Well Ill let a true Owner of one describe why for me.:bigsmile:
The biggest problem is the poor design of the cam chain system. It still uses "shoes" riding on the cam chains that can still wear out, even with the new hydraulic tensioning system, for that is not a true fix. What is the problem? The shoes rub against the two chains and the shoes wear out. When they do there will be metal to metal contact and this grinding creates metal shavings that creates a catastrophic engine failure. So bad the entire engine is destroyed; cams, pistons, crankshaft, engine cases broken. It is a wickedly serious engine design defect. Be aware... it can fail at 15,000 miles. Even the new hydraulic system can fail at 50,000 miles or less.
"Every Twin-Cam engine has the cam chain follower defect, even the new models. If it has a cam chain it has a problem! And every single one of these engines will seize up without warning. Will it be today, tomorrow or next year? That is the question you have to ask yourself. It may be ten years from now depending on the miles on your engine, but rest assured it is going to fail 100% guaranteed and guess who is going to pay for it?"
Note: Be aware that pre '06 Dyna's and the 1999 to 2006 Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson engines are seriously defective and they will blow up. How? As the spring loaded cam chain follower fails is shreds plastic material that fouls the rotary gear oil pump cutting off oil flow to the engine causing sudden catastrophic engine failure and destruction. Also metal to metal contact produces metal filings to disperse into the oil prior to being filtered by the oil filter. Be prepared to buy a completely new motor. Rebuilding the engine may not be feasible.
New Harley Engines Will Fail Too!
And don't think you are out of the woods if you have the new hydraulic cam chain tensioners for model years 2007 to present. They will fail beyond the factory warranty period. The problem was not fixed, it was only delayed to fail above 50,000 miles. Check the fine print in your extended warranty as this cam chain related failure may not be protected. You may be required to endure expensive periodic inspections to retain the warranty. The fact the hydraulic cam chain adjusters still have nylon pads rubbing against chains the pads will wear out and havoc happens!
"Believe it or not! When the engine fails it is not covered under warranty! Dealers will tell you it is a failed maintenance issue. In other words, you failed to pay the dealer to tear your engine apart to inspect the condition of the cam chain followers on a routine basis. This is not fair dealings, but it is what you will get when buying a Harley-Davidson. It's the price you will pay to play."
Note: Are the 2007 and newer Twin-Cam engines safe? No! Do not be fooled. Hydraulic cam chain followers are now used getting rid of the stiff spring that put too much pressure on the followers rubbing on the cam chain, but this is "no cure" as it only "delays" the problem. Instead of the engine failing at 15,000 to 30,000 miles it now fails at 50,000 to 75,000 miles. There is only one cure... get rid of the chain system entirely and switch to gear driven cams. Do your research now and budget your repair. Do not wait until the engine fails because if you ride a Twin-Cam Harley the engine is going to blow up!
"You won't get a straight honest answer from Harley dealers regarding this awful engine defect. I have been lied to by dealers and given a run-around by dealer employees. It just happened again July 2, 2011 in Carson City, NV Harley-Davidson dealer. The service writer would not answer my questions, gave me a song and dance and refused to forward my questions and concerns to the mechanic or management and frankly upset me with sarcastic comments. Problem is a problem exists and Harley-Davidson dealers are actively not giving straight answers to customers. That is a deceptive business practice and it is against the law under false and misleading advertising and dishonest business practices concealing known facts from the consumer prior to sale!"
Note: You will not hear any rubbing sounds or receive any indications the cam follower has failed even is you have quiet stock exhaust pipes on the bike. The engine will fail suddenly and catastrophically and it may even take you down to the pavement as the engine oil coats your rear wheel. This is a dangerous and expensive engine defect nobody wants to talk about, but it is a real threat to your health, safety and your finances.
New Development on Cam Follower Problem: Installing a gear drive system is not the cure and may actually cause severe engine damage in the future if installed. First, the crankshaft run out (up and down, left and right motion, not thrust of the crankshaft) must be within a tight tolerance. The problem is the gears are "stacked" one upon another instead of side-by-side so if the crankshaft is out of alignment (and it will get out of alignment just with normal wear the crank and camshaft bearings) the gears will "compress together" and that can break the engine cases, bearings, crankshaft, cams and it devastates the engine to near worthlessness. So, it there is now cure now for the Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam engine. This indicates why Harley-Davidson has no cure "real" for this cam chain tensioners shoe problem.
WHAT IS THE TRUE FIX?
There is only one fix for this cam chain follower problem and that is to convert the entire cam drive system to gears. Don't bother with aftermarket fixes that will convert and update your "spring" tension cam chain follower system to the newer "hydraulic" cam chain system for both of these systems are defective and both will fail because it really does not fix the problem, it only prolongs the problem to fail later down the road and usually out of warranty coverage on new bikes. The hydraulic nylon hydraulic cam follower will still wear out and the plunger piston will exit the bore and no tension will be on the cams and valve float can swallow the valves breaking pistons, rods, crank and cases and the oil pump can be blocked by debris to totally ruin the engine. A horrendous expensive mess! The gear cam drive system may be a tad noisier from gear whine but it is way better than a wrecked engine! But in all reality there is no true fix other than Harley-Davidson redesigning the cam drive system to get rid of those cam chain shoes and not stacking vertically gears to drive the cams. The cam gears must be aligned horizontally as the Sportster engine so does intelligently. The crankshaft pinion shaft can be bent when the bearings wear causing the gears to slam against each other... yikes!
"A lot of Harley riders are "silent" on these defect issues. They don't want to know. They don't want the embarrassment. They just want to ride and not think about it. Many Harley riders do not even know they are sitting on a time bomb and their engine is going to tear itself to pieces. Ignorance is bliss, but they all will pay the price."
3. Lifter block failure. The lifters can seize in the blocks or just plain rattle in the bores when worn out. It is a random thing. Some engines never have a problem while others will fail. The failure can be bad as it can hang up a valve so the piston hits the valve and "wham" the engine is blown. The Evolution Big-Twin engine also has lifter problems and the lifters must be d each 25,000 miles to be safe. The Evo's lifter's roller needle bearings fall apart and this can take out the cam lobes and the oil pump's gears.
4. The shift drum is operated by a spring loaded awl and if this spring fails, and they do fail, the spring falls into the transmission gears and horrific damage takes place. The rear wheel can lock up, the transmission cases split apart throwing oil all over your rear wheel causing you to crash. There is no fix for this problem. It is a faulty design issue. It would be advisable to the shifter awl spring once every three years or 30,000 miles to be on the safe side.
5. Belt drive can be an expensive problem. To a worn or perforated belt the entire primary chain case must be taken apart along with the bike's swing arm. It is expensive to a belt or the transmission drive pulley. Most riders don't even think about this until the day comes they have to the belt and find out it will cost them $1,000. And believe it or not a drive belt should be d every 30,000 miles even though it can last much longer, if a belt fails, it can cause you lose control, lock up the rear wheel or transmission and cause a crash. And new pulleys also need to be installed too. The bill for pulleys and belt and labor can be around $2,500. There is a company Super Max that can put a liner on your pulleys to save you money.
"Every 20,000 miles you need to the cam chain tensioners on the 99-06 model years of Twin-Cam engines and this ment is expensive. But even the new hydraulic-operated cam chain adjusters still have those cam chain plastic followers and they too can and will fail, only later down the road when the engine is out of warranty coverage, so you can pay for it!"
6. The crankshafts on Harley's can suddenly go out of balance. The repair is expensive. I had a new Harley crank fail at just 6,000 miles. Most riders are lucky, but there is a weakness in some crankshafts that randomly fail. The crank flywheels are "pressed" together onto the crankshaft and are not welded and it can slip. This is a very old design and outdated in this modern world.
"Don't you believe those salespersons and parts managers when they tell you the defects have been fixed in the new Twin-Cam engines... they have not been fixed, the same failures still occur!"
7. The chrome may look nice in the showroom, but don't expect it to last. I had a new Harley rusting its chrome in just one year. The polished aluminum oxidized too. I was gravely disappointed with my second brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
8. At just 8,000 miles an internal oil leak will develop in the Twin Cam engine's oil pump gears and/or the O-ring between the engine case and cam plate. This will allow engine oil to leak down into the crankcase when the engine is stopped and cooling down. So, you need to be aware that if you have an elevated oil tank you can't check the engine oil level when the engine is cold as it will show a low oil level inducing you to add oil and that can flood the engine with oil and cause hydraulic engine damage and even crack pistons and break connecting rods. Start the engine, warm it up, then check the oil level. This allow the oil pump time to scavenge oil from out of the crankcase to give you a proper oil level reading on your dip stick.
9. After you buy the bike make sure the spark plugs are snug to torque specification is a Harley-Davidson motor. If the plug works loose it will cause expensive cylinder head repairs. This procedure is covered in the book How to Change the Oil in Your Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson. Also, make sure the electrical plug connecting the alternator (near the oil filter) is snug and connections are clean. A loose or dirty connection here will certainly burn up the alternator and rectifier including the circuit breaker.
10. The above engine problems are for the newer twin cam engines even the 2011 and newer models. There are even more serious problems with older Harley's prior to model year 2007. So if you plan to buy a used Harley you had better consult with some experienced mechanics to identify the known defects before you buy and get stuck with a real bombshell.
11. Harley's do not retain their value as much as you are being led to believe. The worst enemy is high mileage, so don't bother riding your Harley if you want to retain its trade-in or resale value. What is considered too high? Try 15,000 miles. That's low for most bikes, but a Harley with that many miles will suffer with a great loss of depreciation in price. Why? Because the Harley engine design is old with many seals and gaskets that will eventually fail and leak oil. The top end runs hot and the piston rings and valves just burn away requiring an overhaul. If you own a Harley, get an oil cooler as it will extend engine life, but it will not give you any points or dollars when it is time to sell. One thing a Harley rider will learn soon enough, buy a Harley and you'll lose your money! Depreciation affects all vehicles, but when low miles become high miles there is a big problem for the consumer. Be aware! There is one solution, buy another brand of motorcycle or buy a Harley-Davidson Sportster (see comments below) Why You Should Buy a Victory Motorcycle and use that bike to do most all of your riding and use your Harley just for special occasions. Of course, if you can buy a Harley-Davidson Sportster model you can have your cake and eat it too.
"Even hiring a mechanic to inspect a used Harley-Davidson motorcycle is useless due to the engine design defects. A brand new Harley-Davidson sitting in the showroom has the defects."
12. Another terrible problem all Twin-Cam engines have is the dreaded "crankshaft slip." A perfectly new bike with low miles can suddenly begin vibrating so badly it makes riding no fun anymore, even if the engine is rubber mounted. I too had a brand new Harley and the crank slipped. The crankshaft flywheels are pressed together to the crank pin. Without notice and without cause the flywheels will slip out of alignment and the vibration is born. What is sad is that the Harley dealers will tell you it is normal when it is not. They will not fix the problem. I have met other riders with the same problem and the same bad results. My brand new Harley failed at just 3,000 miles. I traded it in for another new Harley and the crank slipped on that one too! Those were my last Harley-Davidson's. Two strikes on two brand new Twin-Cam engine bikes was enough for me. I switched to Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 with a 125 cubic inch V-twin and later to the Victory 106ci V-twin which is a superior designed and reliable motor, but dealership qualifications to perform warranty work I found, in my case, was not up to industry standards. That is a big problem if the bike you buy can't be fixed quickly, reliably and professionally. You will find this problem throughout the "power sports" industry, so beware.
13. You will notice modern motorcycle engine design eliminates the inner and outer primary case the Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam engine uses. It is an old design full of flaws and weaknesses using a sloppy chain to connect the engine to clutch and transmission. It is a source of problems mostly regarding oil leaks from the outer and inner primary gasket and seals for the crankshaft, transmission countershaft and starter motor. It is not cheap to fix these oil leaks. And to makes matters even worse that this entire primary chain case system must completely disassembled to change a drive belt, pulley or chain sprocket. Ask around for a price to do these jobs and it will open your eyes a bit wider. Your drive belt will need replacing one day and you will have to pay a dear price due to this outdated, unfriendly engine design. Of course, if you learn to do it yourself it will only cost you time and parts. Most riders do not know how to do it. For example if you look at the Victory Freedom 106ci V-twin engine none of these problems are evident. You can change a drive belt and pulleys yourself. There will be no oil leaks from seals and there is only one simple gasket for the primary system. No chains for it is totally gear driven primary system and it uses the engine oil, not a special primary case oil. Yes, this engine too has a cam chain but of a totally different design. A proven reliable design using long cam chain guides like modern car and motorcycle engines use. If the cam chain guide wears out it will not self-destruct the engine. But you have to drop the engine out of the frame to overhaul the rear cylinder whereas a Harley can be performed in the frame.
14. Harley-Davidson's generally require an oil change each 2,500 miles (newer models 5,000 miles). And it requires that three oil compartments be drained and filled each with different types of oil; engine oil, primary case and transmission oil. I wrote a book showing you how to do it. How to Change the Oil in Your Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson You will notice it only takes ten minutes to change the oil on a modern motorcycle like the Victory and it only has to be changed each 5,000 miles. So, oil changing on a Harley will cost you twice as much as other engine designs.
"Most riders are absolutely totally ignorant of the problems they are soon to face with their rides."
16. Transmission trouble? Yes, there is a problem with the transmission 5th gear. As the 88 twin cam engine evolved to the 96 cubic inch a strain developed on the gears. In the year 2007 the inner bearing race was upgraded due to bearing failure. In the year 2010 the fifth gear was changed to a reverse-helical gear to neutralize the side load on the bearing. What does this mean to the average rider? It means if you hop up the engine on any twin-cam engine you risk a major transmission failure. So, you need to purchase and install a fifth gear and bearing/shaft update kit if you ride the bike hard (which many riders do). The race on the shaft can move, which lets the seal leak and the bearing walk/wobble more than it should accelerating wear and fail. Some riders have found this bearing failure twice in 40,000 miles. Mostly hard-ridden stock 88 and 96 will fail along with those with souped-up engines (pistons, cams including crankshaft long-stroked engines). But the new 103 cubic inch twin cam are not immune to transmission failure even though they have the updated kit installed at the factory. Read item #17 below explains the reasons.
17. Overheating: Harley-Davidson engines run hot. The 88 cubic inch engine ran hot and at the high limits and the 96 cubic inch engine runs hotter yet which is not good for the engine. The 110 cubic inch engines run exceedingly hotter and so much so a class-action law suit was filed against Harley-Davidson from riders being burned from the engine heat (mostly from the rear cylinder near the rider's thighs). Heat burns to the skin is not the only problem as heat is an engine killer and the hotter these big air-cooled V-twins run reliability falls drastically. Don't expect engine longevity with a 103 or 110 cubic inch air-cooled V-twin such as the Harley-Davidson design. Clean synthetic engine oil and a large external engine oil cooler is a must have accessory, but it only helps engine cooling not cure these serious excessive heat problems that self-destructs the engine.
Den Rest lest bitte hier:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Forums/913...-a-Harley-.aspx
