Hello,

This is my 1st shovelhead post.
I'm looking at a 1983 FLH with 15k miles.

Its a former police parade M/C.
Smaller tanks and belt delete. Bike very good but has older repaint.

Whats a decent price for this model private sale.
It has hard bags and clear windshield.

Any info would help.
Thanks

 

if it is a police duty bike it has 100,000 miles on it - is that bad not really - but no records of work order from a harley dealer showing oil and service - and it might have a re pop speedo it comes down to what condition and how it runs and drives but be prepared to spend money as they like doing that

 

This why I call my 83 FXR - paycheck!

 

Here's a couple of pics of the M/C I'm looking at.
The speedo is not original.
But the overall condition is VG.
The motor sounds good.

Anyone have a ballpark fair value.

 

Robert, does the owner have receits for work/maintenance records? What can he tell re: history of the bike other than it came into the USA some 20 years ago and was a former PD parade bike. Am I reading this right...he is the 2nd owner of the bike?

Ask about the speedo changed. When? By whom? How many miles when changed out? Why was it changed out? (On my '84 I changed mine out at just about 70K because it stopped working on a road trip to Colorado. Got a repop at an Idie shop and it took a dump at just over 2K mark. Found an original Canadian (KMH) that has been on since. You cannot rebuild the original ones and no one works on these Japanese ones. I kept both as proof of milage should I ever sell it)

I think the key here is determining actual miles because that will give you an idea of might need to be done on the bike in the future.

What doe the owner know about the motor and tranny? I did the top end on mine at 65K which is just about the max you will get on a shovel. At 72K I finally redid my hydraulic lifters (oversize and honed blocks) due to excessive noise in that area (they were worn out).

Any leaks?

If the bike has been properly maintained and has no issues (present or future), out here (Kali) it can be worth 5-7K. If you can determine the bike has many more miles than the actual speedometer (which it undoubtedly has), the question becomes, how many more miles and what servicing (preventive maintenance) will need to be done and at what cost. Obviously that drops the price on what I would buy it for.

But from the picture provided, it is a nice looking machine.

 

Thank You for your reply.

The owner advises he is 3rd. He is mid 60's and hasn't ridden much lately.
The mileage is questionable. Due to the replaced speedo.
Based on M/C condition and the sound of the motor I offered $5800 and he declined.

I'll keep looking.
Maybe I was fortunate that he declined my offer?

Thank you for the valuable information.

Robert

 

I'm thinking 5 grand negotiable.

 

I would also have declined that offer.

 

Hard to say w/o knowing actual miles. Lotsa folks will offer up a less than reasonable offers of worth/value (to them anyway) for various reasons, but for me the closer stock it is, the better the value (IMO anyway). There are those who have never ridden/owned old iron but are experts on price and value. There are those who have had one at one point but sold it because , you know AMF bikes are/were all POS, or know a friend who had one that was always in the garage or broke down (and of course, their friend was an excellent garage mechanic), and there are those who buy them (or still still own them) and appreciate them for what they are, old iron that if properly maintained (yes on a more regular basis) will give you years of satisfaction and enjoyment.

Only non-original on my 84 (other than tires, hoses and normal wear an tear like brakes and fuids) is the electrical system (kept the OEM system though).. If I were to offer it up for sale many would say....way too high and point to a story they heard about a friend who told their friend who heard someone talking in a bar about how they got a stock FLH for $2500 with only 1000 miles on it, or found one in a barn for $1500 that only needed tires and started right up with a fresh battery.

True (or not) it is only worth what you are willing to pay and what the seller is willing to let it go for.

At any rate, keep looking. If you are serious, there is one out there that will grab you and you will just know this is the bike for you.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

whats it worth, its worth what someone is willing to pay you can always go down in price but not up, tell the guy you can't be the Buyer and the Seller he needs to tell you his price to see if he is the realm of selling it or not, bikes are not bringing the big money unless totally original and old. It is very photogenic LOL but photos most of the time don't tell the whole story. Me, well I'm thinking 6-8500 at very tops