Bigger and easier (gotta try em first) opening.
August 10th, sitting under an over pass just North of Sioux City, IA waiting out a BIG thunderboomer, we had some company in the form of a HD financial employee out of Chicago. He was headed home after Sturgis and no, he wasn't the pool boy. He was pretty good about keeping quiet about the new '14s coming and wouldn't answer any of my questions. However, I did try. Of course we all know what they look like now but then, it was all tight lipped. Couple comments he made stuck with me and with the '14s released now, I understand.
I asked him if there were any water cooled bikes. He wouldn't comment but stated the vRod would be the only water cooled bike....which was a true statement. The twin cooling isn't a complete water cooled motor plus the RK on this thread is still the old, reliable 110 ( 
). He looked at my SG and made the statement "I'd keep that one if I were you". Made me think at the time the new ones may not be "all that" and from what I can see, he was right. Plus, sounds like the CVO SG may not come back.... 
I like the new bags/tour pac but want to see/operate them in person before making a final decision. I personally like the "stock" look of the '14 CVO Road King. Yes, they went backward in taking the stuff off they put on the '13 but the RK was never really promoted as a loaded touring bike. Yes, you can tour on it (and quite a few of us do) but the MoCo had other models out there with more bells and whistles. The Road King is and was always suppose to be a good, solid bare bones touring bike. IMO, it meets that goal and now, with the new '14, it's back on the path it started.
Howard - I understand your point about the RK. Many seem to feel as you do about it. Some people seem to feel so strongly about the RK, it's as if some St. Davidson received a spiritual message from on high in 1994, revealing the borderline-divine purpose of the bike:
"Thou Shalt Have No Creature Comforts, nor Audio, nor Lowers, nor Any Feature That Seems Indulgent. Nothing Other Than A Windshield... For the Road King is Only for Riders Who Neither Desire nor Need These."But where is it written that the RK was never intended to be anything but a stripped-down touring bike, without audio nor lowers, etc? Is it carved in stone somewhere in Milwaukee? Even the MoCo has long offered an add-on handlebar-mounted audio system for the RK!
A particular bike might have a heritage and a reputation, having traveled a certain path for a long time - but to me there is no reason why it can't
evolve into something more over time. The first word in CVO is "Custom", and I really liked what they did with the '13 SERK. It had a lot of custom-looking stuff on it, as I think CVOs SHOULD have, in order to validate their sky-high prices as factory customs.
Maybe there's also a law that says
"Thou Shalt Not Have a Sissy Passenger Backrest" for RKs too... because the '14 SERK doesn't even come with one of those, either!
The website says this about the '14 SERK... "
For the rider who wants it all, the bike that has it all: classic style, long haul comfort. Heavy custom details." The bike that has it ALL? Really? Long-haul comfort... with no back rests, no lowers, no audio, and that thin little stock seat? Hmmmm... I think they're pretty confused about what this bike is supposed to be themselves. I would think the messaging would be more along the lines of:
"The essence of the open road. Classic style and clean lines with custom details. Nothing to get in your way. Just the music of your engine." That guy was right though...
Keep Ginger!Ken
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Topic: 2014 (Read 19670 times)