Hi there, are there anything I should be concerned when considering a really really clean 1998 Road King?

 

Should be concerned with how jealous everywill be…

 

In 1998 the road king came either fuel injection or carb.
The Road King classic version was fuel injected, had spokes, more chrome, white wall tires and leather bags.

The good thing about old bikes is that lists can be created from past experience.
1998 was the last year of the EVO motor on a touring bike so the motor is considered very solid.

The below is the copy paste that I share:
1-COMMON...If fuel injected…Two fuel hoses under tank leak after 10 years. Harley $$$$$$$, Goodridge HDFL005 under $160 USA dollars or LESS total for BOTH if you check google .

The Goodridge lines are less than half the price of the Harley parts and are of good quality.

2-COMMON..speedometer LCD (odometer screen bleed). requires replacement when unable to read miles ridden. NOT PLUG AND PLAY LIKE NEWER ONES. You can get a sub-harness wire assembly from J & P cycle catalog and then use a 1999 speedometer plug and play speedometer.

Easy changeover with no splicing of wires required. Old speedometer is a different manufacturer from the newer ones.

Note that mileage is stored in speedometer itself not in ECM.

Some folks send old speedometer out to specialty shops in order to change-out the LCD.
3-COMMON..Cam position sensor...very difficult starting, lots of cranking but does not catch. A lot of cranking and no start then you wait a second and a quick tap to start button and it starts with very little cranking…look for visible goo (beige) leak under timer cone (right foot) at black wire exit from bottom of cone…You will have plenty of warning…dozens and dozens of difficult starts.


4-CRANK position sensor by oil filter (RARE) but if you use a power commander the signal must be 100%..This is very rare

5-MEDIUM COMMON)Tank liner releases at middle section near fuel pump..blocks flow of fuel..loss of power, slow down and piece moves from fuel inlet so bike is OK but then becomes trapped again so cycle repeats.. FREE REPAIR..If fuel injected it is easier to access..open gas tank access lid, drain fuel and clean piece out..I would carry the little bit required to remove screw..The book says you need to replace the one time use screws but if you are careful and replace in the same location it will be re-usable at least one time..
6- VERY COMMON...ENGINE TEMPERATURE SENSOR... .*FUEL INJECTED very common, general rough riding as bike bucks from cold to hot rapidly..$100 part…As an emergency by-pass just disconnect the idle control behind air filter when bike is off/at rest..You will need to hold throttle.

7- Bikes that are pressure washed or in snow conditions with salt roads or people that added a power commander and destroyed the rubber boot at ECM..GROUNDING PIN ON ECM becomes corroded and requires cleaning.
8-The little chrome cover cap thing with the allen bolt on the starter end will get loose one time and you will chase the rattle a long time until you figure out that under the cover is two 0.15 cent nuts and one is lost.
***-The shift linkage ends SUCK on all harleys and you need to change those yesterday to heim joints look on ebay if on a budget for: Heim Joint Rod End 5/16" with bolts for Harley Davidson as they should be about $10-$15 delivered for both.
****VERY IMPORTANT...THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR USES AN INSERT TWIST AND LOCK CONNECTION. MAKE 100% sure it is tight, zip tied and secure and then tie it one more time.. Located at throttle side of frame behind the PAINTED plastic side cover by seat (remove cover) and hidden by the triangle portion of frame..connector is black and about 2 or 3 inches long and the thickness of a fat pencil.
That thing had me scratching my head for a long time trying to chase an intermittant cut-off over bumps. Side of the road frustration thing..Many shops are unable to identify the simple problem while others waste your money by replacing it when it was only loose.
THE PARTS ARE READILY AVAILABLE for this bike with the exception of the gas tank from either the dealer or aftermarket.

I would imagine you have the service book or will get the service book for this bike from Harley for 99483-98 . Finally get the book read chapter 9. You can review check engine codes with no tools by following a simple sequence.

I would review the fuel lines. If you do NOT have the goodridge lines HDFL005 then I would consider carrying some in your saddle bag. Rarely does a dealer stock the Harley ones.

Additional notes:

Consider using regular Dyno oil as the synthetics are too good at locating leaks.

Check the allen bolt at the transmission shift lever. The shift lever that attaches to the transmission spline/shaft. People forget to check that allen/hex bolt and then the splines on the lever get chewed.

Shaft is harder than lever so the lever will strip. Major labor to remove the outer primary, inner primary, and clutch hub just to replace the lever on that year of bike just because someone did not inspect that allen/hex bolt.

The throttle PULL cable might eventually give-up the throttle cable end ball. My cable had a few strands broken off at the little ball inside throttle clamp. It eventually snapped while on a road trip. Required switching return for pull cable in a parking lot. I would review and consider changing Throttle, Brake and Clutch cable if they are original.

There is a bracket 65619-98 called something like exhaust bracket tab located right at top of starter. Supports rear cylinder exhaust pipe right at starter. It sometimes breaks after 20 years right at the “L”..right at the clamp . Most people fail to look at it until further more costly problems develop instead of addressing the under $10 USA dollar part and saving future headaches and cost..

That bike era does not due well with rear swingarm lowering blocks. Check for and consider removal of rear lowering blocks if someone used them. They increase probability of rear swing arm crack since they alter shock angle. Blocks change in shock position at bottom and that appears to stress swingarm in my opinion.

 

^^^^ Wow

 

Congrats, '98 is the last year and best of all, many improvements over the 15 year Evo run plus the spring plate/ AKA grende plate in the clutch went away that year.
FWIW I run Mobil 1V twin synthetic in mine and no leaks. There is a new speedo LCD kit available, have one but have not got around to installing it yet.

 

I searched for one for a few months.. found and drove 4 hours to get it. April 12th 2024

Its a 1998 FLHRCI.. had 70,000 miles on it. Paid $4,000. And at the time I didn’t understand anything about them, just knew I didn’t care what mechanical shape it was in. I was after not having to put money aesthetically into it. I wanted carb, Black, NO APE HANGERS. Didn’t care about anything else… didn’t realize it had been converted to carb.

Brought it home and spent three days with buffing wheels and really got the chrome looking good, changed fluids, flushed brakes new pads, adjusted belt, primary chain, just went through it. Rode it 20,000 miles. I rode it really hard.. like lots of 5500 rpm shifts and rode it with sport bikes, really didn’t care about the motor to be honest. It did start to smoke a bit, the last couple weeks I used it, went 50 weight and the smoke was gone… but I’m me. I bought a Ultima 113 out of a chopper that ran but had a blown base gasket for $500.

I tore the 113 motor down and rebuilt the 113 and put it in the Road king, changed tires, pipes, clutch, ignition.

Day I brought it home April 12 2024




After I cleaned it up and put the caddy taillights and fishtails on it





Putting the 113 in it

 

A few other additions cause I’m cool like that..

Headlight bezels and silver chrome lights, Four piston brakes.







Since the previous owner put the Bull heads on the crash bars I added the front fender Bull.

Love Love Love this bike, zero regrets. I paid 4k for it, got my 20k miles outta it. Built and bought the 113 for under $1400. I also rebuilt the shocks with progressive heavy duty springs, 20 weight oil, and redid the rear with 10 weight oil. … So for like $6500 I have this bike at 120hp/120 torque, great brakes and suspension!

I’ve put about 3k on the rebuilt 113. We leave October 21 for a 7 day with four other couples going all along the A1A east coast of Florida staying in a couple different cities.

 

eBay oil cooler and Amazon fans rigged to a switch & market place love jugs… cheap cheap cheap. Like I said $6,500 all in, bike, rebuilt 113, rebuilt tranny with back cut gears, new tires, pipes, brakes headlights, doo dad’s.. all in.

 

I had a 1990 softtail for 19 years with no problems. Did have a OEM oil cooler, and used dino oil. Also had a cam and some head work.

 

I appreciate im’s detailed post of issues. I have a carbureted ‘97 Road King with a stock engine except for the cam and carb and pipes and it has been a great bike and pretty trouble free. I have heard that the early fuel injection had issues, so maybe read up on that if it pertains. I love my EVO and the 5-speed transmission, but it doesn’t have the power and speed of newer bikes, and the fuel economy is not great. It’s been a great road bike for me and has never let me down. If you haven’t checked it out, the EVO section of this forum is very good and helpful for all things EVO. Good luck!