I couldn't agree more... I bought a cosmetically flawless, '95 basket case a few years ago. It had a base gasket leak, they tore it down and broke the case so he decided to sell.. It blossomed from there.. Anyhow, I've touched every bolt on this bike, made it my own, corrected any engineering issues and deficiencies I found and completely love the bike.. Long story short, its a 19yr old bike, it had been molested..There is no way I'd sell it for $10k.. When you buy something that someone else had, you're going to find issues, just realize that ALL Harley's are a blank slate for you to personalize anyhow.. Figure out whats important to you..


This is prime time for riding, I'd wait and get a deal when the winter sets in, ADD will set in for many "bikers" and they'll be looking for cash to fund winter projects..


For tips, I agree that the '97-98 FLH would be your best bet. The seating on the '95 kinda puts you "on" the tank... I'm 5'9" 175lbs and find this bike very comfortable, though a newer model would allow more room to stretch out.. My dad mentions it every time he gets on it, his '11 is much more roomy.. Personal opinion, the Softail would be too small and not an ideal touring bike for two people.. I've found the Dyna to be a little more roomy, but still not best for what you appear to be looking for.. Stick with the baggers, Road Kings and such.. Even a police bike would be worth looking at..

 

like this guy says, you can Make anything like new but you can also start with better canvasses than others, pick wisely, do you know somebody that knows HD well...bring him with you...might see stuff you would miss....If a deal is what you want, wait for white ground.

 

How many miles is too many? I know just like anything else automotive, there's going to be more and more in depth maintainance as the bike gathers more miles. What benchmark would you all say to stray away from 75k? 80k? 100k? 125k?

Also what maintainance is required off hand for something with more miles?

 

Yes mileage is a factor but maintenance... I would say for example a 97 with 50000 miles that has had tensioners upgraded and maintenance records would be a good bet as compared to a 2002 with no records and the same mileage but the guy could've been very good at maintains but not recording....
I maintain my bike very well , it's a 07 with 88000 miles, I just came back recently from a trip to Canada, rode it in the mountains last week, yeah it's getting a bit tired but it's still running pretty strong....It is sometimes a crapshoot.

Odds are you are better off going with the lowest miles you can but look at it like this, they are touring bikes so if huge guy bought it to do some touring, you can't at least count on about 7500-20000 miles per year, depending where the bike us from, short season up north, long in south.
I didn't buy my bike as an investment, I bought it to ride and I gave as much as possible, this is how you get to know the machine, the little noises, the way she feels, the way she starts etc.......whatever you do when you buy on, get a factory service manual and work on it....

 

There is no shortage of low mile garage queens around. Guys buy them and for whatever reason, just don't ride. Any bike with high mileage MAY be a good deal if you know what you're doing, but it should be bought a LOT cheaper. Not many buyers for high mileage bikes.

 

Evos do not have cam chain tensioners. Stick with your twinkies.

 

An 02 with 119k a bit excessive? It says a 70 year old guy traded it in on a new one. The listing leads me to believe that he has no records on hand at the dealership, money is 6k.

 

I'm not anti dealer, but I don't trust anything a salesman tells you.. You really need to use good judgment..


If I were looking, I'd try to keep it under 50k and limited to a '97-98 Evo.. First things first, Evo's are like the old small block Ford/Chevy(pick your flavor).. They are easy to work on and reliable if maintained.. The Twin cam(Twinkie) came about in '99 and has much more going on in the cam chest, as well as several ghost's that can appear if not taken care of.. With that said, its been around for a while and makes a ton of power.. I prefer my bikes simple, gimme the Evo..


Looking for a "rider" rather than a project, I'd strongly suggest avoiding anything that's been painted or claims to have a "Mikuni, S&S, Big Bore Kit, new belt, etc..." Not that its all bad, but many "bikers" are drunks that want to show off.. They drop a bunch of cash in certain name brand areas and abuse the **** out of the bike.. Not something I want for a plug and play rider..


Just another $.02

 

I've got a '00 FLTRSEI with 145,000 miles on it and it still runs strong and still with no oil consumption. God bless the 99 to 02 crankshafts! But even for me 119,000 with no real history is too much unless you tinker a lot.

I work on my bikes regularly and at 100,000 miles I started replacing motor mounts, bushings, fuel pumps, compensator caps and relays just for preventive maintenance. (Better to get them before they get me!)

As much as I love my bike, I wouldn't buy another with 119,000 miles on it unless I stole it and planned on a whole new PM plan for that one too.

 

Offer him 4. It's throwaway money because the only way you'll get it back is if you brake the bike apart and sell it in bits. It will be hard for them to sell and even harder for you to sell afterwards.

It could be a perfectly fine bike if it has full service records and all the work done and replacements, a lot of those bikes have just be cruised not thrashed, but there are too many low mileage bikes out there for folks to snap up first.

You'd want to see pretty good evidence of some serious engine maintenance.

I'm guessing most of us have had cash in our pocket burning a hole and made mistakes. I think we're trying to help you avoid doing so. Get it out of your system some other how, build up your pot, wait until January, then spend a couple of months cleaning one up and upgrading it for next season.

There's a 98, 88ci Evo with 48,000, going asking at $6,900 in TN ... http://tricities.craigslist.org/mcd/4692399754.html ... which you'd still be able to sell after a year's riding. Or if you are into some Fugly cool that will actually increase in value ... a Shovelhead Tour Glide with only 4,000 miles! http://dayton.craigslist.org/mcy/4693740449.html (Interesting ... but not advised if all you want to do is ride!)