Quote:
Originally Posted by Rot 911
Every time I see one of these posts that has a Road King in it I start lusting for one. This really is the golden era for anyone that wants to buy a used Harley. Due to the extremely high number of new Harleys that were sold in the 2000s, there is a glut of used ones on the market. I can still remember the days when people had to get on a waiting list to buy a new one.
The only thing that stops me is the weight of these bikes. I sold my Lowrider a couple of years ago and a Road King is at least 100 pounds heavier. And I’m not getting any younger.
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I was on that waiting list in the year 2000. I paid over $3,000 above MSRP when one popped up as available at my local dealer after its buyer's financing fell through, allowing me to bypass that year long wait.
Fast forward to 2013 after that 2000 Road King got totaled by some idiot in an F250. Its replacement, a 2013 Road King (pictured above), was purchased for less than the 2000 model year bike 13 years prior. The bubble had burst.
One can certainly take advantage of that glut in manufacturing today, and pick these bikes up for a song. The Twin Cam bikes are absolutely one of the "sweet spots" in the range of Harley Davidson production.
The TC88 was a monumental improvement over the 80 inch Evo but, unfortunately, shared its frame, which was in production since the later Shovelhead era. Later Twin Cams feature the redesigned frame, which is far stiffer (especially down around the swing arm pivot), resulting in vastly improved handling over the earlier bikes. Both HardDrive's and my own 2013 models have this new frame. The difference is very noticeable.
The 103" Twin Cam is, to me, one of the "all time best" Harleys. Modern day touring bike handling, modern day (Brembo) brakes, modern day reliability and longevity and, most of all, modern day power. Beats the hell out of the underpowered, wallowing pig "big twins" with no brakes that Harley built up through the Evo era, bikes that rightfully earned the reputation as outdated junk riding on brand loyalty alone. I'll keep my TC103 until I can no longer ride.