Ok, so turns out my original budget of 10k for a Electra Glide is getting reduced by more than I want (long story) So, Ill only have 8k or so to spend. I have found some decent ones in that price range but all are 99 or 2000 models. Whats the general opinion ?

 

99-around 05 are the best years.smaller engine(1450) and only a 5 speed but no emission controls or lean tuning.better bearings, better crank, no cat. carb models are even better if you want to change the pipes or performance.. plus they have been around long enough to weed out the problems and lemons

 

funny dealer in town said to stay away from carb models but never really explained why, thanks for the info

 

Look for a 2002 or newer. The 2002 Ultra is considered one of the best bikes produced. It came with the newer and beefed up swing arm and the first year of the Delphi Fuel Injection. Those two things alone are worth a few extra bucks for piece of mind.

The 2001 and earlier FLH bikes had the Magnetti-Marelli Fuel Injection. Some folks never had issues, but others like me had nothing but problems. There is a reason the owners of a lot of those old M&M bikes converted to carb. I got so fed up with it I went with the Zippers FI Conversion Kit. Waaaay too much money and headaches, I should have gone with a carb.

Speaking only for myself, I would choose a high milage (60k plus) '02 and later than a low milage '01 or older.

 

'99 bikes had cam bearing recall so you need to check that, and have old style cam tensioners which should be replaced. Otherwise great bikes.

My '99 has a carb and I absolutley love it. No reason to switch to FI in my opinion, bike runs fantastic, even at high altitudes. Plus is sounds way cooler at idle.

 

Find out what what year harley stop using the timken bearings.It was somewhere around those years.Buy the bikes with timken bearings in them from the factory!!!

 

I got my '00 in '04, with 7000 miles on it. I did the cam bearings (they were about to go...) and the tensioners (weren't bad), then a 95" big bore with headquarters cams and ignition for good measure

It's been a GREAT bike for me. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another 2000, the prices I see on them are ridiculously good. However, I wouldn't buy an injected bike of that vintage though. If I wanted injection I'd hold out for an '02, get the much better FI and the beefier swingarm.

2000 had better brakes than the 99.

I paid a fair amount of dough for mine at the time (compared to what a 4 year old bike goes for now), and it's practically worthless now. This doesn't bother me - any thought of upgrading to a newer bike is pushed aside. I like my carb, I'm not sold on FBW, and I'm not thrilled with the reports of scissoring cranks and compensator sprockets that come apart. I'd love a 6 gallon tank, cruise, and abs brembos though!

I'll hang on to my '00 for a while yet and throw a bit more money at it. The 95" is great, I've got a Supertrapp supermeg 2-1 coming next week, and the Progressive touring link I put on recently improved the handling so much I'm not thinking about the newer frames any more. I Am thinking about Ohlins shocks though
I'll continue to ride and enjoy the heck out of it. It's a great bike.

 

I'm not sure, but I think the 2001 and 2002 had Timkin bearings. Of all the problems my '01 had (most FI and tuning), the lower end was never an issue. It took a lot of miles and hard use without ever having to crack the cases open.

 

There's a couple of bearing issues, depending on your engine manufacture date; and some other cam chest concerns.

1. The bolt used to attach the drive sprocket to the rear cam could loosen and cause the rotational force to shear the cast key of the sprocket, causing engine failure. The design was changed to the splined setup that's used now, as well as a bigger bolt. Mine never had an issue, but the condition does exist.
2. The bearing used in the cam support plate for both the front and the rear camshaft was originally a ball bearing. The rear bearing failed due to the extra loading and the design was changed to use a roller bearing for the rear only.
3. The inner cam bearing is an INA manufactured one, with rollers spaced apart by a steel stamped "cage". Many here (myself included) prefer the Torrington bearing that has more rollers without the steel spacing cage.
4. The cam chain tensioners are a wear item, and seem to wear inconsistently. I pulled mine at 38k, and they were worn, but still OK, others have had them disintegrate much earlier, and cause lots of engine damage by being ingested into the

A: oil pump and scarring the cam support plate with a resultant loss of oil pressure
B: cam bearings
C: crank bearings

These are the worst case scenarios, and many have had their bikes run long and trouble free.

I weighed the options, and decided a gear drive and all new bearings was the best route for me. You have to pull everything out anyway just to change the rear cam support plate bearing, and to me it made sense to get the biggest bang for the buck by doing all the cam chest work at one time.

YMMV.

 

92,000 miles on my '00 and it goes to work everyday.

99-02 had hot forgred cranks and the Timken Lefty bearing. 02 is best, with the stronger swingarm and Delphi injection.

My MM Injection has run dependably, but don't try to "build" a motor with it.