1999 Tri Super Glide Sport

[treewheelin]

Hi all! My wife's friend is looking to purchase a 1999 Super Glide Sport with a Lehman trike kit, so I've been doing some research for her over the past 24 hours. I'm unfamiliar with Harley's and on-road trikes (I have an '84 KXT 250 trike for offroad use), but I've been street riding for 15 years. I will be test riding the trike tomorrow and was wondering if anyone can share their experiences, as well answer some questions. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

1. How can I tell if the trike conversion is really a Lehman (dealer wasn't exactly sure which bothered me)? Will the conversion be obvious to the naked and untrained eye that it's a Lehman by the markings or the engineering?

2. I've read posts about leaky tri glide trunks, but not sure if it's specific to a model year or conversion kit. Is there anything to look for other than water in the trunk which I don't expect to see being it's stored indoors?

3. Are there any known mechanical issues (recall type) with this model Harley?

4. The logistics for the bike are: 1999 Super Glide Sport with 22K miles and an asking price of $13K. Does this price seem reasonable for this setup?

5. If the conversion kit isn't a Lehman, would the value be higher or lower with another brand name conversion kit?


:beerchug:

 

[Gorilla]

Hi

1. The conversion brand is not that important as to how well it was built. I am not a Lehman expert and am not even sure if they made a conversion for a Super Glide, but you just need to look at the under carrage and see if it looks like its built well. Hard to tell you other wise without pictures or some thing. It might have a manufactors plate on the conversion frame.

2. Tri-Glides are new in 2009 so this does not apply.

3. The big issue in the 1999 Harley year was the then new Twin Cam 88 motor had some issues with the cam bearings. I would get the VIN# off the Harley frame and the engine number go to a Harley Dealer and see if the engine has had the cam bearings repaired. If not beware this issue usually cropped up around 25 to 30 thousand miles. Did not effect all but quite a few.

4. The price seems reasonable to maybe on the high end. A 1999 HD Glide is probably worth about 6 to 8 thousand without the conversion. If the trike is good offer lower.

5. That would depend on what the conversion really was if not a Lehman. Most major brands are all in the same ballpark. there are a couple higher in value, home built would be lower.

I would strongly suggest that you find someone that knows a little bit about HD mechanically to take with you. Even if you pay them a few bucks it might be worth it.

Good luck keep us posted.

Ted

 

[treewheelin]

Thanks tmigala, I appreciate your input! I was able to get a ballpark figure on the bike without the conversion, but the Lehman kits I saw for newer trikes were expensive. I do have some knowledgeable HD owners in my neighborhood, but I wasn't given enough time to ask them for help as my wife's friend told me on Sunday and is bringing a check with her today . Thanks for the cam bearing info. I will ask them if they did the maint. on the bike (kit included) and/or have any records to go along with it, but after the answer we recieved about the conversion kit I'm not optimistic. Thanks again and I will post an update.

 

[treewheelin]

Went out for a ride on the trike today. It was clean with some bolt-on upgrades (e.g., pipes, badges, bars, etc.). The conversion kit was a Lehman which was clearly stamped on the trunk lid. She didn't purchase the trike, yet. Thanks again, tmigala, for your help!

 

[1550vt]

As mentioned above, 1999 was the first model year for the Twin Cam engine and they had all sorts of cam bearing and chain issues. If this thing has around 20K on it and has never been touched....you may be purchasing a time bomb. If the seller cannot demonstrate the bike has had the proper cam beaing retrofit, stay away from it or get a discount so you can take it straight to HD and have the bearing upgrades performed. If they tell you "it's got a gear drive", this is another flag. Without making sure tolerances in the cam chest meet basic specifications for a gear-drive...it could be another dissaster waiting to happen.

As for the kit, that 1999 kit may actually be better than the current production runs, especially the TriGlides. I have a 2001 kit on mine and have never had any problem whatsoever with leaks.

Good luck in your decision making process.