When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So Im on the market for a bike and I have found a nice looking salvaged title 2009 Harley ultra classic that I have prenegotiated to $5100. The owner told me it was flood damage and I ran the vin with NICB and it was salvaged flood in Kentucky and never been an ocean side bike. it has 60k miles. Thoughts and pointers?
Too many nice used bikes out there to take a chance on a flood bike....
If the bike was submerged, wiring will wick the moisture up into the wires, only to surface many years later.
Unless every electrical component AND all wires/harnesses were replaced (highly unlikely), it's just a matter of when, not if, the electrical gremlins will surface...
Then add any internal damage done to other systems, brakes, engine, trans, etc if they weren't drained, cleaned, and repaired quickly and properly...
I'd pass if they were going to give it to me.....
Last edited by hattitude; Dec 17, 2019 at 06:05 PM.
You ask. At best a salvage bike that is prefect is worth 50% of low book. $5,100 no maybe half that if you had a bike with crash damage to swap parts to.
he said none of the fluids got moisture in them and he has be riding it for a year problem free. The bike rides 100x better than any evo era dresser I have ever set on.
Too many nice used bikes out there to take a chance on a flood bike....
If the bike was submerged, wiring will wick the moisture up into the wires, only to surface many years later.
Unless every electrical component AND all wires/harnesses were replaced (highly unlikely), it's just a matter of when, not if, the electrical gremlins will surface...
Then add any internal damage done to other systems, brakes, engine, trans, etc if they weren't drained, cleaned, and repaired quickly and properly...
I'd pass if they were going to give it to me.....
show me a nice 09 later touring chassis for $5k or less... Im open to travel within 500 miles radius.
show me a nice 09 later touring chassis for $5k or less... I’m open to travel within 500 miles radius.
You're getting that deal because it's a flood bike...... I didn't say you could match the deal.. I said there are a lot of GOOD used bikes out there...
You can get a good non-flood bike for $5K, but ti won't be an '09+...
Or you can get a good '09+ bike, but will have to pay more than $5K...
You won't get a good, '09+ bike for $5K.... a flood bike is NOT a good bike, it is a major unknown and potential very frustrating & expensive liability...
I was merely sharing my experience with flood vehicles.... I ran boats out of San Diego from 1986 until 2015... I have knowledge of numerous stories of people who "got a deal" on a boat that was submerged... some of the stories are second hand, and some of the stories I have first hand knowledge about, but none of the stories ended well.... and no one considered their "deal" much of a deal, a couple years down the line...
Hell, you could absolutely luck out and that bike will run very well, and run forever.... flood vehicles are dice I would never roll.... do as you see fit....
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Flood damage 2009 FLHTCU
