide standard instead.
I said I would do suspension by now. But I have not.
I did spend a healthy amount on an upgraded seat. Also good money spent.
Plus heated grips and mine would be cross country ready. Dawn to dusk for days.
Don’t forget about RaceTech for your squishy bits. They have heavy HD support (no pun intended.)
I went to MMI I know what Im doing here chief
Thankfully my bike got the updated suspension. No complaints so far from me, and I do A LOT of 2-up riding.
I put a Freedom windscreen on mind and hate it. I measured everything strictly adhering to their suggestion and it's just too fuckin' tall. I can't stand looking THROUGH a windscreen, and I'm staring straight through this one. According to the instructions on their website, I measured everything the way I should have. If I hadn't taken the protective plastic off, they would've taken it back. At this point, I'm thinking I'll just keep it and use it in the early Spring / late Fall.
I decided to go with a Klock Werks Flare windshield. It's kind of like Zero Gravity's Double Bubble. Unlike Freedom, they shipped it out same day (Freedom says 4 weeks due to Covid) and I'll have it by Monday. Free shipping compared to Freedom's $47.00 shipping. Yes, FORTY SEVEN dollars for shipping a windscreen.
Glad to hear you like the spot/driving lights. That's my next move, I think.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Bust out the jig saw and cut it. You can always cut 'em down.
On this bike I really like having a short screen. I noticed that when I borrowed jasnmar's wing as well. He had a stock and a shorty screen and I loved the shorty screen. Which surprised me.
I think with a big wide fairing you just don't need a tall screen.
I thought about it. But cutting it removes the recurve, which I actually like. I may post it on one of the Harley sites/pages and see what type of response I get. Alternatively, as I said, I may just use it for the colder seasons.
Besides, the Klock Werks is on the way anyway. In all honesty, I should've just gone with theirs in the first place. I REALLY like their design.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Realized last night I'm already approaching 2000 miles on this sumbitch already. So yeah, I'd say it scratched my itch.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
Almost 2500 miles so far. That took me about 4 years on my TL-R. The discomfort/pain was all too real and that had A LOT to do with losing the spark. Yet, here we are.
The Klock Werks Flare windscreen is the shit's shit. It's about 3" shorter than the Freedom screen I tried. Going by my unscientific ass-off-the-seat standard of measuring, due to the design of the Klock Werks, it displaces the air just over the top of my head. It just looks SO much better than the Freedom one too.
Still absolutely loving this thing. I've been doing a fair share of commuting on it. The comfort features on this rival that of my Silverado. Bluetooth connect, iHeart radio all day long. I've only played around with the nav., but it seems just about like any other I've used. I'm not a fan of using it on the bike though. Just too much going on and so many other things to monitor. And who the fuck cares if you get lost on the bike?
The used market is just as insane as new. Picked up a detachable luggage rack for less than half price. Picked up highway peg brackets for next to nothing and even found matching Streamliner pegs for those for a fraction of new. I have a set of saddlebag guards that're going on too as well as a set of Custom Dynamics LED front directionals/driving lights.
I haven't fidgeted with the EIMTS (Engine Idle Temperature Management System) yet. That basically shuts off a cylinder if you're sitting in traffic and the engine reaches a certain temp. Mine's currently off, whatever.
Next on the list will be converting the rear tri-bar taillight to a LED tail light/brake light combo. Not really happy with the fact that the only brake lights are integrated into the turn signals/running light combo. Not nearly enough brake lights for my taste. I may even get brake lights for the filler panels, we'll see. From there, front spotlights may be up. That may be after a higher flowing intake though.
I'm really getting used to throwing it into corners. If you've never ridden a newer touring model, you have no idea how well it handles. I'd NEVER believe it without riding one myself and I wouldn't expect anyone else to. Given what it is, it's size & weight, it blows me away how easy it is to push it a bit. Mind boggling.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?
And I finally did it. I actually bought a Harley jacket. Yeah, yeah...at least it's not black and it's not leather (it's mesh). And it was actually less than the Joe Rocket I was going to get, although armor is extra. LOL! From what I've been able to learn, it's made by Sedici.
Pales in comparison to what's become of Big Shirl though. Holy FAHK! We can't go past a Harley dealership without her spending money. TWO jackets, a hat, two pairs of gloves, boots, girly pouch thingy, a few things for her for the bike, on & on & on. We've got reward programs at like three HD dealerships because of her! I knew she was a HD gal when we first hooked up 25+ years ago, but damn. All the years of bottling it up and riding on the back of sportbikes really has her overcompensating now.
Did you grit your teeth and try to look like Clint Fuckin' Eastwood?
Or did you lisp it all hangfisted like a fuckin' flower?