What to look for in an older RK
#11
another option is looking at used police road kings. depending on the department it comes from, could be well maintained (serviced regularly) and maint records available. anti lock brakes a plus. 07 police road kings got the 103" motors. read on this forum about some departments neglecting servicing, but when i purchased mine, i knew where it came from and knew the officer that rode it. so far, been a very reliable bike. thanks for your service and get home safe. i got back in 07 myself. good luck in your search...should be able to find one within your budget. just a little advise, when you do get one...buy an hd service manual for your bike, you wont regret it
#12
I'd look for as new a bike as you can stretch into your budget, Harleys depreciate the most the first 3 or 4 years, after that they slow way down. This is especially true if you're looking to trade for newer bike in a year or two, a high mileage newer bike might only be a couple grand more than the older bikes. There's an 09 RKC with 33K miles on ebay now for $12,988 or best offer, to me that's a lot better value than a 2002 for $9-10K,considering that you're probably looking at close to $1K to upgrade the tensioners on anything older than an 07. I don't have anything against the older bikes since I've got a 2000 myself with 92K on it, I just think the newer bikes are a better value if you don't already own a bike. If you're planning to get something newer in a couple of years you'll lose money when you go to trade that older bike in. A good way to see the real value of bikes or what they're actually selling for is to look on ebay for the bike you're interested in & then scroll down to "completed listings", it shows you what bikes actually sold for & how many didn't sell, usually about 80+% don't sell. Good luck & thank you very much for your service.
#13
#14
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PacNW; Beacon of Conservatism in a Sea of Liberals.......AZ Snowbird; Just another Conservative
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$10K got me the '07 RKC below, all parts to fix, TP, rider backrest, QD rack/backrest, Sundowner, front tire, all gas/oil/filters for this year, and all hotels/meals on our 4600-mi AZ Road-Trip in May. Trade-off ? ? ? A little bit of "extra ink" on the title that sits in a bedroom drawer.
#15
I have budgeted $10K for a Road King. From what I can tell this will get me into a 96-2002 depending upon mileage and condition. I have to say I am leery of buying an older bike. So, my question is are there common problems with the older bikes? What would it cost to have a tech go through the motor and/or tranny if necessary and what are the engine modifications to consider if it comes to that point? I haven't ridden in about 4 yrs so I am not looking for a hotrod...just a reliable daily rider until I get to a point where I am ready to buy a newer bike. I will be purchasing in about 4-6 weeks (still deployed), so I am trying to make myself an educated buyer in order to make my money go as far as possible. I have seen several with high miles (40-70K) for around $6-$7K and then lower mileage bikes (18-24K) for around $7-$10K. Should I spend less on the higher mileage bike and have someone go through the motor with the remaining money or spend the whole budget and hope for the best? Thanks for the help...this is my first HD so it is tough to sit in Iraq and not be able to go look at bikes. I think I have looked at every Road King on the internet. I appreciate any advice the board can offer.
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