26000 0n my electra glide standard,I dont really bang gears that often but I spend alot of time riding 75, 80. Just checked the tensioners and theres plenty left on them. Bike runs great.

 

You need to find a new wrench...

 

I've heard all sorts of BS come from "respected wrenches"..... sometimes, they were true... other times they were opinion...
I believe what you heard was an "opinion"

I have a 2005 FLTR with 60,xxx miles...
YES.... the cam tensioners are an issue.. they get replaced BEFORE the engine is destroyed. Either look at them carefully, or have them replaced.... You have the options of direct replacement.... gear drive, or an updated hydralic system.

OR......
perhaps YOU mis understood his concerns.....
If you are buying a TC-88, (any year) with 44k on the clock..... you should be asking if the OEM cam tensioners have been replaced. If they have fine (but how? and by whom) if they have not been replaced, then you should factor in replacing them, fairly soon, and consider that price into the purchace.
For that matter... at 44k, you should be factoring in thecost of the 50k service. Even if you do your own service....

I believe 3-5 grand is a bit "steep"..... I doubt new cam tensioners would cost $1000 installed by any shop whether indy, or dealer.....3-5 grand, is more in "crate motor" category (IMO)

unless.....
Did he offer to sell you a 2002 touring bike by any chance??? (smile)

 

I had a 1995 Superglide that I put 72,000 miles on, and now have a 95' Fatboy with 63,000 on it; neither of them touched internally, ever. (i sure do hate replacing drive belts though!)

I'm saddened to hear a much newer Harley does require attention regarding the timing and cam issues at 40-50k. I would have hoped we would all be pushing 100k before anybody was tearing apart anything. It appears that timing gears and cams are an assummed upgrade after a very short while; thats a shame. I have been lucky in the past, and I guess we'll have to see what happens.

I have a guy showing up to look at my Fatboy this very morning for $5k.

If he does NOT buy it, i'll be glad, i wanna ride today. I'm tired of thinking about it all. Takes the fun out of it.

Thanks again for all your input, at the end of the day I feel like the concerns on the 04' are somewhat validated.

 

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood/bike2.shtml

An interesting look at a 2004 model that has travelled the world. This page covers repairs over hundreds of thousands of miles in some of the worst conditions on the planet. Remember this when considering how long the drive belts lasted, when the top end was opened and the cam tensioner. The transmission has never been opened. Follow the pages to stories.

And we thought we were tough.

 

Tell him to keep working on Honda's and leave the wrenching on Harley's to the big boys.

 

I just looked over that article and that bike is a 1994 not a 2004. The motor is an EVO not a Twin Cam. The EVO is a way better motor in my opinioon and explains why it did not need any engine work until way into it's life span. The Evo cam was Gear Driven. The Frame and Transmission internals are pretty much the same. There was a swingarm change due to cracking somewhere down the line as well.

Just thought I should clarify for you.

 

Sorry 'bout that. But still an impressive account of 15 years on the road. There was a thread over at Adventure Rider which I can't find because the search will not respond to Road King 2004; the owner did not inspect his until 100,000 miles. The rear shoe was shedding pieces. An experienced HD tech suggested to go with the newer HD upgrade if the owner did not want the expense of converting to gear drive. Also the crank has to have a certain tolerance (someone here will know the numbers) or a gear drive will be rather noisy.
Overall I think the OP will do fine with any vintage so long as he meets a good and well informed mechanic and follows through with prudent service intervals.

 

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...hain+tensioner


An interesting read. For any HD owner or prospect. Like any thread you need to sift through some responses to get to the better input. A 2000 model but the lesson is the same. Inspect and replace, upgrade when possible.

 

your fat boy has 63k on it... are you afraid of riding your bike? ive seen bikes go way up in the miles. i guess it just depends on the upkeep of the scoot.