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SileradoSteve

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Hi, I'm Steve from South Texas and don't have a bike yet. I am looking at a 2000 Road King with only 3k miles acording to owner, is there anything that I should be aware of with a bike that age with so few miles?
 
welcome from south bend..just like checking out a used truck + some, oil overall condition stock bike or modified ? tires/ cracks there condition listen to it feel it ride it.. any leaks..look underneath. take to agood bike mech, have checked out..
 
Welcome SileradoSteve to the HDTimeline forum and your 1st post. Only 3K?...your ride is just a baby...but certainly was a garage queen for most of her life! Routine maintainance will reveal a lot and there is a host of information in the Self Help section. Fluids is the life blood and can reveal a lot...change it pronto...and put the last drainings in a clear glass like the fuel in the float bowl and smell to see what is in there. Brakes, tires and critical fasteners are next, looking for signs of aging..."you know what to look for when you see it...use the Search tab typing in keyword(s) to find specific threads on the subject. And the key here is information, an operating AND service manual are a must and worth the price of admission in either case. Get a Battery Tender to keep the charge up and your battery happy.

Abilities, resources and time are all key elements to successful maintenance and troubleshooting. Having a clean place to work, preparation, gathering materials and consumables and decent set of metric and sae tools is also sucessful. Using the right materials "genuine" HD oil filter, gaskets, o-rings and critical bits are important. Proper fluids, 100% Synthetic in the engine for V-Twins and trans are important as is good gear oil without friction modifiers to cause the clutch in primary not to slip...little things add up to a lot. Your brothers and sisters here are eagar to hear and see about your new ride! ENJOY!
 
Welcome Steve. Like Ultrat said, be prepared to repl. tires if cracked, also battery (doubt it's original) may need repl. soon. Strongly recommend total fluid change (search self help for our favorites), and service cables, brake fluid etc. If you aren't comfy doing it yourself, get a FIRM quote from place you take it to. Your heart may skip a few beats when you hear HD dealer quote for service.
 
SileradoSteve said:
I am looking at a 2000 Road King with only 3k miles acording to owner, is there anything that I should be aware of with a bike that age with so few miles?
Click to expand...

Hey Steve! Welcome to HDT! You are well covered by the experts here, +1 on all that was said. Make sure you negotiate the sales price with the seller for the upgrades (mentioned above) necessary to put the bike in road worthy condition, see if you can take it to a mechanic (dealer). Don't be afraid to walk away, there are plenty of good deals out there today.

3000 miles on a 2000 RK is for sure a sweet deal though, hope the negotiations go in your favor, and look forward to seeing pictures real soon!
 
Hey Steve. Welcome to the forum. The previous posts have all given very sage advice with respect to your prospective new ride. At some time in the future, the cam chain tensioners are going to have to be looked at. This is kind of a routine fix on these early twin cams. The good news is that with such low milage, yours are probably in half way decent shape. The bad news is the only way to really check is to pull the nose cone.

Good luck with your choice....
 
SileradoSteve said:
Hi, I'm Steve from South Texas and don't have a bike yet. I am looking at a 2000 Road King with only 3k miles acording to owner, is there anything that I should be aware of with a bike that age with so few miles?
Click to expand...

What a Find!

I had a 2000 FXDS so I'm qualified for the next statement...

Take a flashlight, Look on the right "Up tube" from the *Left side, front of bike...
*(easiest position to see the date)..

Look at the Build date....
IF it shows Dec 15 1999, IT has the NEED to replace Ball Bearing on the Main cam drive bearing... to a Roller style Bearing....1999 TC's thru the FIRST Half of 2000 built bikes Have the problem(potential)

Now IF it shows a later date like JAN "2000" any date BUT "1999" Your bike has the Newer Style bearing from the second 1/2 year change HD made....

No sense going any further with the REST of the Story until you check that build date..

Let me know here the date and I can help out a LOT if the older.... Remember any build date saying 1999 is a potential problem...

signed....BUBBIE
 
Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate the info and will let you know how it turns out and please forgive me but I posted this question in two places on this forum out of ignorance. Thanks again.
 
I think that Bubbie is leading you to some potential work in the cam chest. Aside from the cam plate support bearing, that year will have chain driven cam shafts with mechanical (spring-loaded) tensioners. These are a problem waiting to happen, and you may want to address them with the roller chain conversion at the same time as the bearing that Bubbie is talking about (if that turns out to be necessary). One of the options in upgrading the tensioner system to the hydraulic ones eliminates the cam plate bearings all together.

Additionally, while you are doing all that, the inner cam shafts INA bearings should be replaced with the Torrington bearings. This will also be a good time to up-grade your cams if you might want to do that.

Not trying to scare you, but just making suggestions for your project list. I am a firm believer in being an informed rider/owner so that you can prioritize time and money based on needs and wants!!

TQ
 
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