2017–2018 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Blacked-Out Bagger, Pure Attitude
The Road King Special builds its whole personality around the Milwaukee-Eight 107, a 1,745 cc air/oil-cooled 45-degree V-twin pushing 89 hp and a thick 111 lb-ft at just 3,250 rpm. Harley kept the styling dark and deliberate: blacked-out metal, a shot of chrome to frame the engine, mini-ape bars, floorboards, and stretched saddlebags. There's no fairing and no infotainment screen in the way. What you get instead is stance and presence, a bagger cut down to its hot-rod essentials, with belt final drive and a six-speed box handling the long-legged cruising.
On the road it feels planted and unhurried. At 820 lb (372 kg) wet the mass is real, but the low center of gravity settles it once you're rolling, and high-speed stability is genuinely a strong suit out on open highway. ABS comes standard. This bike is for the rider who wants character and metal over lightness, someone who cares how it looks at every glance and how it sounds under load. The honest caveat: it's heavy in parking lots and tight turns, and early 107 engines had oil-system trouble worth checking before you buy.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 89 hp (66 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 111 lb-ft (150 Nm) @ 3,250 rpm |
| Displacement | 1745 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twinMotorcycles With V-Twin Engines → |
| Cooling | Air/oil-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | BeltMotorcycles With Belt Drive → |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/60-19 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-18 |
| Wheelbase | 64.0 in (1625 mm) |
| Seat height | 27.4 in (696 mm)Motorcycles With a Seat Height Under 30 Inches → |
| Wet weight | 820 lb (372 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
What follows isn't my own test ride. It's the read I've built over years of listening to riders who put real miles on these bikes: talk trackside, owners comparing notes at club get-togethers, and the steady run of emails and messages that reach me directly. For the Road King Special the picture holds together. The engine wins people over, and the grumbling clusters around how it rides on rough roads and at slow speeds.
Two things come up most. Owners keep flagging how willingly it changes direction for a machine this size, and they talk up the Milwaukee-Eight 107 underneath them. On the engine they describe torque that's there right off idle and hauls hard from low revs, and several note how much calmer it feels at a standstill than the Twin Cam it replaced.
The reservations gather around ride quality. Over broken pavement, owners say the rear suspension feels short on travel and lets the rough stuff reach them. The bulk draws comment too, asking real effort at parking speed and in slow maneuvers. A few also bring up buffeting off the stock windshield, with taller riders the most likely to want a different one.
Oil cooler line detachment (Recall 17V-333)
The oil cooler line may detach, causing an oil leak that could lead to loss of traction or control. This recall affects 2017 Road King Special models.
Early M8 oil pump sumping and oil starvation
Some early Milwaukee-Eight 107 engines suffer from oil pump sumping, leading to oil starvation and potential engine damage. This issue is more common on pre-mid-2019 production.
Where this Harley-Davidson Touring Road King Special FLHRXS pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Touring Road King Special FLHRXS is actually built for.
If Sturgis and Daytona are on your calendar every year, this is your bike. The sound, the stance, and the brand weight are exactly what you ride for, and it delivers all three.
Made for Florida State Road A1A · Black Hills · Main Street, Daytona Beach
You love classic style and unhurried miles through small towns. The look and character fit you well; just know this is a full-size bagger with real mass, not a light modern classic.
Made for Park Loop Road · Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It'll eat interstate miles and stays rock-steady loaded up. With no fairing and a 6.0 gal (22.7 L) tank, though, plan your weather and fuel stops on the biggest days.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2014–2016
Old Soul, Modern Road Manners
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson Touring Road King Special FLHRXS. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2021–2025
The Blacked-Out American Classic
Competitor · 2014
Thunder Stroke Touring Bagger
~$500 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Same Platform · 2017
Bagger With Factory Swagger
~$6,000 pricier used than this bike at 9 yr
Compare it with every bike that shares the same spec or equipment.