Hi everyone,
I need some Road King newbie advice.
I've got the carb itch and been looking for a carb Road King.
I found two. One is a 1998 Road King with the Evo engine, has about 21000 miles.
The other is a 2000 Road King has about 18000 miles.
I think both are great but I'm leaning on the 2000.

Which is more reliable and has less history of breaking down?

I've heard of the cam bearing thing on the 2000 model, I'm gonna check the manufacture year and run the vin number to see what's up.

But other than that?

I'd like to hear from people who've actually owned the oldies.

Thanks a mil!

 

well, by 98, the evo had 14 years going for it. ( I have an 88 FXR and had a 95 FLHTC)

The CV carb is great, easy to mod, supplies great power up to 100 HP, mod info at nightrider.com

98 brakes are not as good as the 2000

frame similar, suspension too.
the tranny is separate- if the evo motor is built, the primary case can crack- carlini race brace will fix that.
clutch and tranny pretty much the same except the 2000 has a different tranny case- the tranny is bolted to the motor for a more stable drivetrain

2000 has a larger axle, sealed wheels bearings, better oiling system

2000 the TC seemed to be an experiment- I stayed on the 95 evo until last year when I bought a 2009 I figured it took that long for them to figure it out...

I dunno it is kind of a toss up, isn't it.

Parts for the 2000 easier to get- most dealers don't know or care about the evo models.

Good Luck with your choice, Mike

 

Thanks Mike,

Would you say that there were alot of improvements in the 2005 then the 2000?

 

others will know better than I- I pretty much ignored the twin cams until the current generation ( 09+).

sorry i can't be of more help.

mike

 

I have a built 2001 Road King....23,000 trouble-free miles. It easily out performs my 2010 Ultra Limited 103".

 

I have a carbed, stage 1, 1999 RK and it has never, ever left me stranded in 59,000 miles.

I had the cam bearings replaced with the recall (now over), and at 50K had the cam tensioners upgraded to the HD SE hydraulic tensioner upgrade, and added some Andrews TW 21 cams (which I love by the way).

Bike easily keeps up with my friend newer 96" and 103" bikes. Rode all through the Rockies this summer up over 12,000 feet and the CV carb ran like a champ! No loss of power or hesitation.

I would not hesitate to by that 2000 bike. Deal with the tensioner issue and it should be a good bike for you.

 

The evo motor is well-built and nearly bulletproof. Some motors had issues with leaky base gaskets, and they don't make huge power in stock form. The early twin cam motors had its own problems, primarily in the cam chest. Either motor can be built up easily, but the evo is becoming an obsolete platform, and I've heard that some dealerships don't want to work on them.

I wasn't too keen on the twin cam motor initially, but I've come to appreciate it. I'd go with the twin cam, but I also wouldn't hesitate to own another evo bike. I think the carbureted evo motor was the last Harley powerplant to really have the distinctive Harley sound.

 

Well, I made my decision and decided to go with the 2000 Road King with 18000 miles on it. It was in awesome condition, same condition as most 08's I've seen around town.



Of course its original paint so the luster is probably not as nice but overall I'm very happy about it.

John

 

Oh yeah and I ran my VIN with a buddy at Harley Davidson Korea and he says the engine was built in 2000, definately not 1999 and there were no pending recalls whatsoever. That mean I'm pretty much in the clear from all the cam bearing and tensioner drama?
It's got 18000 miles and it sounded great. Actually sounded newer and crisper than most of the 2004 motors I've heard.

I dunno. It looks good. IMO.

Thanks for all your help!

 

The CV carb is great, easy to mod, supplies great power up to 100 HP, mod info at nightrider.com