The other day a good friend of mine invited me to go for a ride. He just got a new Street Glide Special and offered me his '96 RK to ride and guess what happened. This is the first time I've spent any time in the saddle of a Harley and I loved it. I've had metric bikes in the past, carried my motorcycle endorsement for 40 years, most of which was without a bike, and am a total HD noob. By doing a little research I've become familiar with the fuel injection issues and dislikes of it by what seems like the majority of those who know the difference. Yes, this bike has FI and was cold blooded for a while but ran great when warmed. The main bearing went out on him last year and the motor received some major work while in the shop. Bored, stroked, cam, .......I saw the paper work and don't ask me all that was done but the totals from 2 shops came to over $4.5K. The bike sits with 41,000 on the clock and is in very good condition with lots of HD chrome accessories added on. Very comfy Corbin seat w/backrests removable. Motor has good power and stayed right with his new SGS from a rolling start until we got into 3rd gear. I'm not afraid to do my own mechanical work as long as I have reference material to guide me the first time. So now that you have a bit of background info I've got two questions ...........#1 Would this be a good choice for someone's first Harley (model and year) as far as maintenance and upkeep are concerned? ..........#2 The asking price is $6000, is this a steal of a price considering the recent work done or should a guy save a little more to find a newer year model? Wish I'd have taken some pictures but I didn't realize it would have this effect on me.

 

Really you just cant go wrong with a Road King evo. Relatively easy to work on and tons and tons of aftermarket support.
As for pricing, it all depends on overall condition of the bike and what you're willing to pay. Good evos are hard to come by. Been looking myself. If its in good shape, good tires, brakes, recent documented engine work, runs and rides well, you might throw out a a 5k offer and meet in the middle. Also, could check out cycle trader to see what other folks are asking for similar rides... if you can find anything.

Would love to see pics!

 

I would let this one go. You say it's fuel injected and runs bad when cold but good when warm. You also say they put a cam in it. I'll assume that's something other than stock. Unless this thing has some sort of aftermarket fuel management system, it will never run right with a stock computer and aftermarket cam. It's also had a lot of work done to it which tells me it might have been beat on by the previous owner. There are a lot of basically stock EVO's out there for sale that will run for a long time with just some basic maintenance. I think you're asking for trouble with this bike.

My Fuel injected EVO runs great, hot or cold. It's basically stock with nothing more than a free breathing air filter and different mufflers. I bought it with 2,500 miles on it. It now has 90,000. Keep looking.

Carl

 

Well.... We really need to ask you what all was done.

If the main bearing was trashed, were the cases replaced? What brand?
If it was stroked, how much?
What cam?
Does it have a power commander to adjust the ECM for the work? You'll need one set up with the proper map for the work done.
How old are the tires? What brand?

If the bike runs good as it sits, then I think the $5000 - $6000 price range is fair for this time of year.

 

I have two 1996's, an Electra Glide Fuel Injected … and a Road King with Carb … both are over 100k mile and both are stock even after rebuilds … have no problems with the fuel injected cold or warm … and no problems with the carb cold or warm …

as mentioned, if fuel management has not been updated you most likely will have problems … loosing a main bearing at 41k would concern me … both of mine are well over 100k and have not had a main bearing problem … I would be concerned with what else was done …

you're near the bike and we are not, so you can make a better call on the overall condition … there was a frame change in 1997 so seats can be hard to find for the 1995/1996 years if you might want to change to a different saddle … most other things are the same

 

You sure it was the main bearing? Losing that at 41k miles is very unusual. Cam bearing makes more sense.

Personally, I'd pass. Too much 'story'. With a little looking and some patience, you can find any number of unmolested garage queen Evos out there.

 

 

Unless the bike is in perfect condition, $ 6000 is high. We are in a high demand area for EVOs and they are selling for $ 4500. Seems like your friend is trying to recoup some of the repair costs. He is selling it for a reason. Bought a new bike for a reason. Plan to spend at least another $ 2000 to take care of the issues your know about.

One rule with friends, don't buy their used vehicles.

 

I am probably wrong when I said a main bearing went out, sounds like the cam bearing is a more likely culprit. I know he said a bearing went out on it. And yes there is no doubt that recovering some of the money spent on a rebuild it what anyone would wish to do. And yes.....doing business with friends can lead to unwanted situations. And it's never advised to buy the first, second or third of anything you're looking for so I think I'll do just that......keep looking. Thanks for all the advice.

 

Ride it some more and if it is what you want, make him a offer, it doesn't take long to spend a thousand or more on a harley.