Possible first Harley
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 316
Likes: 1
From: Mission B.C. Canada
Possible first Harley
Hi Everyone, I have been looking at this site now for about 1/2 yr and signed up about a month ago. Well I now have the opportunity to buy a older (1999) FLHTC. My question is, with 40000 km ( sorry I don't know what h#ll thatis in miles , I'm Canadian) will this bike still have some life in it. How about underlying issues, is there anything that I SHOULD know about and checkbefore venturingout on this purchase. The bike is at a Harley dealer and they have givin the once over safey inspection, and all is excellent.... in there opinion. Any thoughs would be greatly appreciated.
Road Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 3
From:
RE: Possible first Harley
Sure, it'll have some life left in it. How much depends on the service record and how it was ridden for most of those miles. Are the records available? WHat has the dealership actually done to prep this bike to sell? Compression test? Check all the chain tensioner pads. Drive belt replaced? Etc. Ask and keep asking questions. Is the owner a local guy? Can you talk to him? Will the dealer warranty the bike for a period of time?
Hope it works out for you.........good luck!
Hope it works out for you.........good luck!
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 513
Likes: 6
From: Reston, Virginia
RE: Possible first Harley
I have a 2000 with a little over 30,000 miles (sorry I don't know what that translates too). I expect to keep mine for many more years. A bike that old will probably need the cam chain tensioners replaced if they are the originals. If they are the originals, consider upgrading to gear driven cams. If you can verify oil changes and maintenance are up to date, and it hasn't been dropped, I'd say you have a safe bet at a good ride.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Possible first Harley
They are all good points to consider when buying. It will cost you some$$$ down the road if anyone one of them need to be repaired or replaced. The drive belt, if it wasn't replaced yet will cost afew HD"s in about 10k [us] miles.
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
RE: Possible first Harley
I may be wrong but I seem to remember the 99 and early 2000 TC had a cam bearing problem hopefully someone else will chime in to verify this. You may want to see if the cam bearings have been changed out.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 657
Likes: 0
From: SLO Calif.
RE: Possible first Harley
If I'm not mistaken 1999 was the first year of the Twin Cam engine. There were some issues with the engine that got worked out over the next few years. One of the biggest problems was the cam chain tensioners. (EDIT sorry maybe it was the cam bearings)They had a tendency to come apart with some pretty bad results. I didn't have an early TC but I believe that HD did a recall on this problem. That sould be one of the things you find out about or take care of immediatly on the bike.
How much US$ do they want for the bike?
How much US$ do they want for the bike?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,343
Likes: 1
RE: Possible first Harley
40,000 = 24,854 miles.
You have been given good advice. Good luck and welcome to HDF!
Ride safe,
You have been given good advice. Good luck and welcome to HDF!
Ride safe,
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Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 1
From:
RE: Possible first Harley
Is it EFI? The early systems had some bugs - yes, the inner bearings were also trouble spots on the 99's and some00's. With that many miles, the cam tensioners will probably be replaced when the inner bearings are replaced. TC-88 is Harley's best engine - just a couple of issues with the early models.
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
RE: Possible first Harley
just a thought but take a look at all of the obvious bolts for signs of wear. head bolts,etc. that could tell you if it's been taken apart for some reason. i guess that could be good or bad. i looked at a bike once and the head bolts were stripped on top so i passed. also, have them run it until it gets good and hot to check for leaks. some dealers have a knack of hiding signs of leaks. my old bike is a 98 fxd with 38,000 miles on it and still runs good. i did have to changesomegaskets once that had wore out but i did it myself and saved some $$$.