Harley-Davidson Is Reviving Its Retro-Styled Road King After Years Out of the LineupGear PatrolSteve MazzucchiUpdatedTue, September 22, 2026 at 8:33 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleIntroduced more than three decades ago, the stripped-down touring bike looks set to return to the fold in 2027.Given the popularity of current Grand American Touring bikes like the Street Glide and Road Glide, it's easy to forget they are not the only GATs Harley-Davidson has historically made.The Road King, which launched in 1994 with a beastly 1,340cc V-twin engine and throwback looks recalling 1950s and '60s Electra Glides, is a prime example.While Harley's 2025 Road King Special was a custom hot-rod take on the nameplate, the incoming ST will presumably take things in a fully dressed, performance-oriented direction. - Credit: Harley-DavidsonHeck, it was only last year that Harley put out a Road King Special, a stripped-down bagger with major factory-custom hot-rod vibes.AdvertisementAdvertisementNow, thanks to those eagle-eyed sleuths at motorcycle.com, we feel pretty confident a side case- and windshield-equipped but otherwise streamlined Road King is making a return next year.It's been half a decade since Harley made a standard Road King; the 2022 model was the last (not counting the aforementioned Special). Note: The bike shown here is sourced from Harley's own marketplace. - Credit: Harley-DavidsonWhat tipped them off? The fact that Harley's official website now hosts a landing page for the 2027 Road King ST's accessories.The page is empty, as are ones for a non-CVO Road Glide ST and Street Glide ST, models that were only offered as CVOs in 2026.These pages' mere existence all but confirms the bikes will return, just as the presence of a page for the Sprint 440 cements the upcoming release of a small-bore bike the brand has already acknowledged.The 2022 Road King used the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, with side cases and a windshield as standard equipment. - Credit: Harley-DavidsonOf course, beyond the name we don't know anything else for certain about the upcoming Road King ST, with our best reference point being the base model Road King the company last made in 2022.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat bike featured side cases and a windshield and a Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, but it's likely its successor will upgrade to the Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine used by the brand's other big-bore bikes.The 2027 Road King ST is expected to upgrade from the Milwaukee-Eight 107 to the larger Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine used in Harley's other big-bore bikes. - Credit: Harley-DavidsonThe question remains whether it would have liquid-cooled cylinder heads like the other GATs, which might be tough to pull off on the Road King, which is typically pretty stripped-down compared to the Road Glide and Street Glide.As motorcycle.com points out, however, Harley's ST models tend to be performance-focused, suggesting it would need some sort of heat-reducing set-up to stay cool under pressure.All we can do right now is stay tuned.AdvertisementAdvertisementAbout the Author:Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men's Health, Men's Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone's bike seat is at the proper height.