I have a 1992 Heritage Softail with 50,000 miles. I love the bike. I love the look. I love the way it rides. It makes me smile. I go into dealerships and I look at the bikes and I would rather have my bike than any of the new bikes.

But I have about $8,500 into it. Paid $4,500 and I have had some work done including new tires, battery, base gasket, stator, pistons and rings, carb rebuild, front suspension rebuild, and a variety of adjustments, maintenance, fluids, etc. I guess I should not count maintenance for what I have in it since that is operational cost.

Anyway, I have more in it than it is worth. I am planning to put a new carb in since when mechanic rebuilt the existing one, he said the inside of it was in bad shape. So while I am at it, I am planning to do some more. I want to replace everything that is probably going to need to be replaced in the next few years.

Other than replacing the carburetor, which I have decided to do based on input in another thread, I am thinking of having it completely re-wired. Don't know how much that would cost but I have a short in the turn signal system. Tried to fix it myself, but failed. My guess is that there are a lot of wires that are on the edge of failure.

I am an old sailor and there is an adage in sailing that when one line goes, replace them all. I am thinking of applying that philosophy to the bike. Rather than continuously fix this and that when it goes bad, just go for it and replace everything.

I am considering replacing rear shocks. Although my mechanic says they are okay. I have not ridden enough softails to know if mine rides like it should or not. I like how it rides, but better is good.

So I may spend another couple thousand fixing a bunch of stuff. And I will have even more in the bike than it is worth. But I figure if I keep if forever, I will get my money's worth out of it in use.

I may take some long rides and I want to minimize the risk of break-downs on the road.

So two questions:

1. Am I stupid to keep putting money into this bike when I could buy a newer one that would be a better value?

2. If I am going to go all the way, what other things should I upgrade/replace?

 

See above

 

The Harley bubble of the 90's burst a long time ago...if you own a Harley you will have more in it than it is worth. Enjoy your ride.

 

You could look at it this way.
Just about anything you do to it will be cheaper than rolling a new one out of the dealership.

Be careful cause if it ain't broke and you tear it apart to find out why you will find things to replace.

 

I agree 100% with what everyone else has already stated. I'm just surprised no one has mentioned buying a manual, a decent set of wrenches and start doing it yourself. Knowledge don't come cheap. Ask the parent of any kid they just helped put through school. Learning by doing is a great way to intimately learn all about your ride at your pace. Imagine all that FREE knowledge you'll be retaining. Nobody gives that away. The bonus is you'll save a freakin' fortune doing the maintenance and simple repairs like that shock swap yourself. Hell maybe grab a ridin' buddy and a few beers. I always judge a job on the number of beers.. Now don't get me wrong, it's your money and I ain't trying to preach, but if you start wrenchin' your ride you'll answer your own question 'How far to go?' in no time.

 

I have a service manual and the owners manual. Although the owners manual is pretty useless. I have basic tools. I like the idea of working on it myself. I go out to the garage and fiddle with it in the evening when my wife is watching TV. I enjoy it.


But I am very much a newbie and have minimal wrenching skills. And I do not have a lot of patience for tedious work. And since I have basically zero roadside repair skills, I would want to make every effort to make everything as operationally solid as possible.


I would prefer not to get stuck by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Although I am sure that will happen at some point.


I am leaning towards leaving the shocks alone at the moment, but I am tempted to rewire the whole bike. I believe it spent some time out side during its life and was subject to rain and Florida humidity. So my guess is that there are a lot of wires that are on the edge of failure. Rather than constantly battle shorts and electrical glitches, it seems worth while to make it all clean and new.

 

You are looking WAY to far ahead. Don't drive yourself nuts.. If it has a legitimate problem fix it. If it needs upgrading, then upgrade but don't go replacing **** that you think might go bad. These Evo's are very reliable, if you just do normal maintenance you will see it will take care of you.

And yea most all of us here have way more into our rides than they are worth. I'm up to 28K and still climbing...... It's called love...

 

Then this is your best bet
http://www.mid-usa.com/Catalog2016/index.html#123/z

You need part number 12061

 

I've owned my bike for 23 years now. If I tried to add up all the money I've put into it, it would make me ill, so I don't. I do it because out of all the bikes I've seen, I like this one the best. Besides, I'd rather pay for an occasional repair than lay out several hundred $$$ every month in bike payments.

 

What THC said. Get your carb rebuilt or replace with S&S or Mikuni if you just have to spend some money. Turn signal issue could be as simple as a wire cut where it goes thru rear fender. Takes about an hour to remove, repair and replace fender with simple hand tools. Have a friend that sold an evo to another with 83k on it a couple of years ago and its still going strong with no major issues. Progressive 422s are good for the money if you need them. Have them on my fatboy.