2024 Harley-Davidson Road King Special

In 1994, Harley-Davidson introduced the first Road King—the FLHR Electra Glide Road King, more precisely. Although it was a 1950s-inspired tourer like the Electra Glide Sport, which it effectively replaced, it was also stripped-back: Nixing the fairing, stereo, tour trunk, backrest, and cruise control made it 73 pounds lighter than the Ultra Classic.

Thirty years later, the Road King is still a stripped-back tourer, though thanks to modern technology and modern tastes, it’s both way more loaded (rider aids! cruise control!) and way more utilitarian (bon voyage, chrome trim!). If the original Road King looked like the kind of Harley your Sunday school teacher would ride, the 2024 Road King Special puts that image as far in the rearview mirror as air suspension and rubber-mounted Evos. The Road King uses a Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, producing a claimed 95 hp at 5,020 rpm and 122 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,750 rpm. It comes standard with ABS and linked braking, but can be optioned with lean-angle sensitive ABS, traction control, and drag-torque slip control, as well as vehicle hold control, and tire pressure monitoring. Its hard saddlebags feature one-touch opening and have a claimed 2.5 cubic feet of capacity (nearly 71 liters).

In the sea of faired tourers in H-D’s Grand American Touring lineup, the Road King Special continues to make a statement. It’s sort of the naked bike of baggers. Back in 2017 we even named it to the CW Ten Best list, saying, “We picked the Road King Special here for being the absolutely coolest bike with bags to ever roll down American highways.” Since then, it’s even been updated to keep up with the times. Way cooler than your Sunday school teacher’s King, right?

The 2024 Road King Special starts at $24,999 for the Billiard Gray color scheme. Additional colors cost from between $500 and $700.