Part Two......
"A lot of Harley riders are "silent" on these
defect issues.
They don't want to know. They don't want the embarrassment. They
just want to ride and not think about it. Many Harley riders do not
even know they are sitting on a time bomb and their engine is going to tear
itself to pieces. Ignorance is bliss, but they all will pay the price."
2. Most Touring model Harley's have a high speed wobble that can be dangerous. The engine is not sufficiently secured to the frame causing weaving, wiggling, wobbles and rear wheel steer. In some cases riders have lost control and crashed. There is a fix. Progressive Suspension makes brackets you can install yourself to stop the high speed wobble. True-Track also makes a fix for Dyna, Low Rider and Touring models. Some newer Harley's may already have the fix installed, but not all of them, so consider this before buying. The 2011 model year bikes have had the wobble problem repaired.
http://www.progressivesuspension.com/product/1484/touring-link
http://www.true-track.com/
3. Lifter block failure. The lifters can seize in the blocks or just plain rattle in the bores when worn out. It is a random thing. Some engines never have a problem while others will fail. The failure can be bad as it can hang up a valve so the piston hits the valve and "wham" the engine is blown. The Evolution Big-Twin engine also has lifter problems and the lifters must be replaced each 25,000 miles to be safe. The Evo's lifter's roller needle bearings fall apart and this can take out the cam lobes and the oil pump's gears. The actual hydraulic lifters are also weak and fail and that is another reason why H-D makes upgraded lifters for the T-C engine especially if you hop up the engine as performance cams "slam" the lifters hard. But even a tiny spec of dirt in the oil can make a lifter fail. If you have lifter failure you better learn to change your own oil quickly as dirty oil is being left behind causing engine damage. Dirty oil is simply abrasive oil that is like injecting sandpaper inside your engine or valve grinding compound. If lifters fail replace all four of them, not just one. Upgrade to stronger lifters, don't go back to using factory stock lifters!
"You won't hear about these serious problems from a dealer or
salesperson.
But you do have a right to know."
4. The shift drum is operated by a spring loaded awl and
if this spring fails, and they do fail, the spring falls into the transmission
gears and horrific damage takes place. The rear wheel can lock up, the
transmission cases split apart throwing oil all over your rear wheel causing you
to crash. There is no fix for this problem. It is a faulty design
issue. It would be advisable to replace the shifter awl spring once every
three years or 30,000 miles to be on the safe side. 5. Belt drive can be an expensive problem. To replace a worn or perforated belt the entire primary chain case must be taken apart along with the bike's swing arm. It is expensive to replace a belt or the transmission drive pulley because it is time consuming. Most riders don't even think about this until the day comes they have to replace the belt and find out it will cost them $1,000 or more. And, believe it or not, a drive belt should be replaced every 30,000 miles even though it may last much longer, if a belt fails, it can cause you to lose control, lock up the rear wheel or transmission and cause a crash. And new transmission and rear wheel pulleys also need to be installed too driving the cost sky high. The bill for pulleys and belt and labor may exceed $2,500. There is a company Super Max that can put a liner on your existing pulleys to save you money. Did you know that Harley-Davidson Sportster's do not have this problem? You can change the drive belt in just 30 minutes! Read our article on Sportster's. Have you noticed more and more experienced riders are switching to them? Unlike earlier models you can convert the newer models fit your ergonomics to gain comfort.
6. The crankshafts on Harley's can suddenly go out of balance. The repair is expensive. I had a new Harley crank fail at just 6,000 miles. Most riders are lucky, but there is a weakness in some crankshafts that randomly fail. The crank flywheels are "pressed" together onto the crankshaft and are not welded (crankpin to flywheel) and it can slip. This is a very old design and outdated in this modern world. However, welding fixes the problem. You will notice big-inch motors all have welded crankpins to their flywheels to stop this flywheel slipping out of balance problem. You know you have a slipped crankshaft when engine vibration gets stronger than normal. It will feel like a motor mount has broken, allowing the engine and frame to shake more, but it will be silent. I you suspect this problem always tighten the motor mounts and look for broken or worn rubber grommets in the mounts first. It could be a minor fix. If not, the entire engine must be torn down and engine cases split to fix the crankshaft. The dealer may on install a new H-D crank that is not welded... it is still not a good idea even if it is a covered H-D warrantee repair. Riders who do have vibration problems? Dealers enjoy telling them, "All Harley's Vibrate!" This is true, but up to a limit of course. Don't expect dealers to be eager to fix your vibrating bike. Many riders are given the run-around even when the crankshaft has shifted out of balance.
"Don't you believe those salespersons and parts managers
when they tell you the defects have been fixed in the new Twin-Cam engines...
they have not been fixed, the same failures still occur!"
7. The chrome may look nice in the showroom, but don't expect it to last. I had a new Harley rusting its chrome in just one year. The polished aluminum oxidized too. I was gravely disappointed with my second brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
8. At just 8,000 miles an internal oil leak will develop in the Twin Cam engine's oil pump gears and/or the O-ring between the engine case and cam plate. This will allow engine oil to leak down into the crankcase when the engine is stopped and cooling down. So, you need to be aware that if you have an elevated oil tank you can't check the engine oil level when the engine is cold as it will show a low oil level inducing you to add oil and that can flood the engine with oil and cause hydraulic engine damage and even crack pistons and break connecting rods. Start the engine, warm it up, then check the oil level. This allow the oil pump time to scavenge oil from out of the crankcase to give you a proper oil level reading on your dip stick.
9. After you buy the bike make sure the spark plugs are snug to torque specification is a Harley-Davidson motor. If the plug works loose it will cause expensive cylinder head repairs. This procedure is covered in the book How to Change the Oil in Your Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson. Also, make sure the electrical plug connecting the alternator (near the oil filter) is snug and connections are clean. A loose or dirty connection here will certainly burn up the alternator and rectifier including the circuit breaker.
http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/hdoilchange.html
Blogger's Note: Changing your own oil is something every rider should learn. But it is not just a simple operation. The Twin Cam Harleys have three different oil compartments that need attention.
A friend was told by someone he thought was knowledgeable that the primary was fed from the engine, so when he did an oil change he didn't change the primary oil. When I explained his mistake and showed him how to change the primary, we discovered that his primary chain was loose, which is a maintenance step that is done when you change the primary oil. You can buy the book from James Russell Pub. or just go to Youtube.com and find a video that will explain it for you. There are videos out there for almost every thing you might want to do.
The above engine problems are for the newer twin cam
engines even the 2011 and newer models. There are even more serious
problems with older Harley's prior to model year 2007. So if you plan
to buy a used Harley you had better consult with some experienced mechanics to
identify the known defects before you buy and get stuck with a real bombshell.
10. Harley's do not retain their value as much as you are being led to believe. The worst enemy is high mileage, so don't bother riding your Harley if you want to retain its trade-in or resale value. What is considered too high? Try 15,000 miles. That's low for most bikes, but a Harley with that many miles will suffer with a great loss of depreciation in price. Why? Because the Harley engine design is old with many seals and gaskets that will eventually fail and leak oil. The top end runs hot and the piston rings and valves just burn away requiring an overhaul. If you own a Harley, get an oil cooler as it will extend engine life, but it will not give you any points or dollars when it is time to sell. One thing a Harley rider will learn soon enough, buy a Harley and you'll lose your money! Depreciation affects all vehicles, but when low miles become high miles there is a big problem for the consumer. Be aware! There is one solution, buy another brand of motorcycle and use that bike to do most all of your riding and use your Harley just for special occasions. Of course, if you can buy a Harley-Davidson Sportster model you can have your cake and eat it too.
"Even hiring a mechanic to inspect a used Harley-Davidson
motorcycle is useless due to the engine design defects. A brand new
Harley-Davidson sitting in the showroom has the defects."
11. If you buy a Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle be prepared to pay a small fortune for service as the valves must be manually adjusted and to do that the engine must be dropped down out of the frame. This is expensive and it will be a routine expense to be sorry for. The labor and parts to perform the valve adjustment is just terrible considering the other Harley's with hydraulic lifters that never need to be adjusted period. You had best be prepared to pay for valve adjustments or learn to do the job yourself. Either way you will find doing this job a royal pain in the wallet and a total waste of your valuable time. Will this be the future fate of all motorcycles? If so, learn to perform these valve adjustments yourself.
Blogger's Note:
The remove engine rumor is related to the valve adjustment. You cannot remove the rear valve cover with the engine bolted in. But, all that is done to permit the rear valve cover to be removed is to support the engine with a small flat scissors jack ( under $200 and useful for all manner of work ) then remove the bolt on the front engine mount. Once the bolt is removed lower the engine 13mm ( 1/2 inch ) and the valve cover can be removed. The exhaust header and coolant hoses do not need to be disturbed to do this ( no need to dump the coolant or unbolt anything in the exhaust ), and the procedure in the manual is so detailed they even show which zip tie has to be snipped and where to move a big wire bundle to get it out of the way of the allen wrench! This is like motorcycle repair for dummies. Check out the diabolical valve adjustment procedure on any Ducati or the BMW K-1200 to see a vision of true mechanical agony. The flat rate book shows a V-Rod valve adjustment needs 2.5 hours. It's not scary at all. If a dealer tells you otherwise they do not know the V-Rod. Leave and find a dealer with a competent service department. I think the V-Rod is one of the more well thought out bikes to service.
Stay tuned for Part Three.
Happy Trails.....
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