I have a stock 2005 Ultra Classic with 72000 km (45000 mi). A friend told me that the camshaft bearings should be replaced soon because of poor quality of the originals. Is this a valid concern, and if so, how big a job is it to change these?

 

Unaware of any camshaft bearing issues specifically, however there is issues regarding the chain wear on cam. I understand it to be the primary chain which drives both cams simultaneously. Through time the chain will weakener or either break resulting in catastrophic failure. In other words "game over" and start looking for another bottom end. I like many, have elected to go with gear driven cams to negate this occurrence. Reality is, if you don't dog it hard frequently then you might be able to ride many more miles. But chains have wear factors involved and you could be living on "borrowed time" also. Please read this post: http://www.cyclespot.com/forums/arch...php/t-305.html

 

If you haven't already done so, you should have your cam chain tensioners checked. They can wear out and cause damage to the motor. The chains themselves should be fine. Most folks will replace the inner bearings with Torrington full complement bearings while they are in the cam chest. The Ina caged bearing are a little less hardy and if they go, needles go everywhere and can cause major damage. It is not a hard job but you need a service manual, a few special tools and some mechanical ability to do the job.