The decade leading up to the new millennium was a period of sustained growth for the Harley-Davidson Motor Co., a time that saw dealerships across the country struggle to maintain pace with customer demand for the first time in the manufacturer's history. In many parts of the U.S. this meant would-be Hog owners were signing their names to waiting lists in order to purchase new Harleys. During the middle-to-late 1990s, these waiting lists stretched on for months and even years at a time, a situation that helped pump up new bike values and used bike prices simultaneously. The effects of this veritable run on Hogs is still being felt today, as prices for used 1990s Harleys are just starting to level off after years of constant ascent. It was only with recent technological upgrades to new Harley-Davidsons-a six-speed transmission and smoother-running Twin Cam 88 cubic inch engines on Big Twins; rubber mounting, belt final drives and larger gas tanks on Sportster models-that used Hog prices began to come down, says Michael Bozic, owner of three Harley-Davidson dealerships all located in the Orlando, Florida area.
With three separate showrooms, the Orlando H-D group has moved several hundred used Harley-Davidsons each year since their 2001 grand opening. The shop also does a brisk trade in motorcycle rentals, with new machines pulled from the showroom floor, prepped, and leased to customers visiting the Florida region from around the world. "Before we put a rental fleet bike back on the floor at our 8,000 mile limit, they're subject to a complete check-up that covers everything from fluids to brake pads and valves. Because the bikes cover a good many miles, we check the steering head and swingarm bearings as well," Bozic said. This same once-over in the Orlando Harley-Davidson technician's workshop is also performed on the dozens of used machines that come and go through Bozic's showroom each month. The shop owner strongly suggests that buyers seeking used Harley-Davidsons from the 1990-2000 model years have a qualified mechanic perform a similar service regimen on any privately-owned used metal they buy, even if the owner provides a detailed service record for the machine.
"We try not to sell a whole lot of bikes that are more than three or four years old because in recent years, Harley-Davidson has upped their annual production numbers to the point where there's more machines all the time. We've been getting so many clean trade-ins of 2000 and newer models that we just don't see as many of the machines from the previous decade," he explained. That said, the 1990s-era Harley-Davidsons can yield some decent bargains for used bike seekers, as long as buyers are willing to look at the details and choose carefully. Because many buyers purchased Harleys during the last decade for investment purposes rather than for riding-expecting the waiting lists to continue indefinitely, permanently driving up prices-some used 1990s Hogs have been sitting in storage for years. Technicians say it's far better to buy a well-maintained Sportster or Big Twin with a full service record and a few thousand miles showing on the clock than a pristine ten year-old bike that's been languishing in someone's storage shed. Bikes that haven't seen the light of day in years are often filled with fuel that's degenerated into a carb-rotting slop. This is expensive to clean out, while tires can go off in as little as four years, along with drive belts, brake lines, batteries, and other consumables.
The bright side to owning a 1990s Hog is in the technology. With the timely shelving of the underpowered Shovelhead motor in favor of the cleaner, more modern 80 cubic inch, V2 Evolution engine in 1984, Harley-Davidson's Big Twin line-up became more reliable almost overnight. The Evolution's valves were set at a narrower included angle, which meant a more direct path for incoming and outgoing gasses, while the all-aluminum mill rocked a five-speed transmission which made for effortless highway cruising. Gone almost instantly were the horror stories about cracked engine cases and faulty electrics from the years when The Factory had merged with bowling-equipment powerhouse American Machine Foundry, replaced by (relatively) leak-free jugs and lightweight cases that were capable of clocking five-figure mileages in a single season. Today, those high odometer readings can mean extra maintenance for a 10-to-16 year-old used Harley-Davidson, with more than a few blowing a little smoke on throttle (which technicians say can mean a new set of piston rings). However, Bozic's technicians say there's no need to walk past an older H-D just because it requires a little TLC: when an Evolution Big Twin from the 1990s gets smoky, it's a good idea to pull the heads and perform a complete top-end freshening-up. This includes inspecting the valves which sometimes need re-seating at around 30,000 miles, in addition to replacing the spark plugs, head gaskets, and rings. Expect around 12 hours of labor to bring the complete bill to somewhere around $900. "We sell a wide variety of used Harley-Davidsons, but Sportsters and Dresser models are the most popular," Bozic said. The '90s style icon, Harley-Davidson's FLSTF Fat Boy, is also a popular used buy, followed by the FLSTC Heritage Softail and the venerable FLHR Road King.
Buying Long Distance
Besides providing us with lots of naughty photos, the Internet is also an incredible resource for buying used motorcycles. Whether shopping on the auction powerhouse or trolling for used machines on popular Websites like Craig's List or Cycle Trader.com, there's a massive virtual showroom available at the click of a mouse. And while cyberspace has revolutionized the art of buying used bikes by making motorcycles available to us in far away locales, the net has also complicated things considerably. That well-maintained Fat Boy in the online classified ad may look like it just rolled into the garage after a cruise, but unless you're standing next to the bike where you can closely inspect its mechanical condition, chances are the ad could be hiding something. Has the bike been run regularly or is it a storage queen? Are the tires fresh and useable? Has the oil changed according to the manufacturer's recommended intervals?
These are not easy questions to answer via e-mail, but having purchased several bikes over the Web in the past year, I've found ways to get a closer look at a potential purchase. It always pays to demand a number of detailed, high-resolution images of a potential buy. Ask for photos of the bike from different angles and close-ups as well. If possible, have the owner fax copies of any service receipts your way, which provides a fairly good idea of what sort of work has been performed on the bike. Sellers on E-Bay often remove chrome bits and custom bolt-ons, opting to sell them separately. If you spot a bike that interests you online, feel free to negotiate with the owner for any extras he may be squirreling away in a parts bin. Whenever possible, buy a used machine out of state from a dealership, which is the surest way to avoid scam artists who are as common on the Internet as Paris Hilton videos. And if a deal looks too good to be true, it likely is: run away from anyone offering a "clean, late-model Softail for $2,000."
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