Looking at Picking up A 96 King , questions
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 99
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From: NY
Looking at Picking up A 96 King , questions
Hey everyone , im looking at picking up a 1996 Road King i found locally, The price is right and the bike is asthetically really nice. Only mods are some slip ons, The only thing that makes me nervous are the miles, it has 16k miles on it and in sporty land that seems high. i dont know what the reliability and longevity is on these things , i currenty have a 2010 iron and the only reason im switching is cuz of longer highway riding the sporty is a nightmare. My dad has a 1998 Road king with 18k on it never had any issues with it, im pretty sure thats the same motor? anyway any input you guys may have would be great
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
there is an Evo fourm...the Evo motor is 1984.5 to 1998.
16k is nothing...I gotta couple of evos over 80k
at that age is may need some rubber stuff and bushings replaced, but no real concerns.
mike
16k is nothing...I gotta couple of evos over 80k
at that age is may need some rubber stuff and bushings replaced, but no real concerns.
mike
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 3,466
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From: Illinois
At 60,000,my Classic started seeping oil from the rear base gasket-used that for an excuse to tear off the top end,do some head work,and a cam. Up until that time,the only thing ever replaced on the bike was a voltage regulator.
16k is nothing on an Evo,but the age of the tires comes into question.
16k is nothing on an Evo,but the age of the tires comes into question.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 9,982
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From: Michigan
I bought a '96 RK (green) new an the only problem I had with it was the front master cylinder had to be rebuilt (under warranty).
The only thing I would suggest is replacing the intake seals.
The only thing I would suggest is replacing the intake seals.
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Joined: Dec 2012
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From: Pensacola
Road King miles
My Road King is a 1997 and has 42k miles on it. If the one you want rides good and you get it have it serviced thoroughly and see if anything needs replacing so you'll know. The EVO engine is one of the best out there. The model engine after that had a tensioner problem that was wide known. Of course this is MHO.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,486
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From: North Dakota & Minnesota
I have a 96' Road King and can add a few comments about this year of bike.
- Seats-If you plan on swapping out the seats beware that 97' on up seats will not fit this bike. Apparently they have the old style mount
- Does it have fuel injection or carburetor? If it has FI beware the 96' ECM is not programmable and that along with the MM Fuel Injection doesn't play well with mods. If you plan on going to a stage one or higher, you will need to swap out the ECM to a 97' or newer. Apparently H-D figured this out in '97
- The EVO motor from 84'-98' is bomb proof. Great motor. A bike that old may have some weeping at the base gaskets due to the paper gaskets used from the factory. No big deal if it weep a little oil but may be an issue with a bike that old with so few miles.
- 16K is nothing for a 18 year bike. That's 889 miles per year!
Last edited by ieatchickens; Jun 17, 2014 at 09:54 PM.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: On a Lake, not far from the Gulf
As others have said it has just been broken in. Plenty of life left in the old gal. Check the condition, and age of the tires. It may need new handlebar bushings. Probably replace the brake fluid. Then ride her and enjoy.
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,053
Likes: 39
From: Central Florida
I have a 96' Road King and can add a few comments about this year of bike.
- Seats-If you plan on swapping out the seats beware that 97' on up seats will not fit this bike. Apparently they have the old style mount
- Does it have fuel injection or carburetor? If it has FI beware the 96' ECM is not programmable and that along with the MM Fuel Injection doesn't play well with mods. If you plan on going to a stage one or higher, you will need to swap out the ECM to a 97' or newer. Apparently H-D figured this out in '97
- The EVO motor from 84'-98' is bomb proof. Great motor. A bike that old may have some weeping at the base gaskets due to the paper gaskets used from the factory. No big deal if it weep a little oil but may be an issue with a bike that old with so few miles.
- 16K is nothing for a 18 year bike. That's 889 miles per year!
FI/Carb - I had the FI version. Keep in mind not only is it not programmable, the parts are EXTREMELY hard to find. For the first 10 years or so I had it it was relatively reliable.. but when it started to die, it was a major pain in the ***. I eventually had it converted to CARB but keep in mind the FI version of this bike uses a COMPLETELY different wiring harness than the non-FI versions.. which means to swap out you need to find a very rare wiring harness or have someone who can completely rewire it.. My guy ended up going with a 1998 harness and had to extend a bunch of the wiring.
Also, the ECM is MASSIVE and also very hard to find replacements for. I kept my ECM originally after we converted to carb to control the electronics but eventually it died. A replacement was in the $1000 range.. at that point I had to do the re-wire and eliminate the ECM.. the problem there was again that the FI version uses different components electronically, different connectors, and was damn near impossible to find replacements for. The Fuel tank is also different for FI and had to be modified for Carb use..
Moral of the story.. if its FI, I would not purchase it. Not because its a MM FI, but because its a very rare 1 off year version of the MM FI. Its my understanding they trashed it after 1996 (Only used it for 1 year) and went to the newer MM FI's in 1998.
If its Carb.. ignore all of that and I would not be concerned about the miles. The EVO is relatively cheap to repair and parts are easily available.
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 62
Likes: 1
From: Apache Junction, Az
97 and up seat mod.
I did a mod on a 97 and later seat to fit my 96 ultra. You have to trim the seat pan 3/4 in. and re staple. Then epoxyed 2 bolts to seat pan to fit in mount holes. A little more work but I did it. Fits great and looks great. Email me for info on complete mod
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