I accept that most makes and models of anything mechanical have their share of known problems and so I am not going to pass on a Harley. I am just trying to prepare myself for what the "cost of ownership" will be. My previous experience with HD was a 2000 Raod King....I sold it to fund my guitar gear and bought a metric bike to be able to do both hobbies.

So I mentioned in a previous post I am planning on buying a 2010 or newer EG Ultra Classic in the fall or spring (want to spend about 10 - 13K and no more than 15K). In my first post I was concerned about going needing to go to gear drive and after the replies and a little more research I have concluded that I won't necessarily "need' to invest in that.

Now, though, I am reading many posts about the compensator issue and I am concerned this will be an ongoing costly problem as it seems like some people have gone through several replacements and have experienced repeat failures. I am looking for some input here on what I can expect to pay for these repairs or what a good solid fix would be.....sprocket?

Many of the failures seem to be in 3 to 5k miles and with me putting on about 10K miles a year +/-, this could be a frequent problem

 

To many variables to give the answer your asking.

Every part of a bike can fail or ware out.

If your smart put a couple grand aside for repairs and maintenance.

Every motor Harley built has pros and cons.

My twin cam 103 in my Heritage has been trouble free with 20K on it.

You can take the best engine and have an owner neglecting it and it will fail.

 

I often think that reading forums for research like this, while they can be helpful, tend to over exaggerate problems. Forums tend to attract people with problems looking for solutions so problems are what you see. Any vehicle, make, model, brand, style or whatever of you go looking for problems, you will find enough to make you question buying one.
I know a LOT of people with Harleys and I can honestly say that no one I know has had a compensator issue.
Find a well maintained bike that fits whatever criteria suits you and go for it. And just like anything else, be prepared for the unexpected but don't let the fear of someone else's problem dissuade you.

 

To be honest, I can't answer your question on the cost of repairs to any of the things you mentioned.
Why? Because I have never had to do any of those repairs.

2008 Dyna Fat Bob - put just over 30,000 miles on it before trading for a 2011 Street Glide. No Issues!

2011 Street Glide - put just over 40,000 miles on that one before trading for a 2015 Ultra Limited. No Issues!

My current 2015 Limited has right at 30,000 miles. Again, no Issues!

In no way am I saying those with issues are making this stuff up. Of course there are those with issues.
But for every bike you read about with an issue (any issue), there will be thousands of the same bike that didn't have that issue.

I know it really sucks if your one of the unlucky ones, but they really are in the minority.
Yeah, well that doesn't help you if your one of the unlucky ones.

Just take what you read about all the issue with a grain of salt, and don't stress out too much worrying about.

 

What ever you buy start a maintenance schedule and stick with it. I have a 07 streetglide witn 89000 miles no engine issues at all. Two primary bearings and that is it. REMEMBER MAINTENANCE

 

I’ve had a comp issue in 3 different bikes. I believe it’s because I accelerate hard from takeoffs and curves. I haven’t had a problem with my 14 Limited, but I ride it like grandma is a passenger. I’ll leave my hot rodding to my Corvette now.

Beary

 

^^^^^
This. Before the bike I have now I had a 2009 RKC I bought new. I put just short of 47,000 miles on it since I bought it and had no issues other than regular maintenance and tires. There was a warranty covered rear brake light switch but other than that it was a solid dependable bike.

 

since 2002, between the wife and i we've owned 9 harleys. as far as 'cost of ownership' goes, i have had no real problems with any of our bikes. i did have an inner primary bearing replaced under warranty once, and the wife did have the abs module malfunction but that was corrected under esp.

as far as regular maintenance, i use harley oil filters, the 5 qt jug of 15/50 mobile 1, 4 qt jug of 10/40 shell rotella t (for the primary), supertech 75/90 for the tranny, and stock oem black oil filters. so total cost for oil change is less than $40. most of the other maintenance items are check, tighten, squirt with lube, etc. so they are negligible cost also. spring for a set of plugs every couple of years, and you're good.

all these other issues? i've never had them. never replaced a compensator, guide shoe, etc. bike has only left me stranded once. i had a flat tire (tubed front tire), and couldn't get a tow. wife rode her bike home, got the trailer and came and got me.

 

Thanks everyone for the confidence building in purchasing my HD. I agree that using forums for research can create a false sense of worry about a particular problem. I will remind myself that when I owned my road star, I belonged to a forum and I was constantly preemptively "fixing" something on that bike because of the posts I was reading. When I stopped myself from visiting the forum, I went 2 seasons without touching the bike and had no worries or problems for that matter. I am confident I will find a well maintained bike and enjoy every minute of it. And I like the suggestion of setting aside funds for repairs as they come up...I can do that. Thanks again!

 

"buying a 2010 or newer EG Ultra Classic" your words there, Id get your old RK back or something in those yrs. I just traded my old 2002 FXD 68,000 on the clock with minimum repairs the 18 yrs of owning it but it was also serviced every 2500 miles, as for the 3 to 5k miles intervals of brake downs or repairs for any bike at the 2010 + or - yrs I'd stay away from them and go back to under 2007 yrs. The Mechanic I have doesn't like working on anything 2008 and newer as its a P I T A$$ he says, being in Business for over 30 yrs he has come to believe Harley its self is going in a new direction which if you ask him isn't good for the Company.

The only big repair bill was when the cam chain tensioners needed changing out I went with Gear Drive system that was around 45K miles on the bike but the gear system was my choice.