Electra Glide vs. Road King: Which Is The Superior Harley-Davidson option?

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Electra Glide Vs Road King

Thinking of buying a new Harley-Davidson but struggling to choose the better option in Electra Glide vs Road King? You’re not alone! Many Harley-Davidson enthusiasts who are in the market for a new touring bike often struggle to pick one option. This is the case because each of the two bikes is splendid and comes with many exciting features.

The main differences between Electra Glide and Road King are the dimensions, the engine, teh performance, and the finish.

If you’re interested in finding out which is the superior option, this is the right place for you to be. In this article, you’ll get to know about Electric Glide vs Road King, their comparison, their differences, and more.

Electra Glide vs Road King – Bringing something you’ve never experienced before

Harley-Davidson motorcycles come in a wide variety of styles to suit the needs and preferences of the rider. Electra Glide and Road King are a part of Harley-Davidson’s touring line of bikes. The bikes are designed to offer superior comfort and usage during longer rides. If you’re looking to buy a new Harley-Davidson bike, it is normal to wonder about the major differences.

Road King and Electra Glide are very unique bikes in their own way. The two bikes offer an experience that you’ve probably never experienced before. If you want to get a detailed comparison of Electra Glide vs Road King, continue reading from start to finish. From the features like performance to price, engine, dimensions, and more, you’ll get to know everything.

Harley-Davidson Electra Glide

The Harley-Davidson Electra Glide is one of the best-selling touring bike models of Harley-Davidson. At 102.4” long and a seat height of 29.1”, the Electra Glide is comparatively higher than most touring bike models. It is also quite heavy, as it weighs in at approximately 879lbs in running order.

The Electra Glide will also come with an amazing luggage capacity as it comes with almost five cubic feet of storage space as well as four audio speakers. The touring bike’s forked “batwing” fairing is one of its most easily recognizable features. The bike will also rank highly when it comes to comfort. In fact, many Harley-Davidson enthusiasts call it the brand’s most comfortable bike.

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Harley-Davidson Road King

The Harley-Davidson Road King will come in at 96.5” and offers an unladen seat height of 28.2”. The traditionally styled motorbike will come standard with a windshield but offers little in the way of the fairing. It makes the Road King a sleeker bike with a lower, more classic profile that many bike enthusiasts love.

In terms of weight, the bike will weigh around 814lbs when in running order. Further, it’ll feature a cubic luggage capacity of 2.3 cubic feet. The Harley-Davidson Road King doesn’t come with an audio system. The streamlined, classic bike holds a special appeal for experienced and long-distance riders. The Road King model is loved and adored by drivers and passengers for comfort even on poor-quality roads.

Electra Glide vs Road King comparison

Base price comparison

Road King’s suggested retail price comes at $18,999 for people looking to buy the Vivid Black option. If you prefer a color model, you’ll need to pay $19,799 for two-tone paint while Hard Candy Custom costs $21,399. The prices are pretty impressive for the high quality the Road King offers on the road.

The Electra Glide, on the other hand, will cost a bit higher. For the Vivid Black option, you’ll need to pay $18,999 as the base price. For the fancy Electra Glide Ultra Classic edition, you should pay an extra $6000, as it’ll cost you $24,999.

Further, you’ll need to pay slightly extra if you’re looking to use the bikes with their ABS and security systems. There is one thing for certain, you’ll get standard cruise control on both the Harley-Davidson bikes.

Dimensions comparison

One of the things that the brand takes as a priority are the accurate, rider-friendly dimensions of their motorbikes. While the Electra Glide comes with dimensions of 94.5” length, the Road King will feature a 96.5” length.

The Electra Glide has an adequately padded seat at a laden height of 26.1” and an unladen height of 26.8”. Meanwhile, the Electra Glide Ultra Classic features a length of 102.4”, a dry weight of 877lbs, and a fuel capacity of six gallons.

Electra Glide And Road King Motorbike

In terms of gallon capacity, each of the two bikes has a six-gallon fuel capacity. Meanwhile, the Electra Glide could come two pounds lighter. If you’re choosing to add oil or other fluids, the bike will be seven pounds lighter in running order.

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Engine comparison

Both the bikes come with an incredible engine, and you’ll be blown away by the impressive performance. The Milwaukee-Eight engines inside each of the two bikes will prove the typical Milwaukee factor. While the Road King comes with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, the Electra Glide features the Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin engine. The latter offers powerful, smooth performance with crisp throttle response and a soul-satisfying rumble typical of Harley. The two bikes come with the same compression ratio, engine displacement, exhaust, and ESPFI fuel system.

Performance comparison

Praised highly for their power and handling, both the bikes prove their value for money through their incredible performances. When talking about the angle, Road King trumps Electra Glide as it offers a slightly greater lean angle.

The two bikes will come with a fuel efficiency of around 45 miles per gallon. Both of them are built with Impeller Cast Aluminum wheels that offer a world-class experience.

Infotainment comparison

These two Harley-Davidson bikes offer more than just a normal motorbike. While most bikes have to move from point on a padded saddle in the bike to another one with earbuds for the music, the Electra Glide simply deploys a new technology for infotainment.

Although the Road King doesn’t come with a Boom or an audio system, you can still add a Boom system. As for the Electra Glide, it has a better luggage capacity in comparison to the Road King. Further, it’ll come with five cubic feet of storage space as well as four audio speakers.

Finish comparison

The Harley-Davidson Road King will come painted with a black or chrome finish. This is one of the reasons why this classic Touring bike appeals to most veteran, long-distance riders. The Electra Glide, on the other hand, will come painted in either silver or with a polished finish.

Electra Glide vs Road King: What’s Common?

Both the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and Road King will come with great protection from the fairing. Although, the former is a better option in that factor. In terms of stock seats, the two bikes will offer premium comfort with a handy travel trunk item for storage.

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Typical of Harley-Davidson bikes, both the Electra Glide and Road King have an incredibly high demand from riders. In fact, the demand and love for all the Road King and Electra Glide models are truly amazing. The two bikes make use of a similar Milwaukee-Eight engine, although with slight variations. You can always expect and be sure of high performance from your bikes. The two can cover long distances easily and be maneuvered in the roughest of roads and trickiest of terrains. Both the bikes have almost identical frames. As for the trim, Electra Glide fairing will be mounted to frame whereas the Road King will have no fairing. For other bikes, the fairing will be mounted to forks.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading. Hopefully, with this Electra Glide vs Road King comparison, you’ll have a better understanding of the bikes. After reading this article, you will be able to deal with the different details and information as far as the comparison of Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and Harley-Davidson Road King is concerned.

Ultimately, your choice will be yours. It is all about comfort, and you’ll know better what you want. Whether your priority is touring or cruiser or both. If you’re looking for a bike that offers the performance you desire when riding, both bikes will be perfect. The Harley-Davidson Road King is suitable for serving your needs as a touring bike. The Electra Glide, on the other hand, will be ideal when looking for a bike for long-distance touring.

With these bikes, you’ll be able to get comfort and stability even when riding on rough terrains and poor-quality roads. This is one of the reasons why the Electra Glide is popular as Harley-Davidson’s most comfortable bike. Regardless of the bike you choose, remember to ride safely. Further, you should follow all the necessary traffic rules and never go beyond the speed limit. The safety of other users is as important as your safety.

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White Star Rides is your go-to Harley-Davidson expert. We live and breathe these bikes. Our team has years of experience in fixing, riding, and loving Harleys. We know every part of these bikes and love sharing what we know with you. Whether it's about fixing a problem or just enjoying the ride, we're here to help. Trust us to make your Harley journey better and easier.

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