This is my first post but i read this sight religiously. Really enjoyed the "turning a classic into a classic"

i'm a very experienced rider even at 27. i currently ride a 05 Suzuki boulevard 805cc. This bike is awesome as far reliability goes. But it's time for an upgrade to something bigger and cooler. i'm looking to spend around $11 or $12k. i figure the way to go is buy an older low miles bike because they are a lot less money, insurance and taxes than a newer (05 and up) bike. I'm pretty well locked into a Road King Classic. Correct me if i'm wrong but 98 is the first fuel injected Road King. So please throw out your $.02 as far as reliability of bikes from 99-04 and any other purchasing tips. This will be my first harley purchase and want to make sure i'm not fixing and spending money to repair it every time i start it. The best candidate i have found is a 99 RKC w/ 20k miles for $11k.

Thanks for your tips.

 

As long as the 99 RKC has 88 C I or 1450 CC you have a winner.
Use the other 2000.00 for making it "your bike"
There is my $.02 worth

 

11-12K, Look around, I've seen some low miles '06s in that range.
Maintenance is more important than years or miles.

 

You should be able to get a very nice, reliable used scoot for that price. Shop around, and ask for maintenance records. You could even find a nice Evo and have $3-4K to fix it up the way you want left. Those Evo's were great bikes, and very, very reliable. Just take your time, shop the net, Craig'slist, classifieds on the various bike sites and I'm sure you'll do just fine. You can't go wrong with a Road King.....BTW, $11K for a 99 with 20,000 is not necessarily a great deal. In fact, I'd say that's HIGH for that year. Do your homework, and check the bluebook value of the bikes you're looking at. Don't pay for add-ons even though they might be expensive. I've seen low mileage 04's and 05's for that price. You need to find a motivated seller. They're out there, you just need to take your time.

 

I have owned a 2001 95" Roadking Classic with M&M fuel injection for two and a half years. When purchased for $12,345.00, the bike had most of the options available SE Six Speed, SERT, Tach/Speedo, and a whole lot more. It has proven to be very reliable and I am satisfied with it, to the point that I have put far more money (Andrews 21g gear driven cams, hard bags, Sundowner seat, Woody's fairing, cruise control) into the bike than I could ever dream of getting back on resale - but I do noy plan on selling it. After owning seven Harley - Davidsons, I have come to believe that you can build a better bike than those that HD claims improve upon with each new year. There is lots of wisdom on this forum to guide you.

If you can find a well maintained bike in your price range, you can do some amazing improvements with it. With a Joe Minton engine build combination, my bike performs every bit as well as the newer bikes my friends own. No regrets here!

 

pre 2000 has a weaker front end with 3/4 in axle vs 1 in and inferior single pot (piston) brakes
pre 2002 you have what most consider an inferior fuel injection system
pre 2002 inferior rear swing arm and 3/4 rear axle vs 1 in

note for as few bucks you can upgrade to newer swing arm and front end but if you don't want to hassle with any of that go with a 2002+
a little more info at this posts:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...d-i-avoid.html
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...-swinbarm.html
EVOs:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...good-year.html