engine mileage ?'s
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,962
Likes: 140
From: NY
So I am looking at 09-later road kings & ultra's most have the 96 motor a few have the 103. All the bikes look clean and taken care of, the mileage ranges 15k-65k is there any mileage that should scare me off? I don't have a lot of knowledge on how many miles these bikes are good for, before needing major work. I would really appreciate any information. Thanks in advance
Oh one thought on the higher end of those mileage numbers would I be able to get a HD extended warranty for a few years for peace of mind not sure if they offered that on a older bike with those kind of miles or if it would even be worth it? Thanks
Oh one thought on the higher end of those mileage numbers would I be able to get a HD extended warranty for a few years for peace of mind not sure if they offered that on a older bike with those kind of miles or if it would even be worth it? Thanks
Only 26k miles on my 09 FLHTCU w-96" motor and not issues with motor thus far.
On mileage buying used bike,its generally better to buy a bike with 40 -50k miles thats in good cond to look at along with having documentation etc showing its been well maintained hopefully an earlier maint schd then HD recs vs a bike thats had spotty and or not as good maint with only 15-20-30k miles on it.
For example ,i'd stay away from a fairly low mile HD thats had engine oil changed @ 5k miles,prim @ 10k miles & trans @ 20k miles per HD's rec maint sch'd using HD's syn3 20w-50 syn in all 3 holes vs a 40-50k mile HD (you like thats priced right!) which has not been abused which has had motor oil & filter changed @ 3-4k miles vs HD's rec 5kmiles ,prim case oil @ 5k miles (maybe @ 4k iles with motor oil change) vs HD's rec 10k miles & trans oil @ 10k miles & or 1yr (whichever comes 1st) vs HD's 20k mile rec using 3 diff oils of proper visc that are specifically designed & formulated for use only in the in motor,in the prim & in the trans like for example Spectro's line of oil they mfg specifically for lrg HD v-twins which is what i use in my HD.
I use Spectro's 20w-50 semi-blend or full syn motor oil in the motor/prim case gets 85w prim case oil /trans gets 75w-90 & or 75w-140 syn trans oil with those 3 diff oils all being specifically designed & formulated for the 3 somewhat different working environments in an HD for best/max protection @ all times vs using 20w-50 motor oil in all 3 apps being a comprimise @ best.
Scott
Last edited by wscott; Jan 5, 2017 at 07:07 PM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,445
Likes: 2,822
From: Oklahoma
Any 96 or 103 pre '11 came with the weak compensator. If the previous owner has not replaced it, it will need to be done. Parts alone are now over $500. If you don't do the work find out what the labor charge would be and add it up. Either use that as a bargaining point or look for a bike which has already had the new comp installed. The weak compensator is noisy, uncomfortable with added vibration, and will take out the starter drive eventually. I also THEORIZE it may contribute to scissored cranks with that loud slam into motion with every start.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,178
Likes: 600
From: SoCal.....I'm only here for the weather
Any 96 or 103 pre '11 came with the weak compensator. If the previous owner has not replaced it, it will need to be done. Parts alone are now over $500. If you don't do the work find out what the labor charge would be and add it up. Either use that as a bargaining point or look for a bike which has already had the new comp installed. The weak compensator is noisy, uncomfortable with added vibration, and will take out the starter drive eventually. I also THEORIZE it may contribute to scissored cranks with that loud slam into motion with every start.
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