UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
Hey,
For all you oldtimers here on the forum (over 6 months), our friend Markcuda's (Mark) bike is down. Sounds like the motor bit the big one. They are either going to have to split the cases and rebuild or put in a remanufactured motor. Something on his front piston broke and got sucked into the engine. He is pretty bummed out but he still has that damn extended warranty. Can you imagine that-170,000 miles on a 2003 Ultra and still have a warranty
.
Anyway, even though Mark got banned I thought you guys would want to know. I'll let you know if anything else comes up.
[sm=biker2.gif]
For all you oldtimers here on the forum (over 6 months), our friend Markcuda's (Mark) bike is down. Sounds like the motor bit the big one. They are either going to have to split the cases and rebuild or put in a remanufactured motor. Something on his front piston broke and got sucked into the engine. He is pretty bummed out but he still has that damn extended warranty. Can you imagine that-170,000 miles on a 2003 Ultra and still have a warranty
.Anyway, even though Mark got banned I thought you guys would want to know. I'll let you know if anything else comes up.
[sm=biker2.gif]
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,022
Likes: 3
From: Hudson Valley- NY
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
That sucks, but the good news, he still has a warranty? Wow, I wish I had the time to ride that amount of miles in 3 years. I missed the ban for Mark and what lead to TC's disappearance. If it's not rehashing too much old ground, what happened?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 12,946
Likes: 32
From: Colorado Springs, CO
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
Mark was a good guy....he's just very blunt and speaks his mind....just like me......[&:]
Anyway, sorry to hear about his motor........surprised to hear it was a piston, I expected it to be those D@MN chain tensioners that always let go........(gotta switch to gear drive guys................)
As for TC, I didn't know he was REALLY gone, Sorry to hear about that....he had ALOT of experience and was a help to many......
joe
Anyway, sorry to hear about his motor........surprised to hear it was a piston, I expected it to be those D@MN chain tensioners that always let go........(gotta switch to gear drive guys................)
As for TC, I didn't know he was REALLY gone, Sorry to hear about that....he had ALOT of experience and was a help to many......
joe
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 12,946
Likes: 32
From: Colorado Springs, CO
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
yea........here's the deal......
When the Twin Cam engine came out in 1999, they had to "quiet down" the engine, as the EPA has a noise regulation that new motors have to meet. Well, our beloved air cooled 45 degree V-twin with single crank throw, is NOT a good platform for emissions and noise compliance, so the factory had to do what was necessary to keep 'em rollin out of the facotry.[&:]
What happend, is that the camshafts ride on "followers". they are made out of a Nylon material and push against the chains with springs to keep the chains tight. Over time, these followers wear out. As early as 4,000 miles, but, more often 20,000-50,000 miles they will "let-go". the chain then goes loose, can come off the sprockets on the cams and cause catastophic (sp?) engine damage.
Okay, how do you avoid this? Convert the motor to gear drive. S&S makes a conversion kit. The kit isn't enough though.....you also have to buy the camshafts. This is a $700.00 deal just for the parts. The only other option is to change out the followers as needed.
The Evolution motors were gear driven. so are Sportsters. This is a Twin Cam 88 problem.
Anybody who refutes this will learn the hard way![&:] Won't be me,.......... the "gears" go in tomorrow......
joe
When the Twin Cam engine came out in 1999, they had to "quiet down" the engine, as the EPA has a noise regulation that new motors have to meet. Well, our beloved air cooled 45 degree V-twin with single crank throw, is NOT a good platform for emissions and noise compliance, so the factory had to do what was necessary to keep 'em rollin out of the facotry.[&:]
What happend, is that the camshafts ride on "followers". they are made out of a Nylon material and push against the chains with springs to keep the chains tight. Over time, these followers wear out. As early as 4,000 miles, but, more often 20,000-50,000 miles they will "let-go". the chain then goes loose, can come off the sprockets on the cams and cause catastophic (sp?) engine damage.
Okay, how do you avoid this? Convert the motor to gear drive. S&S makes a conversion kit. The kit isn't enough though.....you also have to buy the camshafts. This is a $700.00 deal just for the parts. The only other option is to change out the followers as needed.
The Evolution motors were gear driven. so are Sportsters. This is a Twin Cam 88 problem.
Anybody who refutes this will learn the hard way![&:] Won't be me,.......... the "gears" go in tomorrow......
joe
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 518
Likes: 1
From:
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
I don't really consider this to be very good longevity of his engine especially the way it was ridden....most all highway. There are other brands of motorcycles known for getting MUCH more longevity than this that perform better, get better mileage and have much more power. Doesn't say a lot for Harley, IMO. If I ran HD, I'd put in a brand spanking new engine free given his notoriety and the fact that they had a premature failure, no matter what anyone says about that.
Damn shame he was banned. Doesn't say much for the forum either. He's a good guy that has helped a lot of people here. I thought that's what it was all about. Hell, what do I know. On second thought, quite a bit.....[8D]
Damn shame he was banned. Doesn't say much for the forum either. He's a good guy that has helped a lot of people here. I thought that's what it was all about. Hell, what do I know. On second thought, quite a bit.....[8D]
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,954
Likes: 9
From: jacksonville, nc
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
if i get 170,000 out of my motor.........it wont owe me sh*t!!
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 412
Likes: 1
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
I owned an Indy shop back in 1981 and most of my repair business was replacing the cam chain tensioners on Japanese motorcycles. When Harley went to a chain driven cam system, I was disappointed. I've been thinking about replacing my cams with gear driven ones anyway.
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
From:
RE: UPDATE ON MARKCUDA
According to Harley-Davidson service bulletin M-1097, which we obtained through our own informal investigation, H-D modified the TC-88 to correct the alleged cam bearing problem in engines built on or after December 14, 1999. This was approximately mid-way through the 2000 model production year. The bikes with engines made before December 14, 1999 are the "early 2000" models included in the lawsuit. There are two ways to determine whether your 2000 motorcycle is an "early 2000" model.
http://www.vehicle-injuries.com/harl...ine-defect.htm
http://www.vehicle-injuries.com/harl...ine-defect.htm