Is $8500 too much for a 98 Road King with 46k miles? I have not seen it yet and the lady on the phone did not know much more than it is pretty. Sounds like they are negotiable on the price.

 

On the face of it, it sounds pretty darn good. Of course, the bike's condition will have a lot to do with its value...

 

very limited info. the price is good but it really depends...
garaged?
tires?
is it the road king classic? leather bags.
condition? paint/dents/damage/condition of rims/windshield
maintained?
how does it look?
is it the standard or classic?
1998 was the last year for evo motor on road king and first year road king classic, the classic is fuel injection..the classic has a black motor with a nice amount of chrome covers...

 

some things to look at:
if fuel injected:
1-check engine light code#56 cam position sensor, you get this code after any bad start/fart/back fire at start-up ... worst case the cam sensor which is a DIY is starting to go bad (normal tools/2 hours if you are very slow and about $190)..melting goo stuff coming out the bottom of throttle side timer cover by your right foot.
2-the engine temp sensor causes an eratic/hunting idle when it goes bad..(normal tools/about 2 hour job and about $100)
3-this is an M and M fuel injection/older fuel injection system....some people complain that they are difficult to work on but i think it is because it is much less common than the new delphi system..i think it is a rather simple system...use clean gas and maintain the bike.. buy the harley service manual and the parts manual..

 

to check for any computer codes if fuel injected:
****with switch on "RUN"
1-turn ignition key switch to ignition and then turn off 1 second after fuel pump stops.
2.repeat #1 again..remember 1 second after pump stops
3.turn ignition key switch to ignition and wait about 8 seconds for a bunch of flashing of the check engine light
it will then stop for 2 seconds..get ready... these are the codes you must count:
it will slowly flash 1,2,3,5....there is NO 4....this is the first digit of the 2 digit code ..so it can only be 1,2,3,5 __ __
then a 2 second pause...then you will get second digit of the 2 digit code..it can only be 1,2,3,4,5,6
remember after the complete 2 digit code is given you will go back to the rapid flash sequence..
there are a total of 15 codes available with this procedure
examples
52,53,54,55 bad news ECM replacement
56 crank/cam sensor
11 throttle sensor
12 barometric
14 engine temp. sensor
15 intake temp sensor
23 and 32 are injectors front/rear
24 coil
33 fuel pump relay--in this case you would not hear the pump but instead waited 3 seconds after the on / off sequence

 

another note;
if someone changed the pipes on the fuel injected and did not put a power commander or other fuel management device the bike will be running very lean and this could cause the code #56 above due to possible miss fire also...spark plugs would be very/very white..to erase codes disco the battery...the 2 gas lines coming out of bottom of gas tank start to go bad after 9 or 10 years..about $100 for both( normal tools /2hours)

 

Very good info, im. Thanks.

 

For comparison, I bought a 98 road king classic with 2,500 miles for $10,000. Great shape except the bags had been switched to a pair that went thru both world wars. Had to replace the valve cover gaskets. Other than that, a great bike.

 

Paid $9000 for mine 6 months ago with 25,000 miles, always garaged, babied, both new tires, new battery, lots of chrome and extras. Bought it local from an older fellow who runs a car dealership.

 

Decided not to pursue the RK, without even looking at it. Probably could have got a good deal on it but this damn economy is starting to worry me. Thanks for the input.