Ok thanks guys for all the help!!! My bike has 31000 miles on it and I have no idea about the cam tensioners what do i look or Listen for with this problem! Oh by the way I have a 2003 fatboy

 

many around here are well past 100K. my 01 had 69K on it and only needed cam chain tensioners at about 54K.

 

I wouldn't listen for squat. If you can hear them, you likely already have some other related damage.
You have to pull your cam cover and inspect them. Not hard to do.
Outer is easy, the inner requires a flashlite and a mirror-on-a-stick.



Here are some that have 23,000 miles on them. They were caught in time. ↓





I don't know the mileage on these, but it was too late for him.
He likely could "listen to" something. ↓

 

I know one that went 475,000 miles with just normal maintenance and replacement of things like tires, brakes, batteries, clutch etc.

It would have went a lot farther had Harley Davidson not traded the guy for a brand new one and put it on display in one of their facilities.

It was a 1984 model and the 1999 model that Harley gave him to replace it will soon turn 300K miles.

 

I know a heavy smoker that lived to be 95.

Does that mean it's okay to smoke?

That's how I view these comments (no offense to you personally).
These comments appear on EVERY tensioner thread.

The fact is, there are very many failures in the mid 20k miles range.
YES there are also many that were fine for very many miles. TRUE.

Checking them is a must-do for preventative maintenance. No joke.

 

First off my reply was directed to the thread starter in reference to his question of : How many miles can i expect from my Harley

I simply wanted to show and point out that it is possible to get a lot of miles out of a Harley. He also stated that he was new to Harley, but not new to motorcycles. I assume that he understands that you get out of any mechanical machine what you put into it. To drive it right and service it properly and it will serve you well. You trash it, abuse it and don’t service it and it becomes junk.

Yes some are better than others just like your guy lived to be 90 and smoked, some people would die at 50 from lung cancer.

I personally know the guy that had this bike and the link below will take you to the details. I should have looked at it before I posted because it is 417,888 miles and not 475,000 miles. My Bad

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...ing-miles.html




Sorry I don't have a clue what that has to do with my post?

Very true and again I am pointing out to the thread starter that you can get a lot of miles out of a Harley.

Now I agree with you there and my post was not meant to be a JOKE.

Thank you

 

Recently a guy completed ONE MILLION MILES on his Harley (with some engine overhauls).
The bike was exchanged for a new one by HD which put it in a museum.

 

You sure didn't sound like you agreed with me.

I was just tryin' to advise him to check his tensioners. If he finds them okay with his 31k miles, he will likely be good for life.

"Oh, my buddy went a zillion miles, he never had issues".
Sounded like you were disagreeing with me.

Sorry if I misread that. Really, it looked like you were responding to my post, not his. Sorry.

 

Maintenance is critical in any expectation of longevity. Frankly, most people don't even ride 5k per year, yet oil changes etc should still be done even if the mileage is not there. Normal tolerances should be checked as well at least on an annual basis.

But in general Harley quality is there. I've been very happy.

And the real reason to select Harley is because of comfort. There are a lot of different models to choose from, and there are enough accessories and after market things out there to make a Harley YOUR perfect bike.

 

No Problem

Thank you