Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson FLHRS/IRoad King Custom
Harley Davidson FLHRSRoad King Custom
.FLHRS/I Road King® Custom Model Overview Brand new in 2004, the Road King Custom is taking the Road King family evenfurther in the custom direction. Taking cues from our customers, this excitingnew model is a leaned-down and dressed-up version of its Road King brethren andis certain to generate excitement. Now within the Road King family there arethree models to choose from, with the new Road King Custom leading the way incontemporary custom styling. Lowered rear suspension, pullback "beach bars",clean leather saddlebags, and an overall "smoothie" theme will make this bike ahit with custom lovers around the world. The Road King Custom offers wicked goodlooks and a dose of attitude, while still retaining the comfort and androad-worthiness that Road King enthusiasts expect. The Road King Custom hasroots tied to the 1978 FLHS Electra Glide "Stripped" model and captures thatlineage with its FLHRS designator.
Features Include:
Lowest seat height in the Family Clean front and rear fenders New cast and chromed front and rear wheels New "Beach Bar" Handlebar New chrome wind deflector, nacelle trim strip and triple clamp cover New extended headlamp trim New streamlined rider footboard and brake lever pad New passenger foot pegs New nickel-plated, metal fuel tank name plate New stretch fuel tank console New silver-face speedometer New seat New smoothie leather-covered saddlebags New hidden saddlebag supports New sculpted rear light bar Bullet front and rear turn signals Longer-life, wider rear tire- Offers a nominal 30% increase in tire life* * Tire life is highly dependent on vehicle loading, riding style, road andweather conditions. 30% increase is the nominal result based on controlled testresults.
Available Options
Security System Electronic Fuel Injection Color Options
Vivid Black Brilliant Silver Luxury Teal Smokey Gold Real Red Luxury Blue Lava Red Sunglo
Review
Harley - and lots of observers - must be waiting with more than alittle tension to see what 2004 has to offer when it comes to sales. The companyhad a record-breaking year in 2003, driven in part by the extraordinarycelebrations surrounding the 100th anniversary.Also, the company traded on its centenary by coming up with a special range, allof which were appropriately badged to (hopefully) give them some sort ofcollectible status. And why not? A little hoopla never hurt and it's not everyday you get to mark 100 years of continuous production.WHAT IS IT?Okay, so what have they done to pique some customer interest for 2004? H-Dwatchers will not be in the least bit surprised to see the company develop oneor two new variations on existing models - in this case the Road King. We nowhave a Road King Custom (or FLHRSI), which is lowered substantially (down 31mmin the seat to 718mm) and given the dress-up treatment in some areas, withthings like a monster set of pullback handlebars.So far as we can tell there are pearl and black versions available in Oz - wegot the former, which was a visual stunner. Long low lines accompanied by agenerally uncluttered look. Very tasty.Powering this lot is the 1450 Twin Cam engine, injected in this case, with afive-speed gearbox and belt final drive. It's a healthy if not stunningperformer in stock form, though a set of pipes and an air cleaner kit can scoresubstantially more horses. Of course Harley will also be happy to sell you hotup kits in various stages of tune.For those who haven't made the move up from an Evo engine, it's noticeablysmoother while having a bit more of everything across the range.
The basic frame is the FLH touring item a Road King rollingpackage. That means the meaty conventional enclosed fork set-up, a twin-shockrear, and triple discs. The braking package is probably the biggest singleimprovement to Harleys in the last 15 years. It's still not cutting edge - nordo you need it to be - but it stop in a respectable distance with reasonablefeedback. There's considerably worse out there in cruiserland. Cast alloy16-inch rims finish off the package.Fuel capacity is 18.9 Litres, claimed dry weight is 327 kilos, and retail priceis $29,995 plus ORC.WHAT'S IT LIKE?In stock trim, this is really a one-person motorcycle, as the sloped pillionarea almost guarantees the passenger is a temporary fixture. There's plenty ofoptional seats available if two-up work is what you have in mind.Many folk will love the super-low seat, though tall riders are likely to findit's too low for them.The engine and gearbox are thoroughly enjoyable - no complaints at all. They'reinexpensive to service, should last well so long as you don't get too radical onthe modifications, and are ridiculously cheap to run. Despite the considerablebulk, it's not difficult to get close to 20km/litre on the highway.While the styling looks great, it extracts some penalties when it comes topracticality. I've already mentioned the pillion seat, and the other areas thatdon't quite work are the handlebars and cornering clearance.The long pullback on the bars, combined with their considerable height inrelationship to the seat, and the forward-mounted footboards, makes them fairlyawkWard to use and quite uncomfortable after a decent time in the saddle. Muchas they look good, I'd be swapping them for a more conventional bend.Whether or not cornering clearance becomes an issue will depend on what sort ofriding you do. While I thoroughly enjoy standard Road Kings, and find them morethan adequate in the cornering department, the Custom is very limited in how faryou can bank it over before some fairly expensive metal starts grinding on thetarmac.The saddlebags are a handy addition, though they're quite small inside.If it were me, I'd be heading straight for the 'real' Road King, which remainsone of the best cruisers on the market. However the Custom's looks and super-lowseat will appeal to some, and there's lots of goodies in the accessory catalogueto change anything you don't like.
Source Bikepoint