What to expect for repairs on a 1997 Fatboy
 

I recently bought a 1997 Black Fatboy that had 43K miles on it. Brought it in to have the Harley mechanics give the bike a thorough once over and it got a clean bill of health except for the rear wheel assembly. It had been damaged due to a previous bearing failure which accelerated the current seal and bearing failure. The mechanic warned me that it will fail again if I did not replace the rear wheel assembly. Needless to say it is now on order. I could have gone to ebay but decided to buy new and not take any chances.

I saw a recent thread that showed the repair history of a Sportster out to 100K miles and it was really interesting. I was hoping some Fatboy owners with high mileage bikes could let me know what I should be looking for. Also I would be interesting to know your thoughts on how long to hold onto the bike and how many miles I should be able to get out of the engine.

The previous owner did most of the maintenence himself with Harley doing the full service at appropriate mileage times. I plan to use Harley for most maintenance going forward until I feel more comfortable working on them myself.

Foot

Common guys. Somebody must have some information.

I don't know anything about the evo's. There is an EVo section on here.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/evo-classic-models-84/

maintenance
 

Think of it the same way as you would buying a 12 year old car. Normal wear items (such as brake pads, rotors, battery, rear drive belt and pulley, primary chain) all need to be checked/replaced/repaired/adjusted as needed. Do the standard fluid changes (if you haven't already) to get it on your maintenance schedule. Check and lube the cables. Check your brake fluid (front and rear) and replace if needed. Since the rear wheel was not done properly I'd pull the front and have the bearing and stuff checked as well. Look at changing the fluid in the front forks also. Check the action and performance of the clutch, then adjust/replace as needed.

The Evolution engines have a very good reputation. I have put over 23,000 miles on my 1996 Road King since I bought it in late March of 2007. It now has over 70,000 miles on the bottom end and with proper maintenance I feel that it is good for at least that much more. Same goes for the 5-speed transmission.

As many will tell you, buy the manual and learn to do some of your own maintenance, at least your fluid changes. You will save money in the long run and get to "know" your scoot.

Have fun,
BK

Thx Anubisss and BK. I also joined another V-twin forum as well. BK I did everything you said including pulling the front wheel. I just dont know if they changed the fluids in the forks but otherwise they changed all the other fluids.

nice looking bike.....i would do most of the easy stuff my self oil trans and the like..........buy a manual......if you have any machanical abilities alot of the maintance stuff you should be able to do your self..........good luck

The only thing not mentioned that needs to be looked at regularly is the primary. The adjuster and shoe should be checked with that much mileage and put on something like a do every 10,000 miles check list.
The shoe will wear over time allowing the chain to get a bit sloppy. Not sure what the overall lifespan of one is because a lot depends on the use or abuse done to it. But if you keep up on the oil changes (primary) and adjustments it should last a long time.
As for the bike's overall lifespan, a large percentage of that is going to depend on your riding style and how much care your willing to put into it. Get a bit anal about regular maintenance like oil changes and common replaceable wear out items and you can expect it to last a lot longer than anything made in the land of the rising sun.
Harley's are tough bikes and way overbuilt in some respects so a little common sense maintenance will see it last a very long time.

Thanks guys I really appreciate the input.

Foot