i just don't want to mess up the internals, so I may let the dealer do the cams.

I do Stage 1 stuff 24/7, i had some guys from a club come buy some slips, i had leather gloves & dewalt impact driver, had the slip ons swapped and got paid in like 25 minutes, and they were like DANG!!

bonus parts if you guys can guess what I went shopping for today?

here's a good thread:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/oil-a...ust-drain.html

 

So that's my problem! It's in my DNA! Add to it motorcycling is in my blood. No little red and white blood cells coursing through my veins and arteries. It's little red and white motorcycles! Now it's all starting to make perfect sense!

 

You sound like my daughter now.

 

I ain't no kinda super wrench, but I did grow up poor with grandparents who'd been dirt-poor kids during the Depression & a dad who was scooter trash & a wrench by trade. Watched/fetched tools/helped grandpa keep '37 Plymouth & '52 Chevy dump trucks running & my dad & his buds keep various Ironhead Sporties, Shovels, Pans, Knuckles, etc., even old Yami XS 650s on the road (& often from the side of the road).

Nowadays, I still don't particularly have a lot of money & not a lot of time for that matter. Frequently, if I want something done, I find that I can afford the parts to do something to my bike, but definitely can't afford the labor (even if I had a reputable indy close by, which I'm not convinced of). As an example, I recently put a set of cams in my '02 FXD & was nervous as hell about it, as I'd never been that far inside a Harley engine unsupervised. Also didn't have the $1K or so in labor to have someone else do it. I'm good with my hands, however, have the FSM & a pretty well stocked toolbox, so I rooted around the internet for advice & tips & went for it. Probably took me 10x longer to do it than a pro, but I eventually got it done & couldn't be happier with the results.

I'm not "old school" by any means, nor do I particularly enjoy turning wrenches (making sawdust is my "bag"), but my tightwad, midwestern German DNA will not let me pay someone else to do what I can do for myself. With every bolt I turn, with every pieces/part of my bike that I physically put my hands on, I learn my ride & her inner workings that much better & am that much better prepared to deal with whatever may go wrong with 'er, should something go **** up on me. Plus, I have the satisfaction of knowing I did it myself.

 

People's Aptitude and Skills are different...A "Failure" (pick any part or system) is a Catastrophe to some and merely an "Inconvenience" to others

 

And an "Opportunity" to still others.

 

True Dat...but that can also be included with the above

.

 

Good enough physical condition? It's not like you're gonna be bench pressing the engine. You can pretty much just sit there and do about everything.

 

A lot of Harley riders look like all they can fix is a sandwich....

 

Same here. I started in the early 70's on a rat pan. I learned quickly how to keep it running, even if just sometimes limping along. In the early 80's I put a shovel top on it and de-ratted it and made it into a fairly decent chopper.