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My Road King makes me go "ahhhhhh" but my strom

9K views 64 replies 34 participants last post by  Big B 
#1 ·
puts a huge smile on my face...the harley is low and slow, torquey and rough...awful brakes and shakes like a %#$@& all the time....it is calming and fun just to cruise, hit 5th gear at 45mph and just sit there...when I ride the VEE I feel like I'm 20 yrs old again....like night and day...love them both....best of both sides of the fence for sure....:mrgreen:
 
#4 ·
My 2012 DL650 will run all day at 80 mph. I have to be careful not to let it creep up to 90. My 2008 FLHP has a 103 cu engine, and I have to give it some stick to stay at 80. It is great for blasting down the freeway, and the Sundowner seat is an all day joy. If I'm going out highway cruising, I'll take the Road King. If I'm headed out for any other type of trip, the Strom gets the nod. They are different animals.
 
#5 ·
Same here. I have an 08 Ultra Classic. Riding it still beats driving a car...but it doesn't make me smile like the Wee does. Took the UC out this past weekend to decide whether I am going to sell it. Decided I would. Took wife out on it for a last ride, and she wants to keep it for 2-up. So, it still sits in the garage since we don't 2-up much anymore.
 
#6 ·
In addition to my Wee I also have an '87 FXR, and they are a perfect compliment for one another. The Harley's motor has been hopped up, it's a bit loud, heavy, rough around the edges, handles decent, but with over 170k miles, and it recently has begun to get horrible gas mileage, it's not my main ride. The Wee is more the daily rider, like a Toyota Çorolla, and the FXR is like a '72 Chevelle SS, I take it out when I need a dose of torque and character, it's a satisfying ride. The riding position is similar so going from one to the other is natural. Each bike makes me appreciate the other more.
 
#8 ·
Put 5K miles on my DL650 in the one year I had it . Sold it 4 months ago

Bought a 2010 BMW R1200R and have already put 5K miles on it , in 4 months , it's that much more fun to ride for me , lot more power , low to the ground , a joy to ride , had to spend $800 on a Parabellum scout fairing for wind protection , adding a Screaming Banshee horn and lights from Skene




Cruisers are best for cruising laid back and relaxing , that's for sure , I miss my Valk .

I may buy one of the new ones ,
 
#9 ·
my 2cents.

One bike is not enough, I like them all, ride them all, enjoy them all. If I had more space, time and money I would have more bikes. Currently own four bikes and would be quiet happy to own more.

My philosophy, ride it until you stop enjoying it, or you want a change, then change it.

I change at least one bike a year, selling one and replacing it with something else. I like the variety and the change. It allows me to experience a lot of everything, often.

Works for me, your mileage may vary.
 
#12 ·
Good friend of mine said recently, " the best bike you can own is 3 of them"

I need one more, and it will be a dedicated off road bike..
 
#14 ·
They are all different and all issue you a different level of enjoyment. I wish I could ride them all but financially it's not possible. I think if I could pick right now it would be a RoadKing, a Wee and a DRZ400S....I choose those out of about 20 bikes I have ridden or owned in my life. My list might change if I could put some miles on the gazillion other bikes out there. Then add on top of that your age and they all change again.
 
#15 ·
Happy I saw this thread!

I've been a harley guy (NOT a typical biker-type, just a dork with a Harley type) for ten years after not riding for the prior twenty. My latest bike up until I got the DL650 is a 2014 Road King with a 103 Rushmore motor and stage one upgrade. The bike is a beast! Fast as heck, smooth and comfortable. Also quite nimble for a big bike and I just love the Harley-Davidson "rumble." The bike feels like a living thing to me.

But I wanted a second bike that is the complete opposite of the Road King and after months of research and test rides I found a great deal on a 2013 V-Strom and man, I can't stay off of this thing! It harkens me back to my Honda Interceptor days in the early 80s. I'm 52. I love everything about this bike... except having to maintain a chain but no biggy. I love the responsive handling, the nimbleness, amazing brakes, liquid-cooling, the technology in the displays. I HATE tank mounted gauges such as the ones on the Road King and all but the most expensive Harleys.

If I had to pick only ONE bike to keep, I hate to day it but it would be the Strom. Now wondering if I should keep the Road King.
 
#16 ·
A few years back I was working at a large BMW motorcycle shop and we had two nearly identical XL1200Rs come in on trade, one was a bone stock 2006 with under 5K and the owner wholesaled it out to me, since it was November. Of course I needed to see what could be done with such a bike and began to abuse my connections and discounts with our vendors. Pretty soon I had a pretty awesome black Sporty (68hp/74fp at the wheel with only bolt-on mods) that looked cool, ran cool and actually had suspension. It was great fun but I realized that, though I may enjoy hearing AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" a couple of times a year, I don't want to hear it every day.

Sold the Sporty, kept the old K75S, now have new 2014 V-Strom 650--which I am truly enjoying.
 
#17 ·
I came from Harley's as well, my last bike was a road king and yes I loved her. However once I got on the Vee, I couldn't get the smile off my face, I can do long trips and be comfortable and race it up. ive ridden bikes for years, and have looked for a bike with everything, and the Vee is the closest thing ive come to it !
 
#18 ·
I had a 2004 Road King Custom for 10 years. Rode it all over the US, and loved it. Then I bought a 2012 DL650, and I don't think I put more than a hundred miles on the RK after that. Nothing wrong with the RK, it was a great bike, but there was something about being back on a (comparatively) light weight bike that made me love riding all over again. I only had the DL650 just shy of two years and 12000 trouble free miles, but it gave me a new appreciation for Japanese iron that continues to this day. Though the 650 was traded on a Super Tenere, I still love the adventure style bikes more than anything else I've ever ridden.
 
#19 ·
Had an Electra Glide -- sold it. Had a Vulcan 1600 -- sold it. I always came back to the fact that I liked riding the Wee more even though the big cruiser CONCEPT seemed attractive. Whenever I considered a longish tour the Wee just always seemed to be a better choice for a number of reasons, and that largely negated the purpose of having a heavyweight touring mount.

The only "problem" with the Wee is that it does so many things so well that it's hard to justify having another bike to fill in the missing uses. I suppose the only niche that it can't adequately fill is the dedicated lightweight dirt bike one, so a 250 thumper may be on the agenda.
 
#20 ·
I've ridden Harleys but never owned one. So I read this thread with interest. Fascinating that quite a few Wee riders change to an S Ten or 1200 beemer and talk about liking the bike having more power. Have you tried the DL 1000? There is a big difference in performance. Big. On another note, it would be fun to have a sporty Harley in the garage for cruising around the local area. I have the 250 dirt bike and the big Vee, so now I just need that 3d bike in between. Maybe a Ducati Scrambler. Nice to dream.
 
#21 ·
I too know the feeling I was very happy with the 06 Ultra then I took the wife on a ride on a GL1800 hello Honda good by Ultra,
I was offered a good by on a 08 Wee and took up the offer thinking its just a 650 but it will be ok I will just use it around town that was last week this is now WOW am I ever impressed with this little around town bike that I am thinking about doing the D2D on it with in the next couple of years. The Wee has now become the ride of choice the Wing is for two up riding and the Wee is just for me IT IS MY GO ANYWHERE RIDE
 
#22 ·
I suppose its time for a Harley vs Suzuki thread.
I go the opposite way, I like having the Vstrom for those times that I'm going somewhere that I know will involve rough roads, particularly if they have a lot of gravel on them. Otherwise its not the bike I would pick to ride just for fun. A lot of people do and that's fine.
In preference it tends to go Road King, FXD, Concours, XR1200 and BMW as far as whats fun to ride. In the spring I will probably sell off at least 3 bikes, possibly 4, will for sure keep the RK and FXD, maybe replace the VStrom with something a bit more fun or just keep it around for the back country rides..
 
#26 · (Edited)
Harley got me back into riding after a bad wreck and several year lay off. Got a nice RK.

My mind told me the RK was big and stable and the performance envelope would keep me out of trouble. I rode it a bunch. Good solid machine. Never rode very fast, spent time smelling the roses. A nice little white haired lady proved to me NO BIKE IS SAFE from the elderly. She totaled my RK.

During the summer I spent putting Humpty Dumpty back together again I bought what I considered a freakish beater, a 2007 ugly Vee to ride while repairing the RK.

Funny thing happened. I discovered I had joined the ranks of adventure riders. I liked the lighter bike. I loved the handling and power. I bought different color riding clothes. I quit washing my bike and shining chrome. My Harley buddies whispered things about me and shook their heads in disbelief.

The summer turned to winter and the RK repairs were finished. I found out I liked riding all year now, not just when it was warm and sunny. The no cleaning thing grew on me. I rode the Vee the entire winter and the next spring discovered the Harley seemed foreign to me. I kept my Harley over the summer, riding it every couple weeks and finally decided to sell it. I almost had a tear in my eye when it left, but the cost of keeping it did not come back to me in "fun" when I rode it.

The superVee was my favorite for the next 3 years and I rode her to 100,000 miles. I was so smitten with the ADV bike idea I started looking for a replacement for the superVee. I bought an S-10.

I kept the Vee for a while longer but it was too similar to my S-10 and a good friend, and now new ridding buddy wanted it. I now ride with my Vee behind or in front of me.

That Vee was the best $4,500 I have ever spent and changed my moto-preferences dramatically. Long live Harley....Long live the Vee.

Maybe its time for a new avatar.....
 

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#28 ·
Harley got me back into riding after a bad wreck and several year lay off. Got a nice RK.
...............

That Vee was the best $4,500 I have ever spent and changed my moto-preferences dramatically. Long live Harley....Long live the Vee.

Maybe its time for a new avatar.....
This is a quite good post about a person's transitions between bikes.
I think if you're around them enough a person goes through times when you just need something other than what you have and I've certainly done it several times.
Several years back I had an electra glide that I owned for 2 years and just never bonded with it. Great looking bike, never had a problem with it but just didn't ever feel the real attachment I wanted to feel for a bike. It became a 1996 Gold Wing and I rode that for several years.
Somewhere in there I bought my FXD and found I just rode it all the time and the GW just sat so I eventually traded it off on a 2002 BMW R1150GS. I rode the GS a lot, about an even split with the FXD. And after this bikes came and went (although the FXD is still with me)
The point is that bikes come and bikes go, tastes change the style of riding you do changes. Just as Scott was lead back to riding by his Road King and later lead to adventure bikes by his VStrom.
Mostly we are just lucky to have so many good choices in bikes.
 
#31 ·
Me too, for the past ten years and three Harleys. My riding friends all have Harleys and they think I've gone nuts. I have admired some other bikes more recently but stuck with Harley because, well, you know, you just have to have a Harley.

Another guy here that loves his Harley Road Glide for laying down the serious miles. Discovered the V Strom and have to say I would not be without either of them now.
I'm having a hard time justifying keeping the Road King now. I only want to ride the Strom. Don't get me wrong, the Harley is a wonderful bike but it feels like a tank now. The Strom out-performs it in every aspect other than seat comfort. Maneuverability, agileness, smoothness, and braking by far even thought the Road King has ABS. Before the Strom I put 1500 miles a month on the Road King. I haven't put 200 on her since.

And I still worry what people will think and the crap they will give me if I ditch the Harley, but I'm not riding it and it's $18-grand of cash I can free up.

What to do, what to do?
 
#32 ·
After hanging around one of the harley forums, so over the "harley lifestyle" thing...it's claimed that harleys have a "soul" and if I am unsatisfied on my road king, I don't "get it"....often said jap bikes are just "appliances"....my Vee becomes part of me when I ride it, don't have to think to make it go here or there...it just goes...twist and it goes, slight pressure on brake lever and it stops...little juke left and we go left...hard to compare the two really...one is for riding and one is for being seen on...IMO...
 
#33 ·
Don't get me wrong, the Harley is a wonderful bike but it feels like a tank now. The Strom out-performs it in every aspect other than seat comfort. Maneuverability, agileness, smoothness, and braking by far even thought the Road King has ABS.
Which is why I recently sold my 1600 Vulcan, and before that a H-D Electra Glide. Even though they were big bikes which I rode with appropriate discipline I always felt a little uneasy with the lack of maneuverability and the general slowness of handling. They just didn't have the instant and agile response of the Wee when a hazard pops up.

That's why I always question the received wisdom that a bigger bike is safer. A heavy bike might punish granny's Buick more when she turns left in front of you but that won't help you very much except in the satisfaction category.
 
#36 ·
Abso-freaking-lutely! I too own this combo; 2014 Road King and a 2007 Vee. The Vee appeals to my inner hooligan in ways the R-K can't match. Just don't discount the capabilities of the R-K too much. I've taken mine through the twisties at a pretty good clip and she handles it just fine.
 
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