I have an opportunity to own my first Night Train.
It's an 01 with about 40,000 miles.
Not low, but not insanely high either.

I was wondering, before completing this purchase, what I should watch out for.
What I should check on the bike for known issues at this milage?

It's going to the HD dealer for safety. Also, I asked the owner to make sure it's checked for leaks.

There was some oil at the bottom, and the right shock underneath seemed to have oil over it.
Could it be a leaky shock or it could be just oil dripping onto it from a loose nut after the oil change. (no o-ring on it?)

The owner mentioned, that he checked it after and it seemed to be a loose oil nut, so it was at the bottom of the crank case and getting onto the shock.
To me, it looked like a leaky shock and more along the gasket line of the crank, so it might be a gasket, and bad shock?

I guess I'll let harley have a good look at it. However, he is the one taking it in.

I'm very exited to get a night train. However, I don't wanna end up with a bike that gets more tools put to it than miles.

 

I would go with to the dealer and ask the mechanic the questions u want answered straight from him....that way no bs....I had an 01 nt and it rocked,,,,,,,

 

Thanks!
Sounds good....
I think that's what I'll do. And ya, the bike looks great!
that's why I don't wanna get caught up in how pretty it looks and miss the important mechanical stuff. hehe

 

Probably needs fork seals. Also, cam chain tensioner probably needs to be replaced. Congrats and welcome to the Train family.

 

Usual thing with an 88 engine is the camm shoes, at that mileage they should definitely be checked for wear, some people on here have had to replace them at around 20,000 miles,if you leave them and their badly worn they could disintegrate and blow your engine, it's the major fault with the 88s, cured on the 96 TC bikes.i

 

It's the 88B if that makes a difference?

So break it to me...
How much would I be looking at for fork seals, cam chain tensioner, and cam shoes?

We've already pretty much worked out a deal. But if it's a lot of extra $$ to get those important items sorted out, I may need to have a talk with the seller.

And thanks for the welcome!
It hasn't happened yet. But it's definitely looking good if all checks out!

 

The camm shoes and the tensioners are the same thing,you could just get them replaced which is the cheaper option, or some people go for the hydraulic version which is fitted to the 96 engined bikes which comes with a bigger oil pump as part of the kit, but you may find that yours are ok, it's the camm chains that do the damage, if the chains on the bike have smooth edges and the shoes are only part worn I'd go with the replacement option,88 and 88b are basically the same thing the B stands for balanced which are fitted to the Softails to stop vibration,cost wise for the work I couldn't say as I'm in the UK, but it'll be a lot cheaper in the U.S than here.

 

Sid: Fork seals are cheap, don't worry about those. Magna and I are talking about the same thing. What you'll need to do is install the Screaming Eagle Hydraulic Cam Chain Tensioner and High-Flow Oil Pump Upgrade Kit, $499.00 + labor if the dealer does the install.

 

Oh and Sid welcome to world of the Nightrain. One of the best bikes Harley's made, I've got an 06 and love it.

 

Thanks for all the info and warm welcome guys.
And so quick too!!
I will email the seller and mention that I would specifically like the camm shoes checked, and fork seals.
See what he says... or rather, what the harley dealer says.
$499 doesn't seem too terrible.
Although with labor, that's where it'll probably escalate close to $1000, and that's where price becomes an issue. Maybe him and I can split the cost.
Or, they may have been serviced or changed or just fine.
He did say its always been serviced at the same harley dealer so I am going to ask for the history to be pulled at this point.