Harley Twin Cam Road King

In fact, I doubt that wet weight, lightness of controls or weather protection matter one iota either. Or in fact, price. What matters most is the feel good factor, and that's a subjective mix of 'the look', 'the note' and 'the name', and the size of the smile it leaves on your face. And that's why Harley continues to dominate this market sector, even with the $10K-plus premium that the Twin Cam 88 model range demands over its Oriental opposition.

It's a marketing phenomenon that the Japanese are still trying to get a grasp on, build a so-called dynamically inferior product, ask a higher price, then sell as many as you can produce.

Eye opener
As for the 'so-called' bit, a recent overnight ride around Victoria's south-west coastline to Port Fairy, then a return along the famed Great Ocean Road certainly opened the eyes of my travelling companions.

Keeping the $31,500 Road King testbike company on our 800km jaunt were a couple of luxo tourers (BMW's K1200 LT and Honda's GL1800/6 Gold Wing, (see next issue for a full comparo) and a mix of dark clouds, occasional glimpses of sunshine and plenty of wet and demanding roads.

Also along for the ride was a test team which comprised young pup and sportsbike/dirtbike fan Sam, and longtime Kawasaki and Honda dealer Rex Wolfenden, now the builder of the very rapid T-Rex Honda Four Post-classic racers. It was an interesting mix, and I was keener than usual to see the look on their respective faces when they first got to sample the Harley.

I'll openly admit that I'm a fan of the latest 1450cc Road King, and I get somewhat peeved with the ample number of people who are all too willing to hang the proverbial on a Harley, without actually ever having ridden one of the new breed. And I reckoned I had two such people along for company...

Harley virgins
There's no doubt my novice test team (ie Twin Cam 88 Harley virgins) and their respective pillion partners were caught by surprise by this latest Road King.

Here is one Harley that can hold its own with the Japanese cruiser opposition, and in fact lead the way in top-gear roll-ons, as past AMCN comparos have proven with Kawasaki's Drifter and Yamaha's 1600cc Road Star.

Our injected Road King testbike had a $363 free-flow airfilter kit (including EFI download) and a set of Screamin' Eagle performance mufflers ($759), but the exhaust note was still quite muted, at least from the saddle.

Boy, I certainly know when you're opening the throttle, said Rex, after tailing the Road King for one stint and taking in the V-twin's throbbing decibels. He was just as impressed when opening the throttle himself from the Harley's saddle for the first time, caught by surprise at the injected Road King's grunt.

A man's bike
"That's a real man's bike. I'm really impressed with how good that engine is. And it revs out, too," said Rex, copping a few dagger looks from wife Joyce over the "man's bike" comment.

"Hey, that's not a bad bike at all" he continued, "I had no idea these new Harleys were that good."

A previous dyno run on a Road King unearthed an impressive 11.49kg-m at 3000rpm, with the dyno graph also showing the Harley was comparatively strong at the top-end. It pumped out 63ps at just 4800rpm versus 55ps at 4600rpm for the 1500cc Drifter and 57ps at 3800rpm for the Road Star. And from 3500rpm to its sign-off at 6000rpm it outpowered both the Japs on the dyno. Wonders never cease. This Harley Fat Head engine is a good unit.

Fat head history
When it was launched in 1998, the Fat Head was the first new Harley engine to be introduced by the company since 1984, when the 80 cubic inch Evolution burst on to the scene.

Back then, the Evo was the fulcrum upon which Harley's fortunes pivoted, following the management buy out of owner AMF in 1981.

After experiencing some years of poor sales and an ever-growing question mark over the marque's reliability, the Evo proved a springboard for the company, and together with a revamped and aggressive marketing campaign, provided H-D with a solid foundation on which it could base its latest generation of motorcycles.

Fourteen years on, the Twin Cam 88 emerged as the first completely new Big Twin the marque had produced since it introduced the overhead-valve 'Knucklehead' engine in 1936.

Increased reliability
The Fat Head displaces 88 cubic inches (1450cc), 110cc more than the Evo's 1340cc. The combustion chambers have been reshaped, and the intake and exhaust ports have been reworked, while breathing is handled by fuel injection.

Harley-Davidson claims increased reliability for the unit over the Evo, due to stronger cases and crank pin, greater bearing area and better heat dissipation due to a 50 percent increase in engine fin area. This also allows for greater reliability with aftermarket performance enhancement, something the old 1340cc mill wasn't always happy with.

Prolonging the Fat Head's engine life is an enhanced oil circulation system, which utilises an internal gerotor-type oil pump, which runs directly off the crankshaft, and runs at crankshaft speed. The oil is filtered before it goes to the engine, while cooling jets spray oil under the pistons to reduce piston temperature.

Stiffer joint
A stiffer engine/transmission joint has been employed in the Twin Cam 88, the connection being more rigid and stronger to provide a better powertrain and overall stiffer chassis.

The crankshaft in the Twin Cam 88 is 0.9kg heavier than its Evolution predecessor (with a 40 percent bigger crankpin), but the flywheels push some of that weight over a smaller diameter. The end result is an engine that spins more freely, revs higher and gives much crisper throttle response, due to a 27 percent reduction in flywheel effect.

Redesign has been extensive, with H-D saying that just 18 of the power unit's 450 parts are common to the Evolution series. Irrespective of all the engineering jargon and PR-speak, the heart of all the Twin Cam 88 Harleys is a beauty which beats strongly and reliably. Just ask Rex...

Winning friends
The Road King testbike won Rex and Sam over with its all round friendliness, comparatively good handling (it ain't a sportsbike remember), comfortable riding position and ample engine performance.

The standard-fitment H-D branded Dunlop Cruisemax rubber was a bit suss on the wet roads we encountered, and the fat 130/90-16 front had a tendency to bump steer over longitudinal ridges in the bitumen.

The Road King is well finished, and reeks of quality. However, there's a price to pay (literally!), as the biggest difference between a Harley and the rest is in fact the price, $31,500 for the Road King isn't cheap. However, for your extra H-D bucks you can argue that you get plenty of chrome, street cred and good resale value with the Road King.

Smiling back
And there are plenty of neat touches, like the quick-release clip-fit catches under the decorative chromed buckles on the leather-trimmed panniers, the imposing set of driving lights, and the view ahead over that large, chromed headlight nacelle.

In fact, that's nearly worth the entry price alone. If you measure the performance of a Harley by the size of the smile it leaves on your dial, at least with the Road King you can see your face smiling back at you.

Rod Chapman