Most common breakdowns.......just curious.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Canyon Lake Texas
rear fuel injector wire. road it home about 450 miles. stator got it home on batt power about 70 miles. nothing else in 60+ thousand miles. bike has been good to me. oh i forgot the idle air control motor.i did manage to get that to a dealer in bum flock ks, but i did get it there.
Last edited by ANIMAL03; Jul 30, 2010 at 06:59 AM. Reason: forgot something
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,192
Likes: 990
From: Hastings MN
I bought my '07 Road Glide and it went 297 miles before it conked out and left me stranded by the side of the road. It seems there was a recall on the voltage regulator and mine got over looked. You have to have a sense of humor sometimes. It's been flawless ever since. Noname
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 9,206
Likes: 372
From: Central Illinois, Between I-80 and I-74
By far most of the people I've stopped to help over the years have run out of gas.
After that it would be something fell off, came loose (shifters and exhaust seem to be repeats). There have been a few flat tires and a couple of battery charging issues (don't know if it was stator, regulator or battery).
This doesn't count the I dropped/lost something (watches, wallets and glasses are the big 3).
In recent years there have been a lot of :I needed to make a phone call; I don't need any help; get the hell away from me; why did you stop; wanted to help a turtle cross the road types of things. These now outnumber the thanks for the help (or offer) by about 10:1.
After that it would be something fell off, came loose (shifters and exhaust seem to be repeats). There have been a few flat tires and a couple of battery charging issues (don't know if it was stator, regulator or battery).
This doesn't count the I dropped/lost something (watches, wallets and glasses are the big 3).
In recent years there have been a lot of :I needed to make a phone call; I don't need any help; get the hell away from me; why did you stop; wanted to help a turtle cross the road types of things. These now outnumber the thanks for the help (or offer) by about 10:1.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma
Hello Y'all,
My stator & regulator fried at 10 years and 52,000 miles. When my new RG hits 10 years or 50,000 she is getting a new stater and regulator. I now use lock washers on my exhaust head bolts after loosing three bolts in 4 days. I also started putting blue lock-tite on almost every bolt. I now used a wrench as a cheater-bar to tighten those Allen wrench bolts on those foot shifter levers. When I'd get stuck in traffic my Black Bettie would ping so I routed her return engine head oil though the engine guard and the pinging stopped. I run Avon Vipers and have not had a flat yet. But I carry a small air compressor and patch kit and I've used both on other bikes, knock on wood.
I'm planning a ride to the Arctic Circle in Canada, Canadian Rockies, and then Alaska.
Thanks for posting some great info y'all.
My stator & regulator fried at 10 years and 52,000 miles. When my new RG hits 10 years or 50,000 she is getting a new stater and regulator. I now use lock washers on my exhaust head bolts after loosing three bolts in 4 days. I also started putting blue lock-tite on almost every bolt. I now used a wrench as a cheater-bar to tighten those Allen wrench bolts on those foot shifter levers. When I'd get stuck in traffic my Black Bettie would ping so I routed her return engine head oil though the engine guard and the pinging stopped. I run Avon Vipers and have not had a flat yet. But I carry a small air compressor and patch kit and I've used both on other bikes, knock on wood.
I'm planning a ride to the Arctic Circle in Canada, Canadian Rockies, and then Alaska.
Thanks for posting some great info y'all.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 411
Likes: 6
From: Portland, OR metro area
Lately I've noticed that my air-conditioning doesn't work as well as it did 3-4 months ago. Haven't been able to figure that one out yet.
Not considering that, I've had no problems that have left me stranded.
Not considering that, I've had no problems that have left me stranded.
Crappy stock shifter link. Stator went out.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,136
Likes: 93
From: Andrews, NC
My '07 StreetBoob blows main fuses. The 40 amp ones. It has done this
twice. I have taken off and checked everything I can find, starter, regulator, every
wire that might be rubbing somewhere. To blow a 40 amp fuse, it has to be a
dead short, but where? Each time it has done this, it is when I have stopped
and went to restart by pushing the start button. Other than this, since my '95
Sportster to the present '10 wide Glide, around 300,000 miles have been breakdown
free.
95 Sportster
96 BadBoy
02 Heritage
06 Heritage
07 StreetBoob
08 Road King
08 Heritage
09 Heritage
10 Wide Glide
twice. I have taken off and checked everything I can find, starter, regulator, every
wire that might be rubbing somewhere. To blow a 40 amp fuse, it has to be a
dead short, but where? Each time it has done this, it is when I have stopped
and went to restart by pushing the start button. Other than this, since my '95
Sportster to the present '10 wide Glide, around 300,000 miles have been breakdown
free.
95 Sportster
96 BadBoy
02 Heritage
06 Heritage
07 StreetBoob
08 Road King
08 Heritage
09 Heritage
10 Wide Glide
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 817
Likes: 26
From: PA
09 Ultra: from time to time all power would cease. also the clutch didn't feel right. Local HD said clutch was "within specs" bike quite running another time and I was close to Zannoti's. bob, the best mechanic I ever met, listened to the symptoms and within 2 minutes diagnosed the problem to be a loose negative ground to chassis. Clutch cable was burnt inside from the electricity using the cable as ground. all problems solved. replaced the clutch cable under warranty.
my 05 flht's shifter linkage broke with 35K miles when going down a mountain with no dealership within many miles. good old plastic ties put back together. if you have a stock shifter linkage, buy a better one. there is a reason the stock one sells for less than $20 and a good one is $100 especially when the stealership knows you are from out of town and there are no $20 shifter linkages at least not for tourists.
just want to add that my 09 Ultra is absolutely great. I've had about 1/2 dozen over the years and this is the real deal touring machine.
my 05 flht's shifter linkage broke with 35K miles when going down a mountain with no dealership within many miles. good old plastic ties put back together. if you have a stock shifter linkage, buy a better one. there is a reason the stock one sells for less than $20 and a good one is $100 especially when the stealership knows you are from out of town and there are no $20 shifter linkages at least not for tourists.
just want to add that my 09 Ultra is absolutely great. I've had about 1/2 dozen over the years and this is the real deal touring machine.
Last edited by beammeup; Jul 30, 2010 at 08:43 PM. Reason: didn't want to seem like I'm unhappy with my Ultra.