Howdy All,
I'm brand new to the forum and had a question for all you "sages." I'm looking to purchase a 1996 Road King from a local private owner. It's in good shape, has matching color hard bags, some chrome added. Nothing outrageous, just a well maintained FLRH with 32K miles. He wants $8K. Is this reasonable? What things should I take into consideration with a bike this old with 32K miles on it? It could probably use a new rear tire within the next year if I ride it as much as I ride my current bike (roughly 90 miles a day).

Eric

 

That is a good question. i have a 1996 Electra glide. they have the EVO engine and i suppose i would look for cylinder leakage or seepage at the base of the cylinders that is an expensive repair , and a good chance to spend some $$ or upgrading at that time.
also on mine i had to replace the carb shortly after purchasing because it was so hard starting the slide was just worn out, does it start hard? other than that just the obvious look , touch , listen
i am asking 9,500 for mine with some engine mods so i think he is fair.

 

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/usedbike/NovUsedBikeGuide.pdf

 

In 2005 I sold a 1995 Roadking with 80,000 on it for 9,500. You should be good to go for 8,000.

One thing to check is the cam bearing. If it has not been changed, you need to do so. Those year models had a caged roller bearing that would fail catastrophiclly. Changing the bearing would be a good time to upgrade the cam to something like an Andrews EV13.

The EVO's with a SE aircleaner, carb rejet,EV13 Cam and a good set of pipes will perform as well, or better than a stock 88TC.

Bill

 

That sounds like a bargain, if it is indeed in good shape. I put 106k on my '96 RK, now with 109k with the new owner, and the heads were never off that bike--almost no trouble in nine years and riding through 33 states. Only stranded once from an unrepairable flat tire. Evos have one big weakness, which is base gaskets. Look at the base of each cylinder for oil seapage. There are some good fixes, like the Oil Fix from Hayden, in case the gaskets need to be replaced. Base-gasket repair involves removing the juggs, so if it is leaking in that area you may need to budget a repair job.

The new owner bought my old bike for $8k off the showroom after it sat there for one day, so with low mileage I would think $8k is a bargain, and if I recall the retail blue-book value is ~$10k. Evos also can make weird noises from the valvetrain, especially with aftermarket cams installed. Mine was no exception, but I just got used to it, and I wouldn't be too concerned. If you hear such clattering, have someone knowledgeable of Evos listen to it before buying, but it probably is normal, especially a louder click out of the front exhaust lifter.

I'd say go for it, but do an inspection for any base-gasket or rocker-cover leaks, and do a test ride if he'll allow it. Get a good friend/mechanic check it out before buying, too.

 

I think there's a misprint for the carbed 1996 FLHR, showing 4355. I think that should read 9355 based on the prices around it, and the price of an EFI of that year.

 

Ditto the EV13. That's what my '96 RK had, and it was a great cam for stock compression.

 

I bought 1995 FLH police, 9k with 42k on the odo, loving it every minute that I am on it. And I love that I did not have to pay $20k for a bike, leaves me with money to buy that second bike for the "bar hop" around town.

 

Buy it,ride it and have fun,if something breaks,fix it.

 

Depending on your physical stature, 96 was the last year of the old frame. 97's were an inch lower. The only problems I ever had with my 96 EGlide was starter drive/pinion related. and my clutch basket blew apart. If the bike has been to a dealer for service in the last 7 years, the fuelcock recall was probably taken care of. If not, put a pingel on it.