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Should I replace this? (rhetorical question) It only has 151k miles on it...
And for all the people who say "change them regardless if it's pre- '95" (and with all due respect, which I do have for most on here) the nut was still tight with less than .001 wear on the main gear splines, best I could measure. Yeah, call me lucky.... and a smart azz at times
If you've gotten that one off, I would replace it. A few years ago, I went through all the trouble of dismantling the primary so I could replace the belt on my '93 FLHTCU. That's a big job. Less that two years later, I end up having to replace the primary because it spun out on the main shaft. Note the lack of teeth in the picture below. Fortunately, the main shaft was in good condition. I also replaced all the primary oil seals while I was at it.
There are bikes that have done monster miles on them, except I have yet to see an evaluation of any of them, so we can truly see how all its critical parts got on. Personally I would replace that, the belt and rear pulley together.
Hard to display a sense of humor in text and yes, I was being full of s@#% with my original post...
Originally Posted by RIPSAW
You do have a tad bit of good left. Obiviously you have not been rotating it like you should. ...
Not rotating as I should or not rotating enough? either way, I totally agree!
Originally Posted by 98hotrodfatboy
At 151K I wouldn't think that he's not riding it enough... Lol
Occasionally someone will say "nice day for a ride" and I always reply - "some are better than others, but everyday is a good day to ride"
Not possible to ride too much, for me anyway
Originally Posted by grbrown
There are bikes that have done monster miles on them, except I have yet to see an evaluation of any of them, so we can truly see how all its critical parts got on. Personally I would replace that, the belt and rear pulley together.
Graham, do a search for "million mile Harley" and you'll find many articles about one in particular (not about me), though the ones I saw didn't have much technical information.
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I don't know when they changed from the original 3 lock screw hole to the 2 hole and a plate arrangement, but seems that's when the problems with front pulleys stripping out started. They corrected that with the 40250-94 pulley. It's wider in the splines. Where the one drm photographed has a raised hub and teeth, the new gears are solid / flat across the back. That with the thicker, but narrower spacer adds about 1/4 inch of splines to engage the main drive gear and eliminates "wobble" according to Dan89
Original pulley
Mine ('87) was the older version that had 3 holes for a single hex head screw as a lock. It was tight first time I took it off to build the trans and was still tight this time and splines look good as the new gear. I've thought for years the pulley problems of the early '90s were more of a material quality problem than a design flaw. Who knows?
I did tidy up a few more things just in the nick of time, it would seem.
Original rear sprocket
Brake pads - about 65k miles. Still running original front pads, but they'll get swapped when I put new tire on (soon)
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Front pulley
either way, I totally agree!
