I had 3 street glides and a 2017 Roadking. I have much more fun on my heritage with the 114. I don't do a lot of freeway riding however. Your road tests are spot on. Thank you

I have a 09 Road King I ride coast to coast at least once a year. It's not a "couple hundred miles" bike. It's the classic touring design for those of us who don't want a car dashboard on our motorcycles.

I stepped “down” from a ‘16 CVO Street Glide to a ‘18 Heritage Classic 114 and I gotta say, I haven’t looked back or regretted the swap at all. The Heritage rides so smooth and handles twisties night and day better. Bumps don’t upset the Heritage like my CVO, Harley has done a wonderful job with the new softail. The 114 is really powerful on this lighter bike and it just screams down the road, the M8 114 vs the CVO 110 is much more linear with the power delivery and with loads of torque. The balance is really nice on these Heritage bikes as well, it’s very easy to stand it up with a weight much lower to the ground. Yank the bags and windshield and it’s a classic around town cruiser, saddle it up, clip in the windshield and you’ll have no problems cruising 75-85 mph down the highway for extended rides. If you haven’t tried the HC give it a go, if you want a bike with dual personality look no further...it’s a sweet ride!

I love my 2018 Heritage Softail, but I do like the look of the Road King with the hard saddle bags.

Just bought my first Harley. A Road King. My wife loves it.

I really like the look of the '18 Heritage Classic, which is not only my favorite of the Softails, but my favorite bike in the entire lineup.

Based on your comparison I bought the Heritage 114 two weeks ago. I wanted more of an all-around bike than a freeway cruiser. I've put 1200 miles on it so far and found it to be just as you said. Great bike! Thanks for all the insights.

I’m still torn between the heritage 114 and a road king special. Might flip a coin lol

Thanks for a useful video: most of the ones I've watched just wasted my time. I knew nothing about Harleys, & went to the dealer yesterday. For the riding I do, the "fit specialist" and I quickly narrowed it down to the Heritage & Road King. I try to avoid the interstates, love the curves, and have ridden a 600# metric cruiser for the last 14 years, so I figured the Heritage would be the obvious choice. NOT SO! In the first 60 seconds of test driving each, it was obvious that the Road King matched me better. One's gotta get the bikes on the road to really be sure. As it turned out, I happened to like the look of the RK a lot better, too. I only went to get some information. I rode home on the Road King.

I love to watch these kind of videos coming from the US! Especially because the view from our european point of view is so much different.

The road king is a touring without a stereo and GPS, the only sound I want to hear is my rineharts. If I want music or GPS I'll use my phone and earbuds and save a ton of $$$$$

Another great detailed video from Laidlaw's! Thank you so much for your reviews, supporting the channel form Florence, Italy. If I have the chance to come to LA I'll definitley visit you guys at the shop. Ciao!

New softails are a modern motorcycle with great heritage looks and feel. They handle incredibly well. I still love the roadie, and also, if you go two up or add a tour pack and side/lower fairings, the king is the best. For infrequent trips (and they can be long trips) but two or three times a year, or for more frequent short trips, the softail will give you more grins and will be much easier handling around town. With the Heritage, you enjoy the long trip but are glad to get to the destination. With the King, you want to just not stop and keep on cruising! Thanks for the great videos, Matt. I had a King, have ridden a new softail and have an Ultra Glide, but after this vid, I am convinced I desperately need to buy BOTH of these bikes! Ride every chance you get!

I got a 2019 Deluxe, I rode 250 miles the first weekend I got it. It was a amazing ride, at one point I was going 90mph-95mph for miles. Didn't feel any vibrations, I didn't even notice how fast I was going.

That Heritage looks so much like a 50FL it's amazing. True classic Harley-Davidson style that many continue to love including me. I'd buy the Heritage-- stupidly perhaps--on looks alone.

I never post comments on videos, but this time I must say: You have absolutely nailed it with the fact that the road king is better for shorter riders, specially with the reach seat. I am 5'4'' and I do own a 2018 road king special. BEST Harley for long touring (did with it a trip from Mexico to Canada... obviously great trip). Specially taking into account the fact that I didn´t want the weight and hassle of the fairing. I just happened to watch your video and it just clicked with me. Thanks man, for taking the time and effort with your videos. Congrats!

Finaly got a delivery date for my Sport Gide! I'm hoping that, for the occasional overnight stay, but mainly local cruising, it will be the perfect combination. Really like the Heritage though. The other option would have been getting that and keeping my sportster, but I couldn't really justify that!

I seen a lot of you tube videos about bikes. You are the number one in all of you tube. I thinks its your calm voice

Thanks for the video really usefull ... Ive just purchased my Road King Special ....

Another great vid, def one of my favourite channels.

Recently visited Laidlaw Harley on a business trip. Matt was as nice as he appears to be on the videos. Took time to talk to me and answer a few questions. Great looking dealership. Very helpful and friendly staff.

one of the most complete and unbiased comparisons for us consumers, thank you Matt.

Another great video Matt !! Love my 17 King. You are absolutely correct, I love the weight of the bike on the highway and in windy conditions compared to my old Softail.

Looking at buying a Heritage and this made up my mind. Thanks so much. I'll stop by Laidlaw one of these days. Appreciate it guys.

Just bought my 2018 Heritage Classic 114 couple weeks ago. Love it. Although wish I had the Road King painted bags & bigger windshield.

Awesome video Matt. I just test rode both the 114 Heritage Softail and the Road King this week too. I thought they were both very comfortable and handled well. At the end of the rides, I felt the Road King was the one I liked best. I'd love to compare the Road King Special and the Street Glide also before I decide on my next purchase.

Ty for this. Answered a lot of Questions I had and many I had Not thought of !!

well done. i have had both, i liked the cruise control on the road king, my heritage at that time didnt have one. both bike are a little bit to big for me i am 5'8'. also both vibrated a bit throught the handlebars which made my throttle hand go dead.....i have an 18 softail slim, i love it, no vibration and handles real slick. if i had a lot of dough though, i would also own the new heritage as well.

Just bought a Heritage with the114. It's has the denim gray and black with red pinstripes. Nice looking. Can't wait to open it up on the road. I'm under 500 mile on the bike so I have to take a easy on it.

I keep going back and forth between these two. This video has me thinking heritage for the type of riding i do. I spend 95% of my time on secondary roads. I only get on the freeway when i absolutely have to.

I ride a 1999 RoadKing, 88 cube Dual cam, carbed Harley Davidson, with a 6 speed Baker transmission, and go through 4 to 6 tanks of fuel a day, half way across America, and LOVE IT!!! I'm not beat up at the end of the day, and feel great, I love my Harley Davidson's!!!!!!

I'll take that black Heritage as it sits stock, right there. Please and thank you!

Man, that heritage is sweet......

I've nvr scraped my pipes in curves yet? The rk handes great two up in curves too. I got the stage 2 a great idea. U won't regret it guys.

love my 2016 Road King. I'm 5'6", 165 lbs. and I feel just right on my (not lowered) Road King, not too big, not too heavy. Stock seat is comfortable for me, and stock passenger pad is comfortable for my wife too, she's smaller than me. Longest ride we've been on together was about three hours from Virginia Beach to Cape Hatteras, stopped for lunch, looked at the lighthouse and the ocean, then rode for three hours on the return home. loved it

Greetings from Belgium. Great work as always! I don t miss any of your videos. Give us some more sir. I hope that one day me and my wife can see Laidlaw's harley davidson for real. It look like a wondeful place!

I love Laidlaw HD. I go out of my way and go to them when I need parts or service.

Wow that Road King & color reminds me of of my old 2001 I had. Very nice. I road half the country on it. Plus, put an additional 20k miles on it.

I own a Road King & owned a Heritage Softail. Really appreciate your straight talk & keen observations. A bigger man at 6'-1"/190lbs, the RK is more comfortable. A bright white, Police Issue my RK occasionally gets a nod from men that admire it, but women called out how pretty they thought the HC was. I expect the chrome bedazzled saddlebags & seats helped, but Pearl White/Orange colors didn't hurt. Thought your viewers might care. Thanks for the good work & keep it up. You earned a new subscriber.

Aahh, them bikes, them bikes... I´m a sucker for the Road King Special. it has such badass looks in the darker, non chrome livery. It seems that the Road King line sort of remained the same over a few years without any upgrades or so? How come when every other model got changes.? One thing IS for sure... that CVO beard is awesome! Top notch video as usual. Keep em´coming sir!!!

Agree with you on all points. Well spoken and great comparo vlog. Really polished. Thanks Matt!

Love your ride and comparison blogs

used to ride a 2013 RK, currently on a 2018 heritage classic aniv. Love this bike, rides super on european roads. Super chassis, super engine! thanks for this review! Best on YT .

Superb video, brought out details I hadn’t considered. I’m looking at the same choice, between a RK & Heritage. One thing I’d add, upgrading rear suspensions would be less expensive on a RK from what I’m told.

Bought a 2018 rk. Absolutely love it. I find it to be very nimble for its size

11 Electra glide classic. Moving to 10 inch bars changed the whole feel of handling. I am convinced that the lower bars have a big effect on the top heavy feel. The heritage is nice though.

You make the best motorcycles videos ever. Thank you!

Hey Matt, great video again with reviews on both bikes. Upgraded Road King to ‘17 CVO Street Glide but I miss my old bike Road King at times 😉 anything with 2 wheels are all good 👍🏼

I agree with you about the motorcycle commute over Bridge with my Street Glide and you feel more gravity on that bike very little wind

Thanks for the video! I used to have a '15 RK classic, now i am on a Heritage classic anv 114. The new bike is much more nimble, good on longer distances, but RK is a tiny bit better for high speed highway work. On our European roads the heritage 2018 is super, less weight more nimble, i love the new softalils! Love that engine, love the new frame (i had a 2010 fatboy before the RK). Ride them both and decide for yourself ! they are a close match.

Thanks for posting this. I'm planning a touring bike purchase in the not too distant future and have been comparing these two. The Road King always finishes first for me and this comparison reinforces my choice.

As always very informative video. Your boy Andrew flipping someone off at 8:45 LOL!

I'm one of the guys that made comments about the new styling for the Heritage vs the older style, and how I didn't like the new look. I'll eat those words now. I love the blacked out bits, and losing the conchos has grown on me. I had a 94 Heritage, loved it, but you're right about the bags.When they get some hard road miles on them they droop. I will still say that I'm still not a fan of the lock on the top.

Thanks Matt for another stellar video. They are both awesome bikes!!! I do love Jamie's mods though.

Another great 411 video Matt. 👍🏻 You’re right about what people say about black H-D. My FLSS Came blacked out of the box. Plus I powder coated black some more parts to it. And I get a lot of older people not Liking my FLSS saying I ruined it.. And telling me that H-D are supposed to be chromed out.. lol 🖤

Perfect video, nicely done mate.

They are both excellent choices imo

if I had to change from my SGS it would be a RK in that color , thanks for the video

Good review but I love my 16 road king ,new set of tires made it handle the curves like a dream better than original tires and have added the premium shocks ,I was putting on some chrome pieces and it seemed to be a good time as any change shocks.

I luv my rk I rode it today for about 5 hours totally comfortable. I got the stage 2 its incredible!

Always a great review. I love my 114 heritage. Great bike. Let hd know they need to fix the heritage bags. If you wash it it leaks around the stitching and comes up through the hole in the plastic bottom on the left bag. Strange the right bag doesn't leak. My dealer confirmed they all do that.

Love the video, answered most my questions. Still going to do the test ride, I might be a lil bias towards road king though

My favorite video yet!

Really enjoyed the review, Matt. I have a 2017 RK and one thing I like is the increased lean angle over the Heritage. It's not a huge issue and for some maybe no issue, but I appreciate not having that 'jaw clenching' in turns where it would be close.

To me their both great bikes ...to me depending on the seat and wind shield you have, on a softail I find you fit into the the bike and on the RK you sit on it. RK has to be the best all round Harley....Matt good video as always ☝️

I had a 2017 ultra limited liked it alot,so smooth but found it to be abit cramped compared to my 2018 Heritage. I absolutely love the Heritage. I find it way more comfortable to ride and with the stage 2. 114 it's a rocket. Handling looks it's got it all.

I disagree with your comments about a fairing providing more wind protection than a windshield. I have owned a new 2005 RK (5 years & 75,000 miles), a new 2010 Electra Glide Classic (3 years and 52,000 miles), new 2014 Indian Vintage (windshield), and currently a new 2017 RK (28,000 miles). I live in Miami, FL and have ridden across country and parts in between numerous times. I rode from Miami to Alaska and back in 2009 on my 2005 RK and again in 2015 on my 2014 Indian Vintage. The key to wind protection with either a windshield or a non lowers fairing is to add the old style walrus tusks (the newer style do not protect as well) and the center small wind deflector. After adding both to my 2005 RK and 2017 RK the windshield gives better wind protection than my 2010 EG Classic with just the fairing. After adding the walrus tusks and the center wind deflector to the 2010 EG Classic wind protection was equal, windshield or fairing. I am definitely going to give the Heritage Classic a serious look in a year or so when replacing my 2017 RK. Being 74 years old the lower center of gravity is a plus.

Great vídeo ... amazing congratulations .. I had 3 1200gs in a row and now i will jump into a Harley-Davidson. Three are my focus now FatBoy, Heritage and Road King Classic. I use it for long trips during the weekend with my wife and sometimes to commute to my office that is in another city, so it is more road than inside city ... so Im looking for confort, torque and for sure an agressive looking. I think that FB is not for this propouse right? Which one would you recommend? Thanks for your comments!!!

Next time I wanna nap I’ll listen to ya

Matt, I hope you realize if you really invest time into this you will really be evangelizing people to the Harley brand. I'm sure you need to spend your time selling bikes, but the more videos of these that get into new peoples youtube feeds the more potential Harley riders.

I luv the dual discs up front

The rk is a great joy to ride, I ride mine all the time...

The Road King with the twin brakes up front tips the scales for me. But saying all that, my all time favorite Harley was my dearly loved 99’ Heritage Softail...the last of the hard mounted evo’s.

bought my first Harley and it was due to the m8 and bought the heritage 114. I love it.

Yea man your videos are great eye openers!

Great review(s) as usual!

I've owned Rk's in the past,and just traded my 2008 SG for a 2020 Rk. This video reminded me how much I miss my Rk. Love the chrome RK! Thanks Matt

Great video Matt like always 👌👌👌

CHEERS matt!! yea for what I want to do and see the country downunder the roadking is my ride!! big kms over here like you guys have the miles there!!! cheers again!! hey mate another? for you lol 115 year anniversary roadking??

Another issue with spokes while traveling is repairing a flat. Ain't likely to happen if you need to remove the tire and change the inner tube. Ride On tire sealant OTOH, makes tubeless tires nearly indestructible. HD went to a lot of trouble hiding cables, tubes, and harnesses to make their engines clean and attractive. Camaflouging them with black pain seems nearly criminal to me. Then again, when electric bikes are all that are made, no one will be able to tell a black battery box from the previous black V-twin engine. I think the RK is a beaut, but I'm not much for riding the interstates. I think I'd roll my own bagger using a Fatbob with comfort seat/ passenger backrest, 19" windscreen, and the foot controls off the Heritage. WIndscreen would stay in the garage unless I did need to travel the interstate or when it gets cold. Lots of possibilities for luggage. I really like the rider triangle on the Fatbob, but I do prefer floorboards for heal support on bikes with forward foot controls. And then of course I'd have to buy a bunch of chrome accents so I could see the shape of the engine when I look at the bike... Thanks for the vid. Lots of good stuff to ponder.

Matt, thanks for the video. I'm still trying to decide between these two. I have a 17' Road Glide Special now and previously owned a 13' Switchback. I'm 5'8" 145lbs. The Switchback felt tailor-made for me. The main thing that bothered me was the wind protection (in hindsight I could have bought a custom windshield and put lowers on). When the SB got a major oil leak last year I traded it in and upgraded to the RGS, primarily for the wind protection, as most of my rides are 1hr or more on the highways. However, the suspension on the RGS is terrible for my weight. It bounces me around with the slightest of bumps. I installed aftermarket shocks from SuperShox (13") to see if they would help, which gave me an extra inch of travel. Nevertheless, it only made a small difference and my ride is still very bumpy. So, I'm now considering going to the Heritage, which seems identical in many ways to the Switchback, but newer with more features and a better engine. If I could find a way to substantially improve the suspension on my RGS I would keep it, but I feel resigned at this point. I've ridden the 18' King standard and it felt fine. I would need to customize it for my height as the shield is too tall and the bars too far of a reach forward. Ultimately, suspension and wind protection are most important to me. Is the RK that much better in both of those areas than the Heritage? The Heritage seems more tailored for me in all other ways as I am a relatively aggressive rider and appreciate nimbleness even though most of my riding is on the highway (I haven't been able to test ride the Heritage yet because of the current stay-at-home guidelines). Any thoughts here would help and be much appreciated. Thank you!

Im very pleased with my rk purchase, its fun to ride...

On the road king great motorcycle I think it's an underrated Harley-Davidson thanks for the video Matt take care

I met a rider with 2018 CVO Street Glide he had a "stage 4" installation done to that bike, I have a 2017 CVO Street Glide. Good lord that bike was Hellish fast! How many inches were added to that 117 inch, black rubber all over the road the bike gone over the horizon. I need this. Regards, James

Good educational video for new bikers👍

Luv ur stuff matt u represent our beloved brand well.

Your reviews are amazing! Unfortunately, Harley just doesn't do it for me but I still watch.

Yes absolutely agree on the heavier bikes. Not really affected by high winds on my 18 street glide. My Cadillac on 2 wheels. 😊

The heritage might be my favorite looking bike. I’ve always loved that bike.

Great video! Thanks. Used to own '05 RK Classic and '07 Heritage Softtail Classic....Big change in the Heritage look in '18. I'm re-entering biking after a few years off....near 60 yrs old....sounds like the RK suits me better.....though i just watched your video on the '17 Limited and you've got me thinking about stepping up to that one! Would the extra weight of the rear tour pack raise the bike's overall center-of-gravity and make riding very different for someone like me who comes from no-tour-pack Road King and Heritage models?

Great video Matt! I am dealing with this exact issue. I own an 18 FB that I love but don’t own a cage and getting groceries can be a challenge. So I’m trying to figure out which one would check all the boxes. The Heritage has a good discount on it, but I love the King and hard bags, floor boards and heel toe shifter. Any thoughts... thanks again.... Ride hard or stay home😎

Grat Video. Thx.

Road King for me! How about a 2018 Vicla RK build?😎

Good video!

Hope to see you tomorrow at the Century Station Memorial Ride!👊🏼🏍🏍

My last purchase was exactly between these two models. Previously had a 2016 RK and was looking for a somewhat lighter bike with touring capabilities. Test drove both and found the 114 a pretty rough running bike, especially when getting on the throttle. Honestly I was disappointed after doing the test ride. Definitely lighter and easy to handle but it felt much smaller to me than my old RK. The dealer then let me test ride a 2018 RK and I found it to be a much nicer ride. Much smoother than the 2016 with the 103 c.i. motor and smoother than the 114 c.i. motor. I do tour quite a bit and felt the RK gave me more of what I needed. Spokes look nice but you can’t plug it if it goes flat so cast wheels make more sense to me. Also double disc brakes up front, engine and bag guards and higher load capacity (we ride two up very often) made the decision for me. I’ve owned sportsters, softails and touring bikes, both faired and unfaired and I like the RK best of all I’ve owned. Living in Florida, I need to have good rain and wind protection but also a good amount of air flow in the warmer months. This RK is 75 pounds lighter than my limited was and the handling is much better. To me the RK is the best bike Harley sells. Good cruiser and good touring bike.

great informative video. How about a comparison between the Heritage and Road King earlier models say pre 2012?

Of course what greatly helps in rendering a true comparison is a heavy metal soundtrack!

I bought a 18 rk luv it!!!

How do they compare in low speed maneuvers i.e. Parking lot speeds and doing U turns ? Your videos never seem to mention that..