·
2005–2006 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, Built to Roll
The Road King Custom takes the touring Road King and strips it lean. Harley slammed the suspension, cleaned up the fenders, and bolted on hard saddlebags, so the FLHRS reads as a factory bagger with a low, purposeful stance instead of a chrome-heavy long-hauler. Underneath sits the air-cooled 1449 cc Twin Cam 88, a 45° V-twin pushing 66 hp and 86 lb-ft through a five-speed box and a belt final drive. It is built for rumble and roll, not for chasing a number, and the whole package carries classic American touring character without the full dresser bulk.
On the road it rewards a relaxed hand. The belt drive and hydraulic lifters keep maintenance light, and the low center of gravity makes all 736 lb feel honest at walking pace and easy to place in traffic. It ages well when the known cam chain tensioner wear gets watched and serviced. Who is it for? Riders who want a stripped Road King that looks and sounds like a statement and still handles a weekend two-up. The honest caveat: 66 hp and a 5.0 gal tank set both the pace and the range, so plan around them.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 66 hp (49 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 86 lb-ft (117 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1449 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 292 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90-16 |
| Rear tire | 150/80-16 |
| Wheelbase | 63.5 in (1613 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.5 in (673 mm) |
| Wet weight | 736 lb (334 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
| Top speed | 109 mph (175 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 39 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Settle into the low 26.5 in seat and the bike disappears under you at a stop, feet flat, the long 63.5 in wheelbase stretched out ahead. Thumb the starter and the air-cooled V-twin drops into that deep, uneven idle you feel in the tank and the pegs before you really hear it. Roll onto the highway and the Road King Custom plants itself. It tracks arrow-straight at a cruise, unbothered by wind or pavement seams, and it will run to 109 mph without getting nervous. The vibration is present and part of the show, a low pulse that stays a texture rather than a nuisance at steady rpm. Your hands rest, your back stays upright, and the miles roll by in an easy, unhurried rhythm. This one asks you to settle in, not to hustle.
This isn't a test I rode myself. It's the accumulated voice of owners I've listened to over many years: talk after group rides, riders showing me their machines up close, club evenings, and the messages that reach me directly. For the Road King Custom the signal is steady, generous about character and straight about its limits.
The engine leads every conversation. Riders keep circling back to the deep, torque-rich low-end pull and the unmistakable rumble of the big V-twin. Nearly as often they praise how it carries a load, leaning on the hard bags and, where the quick-detach screen is fitted, switching between tourer and stripped-down rig with ease. Plenty add that the low saddle and settled low-speed manners make it easy to handle at any height, and a few single out the clean factory-custom look.
The gripes are just as consistent. Weight is the recurring theme, with riders calling low-speed maneuvers and tight roads real work, hardest on newer hands. Cornering clearance draws steady mention, floorboards and the lowered chassis touching down early. Owners of these years also flag the five-speed as busier at highway rpm, and several note what it goes without: no factory ABS, no cruise control, no infotainment.
Cam chain tensioner wear/failure
The spring-loaded cam chain tensioners on the Twin Cam 88 engine are prone to premature wear. When the plastic shoes break apart, debris can block the oil pump pickup, causing sudden oil pressure loss and potentially catastrophic engine damage. Inspect and replace tensioners by 30,000 miles; hydraulic upgrade kit available.
Valve guide seal oil consumption
Some 2005 models experienced excessive oil consumption due to prematurely failing valve guide seals. This could be misdiagnosed as a more serious engine problem. A Harley-Davidson service bulletin addressed the issue, and many bikes were repaired under warranty.
Where this Harley-Davidson Road King Custom FLHRS 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
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Road King Custom FLHRS is actually built for.
This is your bike. The sound, the presence, and the bottomless aftermarket give you the identity and the statement you ride for, whether the destination is Sturgis or A1A.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
It carries you in comfort and looks right doing it, but be honest about the pace and the 5.0 gal tank. For loaded, two-up coast-to-coast days you'll be planning around fuel and power.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Wrong tool for the job. At 736 lb with a low, long, relaxed build, this Road King is happiest on open highway, not carving repeat runs of tight mountain twisties.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
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 Road King Custom FLHRS. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2005–2006
The Blank Canvas Bagger
Competitor · 2010–2014
Chrome, Thunder, Factory Prestige
Same Platform · 2005–2006
Big Miles, Batwing Comfort