2003 heritage classic
Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,636
Likes: 1,207
From: Ohio
I cannot speak for Harley on why they didn't recall but they should have. They were selling more bikes than ever and profits were at an all time high so they should have bit the bullet and took care of the customer. But like a lot of companies, they instead decided to ignore it figuring most of the failures would happen when the warranty was over. I do believe they smoothed out the cam chains or slightly changed the tensioner material because the failures seem to affect the 04-06 bikes a lot less frequently but I have no hard evidence to support this...only years of reading on several forums. The 99-03 Twin Cams seem to have the most tensioner failures.
I love Harleys so dont take this as bashing but they sometimes make you scratch your head.
For example, 2002 was the last year for the forged crank. They cheapened it in 2003 and went to a cast crank. Why? It had to be money. They made more bikes in 2003 than any other year...they made them for 5 quarters and their profits were at an all time high. They also cheapened the crank bearing. In 2007 they loosened the run out spec on the cranks...in other words, the cranks aren't as true as before. Why? Cost cutting. So they fixex the cam tensioner problem but cheaped out on the cranks. But most folks won't have an issue unless you build the motor but it still makes you wonder.
Anyway, just inspect the cam tensioners every 10K miles (or refer to the manual) and enjoy the bike. If you ever change cams, consider gear drive or the new style.
I love Harleys so dont take this as bashing but they sometimes make you scratch your head.
For example, 2002 was the last year for the forged crank. They cheapened it in 2003 and went to a cast crank. Why? It had to be money. They made more bikes in 2003 than any other year...they made them for 5 quarters and their profits were at an all time high. They also cheapened the crank bearing. In 2007 they loosened the run out spec on the cranks...in other words, the cranks aren't as true as before. Why? Cost cutting. So they fixex the cam tensioner problem but cheaped out on the cranks. But most folks won't have an issue unless you build the motor but it still makes you wonder.
Anyway, just inspect the cam tensioners every 10K miles (or refer to the manual) and enjoy the bike. If you ever change cams, consider gear drive or the new style.
Last edited by stratplexi; Apr 24, 2011 at 08:55 AM.
I will post pictures as soon as I can figure out how to do it. Thank you for the cam tensioner issue. I will check that out as well. The only problem I have right now with the bike is putting it in neutral. It is a pain in the rear
Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,636
Likes: 1,207
From: Ohio
Difficulty getting them in neutral is not unusual. They can be a bit picky sometimes. You will probably get used to it and figure out the little nuances to get it neutral a little easier than at first.
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