Thunderbike Captain Cruise • Harley-Davidson Road King

Road Captain

Today is not about the show. Or is it? Captain Cruise gives us a picture that we would not have had as pedestrians.

We were just riding in superlatives. Our Sportster and GP models could not be extreme enough. It makes sense to shift down a gear, take a breath and remember the classic Harley way of riding.

The Road King was always the best way to do that. Harley built it for that: A relaxed riding position, footpegs instead of footrests, a pannier for quick stuff, and an attachable windshield so you can still sit comfortably at over 120 mph.

We call him "Captain Cruise

And because the Road King is still the king of all cruisers, we call our model the Captain Cruise. The secret of the Captain is its discreet reserve. No bragging, no banging, just scoring points when the ladies visit the salon. It is important to be well-groomed and to offer the lady something.

It can also be comfortable, for example with a sissybar. We do not want to take anything away from Harley, but the company made the seat of the Road King a little too sloping for the sake of a flowing rear line. So the lady is happy about more support for her hips. Once she is comfortable, we will use our charm to get her to sit closer to us at the end of the tour.

In the end, it is not only the charm, but also the option for the large luggage that we offer her with the attachable, but hardly applied touring kit above the rear fender. Makeup bag? Goodness, just strap it on! Sun hat? No problem, we can stow it in the panniers or even in the top case!

The color is Olivgrau, a very subtle shade, and the rims are champagne beige. Colors play a big role in the ladies world and we know how to name them.

Optionally you can still mount the disc from the Road-King program. But the “Flip 2” handlebars come to the fore without it.

The wheels are coated in a stylish champagne beige.

This is the way to go. The Joker mirrors are mounted under the handlebars.

The mounting kit for luggage rack or top case is practical and hardly weighs anything.

Harley-Davidson Detachable Sissy Bar Upright Short gloss black
Thunderbike Handlebar Flip II 32cm
Harley-Davidson Fuel Tank Nameplate
Thunderbike Turn Signals Stripe LED with Housing
Thunderbike Mirror Joker

Lightness comes through.

This kind of nonchalance signals social security, and that always goes over well. But a little Alpha-Tier is even better. The “Flip 2” handlebars, with their 32 centimeters of height, give us a commanding position during the ride.

The “Joker” mirrors mounted below the handlebars prevent us from looking into each other’s faces during the ride. This can be very useful in the case of a sudden braking maneuver, when our facial expressions become unrecognizable. This must not happen to Captain Cruise in front of the lady, of course. Keep your dignity!

We need not say a word about the “Stripe” turn signals. They are hidden under the dashboard, out of sight, and the captain’s line is right from the front.

The 94 hp of the 114er Milwaukee-Eight are no longer the issue. More important are the 158 Newton meters of torque that are available at 3250 rpm. When we let it off the line for the first time and the lady hears the masculine sound of the Big Shots from Jekill & Hyde, she should finally hug us a little tighter.

The strip blinkers are barely visible under the faucet.

The rear seat is a little too steep. The sissybar invites you to ride on it.

Captain Cruise Remains Our Friend

And years later, when we like to drive alone on Sunday, we relax again. We let go of everything, cruise through the countryside and laugh about how we did it. Captain Cruise helped us, he made us boss, and he will always be our buddy.