diff --git a/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/RequestBuilder.java b/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/RequestBuilder.java
index ac6e6fdc6..337dd43b3 100644
--- a/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/RequestBuilder.java
+++ b/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/RequestBuilder.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 package org.apache.http.client.methods;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -44,6 +45,8 @@ import org.apache.http.annotation.NotThreadSafe;
 import org.apache.http.client.config.RequestConfig;
 import org.apache.http.client.entity.UrlEncodedFormEntity;
 import org.apache.http.client.utils.URIBuilder;
+import org.apache.http.client.utils.URLEncodedUtils;
+import org.apache.http.entity.ContentType;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicHeader;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
 import org.apache.http.message.HeaderGroup;
@@ -69,7 +72,7 @@ public class RequestBuilder {
     private URI uri;
     private HeaderGroup headergroup;
     private HttpEntity entity;
-    private LinkedList<NameValuePair> parameters;
+    private List<NameValuePair> parameters;
     private RequestConfig config;
 
     RequestBuilder(final String method) {
@@ -77,6 +80,18 @@ public class RequestBuilder {
         this.method = method;
     }
 
+    RequestBuilder(final String method, final URI uri) {
+        super();
+        this.method = method;
+        this.uri = uri;
+    }
+
+    RequestBuilder(final String method, final String uri) {
+        super();
+        this.method = method;
+        this.uri = uri != null ? URI.create(uri) : null;
+    }
+
     RequestBuilder() {
         this(null);
     }
@@ -90,30 +105,128 @@ public class RequestBuilder {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpGet.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder get(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpGet.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder get(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpGet.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder head() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpHead.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder head(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpHead.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder head(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpHead.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder post() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpPost.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder post(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpPost.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder post(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpPost.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder put() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpPut.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder put(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpPut.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder put(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpPut.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder delete() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpDelete.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder delete(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpDelete.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder delete(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpDelete.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder trace() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpTrace.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder trace(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpTrace.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder trace(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpTrace.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder options() {
         return new RequestBuilder(HttpOptions.METHOD_NAME);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder options(final URI uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpOptions.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @since 4.4
+     */
+    public static RequestBuilder options(final String uri) {
+        return new RequestBuilder(HttpOptions.METHOD_NAME, uri);
+    }
+
     public static RequestBuilder copy(final HttpRequest request) {
         Args.notNull(request, "HTTP request");
         return new RequestBuilder().doCopy(request);
@@ -125,27 +238,62 @@ public class RequestBuilder {
         }
         method = request.getRequestLine().getMethod();
         version = request.getRequestLine().getProtocolVersion();
-        if (request instanceof HttpUriRequest) {
-            uri = ((HttpUriRequest) request).getURI();
-        } else {
-            uri = URI.create(request.getRequestLine().getMethod());
-        }
+
         if (headergroup == null) {
             headergroup = new HeaderGroup();
         }
         headergroup.clear();
         headergroup.setHeaders(request.getAllHeaders());
+
+        parameters = null;
+        entity = null;
+
         if (request instanceof HttpEntityEnclosingRequest) {
-            entity = ((HttpEntityEnclosingRequest) request).getEntity();
-        } else {
-            entity = null;
+            final HttpEntity originalEntity = ((HttpEntityEnclosingRequest) request).getEntity();
+            final ContentType contentType = ContentType.get(originalEntity);
+            if (contentType != null &&
+                    contentType.getMimeType().equals(ContentType.APPLICATION_FORM_URLENCODED.getMimeType())) {
+                try {
+                    final List<NameValuePair> formParams = URLEncodedUtils.parse(originalEntity);
+                    if (!formParams.isEmpty()) {
+                        parameters = formParams;
+                    }
+                } catch (IOException ignore) {
+                }
+            } else {
+                entity = originalEntity;
+            }
         }
+
+        final URI originalUri;
+        if (request instanceof HttpUriRequest) {
+            originalUri = ((HttpUriRequest) request).getURI();
+        } else {
+            originalUri = URI.create(request.getRequestLine().getUri());
+        }
+
+        final URIBuilder uriBuilder = new URIBuilder(originalUri);
+        if (parameters == null) {
+            final List<NameValuePair> queryParams = uriBuilder.getQueryParams();
+            if (!queryParams.isEmpty()) {
+                parameters = queryParams;
+                uriBuilder.clearParameters();
+            } else {
+                parameters = null;
+            }
+        }
+        try {
+            uri = uriBuilder.build();
+        } catch (URISyntaxException ex) {
+            // Should never happen
+            uri = originalUri;
+        }
+
         if (request instanceof Configurable) {
-            this.config = ((Configurable) request).getConfig();
+            config = ((Configurable) request).getConfig();
         } else {
-            this.config = null;
+            config = null;
         }
-        this.parameters = null;
         return this;
     }
 
diff --git a/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/TestRequestBuilder.java b/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/TestRequestBuilder.java
index e27c6e3d7..f83926898 100644
--- a/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/TestRequestBuilder.java
+++ b/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/client/methods/TestRequestBuilder.java
@@ -28,13 +28,16 @@
 package org.apache.http.client.methods;
 
 import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.http.Header;
 import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
 import org.apache.http.HttpEntityEnclosingRequest;
 import org.apache.http.HttpVersion;
+import org.apache.http.NameValuePair;
 import org.apache.http.client.config.RequestConfig;
 import org.apache.http.entity.BasicHttpEntity;
+import org.apache.http.entity.ContentType;
 import org.apache.http.entity.StringEntity;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicHeader;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
@@ -159,6 +162,46 @@ public class TestRequestBuilder {
         Assert.assertSame(config, ((Configurable) copy).getConfig());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testCopyWithQueryParams() throws Exception {
+        final HttpGet get = new HttpGet("/stuff?p1=this&p2=that");
+        final RequestBuilder builder = RequestBuilder.copy(get);
+        final List<NameValuePair> parameters = builder.getParameters();
+        Assert.assertNotNull(parameters);
+        Assert.assertEquals(2, parameters.size());
+        Assert.assertEquals(new BasicNameValuePair("p1", "this"), parameters.get(0));
+        Assert.assertEquals(new BasicNameValuePair("p2", "that"), parameters.get(1));
+        Assert.assertEquals(new URI("/stuff"), builder.getUri());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testCopyWithFormParams() throws Exception {
+        final HttpPost post = new HttpPost("/stuff?p1=wtf");
+        post.setEntity(new StringEntity("p1=this&p2=that", ContentType.APPLICATION_FORM_URLENCODED));
+        final RequestBuilder builder = RequestBuilder.copy(post);
+        final List<NameValuePair> parameters = builder.getParameters();
+        Assert.assertNotNull(parameters);
+        Assert.assertEquals(2, parameters.size());
+        Assert.assertEquals(new BasicNameValuePair("p1", "this"), parameters.get(0));
+        Assert.assertEquals(new BasicNameValuePair("p2", "that"), parameters.get(1));
+        Assert.assertEquals(new URI("/stuff?p1=wtf"), builder.getUri());
+        Assert.assertNull(builder.getEntity());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testCopyWithStringEntity() throws Exception {
+        final HttpPost post = new HttpPost("/stuff?p1=wtf");
+        final HttpEntity entity = new StringEntity("p1=this&p2=that", ContentType.TEXT_PLAIN);
+        post.setEntity(entity);
+        final RequestBuilder builder = RequestBuilder.copy(post);
+        final List<NameValuePair> parameters = builder.getParameters();
+        Assert.assertNotNull(parameters);
+        Assert.assertEquals(1, parameters.size());
+        Assert.assertEquals(new BasicNameValuePair("p1", "wtf"), parameters.get(0));
+        Assert.assertEquals(new URI("/stuff"), builder.getUri());
+        Assert.assertSame(entity, builder.getEntity());
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testGettersAndMutators() throws Exception {
         final HttpEntity entity = new StringEntity("stuff");