Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/738714
14 nNovember 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS Murano. And then traffi c ground to a virtual halt just as the heavens opened up with a vengeance. It lasted an hour as we sat immobile on the slick roadway, baby-walking the big bikes and taking a sound soaking. Needless to say, we never had the opportunity to judge the extensive heat-manage- ment engineering that had gone into the new powertrain. Temperatures remained pretty much in the low 60s—what we used to refer to as "Harley weather" because of its air- cooled motor friendliness. A pair of Kings As luck would have it in my selection of the Road King as the principal test mount on this trip, the fl eet included a customized version of the basic King I was astride, and one that shared its striking two-tone Superior Blue/Billet Silver paint scheme. Accessorized with blingy Defi ance Collection footboards and brake pedal, as well as a passenger backrest, and plucky Boom! Audio Bluetooth Cruiser amp and speakers with rear-mounted Speaker Expansion Kit, the bike demonstrated the bolt-on customizing possibilities of the basic unit. Best of all was the addition of a Stage I performance upgrade. It con- sists of a Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner ($399.95), Screamin' Eagle Street Cannon Slip-on Muffl ers ($499.95), and an ECM recalibration. While I can't pass judgment on the sound system—that's not how I roll—I can attest that the footboards and brake pedal are beauties to behold, even though the left footboard makes it tricky to get your heel on the kickstand tang. The Stage I upgrade is a different matter. Even though the performance enhancement is too subtle to assess in a pack-riding scenario, the sound issu- ing from those muffl ers is startlingly different. Deep, ballsy, and visceral under acceleration, those qualities alone are worth the investment. The verdict The overall performance impres- sion of the multitude of engineering developments represented by the Milwaukee-Eight on the FLHR is this: A new King with positively fl aw- less—and noticeably power-packed— operation. In the case of the suspension reworking, the upshot is similarly glowing. The highest praise you can accord a suspension set-up— especially on a light bagger like the FLHR, which is rightfully expected to do yeoman duty over a wide spectrum of road conditions and challenges—is that you scarcely notice it's there. Not once over a variety of pavement sur- faces, curves and assorted vagaries did the suspension even rise to my notice. The fabled magic carpet ride, fl oating unperturbed across the landscape. That's noteworthy after a generation of futzing with the subtleties of bounce, rebound, adjustability and fl ex on the suspensions that preceded it. The 2017 FLHR Road King is available in a pair of standard solid colors, Vivid Black and Billet Silver, and a pair of two-tone treatments, the Superior Blue/Billet Silver tested here, and Black Hills Gold/Black Quartz. The bike is also offered in Custom Laguna Orange and Hard Candy Hot Rod Red Flake. The MSRP on the model starts at $18,999. 4 Road King Continued from page 13 Suck on this; the Stage I Heavy Breather Performance air cleaner