Have a deposit on 2008 screaming eagle road king (1000.00), Love the look of the bike. Have never had a harley,
but always wanted one. I have seen a lot of negitive responses to the 110 enginges, is it more the ultra's vice
the road king and so on. Would appriciate all responses. Bike is to arrive in june. Thanks TDW
TDW,
The issues specific to the 110 (head gasket leak, valve noise, automatic compression releases) affect all 110's, not just those in one model. So to answer one of your questions, a Road King isn't less liable to have issues than an Ultra. As for the crankshaft issues, those aren't specific to the 110 since the same crankshaft is used in the 96, 103, and 110.
You mentioned never owning a Harley before. If you rode a BMW or Goldwing, you may want to get a test ride on the Harley before you make your final decision. Even the CVO bikes have a significant performance deficit when compared to some of the other brands. The reason I mention this is that I feel the advice given by Spiderman is right on the money. If you buy the bike, leave the engine stock. If you make any modifications to improve performance, you may be throwing your warranty away. A few years ago that wouldn't have been a big deal, but with the failure rates of the current models it is something to consider. Of course, if your wallet is fat and you don't mind throwing down another $5k-$10k over the purchase price to correct the deficiencies, then by all means go for it.
Jerry