Hi fellas,

I am a noob on the forum, and am yet to own a Harley. I have been riding bikes for a long time, and have owned numerous other bikes. Now I am a big boy, I am set to move up to HD.
I live in South Africa and work in the Middle East.

I have managed to find a bloke near my home town selling a '98 Electra Glide Classic with 4443km on the odo, at a fair price. I have made initial contact, and am waiting for more details.
I am hoping it is an Evo, as I have never wrenched on an EFI bike.

It is still about 2 months before I go home, so I have a while to decide yet. The guy has been advertising for a number of months so I am not too worried about him finding another buyer. I have done some internet diligence, and found that he owns a fairly large transport company, so I guess he can afford to wait till he finds a buyer who will not haggle.

I live a stones throw from the HD stealership, and they know me there: I will ask him to take the bike there for a check-up at my expense.

My question is, what in particular should I be on the lookout for?
Our local HD shop has only been there for a few years, and so they may not have too much experience with Evos.

Thanks in advance for any input.
Cheers,

Peggers

 

Goode Dag, Peggers.

I think that bike would be an EFI Evo. As for what to look at, really, at that mileage (not even broke in yet), tires, rubber bits, etc., would be about the only thing. Might check the compression and make sure the battery is charging if you're going to the trouble of having a professional assessment. You'll probably need a battery and tires anyway (dry rot). I would not want to ride on 14-15 year old tires on 2 wheels.

 

I would find an independent to assess the quality of the bike. Dealership might be more interested in selling you a new one. I know. You said they know you there. That's how 90% of HD's new bike sales happen.

 

Don't be afraid of EFI. I would have all of the cables checked out. I bought a 96 and a couple months into riding her my throttle cable broke, even though the dealer lubed it. I replaced my clutch cable for my peace of mind after that.

 

One thing to think about is if it is a FI motor, is there a place to take it for service locally? Harley stopped using MM fi in '02, so any parts may be unavailable where your at. But, it very well might be a carbed motor, so that would be my first choice if I was in your shoes. Good liuck either way.,,

 

I'm a carb guy but I've heard the efi is good when it is good. I understand there are scensors that make it run right, probably something you would want on your work bench.