Hope you all had a safe and happy New Year. Again, thanks for all the great feedback. I have a follow-up that I may already have the answer for, but want to check. I called my dealer on Tuesday to talk about cam chain tensioners, upgrades, labor, etc. First, I should mention that my dealer has been quite fair and above board with me in the past. They have given me totally free labor when a job went way over time, and other things as well. Anyway, I asked them what the policy is for checking/replacing the tensioners. I have an extended warranty that still has over 2 years to go. By the time I would do the inspection, I'd have about 2 yrs left. The dealer told me not to pay the 4 hours of labor to have the cam tensioners checked because if the tensioners are fine I would be out $300. Of course, if they are worn, I could replace for only $50 deductable, but they said even with 25,000 miles on the bike, it would be a crap-shoot as to whether I would need to do something. I then asked when I should have them checked (heard HD originally suggested 40,000, then 25-30,000, story seems to change). The service tech said, and I quote, "wait until you hear a clanging or rattling noise, then give us a call." I almost fell out of my chair. I then asked, very calmly, wouldn't that be too late, as probably that was a sign of total failure and metal on metal, and likely long-term damage to the engine? She said that was HD's general policy, and since I had the extended warranty, just ride and be happy, and bring it in when I start to hear the clanging noises.

I didn't know how to respond, probably due to shock. At this point, I am very tempted to cancel the remaining time on my extended warranty and use the funds to do a full (95 or 98) build, ala HQ, GMR, or one of the other great builders I have found thanks to this site. Frankly don't know if I can swing it financially, but am quite tempted. Feedback from others at this point is very welcome. Thanks.

Ted