Considering a Used Road King Classic
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Appleton, WI
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
See here for the updates. This is a classic so it has Cruise and lots of nice features...........
https://www.hdforums.com/m_826101/mp.../tm.htm#826101
Paul
https://www.hdforums.com/m_826101/mp.../tm.htm#826101
Paul
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Northern Wisconsin
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
Hey RadMan,
My buddy just went to Sturgis with me this year. He had a 2000 roadking classic with 13k on it. Just pulling into Rapid City it started making noise. We stopped where we were and had it towed to a repair shop.(Harley dealer wouldn't even look at it for 4 days). He had the whole engine rebuilt and we made it home but found out there was a recall that Harley did not publish but told the dealers not to talk about unless the engine gave them problems. The recall expired in 2005. My buddy tried to work with Harley but they basically told him to **** up a rope. He ended up trading it off to a different dealer on a 2006 streetglide that he loves. Stay away from the 99 and 2000s. There is a defective cam on some models. I have a 2004 roadking with hardbags and a big bore kit and I love it. Just get ready to shell out money on a regular basis if you do not do your own work. Good Luck.
My buddy just went to Sturgis with me this year. He had a 2000 roadking classic with 13k on it. Just pulling into Rapid City it started making noise. We stopped where we were and had it towed to a repair shop.(Harley dealer wouldn't even look at it for 4 days). He had the whole engine rebuilt and we made it home but found out there was a recall that Harley did not publish but told the dealers not to talk about unless the engine gave them problems. The recall expired in 2005. My buddy tried to work with Harley but they basically told him to **** up a rope. He ended up trading it off to a different dealer on a 2006 streetglide that he loves. Stay away from the 99 and 2000s. There is a defective cam on some models. I have a 2004 roadking with hardbags and a big bore kit and I love it. Just get ready to shell out money on a regular basis if you do not do your own work. Good Luck.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,466
Likes: 626
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
Here's my .02 cents:
'99 to '01 - Should be ok as long as they were well cared for and it can be proven (ie. Looks great with lots of receipts). Be prepared to swap the cams to a gear drive unit before you put too many miles on it. This will run you just south of $1000 if you have to pay retail for everything including labor. The M&M FI unit is a decent unit, but has limitations in performance applications. The Delphi bikes form '02 and on are better in all aspects. A carbed bike in this year range would be a good purchase.
2002 - I agree with Springer, great year for the reasons stated in his post
2003 - 100th anniversary year. Cosmetically I am not fond of these and most '03 owners looking to sell think they are worth more than they are because of the special emblems. These are not rare and you should not pay more for one of these than an equal 2002 model in my opinion
'04 to '06 - Not much difference in these. Most engine guys will tell you the '05 heads are the least desirable for out of the box performance. Stock engines don't really notice this difference, but if you went to a big bore kit with cams and left the heads untouched, you would be leaving some performance on the table compared to the same build with non-'05 heads.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and just sold a really nice '99 Road King Classic with performance and cosmetic upgrades for $12,000. It was a hell of a nice bike that needed nothing mechanically or cosmetically. Maybe that can give you a real world price reference to base your used search on.
'99 to '01 - Should be ok as long as they were well cared for and it can be proven (ie. Looks great with lots of receipts). Be prepared to swap the cams to a gear drive unit before you put too many miles on it. This will run you just south of $1000 if you have to pay retail for everything including labor. The M&M FI unit is a decent unit, but has limitations in performance applications. The Delphi bikes form '02 and on are better in all aspects. A carbed bike in this year range would be a good purchase.
2002 - I agree with Springer, great year for the reasons stated in his post
2003 - 100th anniversary year. Cosmetically I am not fond of these and most '03 owners looking to sell think they are worth more than they are because of the special emblems. These are not rare and you should not pay more for one of these than an equal 2002 model in my opinion
'04 to '06 - Not much difference in these. Most engine guys will tell you the '05 heads are the least desirable for out of the box performance. Stock engines don't really notice this difference, but if you went to a big bore kit with cams and left the heads untouched, you would be leaving some performance on the table compared to the same build with non-'05 heads.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and just sold a really nice '99 Road King Classic with performance and cosmetic upgrades for $12,000. It was a hell of a nice bike that needed nothing mechanically or cosmetically. Maybe that can give you a real world price reference to base your used search on.
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 15
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From:
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
Wow, you guys were quick to reply. If you are hangin out here on company time.....then shame on us. Thanks for the valid information. There are differing opinions but that's ok. When I consider all of the responses this is what I get. 02, 04 are the most desirable years. 05 and 06 is a maybe if. I will have to reread all of the posts again. So far I favor the 04. Would like to pay no more than 15k. Higher mileage doesn't scare me if the bike has been cared for. I will ask my dealer why he thinks the 00-03's are not desirable.
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 583
Likes: 5
From: Maine
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
ORIGINAL: Radman
...... I will ask my dealer why he thinks the 00-03's are not desirable.
...... I will ask my dealer why he thinks the 00-03's are not desirable.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 7,611
Likes: 104
From: Southern Colorado
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
I bought an '02 and haven't had any problems with it. I really don't want to sell it to you but everything has a price....first $80,000 in my hand and its yours.
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Road Captain
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 554
Likes: 0
From: Citizen of the Republic of Texas, now in GA
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
Chances are that your dealer wants to sell you a new bike. He is steering you toward a newer model and believes that he can lead you to a new one because the price difference will be relatively small. If you want a new bike, go for it. My 03 has done just fine and will probably continue to do well for many years.
RE: Considering a Used Road King Classic
Welcome on the forum radman from OKLAHOMA. Go for it! You will love the roadking. I've owned a couple now and put down well over 150k on them ..I love them, however just another opinion. You will like the bags for storage & the air suspension for comfort and you can add just about anything you want. Good luck on your decision.
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