My Electraglide Ultra Classic has 85000km on the clock. I am considering doing some big tours, eg Melb - Perth return. The bike has had no major engine work done yet. What sort of things would I need to consider for a bike of this age and mileage and a trip of that length?

My Roadie has 80K on it and no issues. My opinion is ...look after oil and filter changes religiously and your engine will look after you. I'd leave it alone.
There, that will start a discussion!

A 24 year old glide !! Post up a few pics of her to see what she looks like !!! If you have had her for most of the 85,000 km, and serviced her as mentioned above, and there are no tell tale signs of ware and tear on components that may be applicable to that model , (engine wise) etc, thats a big tick !!

Now normal ware and tear components on a bike with that age and mileage ,,,,, Brakes and pads ,,, Rotors, (ware and warping) ,,, Starter and electrical system, (does it start ok, and battery ok) etc ,, , Wheel bearings ,,,, Fuel filter,(when was the last time it was replaced ? ) ,,,,, Clutch, (when the last time adjusted ? etc ) ,,,, I could go on ,, if you have a manual for that model , it should go through many other items that should be checked , etc, ...

If your not mechanically minded ,,, I'd find a good Indy workshop that may specialize in older models , and let them check her over, and give her a good road test !!!!!!

That all being said ,,, the age and mileage should be of little concern ,, thats what there made for ,,, She has probably got an inkling of a good long ride comming up, and she's as excited as hell ,, and rearing to go !!!!

Enjoy the ride !!!! Cheers .....

Thanks for the feedback and advice.
How can I upload a pic?

Hey there
I've just bought a 92 model of the same and look forward to hearing how you get on, will be touring on my girl on the big island later on this yrear myself, cheers and good luck

Cheers,,,might see you out on the road!

Like all have mentioned, history of regular oil/filter maintenance is critical to longivity of air cooled motors.

But there is a few things that can be checked before even considering an upgrade. Do a compression test just to see how combustion integrity is, you can also view the internals of the combustion area with a cheap boroscope (purchased from ebay, hooks up to a Windows PC $15 ??)
For long distance Touring reliability is the over riding factor and I would,
1. check all wheel bearings, the slightest "rough" sound/visual, replace.
2. check all brake components, especially brake lines any small signs of fatigue replace, check rotors are well within wear limits, even close to lower tolerance replace, flush and change all fluids.
3. check front and rear suspensions, depending on load, ie two up or just packed up and out with camping gear you may need to upgrade, always a good bang for buck. And while I was in this area I would also check the rear swing arm bearings, to often overlooked yet has a significant bearing on road manners. The front forks should at least get new seals.
4. check all cables, I would hazard a guess that these have not been replaced from original and if not maintained should be replaced.
5. Tyres, depending on present condition, but Melbourne to Perth and back is about 8,000 clicks ??? consideration required here.Nearly forgot, are these wheels spoked? must check spokes for softness and may require further truing.
6. clutch and primary drive gear, at least a good visual inspection, any signs of wear to sliders or shoes replace, check primary chain and I would definatley check clutch components individually.

In short if you purchase a OEM Workshop Repair/Maintenaince Manual and adhere to the Maintenance/Kilometers matrix from say the 40,000 to present kilometers you will cover all the magor checks required, doesn't take that long to work through the checks, allow a thorough check of one item in the list per night and you will work through it in no time.

Last but not least, if the motor checks out for reliability and the decision not to do further upgrades, a good tune will be worth its weight in gold.

Hope that this gives some insight, good riding,

Paul

All good info and advice there Paul, for anyone wanting to be a bit more hands on with their ride .... And that goes for most bike with a few more kms than average l !!!!

Looks like the OP, Spider is still having trouble uploading pics !!!!!

Post if your coming West ? Point you into the right places.