Harley Davidson Road King Vs. Harley Davidson Street Glide

“Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.”

Motorcycle riding can be a fun activity. If you are stressed due to work or personal problems, go on a motorcycle tour. It will not only reduce stress, but also cheer you up. Touring bikes have become quite popular worldwide. Almost any motorcycle can be transformed into a touring motorbike through customization. Meanwhile, motorcycle companies also produce factory-made touring bikes for long-distance rides.

Harley Davidson is a popular American motorcycle brand famous for its top-class, factory-made touring bikes with stock saddlebags, fairings, and windscreens.

Two of the best Harley Davidson touring bikes are the Harley Davidson Road King and the Harley Davidson Street Glide. Both motorcycles are ideal for long-distance rides and cruising on open roads. The Harley Road King is a classic touring motorcycle with a large windscreen, hard saddlebags, Hiawatha headlamps, and chrome finishing. Meanwhile, the Harley Street Glide is a modern-day touring bike with a wide batwing nose fairing, hard saddlebags, and an infotainment system. Both motorcycles are aesthetically appealing and produce soul-satisfying rumble. This article provides a detailed comparison between the Harley Road King and the Harley Street Glide.

The Harley Davidson Road King is aesthetically more appealing than the Harley Davidson Street Glide due to its vintage look and chrome finish. It has chrome Hiawatha headlamps, including three headlights with one in the center and two small headlights on both sides. The Harley Road King is also fitted with a large front fork-mounted windscreen for wind protection. It has a narrow, classic front fender with Road King written on both sides. The front fender is chopped to provide a full view of the Slicer II Cast Aluminum front wheel wrapped around the Dunlop tire. A classic tail/stop light, rear turn signals, and license plate holder are mounted on a wide, large rear mudguard, with the gauges mounted on a peanut-shaped fuel tank.

The Harley Road King is fitted with low-mounted, pulled-back handlebars with chrome side mirrors. It comes with a step-up, single-piece rider and passenger seats. For an improved touring experience, the Harley Road King comes with stock hard saddlebags, crash bars, and rider and passenger floorboards. It is also equipped with chrome two-into-one-into-two dual tapered mufflers on both sides.

The Harley Davidson Street Glide and the Harley Davidson Road King have similar base structures, frames, and engines. However, what makes them different is their unique styling. The Harley Street Glide is a popular bagger-style touring bike with a wide batwing fairing that shares a close resemblance with the Harley Electra Glide Standard. However, for the Harley Street Glide, the storage box in the fairing is replaced with a 4.3-inch color screen display. The stock batwing fairing is fitted with a small tinted windscreen, air vent, four analog gauges, two speakers, and side mirrors.

The Harley Street Glide also comes with a single-piece step-up seat capable of two-up riding and provides lumbar support for the rider. It has a simple, narrow front mudguard and a wide rear mudguard with a small LED tail/stop light, license plate holder, and rear turn signals. The Harley Street Glide also comes with stock hard saddlebags and crash bars that provide a better touring experience. It also comes with floorboards that ensure relaxed cruising on open roads.

The Harley Davidson Road King and the Harley Davidson Street Glide are heavyweight motorbikes powered by a 107 cu in Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine. However, the Harley Road King has an ideal touring design, making it easy to handle. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine is capable of a horsepower of 93 hp at 5,020 rpm and a torque of 150.5 Nm at 3,250 rpm.

Though the Harley Street Glide is a popular bagger-style touring bike, the Harley Road King provides a better riding experience. Despite being a heavyweight motorcycle, it handles and performs well on smooth linear roads. The Harley Road King is challenging to maneuver on twists, turns, and riding through slow-moving traffic. However, if you are used to riding a heavyweight touring bike, you will barely notice the weight while cruising at highway speeds.

The Harley Road King’s engine produces adequate torque for long-distance rides. With standard cruise control, this vehicle allows you to cruise effortlessly on open roads. Despite being a bulky touring bike, the Harley Road King has a good throttle response, however, it is difficult to suddenly stop due to being a heavyweight cruiser. However, the Harley Road King’s braking system can be improved by installing an optional ABS that costs $819.

The Harley Davidson Street Glide is a best-selling model in the Grand American Touring lineup with its iconic batwing fairing and Boom!™ Box 4.3 infotainment system. It received minor updates in 2017, including a partially oil-cooled engine cooling system and better suspensions. The Harley Street Glide’s Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine ensures smooth power and torque delivery. However, the throttle response is slow due to the Harley Street Glide being a heavyweight bike. If you are an experienced rider with experience handling a heavyweight motorbike with a large engine, the Harley Street Glide Special model comes with a more powerful 1,868 cc Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine.

Despite weighing 829 lbs, the Harley Street Glide handles well even when riding on busy roads. However, it performs best on open roads and highways. The Harley Street Glide is fitted with a responsive front and easily-adjustable rear suspensions that ensure a comfortable light touring experience. To ensure reliable braking, this vehicle comes with electronically linked braking (ELB) and an optional ABS.

The Harley Davidson Road King is a comfortable touring bike with a cushioned step-up seat that can fit both the rider and the passenger. The step-up seat also provides lumbar support for the rider. This vehicle has an upright riding position due to Its low seat height of 26.3 inches and mid-mounted, pulled-back handlebars. The forward-mounted floorboards allow the rider to rest their feet. The Harley Road King’s ergonomics are comfortable for shorter and taller riders. Due to being easy to customize, the ergonomics can be adjusted to better suit an individual rider’s preferences and riding style. The Harley Road King also comes with passenger floorboards, but comfort can be improved by installing sissy bars and backrests.

The Harley Davidson Street Glide is also a comfortable touring bike with a batwing nose fairing. The fairing-mounted small windscreen cannot reliably block incoming wind while cruising on open roads. The Harley Street Glide’s low-mounted handlebars are less swept-back than the Harley Road King, but still ensure a comfortable, upright riding position. It has a low seat height of 26.1 inches and forward-mounted floorboards. The Harley Street Glide’s low seat height, forward-mounted foot controls, and handlebars position make it better suited for taller and shorter riders. Installing a few aftermarket parts, including a comfortable seat, a large windscreen, sissy bars, and backrests can transform this vehicle into an ideal touring motorcycle.

The Harley Davidson Road King and the Harley Davidson Street Glide are comfortable touring bikes with upright riding positions and forward-mounted floorboards. Both touring bikes are suitable for taller and smaller riders. However, the Harley Road King is best suited for two-up riding due to its comfortable passenger seat and footrests. It also has a large windscreen for better wind protection. Meanwhile, the Harley Street Glide is a fun touring bike with a Boom!™ Box 4.3 infotainment system.

The Harley Davidson Road King and the Harley Davidson Street Glide are popular touring motorbikes in the Harley Grand American Touring lineup. Despite both being fitted with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, the Harley Road King and the Harley Street Glide differ when it comes to performance and touring capability. The Harley Road King is more agile, easy to handle, and has better linear performance. The Harley Road King also is better at maneuvering at low speeds and turning corners than the Harley Street Glide. The Harley Street Glide can be transformed into an ideal touring bike by replacing the small windscreen with a larger windscreen for better wind protection and adding rider and passenger backrests.