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I am also not able to fathom such a long delivery period. the other instances of booking vs delivery does not seem to range between two to four weeks.
One more interesting thing to note is that the vehicle is coming through CKD route and since there is a negligible change in 2016 vs 2017 lineup, I am pretty sure most of the parts could be used from the existing old kit.

Usually these bikes come in a complete kit - as in all the parts for one bike come in one pack, so the commonality won't really make a big difference.

You had mentioned two dealers in your city, have both given you the same delivery time?

Yes, Olive Gold 2017 model is having almost same expected delivery date however I am expecting an early arrival. After going through all the posts, I have not seen any delivery going beyond 4 weeks. Second, I have already given the advance to Lucknow dealer so there is no backing now :)

I was keenly observing Harley lineup and there is one interesting stuff to notice. If you closely observe that all models below Fat boy like Dyna, Sportster and Street family have designs which are somewhat unique in themselves. Their form factor are either sports, bobber, chopper or conventional types but if you see all models above Fat boy like Touring or CVO except Nightrod ( Sports bike) they all are built on the same Fat boy pattern. It is highly customized to give it a Road king, Street Glide, Road glide or CVO effect (except Milwaukee engine). I believe that with some modification a Fat boy can be easily converted in any of the above mentioned ones.

I have a 1200 Custom.i have done 3000 Km so far.
It's completely stock and I haven't had any problems thus far.
What are your concerns?

Cheers

Greetings to you,
I own a 2015 XL883L, the decision to choose the right colour is very important. The Olive Gold colour is a exclusive choice. Most of the bike frame is black. Black looks Great inside the showroom under the multi reflector lights.
But very dull and dusty on the road.
This is my personal opinion, Of course. Welcome to the family.

Hello gurus.

Can anyone please shed some light on factors that must be taken into consideration if buying a pre owned Harley?

I am a big 48 fan but would gladly settle for an 883. However, I don't see the point shelling 10lac+ on a new one as they are many with less mileage available at half the price in the used market.

I am also not aware of what age, irrespective of the mileage, does to a Harley. Does it become rusty? Does the rubber go bad? Do the breaks harden up? Etc.

Regards,
Malhi.

Paint and metal bits hold up pretty good, better than others. Things to look out for :
1. Oil hoses from oil tank to oil pump starts developing small cracks in 4-5 years.

2. Voltage regulator is prone to failure on almost all HD bikes. It overheats under heavy battery charging conditions ( like if a bike is parked for some time and then its started just for battery charging without actually riding). Start the bike and let it run for atleast 15 mins, check battery voltage when its nice and hot using a multimeter.

3. Tappets are Hydraulic units,like many diesel cars, but unlike diesel cars they are housed in aluminium crack case, creates Tik Tik noise around cylinder heads if they are bad , this is more likely to be notices on a very long test ride or riding though heavy traffic on a hot day. As oil gets hotter & thinner , tappets gets more and more loud. Ultimately they give up completely due to friction.

4. Look out for stage 1 air filter upgrade with/ or Exhaust upgrade without ECU tune upgrade. Bikes with this combo run much hotter than stock factory hardware. If Ecu has been retuned, its fine. If not, you are most likely looking at engine that would have eaten away the rings or atleast took much life out of them. This could get very very expensive with exhaust valves going kaput too due to lean combustion. Most owners will tell you they got it retuned, they aren't telling the truth unless they are selling the tuner along with the bike. If you get the bike retuned anywhere, you get to keep the tuner device.

5. Look out for bent/ bumped alloy wheels. Most HD models come with very nearly pure aluminium alloys, they are shiny and nice but are very soft aswell. Gets bumped quite easily.

6. Throttle wires starts cracking near the throttle body with age. Probably 4-5years is the life they have.

7. TMap sensor located on throttle body comes with its electrical wire fastened onto the frame, engine vibrates a lot making the sensor vibrate along with it, but the wire loom is tied at the other end. Usually vibrations cracks the wires internally. Look out for shady repair done on that part of wiring loom.

8. Look for seepage, leakage or weeping engine, usually oil can be seen around the heads and base of the cylinders. This is another thing that goes wrong with stage 1 or 2 engine without upgrading the ECU tune. As the engine runs hotter without ecu tune, puts much more thermal stress on gaskets and packings all around. Tjis can only be checked after a long or Hot test ride. Owner would have kept it clean & shiny at you arrival anyway.

9. Check out the clutch for slippage. Easiest way to check is to do a small burnout with front wheel against a wall. A slipping clutch wouldn't do it. You would feel RPM rising without increase in wheel speed. Anyway check clutch change record, usual life is 30-35k under sedated use.

10. Check clutch cable for wear and tear.

11. Check Petrol tank underside to look for signs of repainting, usually colour wouldn't match on underside and no painter gives that side any attention while painting. This could be sign of accident, dent repair.

12. Check battery compartment by removing side panel, look out for shoddy wiring jobs.

13. Brakes and tires are anyway consumables, so pay according to their condition as you find on the spot.

14. If you are buying one with chrome bits, check rust / scratches / spots on exhaust shields, other chrome bits.

15. Check leather condition of saddle/ seat. Well pampered leather seat will last atleast 10 years, however if it has never been polished by proper products, it will show signs of cracks and hardness. Good condition leather will be soft to pinch with fingers.

16.sportster has a pipe bracket that holds the rear exhaust, it develops crack near the rear foot peg, there is a joint in it at that place. Check for shoddy repair work done there.

17. Check for aftermarket parts - Sissy bars/ backrest , engine guard, rear view mirrors etc. Usually you will be told how much the owner spent on them , but they aren't worth a dime under a resale if they aren't original HD products. Don't buy "the money spend by owner " argument, he spent according to his taste not yours.

That would pretty much cover up most of it. Feel free to ask anything specific you want to ask.
Opps i forgot the Battery! Usually original HD battery lasts only 1.5-2 years. Check battery change record/ bill. Check if bike is running some after market battery not original. Pay accordingly. New one will cost you 10 grand ones.

Harley's are a safer bet in the used market than most other sports bikes. In terms of the rubbers and what to check Alka panwar's list is really comprehensive.

In terms of rust - Harleys are prone to rusting mainly because they have little plastic and everything is made of metal. Check the:

• Underside of the bike
• Fenders
• Forks
• Lower portion of the gas tank
• Spokes if the bike doesn't have alloys

Rust is not always directly related to age - an old well-kept bike may have no rust compared to an improperly stored new bike which may have already developed rust.

Thank you for the such incisive and detailed information. I think most non-Harley owners would never have been able to fetch that from the internet.

Could you also suggest a rough kilometer range of the mileage on the used bike, given the owner has all the service records? I know, the lower the better but what about the upper limit?

Secondly, given India's hot weather and dusty roads which engine is most suited? My perception is that a smaller 883 should fit better for cramped Indian road conditions over 1200cc+ engine.

Regards,
Malhi.

There is no such km range, more kms on odo, less the price it will fetch. There are plenty of 883 available in sub 20k km range in less than 4lc. If i was in market for one, I would try to find that sort of deal. Wouldn't go for anything with more than 40k on odo.

There are various ways to do this and ever one has his own way of thinking. Some would buy the cheapest one from the market ( 2.5-3lc) and then spend 1-2lc to make it according to their liking. Or buy one with least kms and good record and spend that 1lc extra or so right there for low milage.

883vs1200. Well i personally felt the 1200 to be silky of the two, it also has much more torque hauling the same sort of weight. But also it runs hotter of the two. It might be the case that i felt more heat only because i rode the 48 which has a very small tank and rear cylinder is more exposed towards the rider. I don't have any solid data regarding heat on both the engines.

But since 883 and 1200 have essentially same cylinders fins and size, i am sure 883 will see lower temps than 1200.
Also keep in mind you can upgrade 883 to 1200 later on as and when you feel the need for some fun.

Riding dynamics are better on Iron than on 48, largely due to unusual tire setup of 48. But Both can be ridden in and out of traffic keeping dukes behind if you are up to taming the bull.