[Jeff Higgins]

I've done exactly this more times than I can remember on my two Road Kings, first my 2000 model year and now my 2013. The only tip I would stress is to make sure it has the 2014 and newer handlebars, older bikes will have to be retro fitted. The 2014 and newer bars are a dramatic improvement in comfort over the earlier design. Or just get an Electra Glide. Same bike, better wind protection.

One of the things that almost never comes up in these kinds of discussions is what happens if you break down. Granted, modern bikes are stone ax reliable, but it does happen. I never have, at least on my modern touring bikes, but it remains a possibility.

Harley has outstanding dealership coverage, parts availability, and a corporate policy of support for touring riders. You are far, far more likely to be somewhere near a Harley dealership when out on the open road than, say, a BMW dealership or, God forbid, something like a KTM dealership. And that dealership will have parts to repair your bike and get you back out on the road. Even a Honda dealership probably will not have the parts on hand to repair your bike. Oh, they can get them, certainly - three weeks out. Which means you are renting something to haul the bike home, or flying home and then going back to retrieve your bike.

A riding buddy who had a Goldwing and I used to play a game when we were out on the road. Essentially, pretend you just broke down and need, say, a clutch, or an alternator, or something like that. Find the nearest dealership. Call them and tell them you are broken down, can you get a tow, do they have the parts, can they get you in. The Harley always "won". The nearest dealership was always closer, often by hundreds of miles, often to the point where it was impractical to even get the Honda to the nearest dealership, 300-400 miles away. And the Honda dealership never had the parts anyway - just too many different models to support. Almost every time my Honda mounted buddy, had the situation been "real", would have found himself renting something to haul the bike home with, or would have left it and flown home only to have to retrieve it weeks later.

So, yeah, modern bikes are reliable to the point we really don't have to consider these things. Most of the time... "Everything is fine 'till it's not"...