The 2004 Harley-Davidson Road King Base has a 4.5 overall rating and places fifth of 17 comparable touring cruiser models ranked by Motorcycle.com. It earns five stars in quality, reliability, and value. It earns four stars in performance and ride and comfort. The Road King Classic has an overall four-star rating and is ranked sixth out of 17 comparable models, with five stars for its quality and reliability but only four for its ride and comfort and value. It receives 4.5 stars for its performance. The Road King Custom, although liked, is ranked overall 10 of 17.
The 2004 Road King has a standard length of 93.7 inches. The dry weight for the Road King Base is 723 pounds, 721 pounds for the Road King Custom, and 710 pounds for the Road King Classic. The Road King Base and Classic have 5.1 inches of ground clearance. The ground clearance for the Road King Custom is 4.7 inches. The Road King comes equipped with aluminum, 16-inch front and back wheels and a 63.5-inch wheelbase.
The 2004 Road King uses a steel-frame construction with engine case guard and tank divider. Models come standard with a rubber-mounted, 1442 cc, air-cooled, V-Twin engine, with wide-ratio gears and a five-speed manual transmission.
The Road King Base engine displacement to weight is 1.99 cc with 86 lb-ft of torque. The Custom’s engine’s displacement is 2 cc with 86 lb-ft of torque. The Classic’s engine displacement is 2.03 cc with 86 lb-ft of torque. The model is purported to be able to conceivably finish a fuel-injected low 11-second quarter mile.
The Road King’s digital instrumentation is clustered and sits on top of the fuel tank. There is no navigation system, GPS, tachometer, lap timer, trip computer, or shift light. The speedometer, odometer, and temperature warning light are all that come standard. Conveniences include cruise control, self-cancelling turn signals, a more easily accessible horn, and “beefy” brake and clutch levers.
Lockable left and right hard-side leather cases and helmet and leather storage are standard features on the Road King.
CD, CB, and keyless ignition are not standard on the Road King Classic.
A cassette Player, CD, CB, and keyless ignition are not standard on the Road King Base and Custom models.