Mark I'm glad your dealer is doing you right. I'm taking a trip from Wisconsin to North Carolina in September. I'm adding Smokin' HD to my destinations.
I suspect that some of it has to do with the change in how the lifter was made plus the quality of materials.
See picture. One big change was how the pin roller is installed onto the lifter body..
The 99b has the pin installed and the ends are swaged out to lock it in the lifter body. I bet there is less chance of it coming loose. Delphi and Hyliftes are made this way..
The 99c uses a shorter pin and a pin clip to hold in place. While pin seem to be driven in (not floating), the area engaging the lifter body is less and the fit likely not as tight.
IMO The 99c is simply a cheaper way to manufacture as there is less chance of warping the lifter body and keep the body round. Unfortunately it pribabably not as strong.
Anyone remember Gaterman lifters? They were billed as the hot lifter to have. Unfortunately when Gaterman went to production they went to china. One of the big issues was that the lower part of the lifter was out of round and wouldn't fit in the case because they couldn't master the riveting process.. More info can be found over on HTT..
IMO...
that makes sense, material failure. It must be a on and off thing, as I see bikes with thousands of miles of stock lifters, then some with a few thousand that grenade. I remember the Gatorman craze, weren’t the first few made in USA?
that makes sense, material failure. It must be a on and off thing, as I see bikes with thousands of miles of stock lifters, then some with a few thousand that grenade. I remember the Gatorman craze, weren’t the first few made in USA?
Damn cuz, I just saw this thread and read all through it. Sucks but that ESP paid off … when I buy my new Trike eventually, I will likely have a ESP. I will likely keep it mostly stock except for a few things so. I am also reluctant to give up my 2nd bike… for these reasons… Good vibes set your way.
On my 17 RK, at the 1000 miles service, I had the TQ cam installed by the dealer. Had them use SE quick install pushrods instead of pulling the rocker covers. At 2000 miles I replaced the stock lifters with a set of hylifts from WFO larry.. Bike has something like 48000 miles on it now.
Thanks for the comments and replies. Again the key purpose of this thread is simply to make people aware that this can happen.
First of all I was at the dealership yesterday and they have received all the parts and had the new short block already installed. Jessie was already working on it when we arrived as they were opening. They have to handle rush and emergencies as they come in so he cannot stay on our 100% of the time, but they are making good progress.
Just to be 100% clear. This bike has 45k miles on it total. We ran it 100% stock for 30k miles with ZERO issues. ZERO!. You guys that want to talk about first year models, bikes made on Friday, etc is fine but we have had nothing but enjoyment. We then added the Stage III 117 Kit which came with NEW SE High Performance lifters and springs. This kit has approximately 15k miles on it prior to this failure.
Why did the lifter fail? That is the million dollar question no one will ever be able to answer. Defective part? Maybe, it happens.
Andy who is the shop foreman at Smokin used to work for T-Man performance. I actually stopped by T-man early this week and was able to meet with TR and discuss my situation with him. TR said it can happen but not something he sees a lot of. Even committed that HD is not trying to put out a bad part, but he thinks Fueling Race Lifters are the best on the market and what he recommends. He said I was in good hands with Andy and keep the warranty, ride and enjoy basically. His biggest concern with the SE stage kits is lack of proper tuning. By the way he is a very nice guy to speak with and clearly knows his stuff. The horsepower he is building there is in a different league all together. I'm just glad he gave me a few minutes of his time.
That said I plan to get this bike back and go through the break in process and consider upgrades to the lifters, an after market tuner and proper dyno tuning.
Stay tuned.
Below is the kit we had installed 15k miles ago:
DESCRIPTION
This kit was developed for the rider looking for a solid seat of the pants increase you can feel – every time you roll on the throttle. The increase in displacement and the bump in compression deliver a significant increase in torque and power over stock while restoring the sensation of riding solo when taking that long trip with a passenger and luggage.
• Increases power by up to 24% when compared to the Original Equipment engine configurations
• Delivers increased throttle response throughout the entire RPM range
• Produces flexible roll-on passing power without a required downshift
• Delivers excellent stop-light to freeway speed on-ramp acceleration
• Retains Original Equipment Factory Warranty
• Includes 4.075" Bolt-On Cylinders, Forged 11:1 High Compression Aluminum Coated Pistons, High Performance Piston Rings and Tappets, SE8-498 Cam, Performance Valve Springs
• Includes Multi-Layer Coated Head Gaskets, Cam Bearing Upgrade, most necessary gaskets and seals
• Black with Highlighted Fins - Matches Original Equipment non-CVO models
Just to be 100% clear. This bike has 45k miles on it total. We ran it 100% stock for 30k miles with ZERO issues. ZERO!. You guys that want to talk about first year models, bikes made on Friday, etc is fine but we have had nothing but enjoyment.
amen to that..mine is 100% stock too and about to hit 54,000 miles with zero problems of any kind either... and also "have had nothing but enjoyment"...knock on wood...hope to keep the trouble free miles rolling as long as possible...hope your rebuild goes well and you continue to
Hey, I have 111000 miles on my 07 FLHTC, I did swap the engine at 92k miles because I got a smoking deal on a new 103HO but other than compensator issues, I have had no major problems and now got the 14 Tri Glide, sure i had to replace the water pump but , I would get on either an run the **** out of them. Stuff happens… this was out of your control. Once the bike is repaired I am sure you and the Carolina Girl will have many more miles of enjoyment. We gotta roll with the punches.
08-24-2022 | 10:32 PM
