Best Budget Harleys In 2024

[@rickrector6415]

I have a 1988 FXRS Lowrider. I ended up paying around $5,500 for it. I love it!

[@buttcrackcycles]

The low riders are some of my favorites

[@craigpennington1251]

Paid too much for an 88.

[@GMCJay_lly]

​@craigpennington1251 agreed, I paid $3650 for a 1991 vin "EM" FXRS LowRider Convertible with 32k miles a couple of months ago. Needs nothing. I'm very happy with it.

[@thacreature2570]

Bought my 03 sporty 1200 for 1500 feel super lucky, I love it.!!

[@raybrensike42]

Dirt cheap buy.

[@haroldwiser2641]

My '97 evo fxsts softail is my favorite bike to ride! Good video 😊

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yeah those are good ones

[@duder280z]

This last season I scooped a nice 01 road King with a matching factory tour pack and a bunch of extras for 6k.

[@RickBolton-t9s]

Set my alarm for Wednesday as its my day off love the channel from the north west uk here.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Appreciate that so much!

[@vintageharleysrevived]

Paul!! Its OLD SCHOOL from Vintage Harleys Revived. Shovels are getting expensive for sure, Here in Indiana 5K will only buy a Non Running Bike unless you get Lucky! Great Video my Man! Take Care!!

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yeah, they're getting more scarce and more expensive here by the day. I could do another deep dive video just on shovelhead values, I actually did one about that very subject well over a year ago. Might be interesting to revisit! Appreciate you watching, stay warm, about to get cold up there I bet

[@vintageharleysrevived]

@@buttcrackcycles It IS! 30 degrees at night, Putting stable in the tank looking for any warm day to get out and ride. Thanks for the response, I will be keeping up on your content! Ride Safe!!

[@GMCJay_lly]

I bought a 1991 FXRS-Conv, LowRider Convertible with 32k miles from the original owner's son. His father passed and sold me the bike for $3650. Needs nothing. I feel very fortunate.

[@peterjeff6949]

It's a beaut, always want one of those, hang onto it!

[@crushx420]

After watching this, I've never felt more proud of my recently acquired 2001 XL883 Sportster Custom in near mint condition from a good friend for 3k

[@buttcrackcycles]

The red bike that's the thumbnail for this video was an 01 and it was a fantastic bike. I used it as a parts runner and commuter and loved it. Turned a nice profit on it when I sold it, enjoy yours!

[@Iron_Horse_883_]

I’ve got both a 2011 Iron 883 and a ‘78 Ironhead. Picked them both up for around $4500 combined. Ironhead was definitely a bit of a tweaker special, but it runs and rides. I do all my own work, love making both of them my own

[@buttcrackcycles]

Right on man! Always appreciate your thoughts

[@darksky05]

I spent $4,500 on my 2011 fat bob, 35,000 miles. No issues with title, no issues with the bike!

[@buttcrackcycles]

That's a great deal

[@keithstone6411]

Insanely good deal

[@SaddleTrampTV]

1977-1978 sportsters were left-side shift. To me though, if an ironhead doesn't has a kickstarter I don't want it. And correct... 1983-2003 the frames and motor mounts are the same. The swingarm changed for the rear brake in 91 I believe too.

[@buttcrackcycles]

If I said they were RH shift my mouth was working faster than my brain 🤣 Glad you confirmed the frame thing. One day I'll scoop up an older ironhead, I would like to do a kick only one, just for fun

[@RussC123]

So for the Evo Sportster, do you lean either way on the 883 vs 1200? (Would be first bike, if that matters)

[@buttcrackcycles]

I don't really have a preference, I've owned and ridden both. I would buy the nicest bike I could for the money, ie, I would rather have a nice 883 vs a rough 1200

[@123hellqvist]

If you buy a 883 you can always upgrade to 1200 or more after a season, depending on on how you ride, level of experience, my first Harley was an -86 883, bit gutless but got me in the magic Harley door.. I also bought a -99 1200S which I spent alot of performance money on 88CI ported heads hot cams and it pulls hard, very reliable package, will never sell as I decided to keep it fiorever. Keep in mind that all Sportsters vibrates quite a bit,

[@RussC123]

@ All great points- Thanks 👍🏻

[@jd9308]

There are deals on Evo's and seems as you said on a lot of Softail models. Also a majority of them are low mileage bikes! A thirty plus year old Evo bike with less than 40k miles on their clock selling for 5k is common in my neck of the woods in Upstate SC. Plus they can be ridden home when you buy them in most cases. Great topic and hopefully you and your channel will convince some folks not to be afraid of the old Harley's. I think they are the best riding and handling bikes Harley produced.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yup, we're probably looking at some of the same bikes for sale, good deals to be had for sure!

[@willowsmutt8313]

I bought a 1999 1200c last year for a good price. Had a ding in the tank. Bought a new tank, gas cap and air cleaner and sent them off to get painted. 6 months later or so i realized paint guy wasnt doing what he should so went to get money back. Ended up with a 2006 883L that was staged and all hopped up. Now last weekend i was looking at ironheads from different cities. Came acrossed one that was just beautiful. Sent the person a mail to tell him i admire the bike and ended up trading him the 2006 883L for a 1983 SLX roadster all stock but carb, air cleaner and paint. Get the original carb in deal. He is delivering from 400 miles away on Saturday... Im stoked....

[@buttcrackcycles]

That's great, congrats on the "new old bike!"

[@willowsmutt8313]

The 883 has 34k miles on it and the 1983 has 9.2k miles on it and in excellent condition.

[@donhenderson5100]

Great video with some nice points. My biggest issue is 'previous owner modifications '. Disconnected wires, ridiculous exhaust and air cleaner systems, old, worn out tires, suspension and brakes. I have to also say people buying these should have mechanical knowledge. Learn your vehicle and do your service.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yup, undoing previous sins is always fun!!

[@johnludmon7419]

Here in the UK, pre 1980 bikes are very rare. HD only got serious about importing the bikes with the EVO bikes . The only bikes you will get under $5k are evo Sportsters but they will be pretty rough or have big milages. Big twins like dyna's start at about $7k and just go up. Shovels and iron heads attract a premium because of their scarcity.

[@buttcrackcycles]

It's interesting seeing prices overseas, thanks for sharing

[@johnludmon7419]

@buttcrackcycles To give some context on prices in 1980 a XL1000 was £5500 about $10000 for which you could get a BMW R100RT and a Guzzi 850 le mans. Harleys were very expensive and very few and far between. These days they still are expensive but priced on par with similar bikes .

[@ctsnider88]

I had to chuckle when you said grumpy old man. My kids had me change my YT name to Grumpy ole Biker. 😅 I started looking for a motorcycle, and a friend told me to get a Sportster. Best thing I could have done. My 06 ran but not well and needed tires. It listed for 4k. I got it for $3100. It needed a full service, all fluids, I messed with the carb a long time until I found it was the intake seals. It is a smooth runner now. I will do my best on Wednesday. I start work at 9p.

[@buttcrackcycles]

That's a good deal on that sporty I think! Hope you can make it to the live show. If not, I'll probably do another

[@SeriouslyMikey]

Amazing the cost difference between the UK and US. My Evo sporty cost me £5k ($6,350). Wish we got Harleys for similar costs as you guys

[@buttcrackcycles]

Oh I hear that all the time from my overseas viewers, it's quite the difference in pricing

[@thejerseyj5479]

My black and white cat is lying on my lap as I'm watching and digging this video. I ride an '07 Road King which I'm in love with, but I'm itching to find an older Softail or Sportster to accompany my RK.

[@buttcrackcycles]

You won't go wrong with either of those! Give the cat a little scratch on the chin from me, thanks for watching

[@ricwhitehorse2869]

Had 76 Iron Head for many years, Pretty dependable, Bought in 84 for 1800.00 cash...

[@buttcrackcycles]

Sounds like a good one to me

[@BachelorHarley]

Great video! I love knuckleheads and panheads. I’d want a nice original one though but they’re out of my budget. I feel they’re at the top of the market whereas the same condition shovelhead is going up in value. That’s why my study is in shovels, evos, with a minor in twin cams. I’ve been studying the trends for a very long time and have found that 66-69 generator shovels command much higher prices. Limited three year run with pan bottom. The prices for knucks and pans cause the market to spill over into the later shovel era. I used to buy lower end Harley’s (rougher, modified, multiple owner, high mileage etc.) Now my focus is on higher end investment grade Harleys (original one owner rare numbered special edition etc.) Not that I’m trying to be a snob or anything but because I have limited room, the prices are still reasonable, easier for resale, make money not lose money, and turn key I can just enjoy. I recently bought a one owner all original low mileage super rare 1982 Sturgis Brown for $15k. Another thing, if it’s not original paint nobody in that circle wants it. I saw two 1971 Superglide fx boatails with sparkling America paint scheme come up on eBay. Over a thousand people watching but didn’t sell because they were a re-paint.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yup, they're only original once. There's definitely a "niche collector" market for all OG bikes especially,as you say, if they're a special edition etc. I've even seen some people selling old bikes with the "barn find dirt" still on them and asking more for that 🤣

[@arthurleino]

Really liked my 1980 Sportster. Good running bike it was. I like my 1983 FXWG that I have. Like this video. Good info.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching

[@davincho1111]

Bought a 2014 sportster 1200 custom for 3500 dollars with only 1k miles… nothing but joy so far

[@MrTonyPiscatelle]

All right , Live stream it is..... Looking forward to that for sure.

[@buttcrackcycles]

See ya there!

[@micksterboone4517]

Looking forward to the livestream.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Hope to see you there!

[@AndersEngholm]

God video.. love the cat... Never hade 883..

[@craigpennington1251]

Around here, for $5,000. is rusty parts or complete unusable junk. This state has been picked clean. Be fully prepared to service that old bike cause the dealerships won't touch it. And that is STUPID crap on them. And that's one reason H.D. is crashing.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Yeah pricing is definitely location specific, thankfully there's still plenty of deals to be had here in the South

[@martincvitkovich724]

I would think an AMF would demand a higher price. The police dept in my city used them for 20 years. The same 4 AMF bikes for 20 years, before trading them for the newer EVO's in the mid 90's.

[@buttcrackcycles]

So many people just think "AMF=Junk" whether that's right or wrong

[@johnliotta2583]

Where in the world are you going to find an Evo sportster for $2500 that runs well now? Please show me. Great channel btw

[@ahoneyman]

My last Sportster was $2500. Okay, it ran on starting fluid and the carb needed rebuilding but I had an extra kicking around. Add tires and fluid changes and it did the thing. Low-ball on Marketplace and Craig's. You'd be surprised.

[@buttcrackcycles]

The red bike in the thumbnail I bought running and riding with a clean title for 2k. It needed intake seals, so it had a rough idle cold, but after a few minutes it was fine. I took it home on a trailer but I test rode it several miles before the purchase. I ended up taking the bike pretty far apart changing a lot of stuff on it, but if all I cared about was a running, riding bike, I could've thrown a $40 set of intake seals on it and been on the road. A customer of mine just bought a 90 sporty for 1800 and rode it 20 miles home. Needs a few odds and ends, but still... They're out there!

[@BobbyMiller3]

Awesome video man informative and drives my dog nuts 😂

[@buttcrackcycles]

🤣🤣🤣

[@disruption3314]

I'll try to do the live, 8 there is 6pm here but I should be there. There are other "Harley' based bikes out there also you can get under $5k, American Ironhorse , Big Dog , Ultra Cycles ECT ECT. Most run S&S, Revtech, Ultima Engines that are Harley based. Baker, Ultima and even Harley trans to back them. The Live, Don't worry the first is always a little hard. Stay Safe, Stay Warm

[@buttcrackcycles]

9pm is my bed time most nights so I didn't want it to be much later 🤣 you can sometimes grab a nice Buell cheap too! Thanks for chiming in, hope to see you next week

[@disruption3314]

@@buttcrackcycles 9 pm !?! You Animal ! hahahaha I lay down at 8:45 every night. rarely do I see 9 before I'm sleeping so I understand.

[@xshadowxsoldierx]

What happens to late 90s to mid 2010 road kings around 50k miles? Ton of them for sale around me

[@buttcrackcycles]

Not sure, honestly not a bike I keep tabs on! I've had a few buddies with them

[@xshadowxsoldierx]

@buttcrackcycles I'm curious if there's a really expensive service interval cause almost every road king around me under 10 grand is right around 50k miles.

[@BAsed_AFro]

Ride what you like = what's sexy

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

Sometimes live streams are well it depends on who shows up I guess. Good luck

[@buttcrackcycles]

Thanks! Hope it goes well, don't know until ya try right?!

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

@buttcrackcycles always need to try ..I feel .😉🏍️

[@BrandenH-O051]

Call me crazy. I want an ironhead as a first bike.

[@buttcrackcycles]

@@BrandenH-O051 do it! Haha

[@forsaken1776]

Mine just missed the list by one year LOL. 2000 night train

[@buttcrackcycles]

Haha oops!

[@forsaken1776]

@@buttcrackcycles No worries man I bought what I wanted. so all good

[@theodavies8754]

If you have 5k buy the best 4k bike you can find and watch the other k disappear into it in the first month. Don't spend your whole budget on the bike. I have a 1999 FXDL, it's the right bike for me in the UK,still has paper labels inside the fenders. Poor image quality short of it on my channel. Good luck out there. Don't think any of the previous owners knew what they had or what they were doing.

[@buttcrackcycles]

There's a good piece of advice, I should've put that in the video, I usually make sure I have extra money to fix the bike before I buy it, as you said. Thanks for watching.

[@JimMc-o2p]

Love the cat same here just like your neighbours cat he comes to visit me an my cats his name is Jin he’s cute man.

[@Sgtyork488]

Nicely said 👌

[@buttcrackcycles]

Thank you

[@dandude2010]

I paid 10k for a 2017 Street Bob Dyna with 1300 miles

[@earlmarsh2285]

Mr CAT is very happy 😺😺😺😺👍👍👍

[@buttcrackcycles]

She's a good cat

[@gradbuckie]

if Your Canadian add a factor of 5 to anything presented here if your lucky enough to find it to begin with.

[@buttcrackcycles]

Absolutely!

[@gradbuckie]

@@buttcrackcycles lol.

[@JimMc-o2p]

1997 1200c 3000 🇬🇧

[@jakedavid8187]

Looking at this dude reminds me of andrew luck with a beard

[@pierrebornerot4689]

Keep it up! Interesting subject! Can u pleaae do a video, about what tools u should have as a diy mechanic on ur Harley 😊 Thank u from sweden

[@buttcrackcycles]

If you don't mind, I think I will add that to the Q&A next week, I'm not sure I could do an entire video about tools and keep it interesting!

[@pierrebornerot4689]

​@@buttcrackcycles Im 32 years old. And youtube and my HD manual&some cheap Amazon tool. Got me to take my stock Dyna twin Cam. To change oil pump/cams/cam bearings/inspect and clean the heads of the cylinders, change all the gaskets to Cometic✌️. So i would love to have some fellow Harley novice person to explain the following things- /How to get rid of the old gaskets/what tool is effective/maybe some product? /What kind of tool u may need to reach all the tiny bolts? /What tool for removing/install the bearings. I managed and it worked out fine, but it was a pain in the ass. And in afterhand i have discovered tools thats exactly made for does thing i did. But the are pricey... So after the cam/oil pump/gasket shop. U dont afford a Ratchet for the cylinder top bolts for 100💸. Hope this can maybe give u some material. I know i wish i had last winter 😎✌️. Ur videos are quality/informative, so i will wait with excitement 😉

[@timstringer3037]

I have a 1972 1000cc 4 speed i would like to sale

[@loganboyer8816]

Where are ya from

[@JimMc-o2p]

Ow much

[@jerrybigrig]

😎👍😎

[@buttcrackcycles]

🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@donproper3632]

Most of these guys with these channels nowadays.Think that everybody's got eighty thousand dollars in their piggy bank to throw At a motorcycle

[@buttcrackcycles]

Most days I don't even have a piggy bank nevermind any dollars in it 😅

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

😁🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️👋🏼

[@benderbender1233]

✌🌝✌

[@benderbender1233]

cant g0 wr0ng wit a 90,s ev0 sp0rty! 😉🤙

[@buttcrackcycles]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@benderbender1233]

@buttcrackcycles 🤙

[@benderbender1233]

@@buttcrackcycles im kn0t in2 da lives ting but h0pe u hava g00d turn 0ut. 🖖