I do my own oil changes at 3K, but take my bike in to a mechanic at 5k intervals. They change things that I didn't know are bad. Engine mount, rebuild carburetor, breather tubes, etc. I maintain my vehicles properly, and keep them for a long time. I bought my '03 in '11, it had 2k on it. I have 45k on it now. It runs great with a Stage One and SE Cam Chain Tensioner and Oil Pump Upgrade.

​​​​​​I would trust some guys on here to maintain my bike. You should at least go to a mechanic every 20k or your bike will have an early demise, because you are not a good mechanic. A good mechanic is hard to find. It takes experience, constant learning, and effort to become a good mechanic. Mine just retired and now I need to find another one.

 

Your mechanic must have retired early with all that money you have been paying him.........

Oh, nevermind............ you're on a Twinkie!

 

Clean bikes run better!

 

That's interesting - I used to take my bikes to the dealer but then I discovered that they weren't doing things they should have been doing - so I started doing my own maintenance.

I use an independent mechanic for repairs.

 

I'm sure many shade tree mechanics are competent. But many aren't. I know I'm not. I'm happy to pay somebody that has been fixing Harley's for 40 years, and is thorough to work on my bike. Unfortunately he is retiring and I need to find a new mechanic.

If you read the threads on here, there are lots of guys who should let a mechanic work on their bike. It's like people who self diagnose their eyes, and come to me, and they have no clue what is really wrong with their eyes. I have been an optometrist for 36 years. Experience matters. I think people that rip on Twinkie owners have issues.

Does my owning a Twin Cam harm you in some way?

 

You are in EVOLand, we take the liberty here to exercise our sense of humor.
Sorry you can't see that.

 

Back in the '70's when I was a broke teenager; I eeked out every mile I could get from old parts. Filed spark plug electrode square and gapped them, filed points flat then finished them emory cloth, etc... Today, I check plug gaps every 5K, and toss them at 10K; they're cheap.

 

B/T
I started in the 60's and was a broke parent in the 70's..lol but those days also had leaded fuel with the heavier deposits. My feeler gauge set had a small file for squaring things up, points to..

Megawatt.
This makes sense to me and outside of a cracked insulator I think it's the only thing that would cause a lack of performance. Other than fouling.

Doug

 

QC

[QUOTE]Clean bikes run better! [QUOTE]

Makes them faster too.. Right!

Hey, your avatar is my favorite aircraft, well maybe right after a Spit V, I'd give a lot for an hour in either one.

Doug

 

There is a tandem seat Spit over here. Jus' sayin'.....