When upgrading or building an engine and using a kit (regardless who manufactures it), the smart thing to do is to check all tolerance prior to assembling. Even if you send you cylinders to a machine shop....still check the work. Everyone can make mistakes. Failure to take the time to do this can result in your engine destroying itself.

Trust; but, verify. There has been a lot of talk about the stage kits from harley being out of round. This practice will preclude you being pissed of later. I'm not so sure that the dealer techs double check the tolerances when installing the kit......I would demand they do so.

 

And they will tell you sure they did regardless if they did or not.

 

This falls under common sense if you have any experience with engine building.

 

From what I've personally experienced, I seriously doubt that a dealer "tech" even has a clue how to do that. They just bolt all them purty parts on and hope for the best.

They ain't the brightest bulbs in the box.

 

You’re painting all techs with one brush. Generalizing doesn’t do justice to those who DO bring the necessary skill sets to the table - and most do.

I was ASE certified throughout my career (Advanced Level) and believe me; if you don’t have the diagnostic ability to see through problems, your career will be cut short anyway.

All of us have rough days at work sometimes. That doesn’t mean I’ll call out every man in the building as an idiot.

One step I take is to get to know lead techs at any shop - car or bike - before patronizing them for sales OR service. It ain’t always about the lowest sales price.

 

So, what you're saying is, when the dealer, indy or whoever gets the jugs, show up to the shop with your cylinder bore gauge and check the tolerances before they mount them on the bike?

While you're at it, might as well check the valves with a custom made vacuum tool to check for bleed down and a micrometer to check piston size against the bore.

In my experience, anyone who has these expensive tools laying around (not harbor freight) and has the knowledge to properly use them along with the correct tolerances wouldn't have their bike at a shop, they'd instead have it on a bench at home doing it themselves to insure it's done correctly.

Just my 2 cents.

 

No Sir, I am NOT painting all service/repair techs with one brush - just the brain-dead H-D dealership "techs".

Sure, there are lots of knowledgeable, honest, hard working mechanics out there, it's just that Harley dealers refuse to hire any of 'em.

Hell, I've been making a living as an aircraft mechanic myself (A&P/IA) for around 40 years now. No failures, complaints or issues with any of the work I've ever done over all those years, either - not one - and I probably make about the same amount per hour as those Harley dealership hacks do, too - not that that should make any difference.

In my line of work, if you're having a "bad day", then you go home rather than end up possibly being responsible for maiming or killing or, at the very least, scaring the **** out of somebody due to the shoddy work you've done. No warranty re-do of half-assed work will help anybody in the bottom of a big smokin' hole in the ground!

CLAIMING that you're a trained, competent technician in any given field and actually BEING one are two completely, totally different things, and I'm sure that you can agree with that. All of the H-D "techs" that I've ever met or talked to definitely belong to the "claimer" group.

I'm not saying that there are exactly zero competent Harley dealership mechanics in the world, just that they're so few and far-between that I've never met or known one, and sure as hell won't be takin' the chance by ever having one touch my bike.

 

Aaaannnnnnndddddddd we're off!

 

OP is an idiot with a superiority complex. His second post in this thread confirms it

He is so thorough with his checks that he bought a brand new road king and had it for a while before realizing it didn't have ABS even though that was the number one feature he wanted on a new bike.