A lower stance, a cleaner look, and a whole new level of cool are the hallmarks
of the brand-new Road King Custom FLHRS, the latest addition to
Harley-Davidson’s nostalgic Road King middleweight touring line. Harley’s aim
was to capture the aura of the custom bikes that prowl California beach towns,
and they got the bad attitude just right.
Lowering the Road King’s
air-adjustable rear suspension was the first step in producing a more laid-back
disposition that is complemented by a wide, pullback beach-bar handlebar. What
Harley removed is every bit as important as what was added, and they cleaned up
and smoothed out the bike’s look considerably by removing all the trim and
trinkets from both fenders. Gone too is the Road King’s windshield, replaced by
a new triple-clamp cover and stylish chrome wind deflector atop the
headlight.
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Streamlining the bike further was a matter of adding sleeker
footboards, passenger pegs and even a more slimline brake pedal; other details
include bullet turn signals fore and aft; a sculpted chrome lightbar; and
slash-cut mufflers for the chromed crossover dual exhausts. Additional custom
touches include a stretched chrome fuel-tank console with a larger, restyled
silver-faced speedometer, and new nickel-formed, chrome-plated tank
emblems.
For 2004, all seven of Harley-Davidson’s touring rigs get a
new 143mm MU85 rear tire that is 8 percent wider than the previous models and
promises 30 percent longer life. The Custom’s Dunlop rubber is mounted on
16-inch, slotted, chrome-plated aluminum alloy wheels. Braking is accomplished
by dual 11.5-inch discs up front, and a single rotor of the same size out back,
all armed with 4-piston calipers.
The Custom benefits from major chassis
modifications made to the touring lineup in 2002 to improve stiffness and ride
quality at all speeds. Among the upgrades were a larger, 180 percent stiffer
swingarm; retuned engine mounts; a larger, one-inch diameter rear axle; and
improved, retuned suspension. The FLHRS’ 41.3mm telescopic fork offers 4.6
inches of travel, while the short rear shocks provide an even two inches of
leeway.
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