2005 Harley-Davidson reviews

The counterbalanced motor gives it such a smooth ride Show less

This is a good motorcycle that you will want to keep. It handles narrow country roads excellent, but will do just fine on a major highway. The Fatboy is my favorite, but the Sportster is great for country roads. In other words, do not trade it in if you get a large road bike! Show less

I just bought my first Harley, the 2005 Road King. I've owned many Japanese bikes but decided to make the move to a Harley. It's one of the smartest moves I have made. I can't believe how well built they are compared to the Japanese bikes. The paint and chrome is far superior, nevermind the awesome ride. I find any excuse to go out to the garage to drool over my lava red Road King. Now I know why people say there is just something about a Harley. Show less

I bought my first Sportster in 1971, it was a '70 XLH. It was balanced, blue printed and other engine mods and could eat up Honda 750's all day long. This '05 is a blast. The 1200 motor delivers great power. The smaller bike makes it easier to handle also. But it will take a few changes if I want it to be a road bike. (the seat especially) I have had it a month and am getting a great ride every time. I love it! Show less

I got my Fatboy used with right at 5,000 miles on it. It handles well for a big bike and it has all the torque you'll ever need for a bike of its size. The ride is comfortable just as it came from the factory. I'm really pleased with the engineers at Harley Davidson. (I think they may have ridden a few bikes). Show less

Being a new rider, some friends said I should buy a smaller bike first before buying a Road King. I bought this bike off E-Bay back in February, 2011 with only 5,600 miles on it. I have put over 1,800 miles on it in three months. It has run great, no issues here at all. The bike had custom Pearl Blue paint. The previous owner added a lot of accessories. I got this bike for a steal at $5,000! The bike looks brand new and was garage kept. It runs great, has plenty of torgue. I love this bike and hopefully later this year I will buy a Road King if Harley comes out with some decent colors for 2012. P.S. I will keep this bike besides getting a Road King. Show less

I have had this bike for over 2 years. I got it used with 30000 miles on the clock. Now it's got 75000 miles on the clock. Fast, hard and real. As soon as Harley starts remaking them, I'll get a new one. Show less

The last bike I owned in my early 20's was a 650 BSA. Before this one, 66 Honda cb450, the ugly one. Then, got in the firefighter force for 30 years, family, kids, no time for biking. Now at 60, thought it'd be cool to ride again (crazy old man I thought to myself). Then, that old far-hidden in my sub-conscious dream, resurfaced. From this day, I was doomed. I wouldn't settle for less then my dream bike, Harley Road-King. Though I was all fire, I realized I had never ridden a heavy bike, none the less, I started to search for my dream bike. Luckily, found it waiting, about 20 miles from home. Within a week I was hauling it in a closed trailer back home, under heavy snowfall. After waiting 2 months before winter took off, THE DAY FINALLY ARRIVED THAT I WOULD RIDE THIS BEAST. To tell you the truth, I was a bit scared, not having ridden a bike for long, anyway, I took off on the bike and my reflexes came back rapidly. Took me about 3 weeks to get the feel, mostly on corners. Now, after a whole summer, I feel confortable. And I must say, the bike handles much better than I would have expected. Tried my friend's VTX, the other day, there is no comparison on the handling (no bashing meant there). I must say that I'm in love with the Road-King now. Cornering easy, plenty power, and that sound, wow, blows your mind. Voila, had to express my joy, John Show less

Hadn't ridden from 1985 to July 2009. Last bike was a Honda CX500 Custom, so quite an up-sizing and definitely noticed the evolution in bikes since way back then. Lots of power and handles amazingly well. Very nimble and so much better than the top-heavy bikes I remember from my youth. didn't want a touring model as I live in downtown Toronto but still wanted to be able to ride comfortably for some 6 to 8 hour stretches at times. Besides, the larger bikes look a little too civilized for me... sort of like rolling couches. Wish the front tire was a little more beefy as it grabs tar snakes and doesn't like letting go, so I'm going to get away from the OEM Dunlops and either go with the Dunlop Elite 3s or try Pirellis. It's a comfortable ride for me at 6ft., even with the mid-controls. I have an FXDCI and like the faster warm ups. Bought it with 6,000 miles on it. It's getting some new rubber and 6 inch risers put on over the winter. Can't wait till Spring. Show less

Feet up and in front, arms hanging up at the shoulders, eyes forward, fists in the wind. Not a cooler look in Harley's as far as I'm concerned. Ride for a couple hours comforably, road unfolding in front of you. The rumble beneath you verifying that everything is alright in the world. Just don't try to corner too hard. The long rake and big skinny tire don't wanna be pushed at high speeds in the turns... this bike wants to glide and cruise. Plenty of juice to get you up to any speed you like. The brakes will take you down nicely from that top end. Heads turn everywhere you go and everyone knows instantly that it's a Harley Davidson. Show less