Harley_Davidson_FLHRP_Road_King_Police_MY_OPINION
THE FIRST 'KING BROKE COVER IN THE 1994 CATALOGUE as the FLHR Electra Glide Road King, as a replacement for the popular, but by-then unlovely Electra Glide Sport - unless you have a thing for fork-top dashboards that look like they were ripped out of a 1970s
Datsun. It displaced the fuller instrumentation, replacing it with the tank-top speedometer that has been used on the vast majority of big twins since the 1936 Knucklehead and its accompanying fatbob fuel tank. It's worth knowing that all Road Kings benefited from the frame changes of 1993 that moved the battery into the middle of the frame, rather than buried half-way into the timing-side pannier, into the space freed up by wrapping the oil tank behind and beneath the five-speed gearbox. To fill the space on top of the forks, a redesigned nacelle bearing a striking resemblance to that fitted to the Duo Glide's from 1960, took up residence, rejoicing in the name of Hiawatha. In doing so it looked like nothing more than a late 4-speed Electra Glide Sport II - which itself was little more than a lightened FLH - but a little pumped up in size as demanded by the increased dimensions of the so-called Rubber Glide's frame. Final touches were a removable police-style screen - remember this was the era of the "Convertibles" - and a two-piece seat with a removable pillion for committed solo riders. You could also remove the panniers, but when you did you found that the air shocks behind them were so ugly that you put them straight back on again.Was the market stirred into action by the need for pretty Road King aftermarket shocks? No, because there was a matter of a section of the frame which kicked the back end out appreciably further than had been the case on the 4-speed
FLs, increasing the amount of space available to rider and pillion but at the expense of looking awkward without the panniers
The Road King was primarily a cosmetic improvement over the Sport, it wouldn't have been a massive expense in development terms because only the nacelle and seat were unique to it, and it was welcomed with open arms. Fuel injection was added as an option to create the FLHRI in 1996, but when it was followed in the 1998 catalogue by an older-styled "Classic", the stock model returned to
carburetted-only form in the UK, and the new model was only available with injection. Classic meant whitewalls, and leather bags - leather bags that alluded to those fitted to the new-for- 1956 "Road Cruiser" options group, and generically referred to as "King Saddle Bags", but which is more successfully alluded to by the Heritage Softail Classic. The seat was new, too - a single-piece affair with tooled leather to complement the bags - and a 3D metal tank badge, seat motif and saddlebag adornment marked it out as being a little bit special
Spookily the 2003 catalogue shows the Road King Classic in its anniversary finish of plain red, and a closer match for the 1998 catalogue's "laser red" example is hard to imagine, but to assume it is still the same bike is to ignore the fact that the engine was switched in 1999 to become the Twin Cam 88, and the upgrading of the disk brakes to 4-pot callipers in 2000. Aside from that - which isn't to underestimate the contribution of the 1450 fathead motor in this most suitable of all its roles - you could be looking at the same bike, except … Is someone round here having a birthday? Call me a cynic, or a kill-joy - don't worry, I've been called worse - but I've not been overwhelmed by the paint schemes for the Anniversary models with one or two exceptions. The black pinstriped Road King floats my boat, as does the two-tone Classic, in the same way that I can take or leave a lot of the others, and actively dislike the Night Train.We were expecting to pick up the stock model, and I was hoping for the black one, but when the doors went back to reveal the bike you see on these pages, I wasn't disappointed. It did, after all, give us the chance to put an immediately identifiable 2003 model on the cover of the magazine - and it makes a striking image. It certainly helped that the Classic is a spoke wheeled model, because I have a thing about gold painted wheels having had them on my 75th Anniversary
FLH, but I don't object violently to the anniversary badges or little bits of trim as much as I expected to. Another welcome thing that I hadn't actually noticed until setting off from Harley's new Oxford headquarters, was that the worthy, functional but ultimately unimaginative and dull mirrors had been replaced by a shapelier alternative - with the "objects in the rear view mirror" message reduced in size to such an extent that I had to wait until I'd stopped to make sure it was the right way up - or perhaps I'm getting old. So what is a Road King, and where does it fit in the grand scheme of things? That's an easy one, really. It is a big twin Harley-Davidson in the classic tradition. Had a fresh-faced Willie G not slapped a pair of Sportster forks into an Electra Glide in 1970, this is what the big twin range would have comprised ... well, this and an Electra Glide. There is more to it than that, however, because if the Motor Company's styling division didn't have the experience of creating custom streetbikes and semi-chops in the FX mould, it is unlikely that they would have gone so far in developing a grand tourer into a machine that grabs as much attention on the high street as a
Softail, yet is as competent on the open highway as the Electra. And it just gets better: it may be a 700lb monster but it can be flicked round tight city streets like a Sportster once you've got its measure - but don't try it first time out, and think very hard before contemplating it as a first Harley
Don't let the lively low-speed capabilities fool you, though, because the bikes of the touring range are long of wheelbase and as solid as a rock on arrow-straight highways, and the schizophrenic nature is achieved through a radical steering head that was introduced on the first rubber glides and been in constant use ever since. Sideways on you'd never see it because all the
jiggery-pokery is contained within that nacelle but if you look deep inside that chrome-plated shell, you'll see that where you thought the steering head should be, you've got a gooseneck disappearing forwards: further forwards than it has any right to go. Further forward than the fork-legs. Rather than having a pair of fork-legs sweeping in an arc ahead of the headstock, they are swinging along behind it, and that's not the half of it. The headstock is set at a very tight 26-degrees but the forks look like a much more conventional thirty inherited from the 4-speed.Welcome to the wonderful world of weird yokes: reversed and raked. There's a feature dealing with that in this very issue, so I'll point you at that but only after explaining that the steep angle makes for quick steering, and the reversed and raked yokes make for a long trail, lending greater straight line stability - especially when combined with the long wheelbase
It enjoys far greater flexibility than the flagship dressers with that detachable screen, which allows you to take off the windshield and get your face in the breeze when the sun comes out - and it is only when you are cocooned behind a full dresser's batwing fairing that you realise just how hot an English summer can get
I'm on record as wanting a FLDR Dyna Road King, which would be more like the scale of the aforementioned 4-speed Electra Glide Sport, and would potentially be even more streetable but at the expense of intercontinental travel, which is where the FLHR shines through: it meets a different requirement. Taking the hypothetical former as a reference point there are a number of factors that demonstrate why the existing Road King is so damn good
Firstly size is important: sorry guys, but the girls were right all along. I didn't realise how important until last year when Rich and I, as a couple of six-foot plus, hormonal males had to buddy-up to get the right bikes back to the right places.We had a T-Sport and a Road King to play with, and the Road King had no problem accommodating the pair of us, even if it was damnably uncomfortable without a backrest, while the T-Sport - the Dyna range's existing touring offering - was significantly more crowded. If you're going to travel across continents two-up, you want to do it without being in each other's space too much. Even travelling with your partner, you want the freedom to shuffle about a bit without annoying your pillion too much - especially if you're expecting to enjoy conjugal rights at the other end.With the right seat and mudguard combination, you could make more space available on a Dyna - which is, after all, loosely based on the dimensions of the early Glides - but they're something else
Oil. The Dyna wasn't designed with the longest of long hauls in mind, and so when they wrapped the oil tank round the gearbox they made do with 25% less capacity than they afforded the dressers: 2.8 litres compared to the 3.8 of the touring series. It is significant, and is a potential weak point on a Dyna - though within its context it is not going to bother anyone: not even the most demanding. This is an assumption based on the experience of a Softail on the rig that tests a selection of Harleys to destruction, and which I first learned about when they launched the V-Rod. In case you were away that day, the " numbers that were reported were interesting: an unnamed
Softail, which have a capacity of 3.3 litres of oil, made 150 hours continual running before letting go, while a Road King managed 200 hours - all of which means nothing without knowing the conditions: try high speed in top with a steady flow of fuel to keep them running. That's not long, you think, because 200 isn't a very big number, until you ascribe it to hours, and then you convert it into days in which case it is more than eight! So, even if you run at a modest 80mph, which any Harley motor is easily capable of without much stress, 200 hours equates to 16,000 miles, and significantly more than a lot of riders manage in a year, and which sails through more service intervals than would be good for it. I hasten to add that the Dyna was not mentioned in those tests and I am making an educated guess, based on common sense, and if anyone has specific information pertaining to a Dyna's stats on that instrument of mechanical torture I'll be happy to set the record straight. Come to that, if anyone has the specific details of the tests and how all of the bikes subjected to it fared, it would make a fascinating feature in itself
Why did they wait until the V-Rod to go public about the rig? Because they were so pleased that the new motor passed that test with flying
colours: they switched the machine off at 500 hours because the engine wouldn't break. Do the maths on that yourself. The V-Rod has a 4.3 litre oil capacity. Coincidence? Aside from the differences, there is a lot of commonality, as there is with all big twins, and the Dyna is a closer relative than the Softail 88Bs, if only because its engine bounces along separately from the frame.While the Dyna has a couple of simple steel and rubber sandwiches as engine mounts, and a turnbuckle to keep it upright, the Road King has more in common with the old
FXR, which was derived from the original rubber glide itself. Indeed, you will occasionally see what looks like a 5-speed FXR streetbike but with thicker tubes than you'd expect and a slightly longer wheelbase, and there's a good chance it will be an undressed 'King with some serious steering head surgery. Before dispensing with the Dyna alternatives, it is worth repeating that a recent convert to the world of Harley-Davidson, or a novice rider might find any of the touring range a bit of a handful. Sure, they can be piloted with ease once you are familiar with the size and weight, but the primary phrase in that sentence is "once you are familiar". It's easy for me to say how chuckable they are because I started riding on an FLH Electra Glide twelve years ago, and have been riding an FLHT for two: I'm used to it now - nowhere near the same league as The
Shriners, but competent. If you've got any reservations at all about a touring model, for whatever reason, start with a Dyna and get used to the power delivery, balance and weight before taking on the big 'uns
We'll leave the streetbikes now with a final acknowledgement of one thing that Dynas don't get: Harley's EPSFI fuel injection … yet. It will come, providing the Dynas are destined to continue production, because while carburettors are beloved of tuners, injection is seen as the only way that a factory-built internal combustion engine will be able to meet all of its long-term regulatory requirements. Injection was pioneered on the
tourers, because it makes a lot more sense to soequip a bike that is destined to cover the miles, and which will inevitably take in a wide range of operating environments: in its simplest form, the atmospheric changes experienced climbing mountains or running through sub-sea level passes greatly affects the air density, which affects the fuel mix. A carburettor can only accommodate that with a screwdriver and a handful of jets - and the knowledge and experience to know what to do with them - but an injected bike will adjust its delivery according to the requirements umpteen times a second, and will just about keep pace with the change in atmospheric pressure if dropped out of an
aeroplane, for what that's worth. The downside for us, the upside for the authorities, is that injection remapping is a complex task and not undertaken lightly, and that also scares people off from messing with the back pressure of their silencers and the mapping of the ignition: both places where playing is known to deliver more horsepower … and aural feedback: noise to you and me. The thing that is reassuring for the future is that carburettors used to be a black art until people took the time to understand what they were and how they worked, and I have no doubt that the same attention will be lavished on fuel injection systems before long
On a streetbike you'll be running in your own neighbourhood, and unless that is set on the face of a significant escarpment, you'll be fine with your "compromised"
carb. And let's be realistic about this: we've been running carburettors for generations on bikes that have travelled round the world, up the Alps and Rockies, and down to the Sead Sea or Death Valley: injection isn't going to make it do something it didn't do before, it will just make it more efficient and cleaner
So for all its apparent classic styling and imagery, the Injected Classic is the more sophisticated of the two 'Kings, and potentially the better
tourer. It only falls down, for me, on the less secure saddle bags which have no provision for locking as standard, and whose quickrelease clips prevent the use of Harley's own strap locks. An oversight, perhaps, but the primary reason why I'm not tempted to add the cosmetically more attractive saddle bags from the Road King Classic to my Electra in place of the lockable
slantbags. While on the subject of luggage, it is worth noting that a conventional Tour-Pak would look out of place alongside the leather saddle bags, so a special one is provided so you too can carry a kitchen sink with you on your travels. I have to say, though, that with all that grained
hyde, it all starts looking a little to much like a padded vinyl roof on a seventies American pimp-mobile for my tastes, though you can get round all of that by retro-fitting a full set of second-hand, lockable Slant-Bags and a Tour-Pak for such journeys, and revert to standard for day-to-day use and have the best of all possible worlds
We established earlier on that the 2003 FLHRCI is little more than a 2002 model with a paint job and mirrors, and the odd bits of frippery abounding where previously there were none and that, for me, is a measure of a successful bike.Why change a winning formula? And when you consider that the detail changes over its five-year life have revolved around generic model changes like engines and brakes, you get the impression that it is inherently right. More subjectively, I also came clean as actually liking the treatment lavished on this top of the shop scheme and I remain unrepentant
The flat silver particularly is of another age: Harley call it a liquid metal effect but I remember the first attempts at "chrome in a can", and it was very similar with the exception that the Harley's paint has both dried and not become discoloured by exposure to the elements or clean water … or cleaning agents. The overall effect for me is of a scale model painted in silver enamel, but then blown up to full size: it seems to have taken the sharp edges and softened them, taken the rounded contours and smoothed them out even further. It is particularly noticeable in the sheer expanse of "Sterling Silver" that covers the entire front mudguard, but it really works for me. The effect is noticeable on scale models because the paint is probably nearly as thick as the scaled-down mudguard that you've painted it onto, but that won't have been the case on the real thing. Very odd, and explained as being a result of including powdered aluminium in the paint itself. Having ridden in a V-Rod in bright sunshine, I'm prepared to accept that the reflective properties of aluminium are greater than are often
realised: the VRSCA positively glows, but the painted Road King isn't far behind it
The silver sits alongside vivid black, for contrast - a colour that is always welcome on any motorcycle in my experience - and I can even forgive the massive stripe that could scarcely be described as a pin, on the basis that the only time I've ever paid it attention was as a close up in a catalogue. I don't know why the
criss-crossed Harley chequerplate graphic, unless it is a means of preventing forgeries, but once you see it as a band of colour it works better - and that is how you see it in the metal. The little detail touches on the air-filter, points and derby covers could easily have been tacky and brash but instead are almost understated and don't scream out for your attention. The only major
in-yer-face element is the anniversary badge that is used on everything bar the 883R in one form or another - either as a transfer on the cheaper schemes, in chrome on the intermediates, and here in chrome and
gold-coloured splendour when combined with the sterling silver and vivid black combo. It seems to be a contradiction, I know, but there is an element of subtlety running though the most ostentatious range that Harley have had opportunity to produce in a generation. And what better way to celebrate a 100th Anniversary than with models that hark back to the last fifty or more years, as well as with the emerging range that will take The Motor Company forward into the next hundred years. The lines of the Road King are firmly in the sixties, but it has a bright future as Harley-Davidson crosses into its second century of production, and while it may not be the ascending star of the range any more, it benefits every year from the advances in technology that Harley are not afraid to roll out
As a long-distance touring motorcycle it is only one step behind the Electra Glide. As a streetbike it is only one step behind a Dyna or Deuce; on a par with any other
Softail. As a retrospective look at Harley's history it is only one step behind the Heritage Springer or
Softail. As a practical day-to-day, flexible motorcycle it is streets ahead of anything else on the books except its sibling, the FLHR Road King, with which it shares the
honours. And as a desirable bike - which will inevitably have an effect on its residual value - it is hard to see a time when it would lose its appeal. As a specific anniversary model, I wouldn't be surprised if it were sought after as the classic example of the centenary year
Harley_Davidson_FLHRP_Road_King_Police_MY_OPINION
About four years ago I purchased an FLHR and found the stock seat tolerable but only a "one hour" seat. I replaced the driver seat with a Mustang (against the advice of many to go with a "____" or a "____").
I was impressed with Mustang's narrow front end that enabled a much closer leg position, allowing me to reach the ground easier. I was not expecting how firm the seat is and how much more comfortable it was on long hauls.
I also replaced the passenger seat for my wife with the matching Mustang passenger seat--one of my wisest decisions of the last decade, believe me. My wife thoroughly loved our first long trip. Previous to replacing her seat, I could not keep her on the bike for even an hour.
Now, after another year, and a couple more thousand miles, I am writing to thank you for your product.
Many people we ride with ask me what seat I have and I am one of Mustang's best salespersons when the subject comes up. Keep up the good work.
Harley_Davidson_FLHRP_Road_King_Police_MY_OPINION
In 1997, all FLH models received a redesigned, lowered-seat-height frame. While not visibly obvious, this change becomes an advantage when in the saddle, especially for riders of not-tall stature who wish to put both feet flat on the ground when stopped. In 1999, all FLH models received the new 88-inch Twin Cam motor, which did not require any major frame redesign.
Today the FLHS is a thing of the past, squeezed out by the high end (and high dollar) Road King. The budget end of Harley's Electra Glide line has been replaced with the Electra Glide Standard (FLHT), a fairing equipped bike and a great value in it's own right. But those looking to acquire a modern-day equivalent of the Electraglide Sport could do worse than to find a retired Police Roadking (FLHRP). The carburetor models have brushed aluminum engines and can often be found with under 20,000 miles for a reasonable price in towns where they are used.
