Quick Ride

QUICK RIDE

HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD KING Fuel-injected time machine

HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S ROAD King isn’t a motorcycle; it’s a time machine. It transports you back to the 1930s, when airplanes were first being riveted together from aluminum; to the ’40s, when this country’s scientists had just unleashed the secrets of atomic power; and to the ’50s, when old Route 66 was still intact, and the pull of the open road was never stronger.

The Road King’s mechanical roots don’t trace back quite that far, however. Designed to evoke the pure classic panache of older, unfaired Harley touring bikes, the Road King is effectively a stripped-down FLHTC Electra Glide.

For an additional $800 (taking its price to $14,035), the Road King now can be ordered with electronic fuel injection. The injected FLHRI lights up with a few revolutions of the crank, regardless of the weather, and can be ridden off immediately with smooth response.

And “smooth” is indeed the word-the rubber motor mounts quell all objectionable vibration, and the engine pulls with seamless urgency. It’s no horsepower monster-we measured only 52 bhp at 5000 rpm. But it sure does make some nice torque down low: 68 foot-pounds at 2500 rpm, to be precise.

On backroads, the Road King’s big torque and smooth response make it a pleasant traveling companion, asking for few shifts and allowing the midrange pulsing of the big VTwin to lull you. In the corners, it steers lighter than any over700-pound motorcycle has a right to, and all its controls work with surprising precision. The dual-disc front brake is capable of hard stops with just a two-finger pull, and even the shifting has evolved into more “click” than “clunk.”

When the road straightens, you may notice that the King pulls slightly to the left; the balance of Harley’s touring chassis seems a tad off ever since the oil tank and battery were moved to allow more right-side saddlebag space a few years ago. On our example, though, it wasn’t bothersome, and only noticeable hands-off.

On the highway, the Road King’s detachable windscreen parts the air well, though a little turbulence sneaks past to buffet the head of a 6-foot rider. With the windshield removed, the lowish handlebar perfectly compensates for the wind pressure on your chest up to 65 mph or so.

The Road King is as much an archetypal image of luxurious, open-air touring as a 1955 Buick Roadmaster convertible. The difference is that the Road King works more like a modern vehicle than a classic. If that doesn’t make it a magical time machine, we don’t know what would.

Steve Anderson