Considering a 91 Ultra
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 67
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From: Iowa
Considering a 91 Ultra
Hey all, newbie here looking to buy his first Harley. One of my friends dads is looking to sell his 91 Ultra Classic for $6,000, that's the lowest he will go. Now the only real concerns I have are that the bike has 75k on the odometer, But he has paper work from the local Harley dealer that the engine was overhauled at right around 73k. So that doesn't seem like a huge ordeal.
But it has been sitting for a couple years, it needs a good cleaning and I think some scuffs/ dullness in the paint will buff out. He rode it to my work so I could look at it and take a ride. It needs the carb adjusted badly because it wouldn't idle at all but he says he is getting it fixed before I buy.
It also wouldn't start every time the button was hit, it would click a few times and eventually start after a few hits of the button. It has a 2 day old battery in it so maybe it wasn't fully charged. Volt gauge looked to be riding right at 11.5 or so, seems a little bit low. But once it was rolling down the road it ran and rode fine. Just the radio and horn don't work, Would either be hard or costly to fix? I know it depends on what's wrong, but I figured worst case on the stereo is replace it all.
So it seems mostly a few cosmetics that need help and the radio and starting problems, all in all does $6,000 seem like too much? I'm not afraid to work on it myself at all I do have a lot of repair experience myself.
Thanks guys!
But it has been sitting for a couple years, it needs a good cleaning and I think some scuffs/ dullness in the paint will buff out. He rode it to my work so I could look at it and take a ride. It needs the carb adjusted badly because it wouldn't idle at all but he says he is getting it fixed before I buy.
It also wouldn't start every time the button was hit, it would click a few times and eventually start after a few hits of the button. It has a 2 day old battery in it so maybe it wasn't fully charged. Volt gauge looked to be riding right at 11.5 or so, seems a little bit low. But once it was rolling down the road it ran and rode fine. Just the radio and horn don't work, Would either be hard or costly to fix? I know it depends on what's wrong, but I figured worst case on the stereo is replace it all.
So it seems mostly a few cosmetics that need help and the radio and starting problems, all in all does $6,000 seem like too much? I'm not afraid to work on it myself at all I do have a lot of repair experience myself.
Thanks guys!
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 581
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Could be a can of worms. If you could afford to spend more, that would be the route I would take on trying to get something newer with fewer miles. Nada and Kbb will give values of what its worth as a starting point. Radio could just be shot and may not be a spendy fix. Good luck. Welcome to the forum. Others will chime in soon!
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,912
Likes: 2
From: Cave Creek, AZ
The positive is it's an evo and it's a carb. Radio, just replace it. The battery is 2 days old? If it's been sitting, it will need some cleaning up and tighting and checking of wires. Flash $5500 or $5000 in cash, see what happens, what the hell.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 210
Likes: 6
From: N/A
Not the best time of year to get a stellar deal but if you are patient & willing to travel I would suggest a nice garage queen 2002. You should be able to pick up a nice scoot for $8K or less depending how lucky you get in yr search. $6K for a 91 is not a bad deal it's just too old IMO and there are many out there to choose from right now.
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Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Iowa
Yes, the old battery was completely dead so he bought a new one to drop in it. He said he even double checked the connections when it wasn't starting right away. As far as cash goes, $6K is about my limit right now. And I have been looking for a couple months and can't find anything except sportsters around my range. And 6'4" 300lbs on a Sporty just doesn't add up to a comfortable ride.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8,051
Likes: 50
From: Florence, MT (Bitterroot Valley)
You can't hardly hurt that Evo motor and trans setup. Carbed unit makes it nice as well. I agree with the quote above. $5500 should get you this bike, and you can put another 100,000 miles on it. Nothing serious to fix really. But if you want to, while he has it in the shop to get things sorted out, drop a $50 bill on the Service Tech, and tell him to check it out for you, and give the real deal on the condition of the unit. It's a well spent $50 bill. You could get a lot of smiles per miles on that bike. I'd say go for it.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,687
Likes: 9
From: SoCal & West TN
One other thing to know is that it has the oil bag and battery on the side. They take up half of the right saddlebag. This can be a bummer. The rear brake master cylinder is inside the frame and the rear brake petal is obsolete and the new custom ones will not fit. Nothing made for that year is a "Plug N Play" accessory. Even if you can find NOS (New Old Stock) Accessories. Most accessories are made for 1997 and later. Extra parts will be hard to find.
You will find that most dealers will not touch older models like the one you are looking at.
Just think of how much you spend and how you can spend the same and get a much newer model.
You will find that most dealers will not touch older models like the one you are looking at.
Just think of how much you spend and how you can spend the same and get a much newer model.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,121
Likes: 3
From: Mass.
Nick, 11.5 volts indicates that there is a problem with the charging circuit. It should be charging 13.8-14.2 volts. There also seems to be either a bad connection of bad relay in the starter circuit, this MAY be caused by the low voltage. If you buy the bike you will have to address the electrics, if all you can pony up is $6K then the bike's going to sit until you can fix it. Figure $500 for the charging system. You could luck out and just replace the voltage regulator but, at that milage it's just as likely the stator.
The $5500 that the other guys here suggested is the most you want to spend on this bike.
The $5500 that the other guys here suggested is the most you want to spend on this bike.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 968
Likes: 11
From: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
11.5 @ idle is normal for an Evo.. if its at 13.8 when it gets to 2000 rpm then the charging system is good. My '94 has a new stock stator and thats what mine runs at..