Input on these two Harley Road Kings

Since some of you guys do know Harleys well, I'd be curious about your input on these two Road Kings.

This one seems the most interesting. Unfortunately, I can't get up to see it before the auction ends. Wish I liked the colors more, but that's just paint.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harley-Davidson-Road-King-Classic-/160931506875?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619&forcev4exp=true#ht_500wt_1182

This one I can get up to see. I think this will be an evo engine with carburetors, which I'm ok with (I don't mind caburetors elsewhere). Mileage is a bit of concern. As is the warning about needing TLC and showing wear.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-Harley-Davidson-Road-King-Teal-Silver-49K-miles-/130811545724?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619&forcev4exp=true#v4-42

Going by the BIN prices, I'd find a way to come up with the $3300 more for the 2001, for the following reasons (based on what you've said you like/need and MHO):

• Lowered suspension already on the bike, for your stature. Doing it yourself, you'd be looking at $700+ in parts.
• Mini-apes, to get your hands up to take pressure off your wrists. That's easily $400, if the bars are what look to be 1¼".
• Street Glide wheels. I'm not a fan of spoked/laced wheels. Plus, the tires are new. $165 for a new rear tire + labor/mounting, if you don't do it yourself.
• Hard saddlebags. The other one has leather-wrapped hard bags, but they don't seal nearly as well as the the hard bags on this one. I've been through monsoons for hundreds of miles, with mine, and all the contents were bone dry. For comparison, my old bike's leather-wrapped hard bags would leak in a brief shower.
• Detatchable backrest. About $400, if your wife wants to be comfortable, if she rides.
• Mileage. DAMN, that's not even broke in, yet!

EDIT:

• 88" Twin Cam vs 80" Evo

What Paul said...

Update, for the heck of it.

Got to see the second one yesterday. Much better shape than I'd feared. Already lowered, so my feet are solidly on the ground. And, it's a 2004! So that's a twin cam with the better fuel injection.

The listing at the dealerships web page says its got cruise control (can't remember if it did or not), and that it has a windshield (had the mounts, wasn't wearing a windshield when I looked at it).

Auction ends today. BIN of $6600, at $5k now and reserve isn't met. Trying to decide if I should just do a buy it now, or try getting it for a few hundred less by just bidding.

Would you feel $600 worth of hurt if you miss out on it? Cuz if it's at a dealer, I doubt that the reserve is any lower than $6k.

That's what I'm thinking. And having discovered it's a 2004, I'm real tempted to pull the BIN trigger.

That would be almost two grand more than I've ever spent on any vehicle in my entire life. I am cheap. And I'm not sure what my wife might decide to do to me as a result.

But on the other hand, it seems like quite a steal.

Also, auctions are crazy, if it's truly worth $6600 to you I would probably go ahead and buy it now. I had a piano up on eBay and had a couple people look at it. They bid instead of doing buy-it-now and It ended up going for twice the buy-it-now. Not that I minded, of course, but they probably did.

I doubt the Harley will go for 2x but it'll probably go for close to the buy it now and might not go to you. So give it some thought.

Yea. I'm also suspecting I could easily get my money back out of it next summer, if I happen to decide to get distracted by something else.

Looking around, Road Kings demand quite a price.

foxtrapper wrote: I'm not sure what my wife might decide to do to me as a result.

Take her for a ride. All will be forgiven.

foxtrapper wrote: And I'm not sure what my wife might decide to do to me as a result.

Buy her a fur coat for Christmas (still available...)

To die, or not to die. That tis the question. That, or to just lose a deposit.

I bought the second one, and plunked down a $500 deposit. Supposed to go pick it up tomorrow.

Somehow, hadn't figured out how to mention it to my wife. (Things haven't been the smoothest recently).

I was going to rationalize it as a "free" Harley, once I sell all the toys I don't play with. Sounds good to me!

Then her car goes and blows up. Oh the timing of this!

She's going nuts over the car and how we can't afford to replace it. I'm trying to be clever and convince her to buy more car than we probably should, in hopes of covering my Harley tracks. She's not going for it. Besides, I really am tired of older more problematic cars.

Still haven't told her about the Harley, though she is wondering why a friends trailer is in the back yard.

Sigh, trying to decide if I should skip the Harley now, and probably lose the deposit. Or try to keep it and survive what may land on me as a result.

Decisions decisions. And yes, we can afford both. Just not terribly comfortably.

Well, if you all never hear from me again after tomorrow afternoon, I guess that means I decided to risk keeping the Harley I don't need.

... I have an extra bedroom or two.

Forgiveness is easier to get than permission.

RealMiniDriver wrote: Forgiveness is easier to get than permission.

Except for it sounds like it might not be in this case...

A car would probably do...

"Honey, we can't afford to replace your car because I just bought a Harley" isn't going to wonders for marital harmony, I guess.

Replace her car with her Harley?

Tom Suddard wrote: Replace her car with her Harley?

^Lol!!

I think you gotta forgo the bike, at least for the moment.

It sounds to me like the way you drop We into things that finances in your house are pooled. If not ignore my advice as my wife and I pool money and discuss all purchases to avoid these kind of issues so my feedback comes from that background.

I'm surprised by multiple things here..

That you live in a relationship where you can't rationally discuss with your wife your purchase of something you desire that you've said yourself you can afford.

and also that you live in a Relationship where you made a $6000 purchase without talking to your significant other first.

I would talk to her openly and honestly about what you guys need to do with these two purchases at hand. Now you have your want (harley) competing for resources with her/your Need (Car). If she/you decides that you should not proceed with the Harley purchase do not hold that against her. You should have discussed it first. If you had decided as a couple that purchasing the bike made sense her car dying should not play into the harley purchase.

Your other option is to just skip the Harley potentially lose the deposit and try to keep the whole episode a secret from her.

I really don't see this one ending up with you keeping the bike. It sounds like you guys have some issues that you need to work through and the added stress of a $6000 surprise purchase probably isn't going to help matters.

Bring Harley home.

Present to wife.

"Here's your new ride, honey!"

Spend next month living at 914driver's place.

Talk it over with her, reminder her how much you love her, and bring home flowers for her every evening this week. The first time she'll smile but roll her eyes, the second time she'll smile and glare, the third time she'll laugh, and the fourth time she'll relent.

I have a Harley, I am alive.

It also seems I'm going to be buying her a real estate licence class.

For the record, we can talk rationally. Problem is I've behaved a wee bit less than rationally, particularly when I plunked that deposit down. Yes, we've pooled resources, as well as separate stashes. My stash is now much smaller. Our pooled resources are also going to become much smaller with her to be found replacement car.

Interesting, she wasn't particularly irate. She thinks the bike is very pretty.

I had no idea I was made for Harley's, or they were made for me. I wish I would have known this years ago. It wouldn't have saved me any money, but I would have skipped a fair number of Honda's and Yamaha's and such.

So sounds like good things all around.

Congrats!

Congrats on a new to you bike. The offer to ride the Burgman still stands when I make it up that way in the spring.

Congrats. She seems more understanding than we give her credit for.