Noob questions
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 137
Likes: 1
From: Exton, PA
Noob questions
Hey. New to forums, most of my wrenching has been on cars and my 2003 Xterra I have heavily Modded for offroad and 4 wheeling.
I'm buying my first bike and narrowed the playing field to 1996-1998 Evo Dyna Low riders or convertibles.
I recently looked at a nice 1997 with 37K miles and will be looking at a nice 1996 with 29K miles.
Besides obvious stuff like weeping shiny oil everywhere, no horn or lights, dark black oil, corroded battery terminals, smoky startups or clicking noises...what should I look out for when checking out this bike prior to sale? Someone mentioned in one of your threads these had that issue with the cam bearings INA vs Torrington? Thats one of the things I was avoiding by not looking at 1999 to 2006 models (well that and the tensioner, cam chain and the crank issues). So any guidance helpful.
My local HDD has a "used bike check" they want $80 for and then their sales manager pops in and tells you trade in value which sounds like a giant sales pitch to me-so not gonna do it.
So anyhelp as to what to check, what to test and what to do to make sure the bike is as decent as I can at time of sale is appreciated. I'll also assess the seller and his attitude toward the bike, maintenance and condition of bike and pull a carfax (bikefax?) report too.
Thanks in advance guys.
Lee
I'm buying my first bike and narrowed the playing field to 1996-1998 Evo Dyna Low riders or convertibles.
I recently looked at a nice 1997 with 37K miles and will be looking at a nice 1996 with 29K miles.
Besides obvious stuff like weeping shiny oil everywhere, no horn or lights, dark black oil, corroded battery terminals, smoky startups or clicking noises...what should I look out for when checking out this bike prior to sale? Someone mentioned in one of your threads these had that issue with the cam bearings INA vs Torrington? Thats one of the things I was avoiding by not looking at 1999 to 2006 models (well that and the tensioner, cam chain and the crank issues). So any guidance helpful.
My local HDD has a "used bike check" they want $80 for and then their sales manager pops in and tells you trade in value which sounds like a giant sales pitch to me-so not gonna do it.
So anyhelp as to what to check, what to test and what to do to make sure the bike is as decent as I can at time of sale is appreciated. I'll also assess the seller and his attitude toward the bike, maintenance and condition of bike and pull a carfax (bikefax?) report too.
Thanks in advance guys.
Lee
Last edited by CISO1969; Sep 30, 2013 at 02:56 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
Likes: 1,524
From: Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand
Any model, any year is fine if it hasn't been abused....even early Twin Cams.
What I would look for are signs that it has been "maintained" by a retard, I look for totally stock bikes as the unmolested ones have usually been looked after...extra bling is fine but major "custom" work is a no-no.
Anything that looks like an extra from Sons of Anarchy should be avoided and have a good chat with the owner, if all he does is rant on about how fast the bike is, how hard he rides it and how cool he is....walk away.
Too few miles is as big a problem as too many because lots of short journeys fills the motor with moisture and it eats away at the bearing surfaces.
For most people any Harley that has been maintained is reliable enough...people big up the issues to the point that you would think Twin Cam bikes explode every 10 minutes and not having a Torrington bearing will make your pets die but in essence, if the bike is ridden like it was designed to be and maintained as per the manual it will give years and years of service.
So what you are looking for is a good honest bike from a good honest owner. One that can tell you when it last had an oil change and one who has daylight between his knuckles and the ground because ultimately, its all about the history....
What I would look for are signs that it has been "maintained" by a retard, I look for totally stock bikes as the unmolested ones have usually been looked after...extra bling is fine but major "custom" work is a no-no.
Anything that looks like an extra from Sons of Anarchy should be avoided and have a good chat with the owner, if all he does is rant on about how fast the bike is, how hard he rides it and how cool he is....walk away.
Too few miles is as big a problem as too many because lots of short journeys fills the motor with moisture and it eats away at the bearing surfaces.
For most people any Harley that has been maintained is reliable enough...people big up the issues to the point that you would think Twin Cam bikes explode every 10 minutes and not having a Torrington bearing will make your pets die but in essence, if the bike is ridden like it was designed to be and maintained as per the manual it will give years and years of service.
So what you are looking for is a good honest bike from a good honest owner. One that can tell you when it last had an oil change and one who has daylight between his knuckles and the ground because ultimately, its all about the history....
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,062
Likes: 4,547
From: Haslet Texas
The colder it is the more warming up she needs.
After you get her running though they sure do like the cold air!!!!
Just go with what Spanners said and enjoy.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,872
Likes: 83
From: Canton, Michigan
Spot on information.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,476
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From: Florida
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Advanced
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 71
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From: tulsa
Don't worry about dark black oil....Air cooled twins blacken the oil quickly. I would be more suspicious of nice shiny clear oil....as it would indicate the owner has just changed it to try and hide something.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
Likes: 1,524
From: Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand
Black is baaaaad, dark brown is acceptable....changing the oil before sale won't hide much anyway and if the motor is that rooted the oil will be dark as soon as its run.
