OK, bear with me. This weekend I'm going to go look at a used bike. My neighbor told me about it and all she knew was it was a 98 softtail. They are asking 10,500. I'm just going to look it over for someone else. I don't know how many miles or even what model it is. All I know is that it's 98 softail. I own a 07 street bob and have become fairly familiar with the Twin Cam. However, I'm not real familiar with the EVO. Are there anythings in particular I should look for? Any red flags?

 

Cool Hand,

by 1998 most of the problems with the EVO motor were well and truely sorted out (in fact by 95 they were sorted out). The EVO is a strong and robust motor. When you fire it up you will probably hear the motor "ticking". This is perfectly normal and will not damage the motor. Ticking is caused by the hydraulic lifters (generally the front exhaust) not pumping up enough. Compared to the twinkies, the EVO pushrods are at a fairly savage angle to the lifters (thanks to the single cam) so sometimes the lifters cannot pump up enough to take up any slack in the valve train. That said, if the noise is very loud or doesn't quieten down after riding for a bit then you could have a collapsed lifter. Once again this will generally happen on the front exhaust. Limiting kits or solid lifters will solve this problem and you can fit these to just the front exhaust if needed. You also need to check for cylinder base leaks. This was a continuing problem for the EVO through all years. If you warm the bike up before riding (ie, you can't touch the heads with your bare hands) then you will not have a problem. But look for any signs of oil weepage from the base of the jugs. Cams - if the cam has been changed for a high performance one, then you need to ensure that the INA cam bearing has been swapped for the Torrington one of your cam bearing will fail. If the stock cam is still in the bike then the stock cam bearing should be fine. However, if you are ever in the cam chest (like if you were replacing the lifters) then you need to replace the INA cam bearing as a precautionary measure. You could also look at the area between the cylinders on the crankcase to see if there are any fractures in the case.Poor case material was usually the cause but the material was very good post 1995 so you shouldn't have any problems in that area. Apart from regular oil changes, regular servicing and a transmission that does not whine and shifts smoothly but positivelythere really is not much more that can go wrong. Obviously, if you knew what model bike it was then those that own that particular model might have model specific advice.

All the best.

 

Very well explained. I bought my 96 fxdl with 50.000 miles 3 years ago,didn't touch anything,just ride it.Mat

 

gigiflip,I replaced the cam in my 84 FXR with an Anderws EV3 ages ago and dint know anything about the INA bearing.Would this be on my evo orwas it the later models.
My FXR was actually an FXRP with the first year wet clutch,5800 rev limiter and 11 1/2" dual frontdisks.Jeez I think I changed that cam around 1986 or so(IM GETTIN OLD)
You are deal ***** on about the noisy lifters,I wont even rev it up till shes warm to the touch,and she will tap likeBojangles Robinson till then.
If you have any other tidbits of info for me they will be apreciated bro.
Thanx for the info.

 

Sandhog,

you're year bike is fine. You actually have the Torrington bearing. IIRC HD changed the Torrington for the INA about 1990 (and their reasoning was actually quite pure and honest - they thought they were doing us a favour). Actually your bike is in the years preceeding a lot of the issues associated with the EVO. Keep her forever.

As far as lifter noise your bike is at the start of years that were the primary noise makers. The lifters were actually upgraded in 1989 or 1990 which made them a lot quieter. It doesn't damage the motor noticeably, it can just get annoying. As I said above, try and diagnose whereyour lifter noise is coming from (if it bugs you enough). If it's the front exhaust only(which it usually is), then you can just address this lifter. Otherwise put a louder exhaust on the sucker and just ride it when she's warm.

All the best.

 

Thanks guys, I'll let you know what I find out.

 

The noise seems to come from the rear cylinder than the front one,and disappears as soon as it warms up a bit.
As for the pipes,I have Supertrapp 2 into 1 stainless with 18 plates.The bike really screams and I am happy with it.My daughtermost likely will get it when Im done.