I check my oil screen at every 5K service, and have NEVER seen a speck of anything in it. I still had a lifter fail at 48K. The little needle bearings in the tappet roller simply crumbled under the load, leaving the roller shucking on the axle making a "knocka-knocka" sound in the gearcase.

That's why I change my lifters every 40K now.

 

I have 132,000 miles on mine. 100,000 miles was in for factory rebuild and at 127,000 replaced the lifters. Engine oil changed every 5,000 with Amsoil

 

woundering if the lifters can be checked without tearing the motor down, since I bought my bike used I have no idea if they have been replaced or not and I do not want to trash the motor but would rather tear it down this winter , not during riding season

 

I have a 96 Evo in a Roadking. Presently I have 202,000 km (~120,000mi), at 186,000km I had 1 hydraulic lifter wheel seize up. This caused quick and significant damage to the cam, scavenger pump, and pump impellar. This occurred w/o warning outside of the odometer, so it is probably wise to at least change the lifters every 160,00km (100,000mi) whether you think you need them or not. Outside of that the engine runs well. It has valve lifter noise now that wasn't there prior. This has been blamed on not knowing the cam lobe lift when replacing the cam, so a guess size (paint marking gone=wrong lift?) was installed. Has anyone any experience in this situation as to whether the noise is a problem leading to another failure, or is this a typical HD engine valvetrain trait?

 

The lifters, or rather the needle bearings in the rollers, are the one weak spot in the EVO engine (well, that, and the stock cam bearing fitted since '92). Make sure you have the early style Torrington inner cam bearing, and change the lifters before the needles succumb to metal fatigue, and there's little else to go wrong with the engine.

 

Lifter replacement is a snap in this engine. Especially if you install a set of "quick install" adjustable pushrods at the same time. If you do this, you can just cut the stock pushrods with a set of bolt cutters. Then remove the two lifter blocks and the lifters with them. Reassembly with the "quick install" adjustable rods negates the need to disassemble the rocker boxes. I can do mine in a few hours at home. I don't even need to remove my pipes, air cleaner or tank (depends on the pipes you run, of course).

Replacing the cam bearing is a bit more involved. You'll need to remove the nose cone, and use a puller to remove the inner cam bearing. I've done both jobs in about a day in my own garage. Get the H-D service manual, and it will walk you through the job.

 

I would replace the lifters every 50,000 miles, just to avoid any problems. A full set only runs about $150.

 

105k on mine with it having two top-ends due to leaking base gaskets. The bottom end and the 4-speed tranny are still virgin.....wore-out virgins. LOL

 

The only problems I have had with the EVO was the leaky base gasket failing. Best thing to do is allow the engine to slowly warmup on its own. Wait till the valve covers are warm to the touch before riding off.

Yours is also the EFI version as well....the system works great when it is working right. The moment the system doesn't work right.....It is the biggest POS on the bike. The Magnetti-Marreli EFI system is actually Italy based.....could be a good thing for you since you live in Italy.

Anyways, no known major issues with the EVO.

 

With my '93 I didn't quite make 50k. The lifter wheel bearings went south at 49,922 miles. If I get the evo I've been looking at, the first thing I'll do even before a ride around the block, is change the lifters.,,