Answers to Common Questions: 2010 FLHRC

What’s special about a Harley?

This can, and has, been addressed countless times in the last 80 years or so.  In short, it’s a brand that represents the United States of America, folding in all the good (“freedom,” that elusive/illusory/lucid bird) and bad (AMF:motorcycles :: Inflation/War : U.S. lifestyles    … more or less).

 

Doncha have to be over 50 to ride a touring bike?

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH AH HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!

 

What are the differences between a 2009 and 2010 Road King Classic?

There are 3 significant ones.

1.  The 2010 has a catalytic converter.  The cat SUCKS – it makes the pipes warmer (it collects the exhaust and “processes” it, but does it slower than the exhaust flows so it builds up and creates excessive heat.  The cat also robs you of that delicious Harley sound you want so badly.

I hear you can drill it out, but that’s a violation of something.  On the practical side of things, it’s unlikely anyone will ever give a damn or notice.  No one expects a Harley to run around neutered.

You can also swap the pipes out – not slip-ons, but a full system.  These are usually six bills to a grand, depending on what you want.  True duals are the real deal, but you can get a 2-into-1 system for better performance and a whole lotta ugly.  IMHO, of course…

Baby loves a pair of fishtail endcaps on them SuperTrapp slip-ons, yeah!

2.  Helical cut 5th gear.  You know how when you downshift to first when coming to a light, or when pulling away you rev 1st too high – and 1st gear whines? That’s a straight-cut gear.  It’s stronger, but it’s noisy.  The rest of the gears were helical cut to ride more smoothly (sound & performance), except for 5th — up until now.  5th gear was the “top” gear for a while, and so it’d have to put up with lugging when people were too lazy to downshift and with revving when people had no where to shift and needed more horsepower.  We’ve sorted that out with a 6th gear now, but the MoCo didn’t switch the construction of the 5th gear when adding the 6th gear because that would have been a much more complicated design issue.  They took their time with it, and now we have it.

I can’t say when touring bikes got a 6th gear tranny.

Image ruthlessly stolen from the internet.

3. Cost – MSRP for a Road King is $17k, and MSRP for a Road King Classic is $18k.  Typically, you should expect to haggle about $1k off.  ABS is $845 for the 2010 models, up from $835 for 2009 models.

OTHER Differences between FLHR and FLHRC (“Classic” vs Standard Road King) – The biggest difference is the saddlebags.  The classic has them as plastic units upholstered in leather, then worked and tooled and badged with leather fasteners over plastic fasteners.  The standard Road King has, I believe, metal saddlebags with nice latches.

Other differences include:

• The wheels – Classic’s front wheel is 16″ instead of 17″, and they’re spoked and whitewalled instead of whatever’s on the standard
• The sexiness
• The Classic has cruise control stock, the standard Road King has it as an option (more $)
• The seats are different, but they’re stock seats so it’s up to you which is better

Last up (for now – and hopefully I remember to edit this rather than post a follow-up if I think of more additions…):

The standard is never as classy as the Classic.

 

Is the Stage II 103 ci kit worth it?

WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!  Read the entries herein with “Stage II” tags and you’ll get the picture.