Hello All,

I will be buying a used HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE CLASSIC
in the spring or sooner and Wanted to narrow down the search a little.

I'm looking at the years 2000 to 2006 due to my budget :-(

I a concerned about the Twin Cam Tensioner issues and not sure between a carb or fuel injected model.

So, the questions are there any betters years than others?
What are some other issues that I should keep an eye open for.

Also, I live in toronto is there any advantage in purching one from the upper US states?
Any leads on a good deal?

Actually any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Cheers
Brian

 

99-2000 had the problematic cam bearings. 2002 was the last year of the good Timken engine bearing and good forged cranks. 99-01 also used Magnetti Marelli fuel injection which can be a pain in ****. 02 and up used Delphi which is easier to work with. All years up to 2006 have the spring cam tensioners which are less desirable than the newer hydraulic style. Carb bikes only require a rejet when doing upgrades, EFI bikes require a fuel management system. 2005 bikes had what we call "valve-itis" and had the crappy valve seals in the heads. Having said all that, 2002 and 2006 were great years for TC88's. As well, most of the issues can be easily overcome by installing such things as gear cams, SE hydraulic tensioner upgrade, lefty side bearing upgrade, new valve seals, changing MM EFI to carb, etc. etc. It all boils down to what you plan on doing for performance upgrades if any.

 

Welcome from Pembroke. Within your target range, a lot of people think that the 2002 to about 2005/6 are the best for quality etc. I am a big believer in FI, just makes life easier. Essentially it is plug and play and seems to stay "in tune" over time better. In fact I think 2003 was the last year you can get a carburated dresser. Big bore kit makes one heck of a difference, especially if you are doing any two up riding. Front brake has a lot of lever pull for sure on the 2003 and I think on the 02 and 04's. I put on Brembo brakes to get rid of this. Cam Tensioners seem to be a hit and miss issue. I replaced mine as PM at 75,000 km. As it turns out they were perfect. I think in 2004 or 05 they went to a wider rear tire and people I know claim a 20% improvement in mileage. Re US purchase your call. There are good buys to be had in Canada and for the most part you can get the history, especially if you get it from one of the smaller dealers. Suggest you do not rule out an ultra since with depreciation there is not that much difference, you do get a bit more and you can always take of things like the lowers if you want to.

 

2006 was the last year

 

Brian, I have a couple of friends who bought here...

http://robinsonmotorcycle.com/

No issues.

Very happy with my 02 carb.

Check out the ads on autotrader.ca

 

Keep in mind that the carbs have a better "lope" and sound than EFI unless you replace the cam. I love the shimmy and shake of my '01 and it's carb.

 

I think Dawg covered it the best. Just make sure what you have is a quality used bike and take care of it.

 

I have an '06 EGC with around 65K on the original tensioners. I checked them at around 35K and they looked fine. I'll be checking again this summer and replacing if necessary.

I prefer FI over a carb. It's reliable and starts easily every time. PC III makes tuning quick and easy - just plug the laptop into the bike and download a new map.

 

I would love to have carb on my 07, my 92 had 175k without any problems with the carb and no adjustments needed and it still is on the road, I did put a Yost power tube in. I ride fr. 4k to 8k-11k elevation and the CV carb never hesitated. Like Dawg said if you change something and have EFI it usually need to be Dyno tuned $300-400. With a carb you may might have to rejet for a couple buck, The experience w cam tensioner varies but if you do have to replace you can do the stock upgrade fairly inexpensive.

 

howdy from Arkansas and welcome to the forum..

Bought mine in June of last year. The previous owner had the upgrades done before he traded it in; SE, heads, jugs and all the bling...Dealer said it was a 103 now, but not sure that's the case unless they changed cranks too....but it runs great. as for carb or EFI, i bought the wife a fatboy for christmas, 2002 with carb. now this thing is sweet and it has the Harley "lope" that my EFI UC doesn't, but i prefer the EFI for it's easy crank; start and walk off where you have to choke the fatboy until it's warmed up.....I bought used bikes because i didn't want to pay 20k for a motorcycle.. got 2 for less that that.....