96 road king
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Novice
Joined: Jan 2011
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96 road king
hi all im a new member from vegas who is on the verge of buying my first harley im 6ft 1 inch and 225 lbs-im looking at a 96 road king this weekend it seems to be in great condition with just over 10k on the clock .i have owned many bikes [triumph-70s hondas and kawasaki inline fours]i know minimum amount about harleys except for the basics of any bike [brakes charging ect]the guy wants 8000 for it .its in mint condition by what i can see and he only rides it about once a month [hence low miles ].what do you guys think?are there any problems specific to this year and model i should be looking oiut for ?or should i hold out for a newer model.is there a vast differance in performance in the newer models?i am pretty handy with wrenching on my other bikes -would the 96 king be a good purchace for 7000 [im going to try for 7000]the bike is stock ...thanks all im really looking forward to my first hd but dont have enough money for a new one and im hoping the 96 will be a good way to start...thanks mike....
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,920
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From: Deep in the heart of New Jersey
How bout bringing someone who's a little more familiar with Harley's to give it a look over?. You may want to ask for any service records. How old is the battery, tires, how does it run in general?. Base gasket or valve cover leaks are a pain to fix. Everything that needs to be fixed or replaced can be used to negotiate the price. I personally would not buy it if it had the old morelli fuel injection, instead of a carb on it. If all is good with the bike 7k isn't out of line. But the more you have to do lower the price goes.,,
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,479
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From: SoCal
I agree that $50 would be worth spending on a professional inspection of this motorcycle. If that fits within your budget, it sure beats the alternative of riding a Sportster! Good maintenance and upkeep of this Evo-style motor may mean many happy miles of smiles. Sure, it lacks some of the design upgrades of the O-ring seals on Twin-cams, but the Evo is a proven design and there are countless models out on the highways. AFA the Magnetti-Marelli EFI system, don't let anybody fool ya', the only reason HD switched to the Delphi system is because the EPA mandated very strict emission rules starting in 2006 and HD chose a system that would allow modifications to their EFI platform for throttle-by-wire and closed-loop EFI (FEDERAL MANDATES) - those are mods that the Magnetti-Marelli is not designed nor capable of running. The downside of the MM injection system is that it takes more than a guy on the corner with a cardboard sign to set the cold idle, but it's not rocket science! There are also on-the-fly tuning advantages to the Delphi ECM, but it lacks the simplicity of design of the MM system. MM is one of the largest producers of vehicle EFI systems in the world, and according to a HD employee are still contractors for some of the EFI parts on every HD made today.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
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It's an evolution engine and 5 speed tranny from the factory and if it's all stock it's probably got a cv (constant velocity carb). Not my favorite carb but still a good carb if jetted correctly. The evo motor is virtually bulletproof. They have gear drive cams and will run a very long time with just general maintenance most of the time. The most common problems are inner cam bearings crapping out and base gaskets on the cylinders leaking. You probably have the skills to fix either of these problems if you have some experience working on bikes. My advice would be to buy a genuine HD service manual. They are very helpful with every aspect of working on the bike and have good exploded views of all the various parts and part numbers in them as well as recommended special tools that might be needed to do a particular job. If it does happen to have the M&M fuel injection system on it, I wouldn't be to concerned with that if the bike is in the shape you'd expect it to be with only 10k miles on it. When M&M first came out, it was cantankerous to remap the system but I think those problems have been taken care of now. The evo is my favorite motor made by HD and with a carb, it's the last of the motors available that give you the real "potato potato" sound. I rode with a guy this summer that had only rebuilt the top end on his evo and he had 276k on the clock. IMO the evo motor saved HD from bankruptcy.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,486
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From: Union,Ms
I have had a lot of fun with mine and I've never regretted purchasing it. You didn't say whether it was carbed or fuel injected,so we can only speculate here about that. I've replaced every electronic sensor on my bike but with over 114k on the clock that's no surprise. I say go for it,after all,every bike is a work in progress.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,877
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From: Hallsville, Tx.
I have a 96 RK with the EFI. So far no problems, I use a RevTech DFO since I have a Ness Big Sucker and B&E Superflow mufflers and an Andrews EV27 cam. Hd offered both injected and carbureted RKs that year. The down side to a 96 with EFI is that it cannot be flashed so you need some other kind of tuner for fuel or upgrade to a 97 ECM. As I stated earlier mine works fine with the DFO. I love the bike, found it with 5900 miles on it, in great shape.
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-hi all thanks for the replys-its carburated -all stock- ill keep a look out for gasket leaks-im really leaning to buying it and i love the color -its that mystic green-we will see this saturday -and thanks again for the replies-the cv carb =is it a kei hin and how big a pain is jetting if i put reinhart pipes on it ?[im used to 4 carbs so im hoping its easy-]and one more question-what carb is reccomended in place of the cv carb ...thanks ....mike
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2006
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From: Ohio
Nothing wrong with the CV carb, especially if you don't put "trick" parts in it. Not hard to re-jet. You don't need anything else until you start chasing HP.
Join us in the EVO section. It's full of good help, and fewer "opinions".
Join us in the EVO section. It's full of good help, and fewer "opinions".
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: Hallsville, Tx.
-hi all thanks for the replys-its carburated -all stock- ill keep a look out for gasket leaks-im really leaning to buying it and i love the color -its that mystic green-we will see this saturday -and thanks again for the replies-the cv carb =is it a kei hin and how big a pain is jetting if i put reinhart pipes on it ?[im used to 4 carbs so im hoping its easy-]and one more question-what carb is reccomended in place of the cv carb ...thanks ....mike