Hey Derv,

I have a 2000 Low Rider and love the bike which I ride almost exclusively solo since my wife doesn't usually jump on.

If you are planning on a lot of 2 up riding and require some storeage you may want to consider going to a Softtail Heritage. It is pretty comfortable (a bit more roomy than the Low Rider), and comes with saddle bags and windshield.

The Heritage also has a very low seat height.

 

From what I've read, a big problem is the cam chain tensioners on pre-06 models.. apparently they are just a ticking time bomb and can crap out on you at any time. Many have posted short mileage failures and others have higher mileage failures.. seems to be very inconsistent wtih every bike.

But other then that, I'm not sure. Good luck though!

 

I would go with the 2000. (think I mentioned that). Now that I SEE the pix I would definitely go with it.

 

A few more points (opinions...)

You've got the twin pot calipers and dual front discs; not sure when they discontinued the dual discs on the FXDL's, but that's gonna be a great setup!

My '01 has the same rear fender and I've fitted a 160/60ZR18 under it on a 4.25" X 18" rim; your choice has spokes so that would actually be easy to do.

You probably won't notice any handling difference with the few degrees of rake; tire and suspension choices will affect you more on that bike.

The cam chain tensioners are know to wear irregularly; you can upgrade to the current cam drive system as a direct replacement if you want to.

Keep us posted!

 

Just need to have a look at them, earlier the summer at 24k miles mine still looked good.
I have a 2001 Super Glide with just Stage I (aftermarket mufflers and air cleaner) and have over 27k miles now with really no major problems.
When I put the 2up seat & sissy bar, saddlebags and windshield on it becomes a very good bike for touring.

 

Once again - some brilliant advice and observations from you guys. Reading up on various sites on the 'net there does seem to be a general concensus regarding the cam chain tensioners that they will need checking out, even at the realtively low 13500 miles this bike has done. If I get this bike then I'll do it as soon as I get it home. The front one looks a breeze but the rear one could be a bit more difficult to check going by the shots I've seen.

Nobody here will know the answer to my next question unless they live in the UK - but I'll ask anyway. Harley parts suppliers in the UK seem to be a bit thin on the ground. Are we restricted to buying parts from the main HD dealers or is there anywhere else they can be obtained?

I phoned the guy who's selling it tonight, the bike has a fully documented HD service history. It's had 2 owners prior to him and he's only had it since March this year. I got the impression that he's jacked off with the awful summer we've had here in the UK so he's buying a bike he can use in the rain!

Dave

 

I get alot of my parts from e-bay...some dealers have their own e-bay stores as well as their regular outlets. Even if the parts come from the US, many have international shipping options.

 

In Canada we have only 1 distributor for all the dealers nationwide; pricing is sometimes considerably more than it would be in the states so I have ordered from the states and bought off ebay many times; just be sure beforehand you know who's going to install said parts; most dealers won't touch anything you didn't buy from them...I get most of my work done at a non-HD shop.....

 

Sharkey I do pretty much all my own spannering on my bikes - ex marine engineer! The only thing I leave to the shops is if the job needs special tools, but even then something ca usually be cobbled together.

The Canada thing answers another question though. We pay pretty hefty import duty here in England on things bought from the U.S. I repair guitars for a living and used to get most parts from your side of the water - until our government decided to check and tax everything that comes in here. Someone has to pay for the wars we get involved in I guess, not to mention the amount of asylum seekers we get turning up here on a daily basis - but I digress!! We have a daughter who lives in Vancouver and I had thought of getting any stuff delivered to her and she could send it over here marked "gift". They seem to let that stuff through 8 times out of 10. But if parts are that expensive there, that's probably not a good idea.

I'll have a mooch about the internet, there must be an independent Harley parts importer somewhere here

Cheers
Dave

 

I think the reputation you speak of was earned a long time ago and is not really valid these days. I have owned many different motorcycles and IMO and experience the 1990+ Harley's (the only ones I have real experience with) are just as reliable if not more reliable then the other brands. Of course this is just opinion based on my experience, not based on any solid data.

My current bike is a 2007 Street Bob, the only issue I had (that was not caused by the nut between the seat and the handlebars) was an idle set screw backing out and stripping. I am at 18000 miles and everything seems to be good to go.