I was wondering in the reliability of a 2004 road king I am looking to purchase.
2007-05-07 14:38:56 · 17 answers · asked by Jeremy M 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
Looking to buy 04' Road King with 17,000 highway miles well maintained.
2007-05-07 15:43:58 · update #1
My second dad was a Harley fan and rode Harley's all his life, constantly had them maintained & come to the sunday after having the bike in the shop for ages, he would go for a ride & 10 minutes later there'd be a phone call to come & pick him up (because the bike had once again broken). He sold his Harley and bought a Yamaha, went for a ride & enjoyed himself immensly. His wife however spent the day waiting for that phone call saying "come & get me the bikes broken" they had a huge blue, end result, he sold the Yamah re-bought the dog of a Harley & kept it until he could no-longeer ride. This is not a myth, it isn't a tall tale, unfortunately Harley's for a long time were dogged by problems. I believe that a lot has changed (and most of that is because the bike is no-longer made entireley in the USA) Harley's these days are fairly reliable. The best advice that has been given here, is take the bike to your local mechanic & get them to give it a once over (or better yet get the mechanic to meet you at the bike & take a look) That and to look after you bike.
2007-05-07 17:47:33 · answer #1 · answered by ozraikat 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All bikes require maintenance. There is no such thing as a maintenance free bike. Thirty years ago Harleys did require a lot of maintenance, but newer Harley's are as maintenance free as any other bike. The people that say they are high maintenance obviously are not familiar with newer Harleys. I have a 2002 FXD and it runs great. Just standard maintenance stuff, nothing serious. Get the bike you're looking at checked over by a mechanic for any major items that may need repair. If that goes well and the price is right, buy it. Don't fall victim to the "Harleys are high maintenance" lie and let a good deal slip through your fingers.
2007-05-07 15:23:38 · answer #2 · answered by BikerBob 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Depends, it is said H-D stands for 'hundred dollars', as in everything costs at least that! Dunno how true that is, but I ride a 2002 HD Heritage softail classic. Quality IS something you pay for.I've not had any problems with mine, and it seems I may pay more for oils, filters, & stuff for mtce., but then I buy synthetics, K&N air filters, etc. The Road king is a popular ride, maybe see if you have a state ABATE group/program. Much is learned there, and its' fun! Try to get to some swap meets - there are bargains to be had there !
2007-05-07 18:58:16 · answer #3 · answered by cryptic1 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think they are high maintenance as people say. I think it's because they are more "in your face" with their marketing and there are more written and talked about about these bikes. So when there are more Harley's around than metric bikes, you will notice that it seems like they are being worked on more. It's the law of averages.
2007-05-14 04:18:34 · answer #4 · answered by whuzurdadi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No Harley guy is going to tell you his bike needs more maintenance than any Furin bike. Keep in mind these are the same guys that think they look cool in chaps and frilly leather jackets. Check the required maintenance on the Road King compared to Japanese or German bikes and compare costs.
2007-05-08 11:43:41 · answer #5 · answered by Studley Von Longshlong 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
harleys are a whole lot better than they used to be. however any mechanical thing will and does break. a friend bought a new 07 road king drove it about 200 miles. he parked the bike and next morning there was oil all over his garage floor!! the rear shock blew out and lost all its fluid. his last harley (soft-tail) he rode about 4k miles and nothing happened. if that road king is what you want, you might want a motorcycle mechanic check it out for you. if he sees no major problems go for it!!
2007-05-07 15:24:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
sort of depends on the miles on the 04 RK and how it has been taken care of and used. If it's been rode hard and put up wet,, 40K miles will be a full life. If taken care of and used in some sane manner,, expect 100K or better from it. Maintenance would include changing oil, spark plugs, adjusting clutch, brakes, belt, primary chain, etc.
2007-05-07 15:38:52 · answer #7 · answered by Jo Blo 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Everything needs maintenance. The big question is how is it driven, stored, and maintained. Take the bike to a qualified mechanic for a pre-inspection. After that, learn how to do it yourself.
2007-05-07 15:08:05 · answer #8 · answered by a 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No there not any more high maintenance than any other bike. Bike's need to be maintained for your safety. Just find a good place to get your parts. http://www.buellxb.com
2007-05-08 04:40:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
THAT IS AN OLD TALL TALE THE HARLEYS ARE AS RELIABLE AS THEY COME. I HAVE RIDDEN HARLEYS FOR YEARS AND HAVN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS. MOSTLY THE MYTH COMES FROM OLD WORN OUT HARLEYS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANTIANED. I JUST SOLD A 2000 ROAD KING WITH 35000 MILES AND IT IS STRONG AS EVER, OTHER THAN REGULAR SERVICES IT HAS NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. GO WITH THE HARLEY YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!!!
2007-05-07 17:32:21 · answer #10 · answered by kevin d 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋