[logical]

After a thousand people have told me to forget getting a softail (because eveybody that does ends up trading for a touring model later)....I am pretty much settled in on ordering (or finding) a Road King Classic.

Are the leather-wrapped bags removable (easily), and if so does anybody have any pics laying around of the bike without the bags?

Any other thoughts on this choice?

 

[HIPPO]

They can be removed just as easy as the hard bags. Two clips.

If you like the look fine, but the bags on the Classics are much less practical then the hard bags. Not lockable as they come (they can be modified), not as waterproof as the hard bags, and you can fit more in the hard bags. They also have a way of warping after a year or so in extreme climates.

It is hard or expensive, or both, to make a bagger look good without the bags.

 

[JimmyK]

I ride a RKC and I can tell ya that they are butt ugly without the bags. The shocks are black, the crash bar looks stupid without the bags. Not sure why tou would want to ride a bagger without the bags? Is it a personal taste thing?

One thing I will say, while Hippo is right on some of what he said, if you are considering ditching the bags for a looks thing then ya don't want the hard bags.

Get a look at the RKC without the bug screen and it is a pretty bike.
Not sure if the attachement will come out but this one is mine. If ya want me to take a pic without the bags let me know so you can compare the same bike.

 

[Ralph]

Pop corn ,Peanuts,Cokes here!....Line starts here for the BAG WARS!!!!!

Just getting ya back JimmyK.....TC

 

[HIPPO]

One thing I will say, while Hippo is right on some of what he said, if you are considering ditching the bags for a looks thing then ya don't want the hard bags.

Sure you do. Run into people wanting to buy hard bags for their classics all the time, have yet to run into someone with a standard trying to find a set of classic bags. Cha-Ching. LOL


I have seen less then a handful of baggers look good without the bags. The one thing they all had in common is that adding the cost of the parts used for the modification in my mind, it's at least somewhere north of 3 grand.

 

[JimmyK]

Sure you do. Run into people wanting to buy hard bags for their classics all the time, have yet to run into someone with a standard trying to find a set of classic bags. Cha-Ching. LOL

But My Amigo #2, we all know that many times "Cha-Ching" has been the factor between Rice and Apple Pie. Da New Confusious Say LOL!

I believe we are all in agreement that a bagger, without bags, is butt ugly.

Hey bro! Do you still have that picture of the day I picked my bike up? I do believe it is shown without bags so the guy can see the comparison.

 

[logical]

I appreciate all the feedback, better to look stupid here than buy the wrong bike.

JimmyK- I hadn't seen that color before, I like it a lot. I'll try to 'splain my thinking here. It started out innocent enough with me wanting a fat boy or heritage classic to ease back into bikes after 8-10 years without one....mostly expecting to ride with buddies with an occasional short trip with my wife. Figured after a while...probably a few seasons.... I could see taking longer trips 2-up. I figured I should buy what I liked and if I found my wife was more into it than I expect, then I could always trade up to a bagger. If she didn't, then as far as i am concerned the softail would be comfy enough for just me even on a longish trip. So far, so good.

My problem started when I had about 10 people in a row, after hearing my plan, told me to skip the first step and go right to something from the touring family. Frankly, the RKC was the only one i considered very good looking...so I guess I settled in on it and was dreaming I guess that it could be made to look more like a bar-hopper and satisfy that craving.

So now i'm thinking...screw it...get the fat boy...get a decent tour seat....some pipes that sit lower and allow for some decent size detachable bags...a detachable windshield.....and deal with whatever comes down the road when it comes??????????

I have ridden the newer 88B softails (alone only) and I thought they rode pretty nice...my wife and I together don't weigh 310 pounds....will I really be that dissapointed in it's comfort on a 250 mile trip?

 

[HIPPO]

will I really be that dissapointed in it's comfort on a 250 mile trip?

No they are fine bikes when kept under 75, or even a bit over for short periods of time. Don't let the balancers fool you, at speed they shake like a sporty, while a bagger at 85 is like glass. Why don't you rent one for a day and see what YOU think.
In my experience the Dynas ride more like the baggers, except they don't handle as well, the engines shake in the rubber mounts at idle, but they become smooth at speed. May be an option, but in the end you need to get what makes you happy.

Sorry Jimmy, don't remember where that pic ended up, maybe I dumped it, as because of it's format it was a huge file.

 

[JimmyK]

Pretty sound advice from The Hippo. I agree that it may be a good idea to rent and ride.

Originally I was planning on a Fatboy. I too was flooded with suggestions from other folks.

A bro of mine had both. A beautiful Fatboy and a RoadKing. He told me to ride em both and then I would know. We rode together for about a month and I would switch between bikes. 200 mile jogs to Ice House Hoppin.

At the end of the month I was in love with the RK. For me it handled better at all speeds. I'm 6'4" and weigh 238.

At any rate, it will be your baby and at the end of the day to hell with what anyone other than YOU think.

 

[logical]

I am more like 5'10" and 180 so always felt more comfortable on the softails than the baggers. I have ridden both...as well as dynas. I actually liked the dynas riding position but only because it was more like the standard Japanese bikes I've had in the past. I just plain don't like them in general though. I think I could easily get used to the softail position. Maybe I need to spend a little more time on a road king to be sure....hmmmmmm. Damn, this is harder than I thought.

 

[HIPPO]

So am I, same size, and believe it or not I have come to think of a RoadKing as a small bike. This coming from someone that rode sportbikes for a long time. You need to get some time on the bikes. The only problem with a stock RK is that the seats are atrocious and will give you a false first impression, try to ride one with a decent seat.

If you ride one with a Mustang seat and the stock bars (which many don't like either) at your size you will find the seating position very close to the one you would have on a naked standard, a lot like perhaps a KZR.

 

[DPrice]

Road King Classic without the Bags

Well my buddy just got done putting my parts on after getting them chromed. Chromed inner, new pulley, and the rear rotors. All of the wheel accessories are from Hallcraft Industries.

Here are some pix to to check out. Someone wanted to see the bike without the bags...Here they are...

 

[DPrice]

Another

 

[DPrice]

Another

 

[DPrice]

Last one....

 

[logical]

hmmmmmm....You are putting the bags back on that thing before riding in puplic aren't ya? Maybe chrome shocks would do the trick?

 

[bigtime]

Price,

Very nice bike. Who done the paint? What kind of pipes are those? I ride a RKC myself. Real Teal I have always been a fan of black and white though. I will agree with everyone else, a classic without the bags is butt ugly. I really dont think there is a hope to make it look nice either. If any one has suggestions please let me know. I like my bags and cant leave home with out carrying something especially the woman. Always have to take something with us. But would like to know modifications if there are any.

 

[DPrice]

Paint N' ****

Paint was done by a local guy named Mike Robins Paint N ****.

He does alot of custom paintwork for some heavy hitters. Bike builder Don Hotop, also Sammy Kershaw, Alan Jackson, Lorie Morgan are a few country singers he has painted for.


Pipes are Vance and Hines Longshots. Best damn sounding drag pipes out there!

And you are right, the bike just cant look good without the bags..I merely take them off when cleaning or leaving the bike at the wrenches house.

 

[bigtime]

D Price,

Once again, very nice bike. I really like that color. I will proably go with a color like that if I ever repaint mine. I really like the 50's drag bike look. Kind of like the autos of that era. black/white, teal, yellow/white. I am a real nostalgia guy. A few days ago there was a bike on ebay that was a retro 50's cruiser. Powercoated black (whole bike) with drag bars and a little chrome. I thought it was a very neat motorcycle. I guess I have seen those pipes in the Drag spec. catalog. You never can tell what they will look like untill you see them on someones personal bike. In the books they all look the same to me. Just so many different ones. I was told today that there will be a special on cable tv about a motorcycle painter. One of the famous painters. I dont know which one just had a guy tell me at work. Might be the same guy that done yours.