2009 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic

As far as storage goes, the Road King Classic's leather covered saddlebags are smaller both inside and out than the hard bags found on other H-D touring bikes. This is the source of many "love 'em or hate 'em" debates regarding the Classic's bags. My take on them is this: I love the way they look on the bike, but hate the limited storage space. To solve this issue I would run the gorgeous-looking stock bags around town and for over night trips and buy a set of Long Wide saddlebags from Gator Boxes or Sumax for real-deal loaded up touring.

After riding the bike for a spell, it dawned on me that one of the main things that sets the Road King Classic apart from it's touring brethren is how simplistic it looks. Versatility rules with this bike and it shows with the quick detachable windshield and optional quick detach sissybar and luggage rack. It is less cluttered and doesn't have all the bells and whistles or a stereo system that say the Road Glide and Street Glide have. This in no way means that H-D was skimping. Take for instance the speedometer. Think of it as more of a command center. Inside the single tank-mounted dial it possesses an electric speedometer with odometer, a time-of-day clock, a dual tripmeter, a low fuel indicator light with mileage countdown, an oil pressure light, an engine diagnostics readout, LED turn signal indicator, a sixth-gear indicator, and cruise control indicator. That's a lot of knowledge in something as small as an alarm clock.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of the Road King, since I actually own one. It could be the way the bike looks, the limitless way the Road King Classic lends itself to customization, or how it can be converted in almost an instant to an über-touring bike with the help of an aftermarket fairing and H-D Tour-Pak. With all of the choices a buyer has when walking into a Harley dealership looking for a bagger, I am sure that the customer wanting a Road King Custom pretty much knows what they want before stepping foot into the shop. The bottom line is this, if you want a good looking bike that can both turn heads on the boulevard as well as turn mega miles on the highway, the Road King Classic is for you.