[zeekay]

I've stumbled accross a fully loaded '97 Road King which i'm dying to buy as my first Harley. However to break my Harley Virginity i lack the advice of an "older brother" who has ridden many times before and knows all the ins and outs (literally) and can advise me, with that gleaming older brother's smile, and tell me what i'm getting myself into! This is what i know about her so far:

1. Harley Davidson 1997 Road King with 30,000kms (17,860 miles) on it
2. Color: Green - i want to dress her up with a different outfit, a sexy Deep Cobalt Pearl & Pewter Pearl :-)
3. Stage 1 upgrade
4. Evo engine, 80 cubic inchines - here's the real issue since i've heard that parts for an evo engine are not made anymore and if she goes bust, i'm all alone!
5. Price where i'm from: $13,500 (US Dollars that is)

Any older bros out there who can tell me if she's worth my $13,500 marriage proposal or shall i try finding another date? Will i have a good first time? Help me brothers, my virginity is at stake!

[hotroadking]

I don't know who told you evo parts were not available, most aftermarket motors are evo based. Getting parts shouldn't be difficult at all.

Having said that HD has produced more TC motors in one year than all the years of evo production.

I had a 97 RK good bike, worst case if the motor took a dump you could buy and bolt in an S&S, Midwest, Revtech etc. Plenty of options.

I would think that price is a bit high for a 97, bike should be under $10K JMO, compare on ebay for similar years 98 and earlier RK's are evo

If it were me I'd look for a nice stock 99 and up Twin Cam RK, you get 88 cubes and you get the new motor, you should be able to get a 99 to 02 RK in the same $13K price range. Of course that's in the states, in your area of the world, $13K might be cheap.

Of course this is JMO.

[Red Rider]

Hate to be a sourpuss, but I think that price is just too darn high to be happy about. It should be under $10,000. Why?

A. It's an Evo. And the stage one just means that you MIGHT have issues with it, as the Evo wasn't as over-engineered as the later TC88's and 95's to take on power increases - and neither was the rest of the bike. Though I have to say the info you got that there are no parts to be had for an Evo is total B.S. Plenty of support for Evos, both aftermarket and by H-D proper. Whoever told you that is so full of it I wouldn't listen to 'em about anything.

B. It's just shy of 20,000 miles, which means one of the bigger milestones for bike maintenance, even if it had always been seen by certified wrenches.

C. It's a '97. C'mon, this is 10 friggin' years and two engine upgrades later for the MoCo. I've seen 2001 FLHR Twin Cam 88's running for $13K, mainly because the posers are bailing from the 88 to the new 95/6 speed packages.

I really wouldn't go to $10K for that. Especially if you don't love the color already. Maybe $9.5K if I was really in love with the look and liked the previous owner.

Wish I could say it is a great deal, or even respectable, but it ain't.

[Red Rider]

I noted ex-post-facto that you are in Lebanon. So the price is not as far off as us in the USA might think. But when I was in Dubai (at HD of U.A.E.) the bikes weren't suffering from too much mark-up, so it is still high. I'd have to say it's probably about $2K too high still, instead of $3.5K.

I'm with hotroadking. Get a '99 or better and you will be much happier in the long run. If you aren't into working on your rides, get a fuel injection model.

[mwelych]

I would look in the NADA and Blue Book for the value of the bike. Also include any extras; windshield, exhaust upgrade, etc. Is it cherry? You should get a pretty good idea of its value. HD's aren't really broken in until 10-15K miles anyways, so I think the mileage isn't that bad... Good luck...

[hotroadking]

Yeah you have to take into consideration he's in lebanon when you think about prices.

NADA isn't going to work well over there if it's in accordance with market prices in your area thats good but if you can find a good used twin cam (00 and up I'd go that route)

[zeekay]

Yeah guys, about the price of the RK '07 in Lebanon vs the USA; i've been doing some research and it's normal to have around +$2000-$3000 to the price of any bike here compared with the same bike in the USA. Lebanon is a small country (4 Million population) and we don't even have an official HD dealer here - there are only 3 ways which you can buy a HD here.

1. Buy it off someone
2. Import it yourself - import tax on an HD is around $2000 to $3000 on a used HD!
3. Buy it from a bike store that acts like a HD Dealer called Bikes INC owned by a Lebanese American who used to live in NYC and knows his ****.

Having said that, and knowing that there are probably only less than 100 ridable HDs in the country, the price difference is justified. From what i've found out, a brand new HD RK is priced around $28,000 here (without registration which will set you back an additional $1000). As some of you have recomended, i also checked for a RK TC '99 - 2001 and these babies cost MIN $15,000 with ZERO customization!!

So, in all fairness, i think that buying a fully loaded HD RK Classic '97 in good condition for $13,500 here in Lebanon is about right. All i am concerned with at the moment is whether this specific model will give me troubles if i want to ride it on Sundays and take it on long hauls to neighboring countries every once in a while? Will it be trouble free if i take care of her?

Z

[Red Rider]

zeekay - that bike should give you what you want. And you can get parts, but you might want to check your logistic support to see if they are prohibitively expensive.

[zeekay]

Thanks Red Rider... i'll post a pic when i get it!!