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Sunday, September 4, 2011

A Brief Illustrated History of the Harley-Davidson Road King FLHR

I am proud of my 2008 Road King, which I custom-ordered from the factory in York, PA while deployed to Iraq. My cycle was waiting for me at Patriot Harley-Davidson in Fairfax, VA, when I returned from Baghdad.

The Road King, aka FLHR, is a popular model with a proud history. Introduced in 1994, the Road King has roots going all the way back to the first FL model in 1941.

The very first Harley-Davidsons crafted in 1903 resemble motorized bicycles. As the Motor Company developed larger engines, designers built specialized frames for track racing, off-road racing, climbing, or hauling. The modern Road King is a highly refined touring machine that evolved from the big frame bikes that hogged the American roads in the 1940s.

Since its inception in 1994, the Road King has come in different variants, including the Classic, the Special, and the CVO. Each variant has its own unique model code, such as FLHR, FLHRC, FLHRS. FLHRSE6, and so on. We'll explore the variants as well.


Following is an illustrated history of the undisputed "King of the Road"--Harley-Davidson's Road King.

Year
Event
1940
Big frame bikes included EL, U, UL, UH, and ULH





1941
FL is introduced with 74 cu in Knucklehead, the same frame as EL, U, and UL.
FL replaced UH and ULH.


1948
FL gets a 74 cu in Panhead. U and UL with Flathead discontinued, leaving FL
and EL as the only two large-frame bikes.




1949
FL gets new front suspension, hydraulically damped telescopic forks, and 
a new name, "Hydra-Glide." The "Glide" name was applied to other bikes, 
leading to some confusion.




1952
FL gets a new transmission (hand clutch and foot shift). The EL with its old 
trans and 61 cu in Panhead is discontinued, leaving the FL as the only large-frame bike.




1955
FLH gets a high compression, highly tuned engine and the 3d letter, 'H'.



1958
FLH gets a new frame with a rear swingarm with coil-over-shock suspension 
and a new name, "Duo-Glide."




1965
FLH gets an electric starter and a new name: "Electra-Glide."




1966



1969-'81
FLH gets the Shovelhead and a removable, fork-mounted Batwing fairing.
Later, when the instruments were moved to the fairing it became permanent.


Note: AMF (American Machinery and Foundry) bought Harley-Davidson in 1969, rescuing it from bankruptcy, and sold it in 1981 to a group of thirteen investors led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson for $80 million. The AMF years coincided with a difficult period in American manufacturing owing in part to the Oil Embargo impacts.


1972
FLs (H & T) get front disc brakes.



1977
An unfaired FLH is available called FLHS Electra-Glide Sport.
Discontinued in 1982.









1978
An optional 80 cu. in. engine is offered; becomes standard in 1981.




1983
FLH gets a new frame. FLHT is an Electra Glide on the larger FLT Tour Glide 
frame. Comes with Batwing fairing instead of the Tour Glide's frame-mounted
Sharknose fairing.



1984
All FLs get the rubber-mounted Evolution engine and 5-speed transmission




1987
After a 5-year hiatus, an unfaired FLHT is offered under the revised FLHS Electra-Glide Sport name.




1994


1995-2007
The new FLHR Road King replaces the twice-discontinued FLHS.


Starting in 1995, the company introduced Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) as an option for the 30th anniversary edition Electra Glide. The following year it was an option on all touring models. Harley-Davidson offered both the FLHR and FLHRI, the “I” indicating fuel injection. They continued using the problematic Magnetti-Marelli system up until 2001, when they switched to Delphi. FI became an option on all models except Sporties. With the introduction of the 2007 product line, EFI came standard on all Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including Sportsters.


1999


















2002




















2003


FLHR gets the Twin Cam 88.









Harley-Davidson launched the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) line in 1999. Each year since its inception the Motor Company has selected a couple lucky models for a factory custom make-over. It was the Road King's turn in 2002 and the result: FLHRSEI, or FLHR + Screaming Eagle (as in racing parts) + I (as in fuel injection, to distinguish from carbureted bikes).



For the second year in a row, the Motor Company selected the Road King for factory-installed upgrades in the CVO program. This is the FLHRSE2, which was also briefly known as FLHRSEI^2. In the early 2000's the letter 'I' was used to distinguish fuel-injected bikes from carbureted ones. As the motor company adopted fuel injection across the fleet, they dropped the unnecessary 'I'.  







2007

















2007
FLHR gets the Twin Cam 96.




FLHRSE3 comes with a Twin Cam 110 cubic inch (1800cc) black and chrome engine, 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission, a new 18-inch x 3.5-inch chrome Road Winder forged aluminum front wheel, a new 17-inch x 4.5-inch chrome Road Winder forged aluminum rear wheel, and radial tires 130mm x 18-inch front and 170mm x 17-inch rear. 






2008




















2008

FLHR gets a new, longer frame, a 6-gallon fuel tank, a 6-speed transmission, antilock brakes, and throttle-by-wire. The picture shown is a poster I made to celebrate the joy of riding my Road King.




The 4th CVO Road King FLHRSE4 is a beauty! 



2009
FLHR gets a new chassis





2010
FLHR gets a new helical-cut 5th gear for improved transmission sound (this gear noise is one of the biggest complaints I have about my 2008).





2011
FLHR gets a new security package option including factory-installed 
Harley-Davidson® Smart Security System with hands-free fob and Anti-lock 
Braking System (ABS).




2012
FLHR gets a new rubber-mounted Twin Cam 103™ V-Twin engine with
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI),  with heated O2 sensors 
and Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), new tubeless chrome aluminum 
profile laced wheel option, and new paint color options.



2013


















2013
The standard FLHR is essentially unchanged from the previous year's model, but H-D's 110th Anniversary edition (shown) features a new tank badge and bronze & black paint scheme. The popular Classic edition returns with leather bags and wide white walls.





The fifth CVO Road King edition (FLHRSE5) features these Road King firsts: factory-installed audio, fairing lowers, and a split windscreen. 






2014




























2014







The 20th Anniversary of the FLHR Road King passed with little fanfare. Media attention was directed to the roll-out of Project RUSHMORE, the Motor Company's top-secret remodeling effort--a response to customer feedback and market pressure from competitors like Indian and Victory.  Pressure makes diamonds. Enhanced by Project RUSHMORE, the 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King includes the more powerful High Output Twin Cam 103, brighter Dual Halogen headlamp and halogen fog lamps, new Impeller wheels, restyled hard saddlebags and a new easier-to-read speedometer. Reflex™ Linked Brakes with ABS are a new option for the Road King. 




Behold the beautiful FLHRSE6, the sixth CVO Road King, and one of the most beautiful machines I have ever laid eyes on! The lines are gorgeous. The split screen introduced with the SE5 is still the boss, but this model's blacked-out engine guard and racing air filter enhance the smooth, elegant, powerful look of the SE6.





Thank you for reading and sharing your comments. In this post, we covered the mighty Road King FLHR, from its predecessor big-framed bikes through the first 20 years of this iconic model's production (1994-2014). What does Milwaukee have in store for Road King fans? I can hardly wait! 

60 comments:

  1. Made some minor updates to this post July 26, 2012. The 6-speed transmission was added in 2007, not 2008 as originally reported. I fixed one misspelled word and changed some formatting. I'll add the 2013 info when it's available. Other comments, updates, corrections are welcome. Please cite your source, and thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Added the just-released 2013 information on 23 Aug 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  3. vary sceatchy from 94 to 99 but they had minor changes but its was vary helpfull for my report

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found the summary helpful, Anon. To keep the post true to its name, i.e, both brief and illustrated, I did not include a description of every single year in which a Road King model was produced. I only included the years where there was a significant and "illustrate-able" change.

      Delete
    2. Bought my first Road King last year 2013 absolutely love it

      Delete
  4. I still own my 1994 Road King, 63K miles and still shining!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hiya, davegpete! WoW, I am impressed! A Road King from 1994, the first year of production--and still shining! Good for you, and thanks for taking the time to drop me a line. Take care, shiny side up! Dave

      Delete
  5. 2002 Fuel Injection went from Magneti Marelli EFI to Delphi EFI. Also, in 2002 a new more robust swing arm was added.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 2002 - 2006 1" axle replaced 3/4" as part of the more robust swingarm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Anon: I put both of your comments in my database. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Do you ride a 2002 Road King? you know a lot about it!

      Delete
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  8. You seem to be quite the Harley Davidson enthusiast! By the way, have you heard about the Softail series coming this year? I like how it has that combination of classy design and an absolutely massive engine. But if I were to buy one, I’d go for the CVO Breakout. For me, it's the most stunning and most powerful bike that Harley Davidson has released in a long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hiya, Max! My Road King is my 2d bike. My first was a Yamaha crotch rocket, which I owned way before kids! But I am older and "wiser" now. I still want the power, but I trade that rocket-like acceleration for long range comfort. I am 6-2 and my Road King fits me just right.

      My dream bike from this year's crop would be the CVO Road Glide Custom (droool!). I love the looks of the new Breakout. Great cruiser! But for 5,000 miles in 2 weeks, I'd take the King in a freedom-loving heartbeat. Cheers!

      Delete
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  39. Outstanding reviews.I still love all davidson models.Wonderful blog

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    1. BSH, thanks for stopping by and especially for sharing your kind comments. Keep the shiny side up!

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  44. i traded my sportster in this spring for a 2019 road king. wow. what a beast.. i love it.. my wife loves it and i cant get on it without her right behind me with her helmet on... what an awsome machine. i cant say enough about it..

    ReplyDelete
  45. Any idea where I can find the quantity produced each year of the Road King?

    ReplyDelete
  46. I bought a 1996 FLHR in '99
    Here it is 2020 and 349,000 miles later....YES 349K
    I insist on Rotella oil !
    Currently, I have it down to frame but only just to customize, a bit extreme but I sm ripping around on a 2007 FLHTC.
    The 80" evo is .010 over with 10.5 to 1 compression. Original jugs with Eldebrock heads.
    I had to replace case about 100,000 miles ago due to studs pulling out...too much compression.
    Frame and tins all original as are factory wheels.
    Customizing because I WILL NEVER SELL MY 1996 ROAD KING !
    Only note is, '96 was a bastard year and some parts are impossible to find
    Just look up a fuel tank...carburated

    ReplyDelete
  47. Great summary!
    Believe the 'I' in the FLHRSEI was fuel injected, not a numeral one. That was common in early 2000 HDs to distinguish from carb bikes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, and thank you for the comment! I have shown my post to many H-D experts. Countless other enthusiasts have at least glanced at it. You are the first to point out the true intended meaning of the "I" in FLHRSEI. The progression went from I to I^2 to just 2 and then 3, 4, 5, etc. It's easy to see how people looking back through time could misinterpret the original intent. I'm updating my database and the post. Many thanks! I hope you see this reply!

      Delete
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  49. Thanks for this informative writeup. It helped with my '97 FLHRI being posted on fb and a lot of disbelief that that year was efi. 103k km and is stock and runs perfectly. thanks again frm NS Canada

    ReplyDelete
  50. Great info here, one amendment to the 2008 year changes, 'throttle-by-wire' was also introduced. Love my '08!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! You are correct. Here is a bit more info about TBW (apparently also known as ETC) for the curious: In 2008 Harley-Davidson introduced a new throttle system called Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), which eliminates the throttle cables connecting the throttle and the throttle body and replaces them with an electronic connection. ETC is standard on all 2008 and 2009 touring models, including CVO touring models.

      Delete
  51. I made a few edits to the post today. For one, I added throttle by wire to the 2008. I am happy to edit and improve this content based on your comments, so keep them coming!

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