Hi All,while looking for a sportster to buy I came accross a 2006 Duece with 4000 miles at a good price, it looks very tidy and is being sold by a guy who rus a custom/chop shop here in the UK. I the ad he says he has totally rebuilt the engine and transmision (upgraded to 6 speed), I asked why rebuild at 4000 miles and he said he bought it as flood damaged as a project. He says the only problem the bike has is the neutral light comes on in 3rd gear, due to changing to 6 speed. My question is, should I be put off by the flood damage even though it has been rebuilt, the owner said he has done 500 miles since and its fine. Also, is the deuce a good, reliable bike or would I be better off with a 1200 sportster. Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks, Gary

 

Flood damage? salt water or fresh?? I wouldn't go near anything that sat in salt water

 

I got an '04 Deuce recently and really like the look. It has more rake than a standard Softail and is 2" longer.
The reliability of it would be the same as any other TwinCam model so don't limit your searches to 'Deuce'.

Things I found after buying mine are:
The cam chain tensioners (on all 88b engines before '07) can be a potential time bomb. The tensioner shoe is pressed against the chain with a strong spring and can wear quickly causing from minor damage up to a complete rebuild depending on how it fails. Potential fix is to replace the tensioner and outer cam support plate with an '07 or later with hydraulic tensioners.

Cam bearings are also suspect and most will say to replace them if you have the cam chest open.

The crank is pressed together and some say it can go out of alignment especially if the motor is hopped up. The fix is to weld and rebalance it (complete engine disassembly required of course).

Do a search for TwinCam problems and you'll find articles from some guy that must have bought one and had problems. He rants on about how bad the engine is, and while the problems might have merit the fact that so many TwinCams are out there must mean they cant be all bad.

After reading this
http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.bi...buyharley.html
you might want to ask the guy what was done in the rebuild of the engine. After being underwater I'd want it completely disassembled and put back together.
Wheel bearings, shocks, primary case, blow water out of the frame, handlebar controls, fork stem bearings, forks, ECM, wiring...and more could all be affected.
Without knowing the extent of the water damage I'd be wary of paying too much. Everything can be fixed, and if you're doing the maintenance yourself it can be less expensive (and fun), but several of the main components can cost quite a bit.

One other thing, the Deuce could be difficult to find 'bling' stuff. Most of the HD catalog will say "Fits all Softail models...except Deuce". I'm pretty sure aftermarket stuff can be found but it's still going to be less than what's available for the standard TwinCam.

Good luck on your decision.
davidk

 

If you ever plan to get rid of the bike one day, I'd walk away from a flood damage bike. That information will follow the VIN around forever. So no matter what you do to the bike, you'll always have to disclose that it was a flood damaged bike. A lot of people would be put off by that.

If you plan to keep it forever, feel free to jump on it, if you think it's a good deal.

A well maintained Deuce is just as reliable as any other Softail out there. I can't say that particular one is, because I don't know what all was damaged in the flood and what all was changed after the flood. But general speaking, a Deuce is a great bike. They look really nice too.

 

What electrical components, if any did he replace? That plus electrical connections opens up a whole other can of worms..