I own a 2007 FLHRC Road King Classic, has 22,000 miles. Going out, I did an everyday start, it fired right up as usual but in 5-6 seconds it shut down violently & the motor was locked.

A friend, an x-H-D head mechanic turned airplane mechanic & 2 other's from a local shop went to work. This is the finding:

The outside edge of the engine compensating (I think called) Rotor/Spring Cover (a bell shaped item) had the whole outside edge peel away into two sections.

One section traveled to & lodged between the primary chain & clutch sprocket. This put so much pressure on the tensioner that the bolts were badly bent.

Damage from this engine start: The motor shaft is out .069, transmission shaft out .013, primary chain shot, primary case badly cracked in several places, some bolts had so much force exerted that the threaded bolt female's were recessed with rims inward to 3/32 inch.

Thus far a tally on parts (only as far as what is seen & described above without inspecting inner transmission, bearings, the motor & so on) has hit the $5000.00 plus labor mark.

I know of one other 2008 Road King Classic with 14,000 mi. this happened to (but I can't discuss him & how he knows). Does anyone in this community know of this happening to other H-D's and/or what other damage may be found if I choose to try fixing it (which most regular folks can't afford to begin with; I'm 66 & retired so that kind of bread is tough.

My option is owning a worthless, total loss, bike & I want to ride allot longer. I am really stuck at what to do.

Thank you,

E-Jake

 

Reman motor and repair the trans. I would guess that you can repair the trans for less than $500 if you take on the project yourself. IIRC, a reman motor will run about $3,500 but not sure.

 

As djl says, look at remans, they are on the HD website under the 'Owners' tab, then 'Engines'. The engine you get back will be as 'good as new', in fact it will essentially be brand new, but with your correct # on it. Only drawback is that it will be bone stock, so if you have cams or other goodies in yours and can do so, swap them for the stock parts on your current engine first.

Very best of luck getting sorted out.

 

This in an update to my above problem. My RK was down for exactly 2 months & looked at by 2 other places prior to my taking it in my truck to Highland H-D, Buell & Polaris, 802 North Center Ave., Somerset, PA 15501-Ph. # 814-444-1903

I included the address & phone because if you are in West Central PA, (they also have a dealership in Maryland) & in need of a truly expert mechanical team to help you with your ride, this is the place!

Oftentimes one only hears the negative side of having work done but MR. LLOYD GROFT, Highlands Master Service Technician, will only get praise from me. Between Highland H-D, Lloyd Groft, & the support I received from the Harley-Davidson Company, my Road King was fixed under warranty.

I've been a H-D customer for 48 years, & it is a thing like this that will have me staying a customer another 48 years (unless petroleum products dry-up).

I wanted to share this experience with all of you while tipping my hat to the great team at Highland Harley-Davidson in Somerset, PA, give my thanks & appreciation to Corporate, and just "Keep On Trucking" with my RK until my *** falls off, or the oil fields dry-up. I'm only 66 so I think the oil will dry-up first.

Thanks to all that wrote me & offered suggestions. I send a special thanks to a guy in England who talked me into elevating trust & taking the road I eventually took. Thanks Grahm

E-Jake

 

Shows you what can be done if a dealer takes an interest and knows how to work the system. Always nice to hear a story with a good ending; too bad that we don't hear more of them.