I found an 2001 Fatboy that I am really interested in not far from my house. It is an custom build(I could not tell by looking at it) the frame is an after maket one, Has an S&S carb, Vance&Hines pipes but every thing else is Harley. It is a great looking bike lots of crome with no surface rust anywhere. But it was backfireing like an shotgun while the owner was acelerating. He was asking $9,000.00 for it and knocked off an extra Five hundred if I were to buy it as is or he would take it in and have it fixed. I'm not too worryed about the missing/backfiring so much as the bike not acctuly being an true Harley Davidson becouse of the frame. I am not buying it to sell I will be riding it but talking the wife into this one took me a long time and I want to actually have a bike that will hold its value also. Any thoughts or advise would be highly welcome! PS. I wanted an new Rocker C but I found out I'm on a used sportster budget and really like this bike.
Ya I've got an 08 roadglide, ride the wheels off it! Sorry I cant really say about the aftermarket frame, heard many a bad tale about those customs! Seems they just dont do the quality control testing that Harley does. non stop minor headaches!! mostly wiring! I'd keep looking, in fact after years with cruisers and sportbikes, I would never not have a bagger, amazing what you start keeping in those bags, and the stereo is a big bonus. good luck, let us know how you fare!
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Originally Posted by 71Dusterdan
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snl#16 Tims' minions - snatch and grab expert
I've been told that you should always be a little suspicious of anything that is modified like that, unless the work was done by a respected, professional shop- but, you don't know who did the work on this bike. A modified frame could be bad news if it wasn't done right.
__________________ 1994 F250 XLT-Reg cab, 4x4, 5 speed, 7.3 IDI Turbo, manual hubs. 4" intake tube, ATS upgrade, 4" exhaust w/ Walker 21172, boost & pyro on pillar, Autodim mirror, 16x8 MB Razor wheels w/285/75R16 "MT-R's" 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe-Lots of fun stuff to make it go fast & take corners 2008 V-Star 1100 Midnight Custom-Just Cobra slip-on drag pipes for now
Keep shopping. Plenty of bikes around. I'm not sure about the whole 'custom frame' thing, either. Sounds like a wrecked bike to me. No bike is going to hols all of its value, though harleys are a bit better than the rest for doing so. But the down side is you pay for all that resale value. You can buy a very nice Kawasaki Vulcan 1800 for that same money. As a matter of fact, I wish I had shopped more before jumping on the VTX 1300R that I ride now. I love my bike, but I realized (too late, of course) that I could have gotten a bigger bike, with after market pipes, bags, windscreen and crash bars for the same mone I spent on just the bike........ Speaking of which, I recently added some highway pegs on the VTX. Kuryakin's. They look good and are great for stretching out on the road. Next thing I am getting are the Kury hand grips- I almost have enough in my change jar to get them!
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Originally Posted by dono I worry more about the world I leave my grandchildren than the fate of the polar bear.
" There are two ways to conquer a nation- one is by the sword and the other is by debt."-- John Adams
Although I don't own a Harley, I would also avoid one that is not on the original frame. Plays to be safe and there are plenty of used HD's around.
I just sold my 91 Goldwing Interstate and for a bike that listed for 9999 new, I got almost half that when I sold it.
Not only do HD's hold their value...Goldwings do to.
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97 F-150 Lariat
2008 Ford Explorer(wife's)
2006 Yamaha 650 V Star Classic
2007 Honda Rubicon
2004 Yamaha Bruin 4x4(wife's)
I JUST bought an '08 V-star 1100 Custom Midnight yesterday
I haven't even picked it up yet, I'm picking it up tomorrow.
Only cost me $7395, brand new, with a warranty. 2 year old used bikes are selling for $1300 less, so I don't think that's too bad of a deal (plus I could finance it!)
__________________ 1994 F250 XLT-Reg cab, 4x4, 5 speed, 7.3 IDI Turbo, manual hubs. 4" intake tube, ATS upgrade, 4" exhaust w/ Walker 21172, boost & pyro on pillar, Autodim mirror, 16x8 MB Razor wheels w/285/75R16 "MT-R's" 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe-Lots of fun stuff to make it go fast & take corners 2008 V-Star 1100 Midnight Custom-Just Cobra slip-on drag pipes for now
I JUST bought an '08 V-star 1100 Custom Midnight yesterday
I haven't even picked it up yet, I'm picking it up tomorrow.
Only cost me $7395, brand new, with a warranty. 2 year old used bikes are selling for $1300 less, so I don't think that's too bad of a deal (plus I could finance it!)
Congrats! Post pics (Don't wait as long as Dan did). I paid $9600 for mine, got 1.9% financing for three years. Three months later, I saw my bike on sale for under $8000. I really could have gotten a great deal by waiting a couple more months- and shopping, of course.
I love all the cruisers on the market these days. Of course, I always dreamed of having a Harley, but didn't want to pay so much. Of course when people ask me why I didn't get a HD, I always tell them "everyone has a Harley, I wanted to be different, so I bought a Honda."
Run away. That'd be my two cents. The frame & mods could all be part of the original owner wanting a custom bike. But, that also means that you could be inheriting a large number of original owner problems. The fact that it does not run quite right gives an indication that there may be some other aspects of the bike that are not quite right. Maybe I'm just paranoid & reading into it. But that, to me, is the best case scenario.
The worst case scenario is that you are buying a bike that has been wrecked AND still inheriting some unknown number of previous owner's "creative mechanical" fixes/solutions.
Around '99-'00 there was a spike in the interest in bikes (and corresponding sales increase). But, too many folks realized after the fact that they liked the thought of being a biker much more than actually being a biker. As a result, there is a decent number of newer bikes showing up on the used bike market with very low mileage on them.
Proof in point, I saw a 2003 Road King with only ~600 miles go up on Craigs List just a couple of weeks ago. I believe the owner was asking $10,000 O.B.O. Chances are that he would settle for $8K+, if you showed up with cash on hand.
My suggestion would be to sit back, watch the market (newspaper, dealership(s), Craigs List, eBay, etc.), and keep adding change to the bike fund. If you put in the time, I am willing to bet that you'll find a bike that meets or beats your expectations for a really decent price. It is just a matter of waiting for someone to decide that they are finally tired of their unused Harley taking up garage space.
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck in your bike hunt!!
__________________ Semper Fi
"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have made a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem." - Ronald Reagan
Bikes hold their value really well - modifications do not.
If you want a modified bike, buy it used that way - but I would steer clear of any modifications you wouldn't want yourself.
Oh, and some might see backfiring like a shotgun as a bad thing.... I wouldn't
Thanks fpr the repley's, After calling him back he told me that he put it in the shop to have it fixed and it would be out in a week. He said that the shop had the carb fixed but was still working on anouther isue. After talking to a few guys at work that are harley guys, one of them told me not to get it. Turns out he said an EVO motor has to have back pressure and I think the pipes on this one was gutted. He said that the heads may be a problem sooner or later on this bike. Sorry it took me so long to get back to my own post, as soon as I posted we went from starting work at 7am to 5am and it is kicking my butt getting up at 4am!!!
I ride a vtx 1800. My boss rides a 2008 Harley road king. He was rear ended Wednesday, and flew forward a little ways. He came up without a scratch but the bike suffered minor injuries. The rear fender went into the tire and the crash bars received minor scratches. He called and told me today that the estimate to repair is $11,500.00 . Turns out the frame is bent and Harley says replace it. Insurance company will not total it unless the damage is over $17,000.00 . My vtx would have been totaled since you can buy one new around 9 to 11 thousand.
Just off topic a bit but I have noticed that Harley and other bike riders are the nicest people I have stay at motel. very decent attitudes. The old buzzards that pull up on their Gold Wings are awful. The men always remind me of Jeff Dunham's "Walter" and the women have a very stick up their buttish kinda attitude.I have yet to meet a "nice" old Goldwing rider. Old Harley riders rock, old honda riders etc rock. But it seems once someone gets old and gets a Godwing its like everyone owes them.
I am just floored. I especially look out for the ones with a goldwing bike embroidered on their shirt
on the original topic I would stay away from a bike that has been modified. I am leery of trucks like that as well. You never know. Good luck.
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05 f-250 crew cab 4x4 6.0 Harley Davidson, 1953 f-100
Speaking of which, I recently added some highway pegs on the VTX. Kuryakin's. They look good and are great for stretching out on the road. Next thing I am getting are the Kury hand grips- I almost have enough in my change jar to get them!
). I paid $9600 for mine, got 1.9% financing for three years. Three months later, I saw my bike on sale for under $8000. I really could have gotten a great deal by waiting a couple more months- and shopping, of course. 
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