I have discovered that the starter motor of my Heritage Classic is refusing to serve. No electrical problem, but mechanically. The one-direction clutch between the starter rotor shaft and the splined shaft, allowing to prevent the rotor from being driven by the V-twin after picking up, has been worn out. The small starter gear came out, grabbed into the starter gear wheel and the splined shaft turned without driving both the gears.
Ok, remove your starter motor and small starter gear wheel. Easy to do from the left side of the bike (removing the transmission cover) but an real pain in the *** from the right side of the bike. Removing the oil tank, removing all the oil lines, removing the entire electrical assembly on top, removing the exhausts, removing the top inner fender, shortly remove the half entire bike.
Why is it not possible for Harley to design a bike in that way, that items like starter motor etc can be easily be removed without removing the half of the bike? Or is it meant to be a money-maker for the dealers?

 

Come on now...you had to remove the oil tank, that is not exactly removing half the bike...

Four bolts and a couple of hoses and the oil tank is on the workbench...

If they made everything easy to get at the bike would be the size of a car...sometimes things just have to be tucked in tight spaces.

You bought a Softail for the looks (among other things), and with the look you get a certain mechanical layout.

If you want an bike with an easy change starter, you picked the bottom of the list.

But changing a starter on any Harley is cake, compared to most cars.