I appreciate it djl. I would feel better taking it to the mechanic to let him tackle this project. The guy I was referred to this morning told me he had used Darkhorse several times and they are jam up! He said with him doing the work of taking it apart, sending it off to be fixed by darkhorse and reinstalling it will probably cost around 2k but I would know what I have got when i get it back and would never have to worry about it again plus it will have a warranty. and no I didnt check the run out and thats something that he brought up but I didnt press the cams in. I let the guys that did the dyno work press them in for me cause "they knew what they are doing". Sounds like i got hussled all the way around. I gotta write this one off as a hard lessoned learned and just move forward. Djl what do you think about me letting him do it for a grand total of that price?

 

but he told me that he would like to check everything before we get ahead of ourselves and make sure thats the problem before we jump to conclusions. He seems to be a real strait up guy and I have heard good things about him

 

This may be backing things up too far but for the sake of sanity and $$'s have you checked the motor mounts themselves? A friend of mine had his top mount give way and the bike shook like a 300lb stripper.

 

+1 on this. I have lost a motor mount bolt before and it does make it shake. And it sounds like you have found the right guy to tear into this for you. I just went thru this with my 2000 FB and the repair is not for the faint of heart. My counter balance gear was spun about 50 degrees. Rebuilt and welded crank, new cam plate, oil pump, stock cams, new inner bearings, $350 for my builder to disassemble and reassemble the bottom end, 27 hours of labor in the garage and it's smoother than it's ever been. But it was a labor of love to get there..

 

You have a couple of options here; it has been said that every cloud has a silver lining.

The guy is saying the right things like "check everything before.........". Motor mounts as the softail is hard mounted, crank runout and the counterbalancer mechanism. Motor mounts is an easy check and so is crank runout. If both check out OK, then the counterbalancer mechanism is the likely offender. Reparing the counter balancer mechanism also requires removing the lower unit and splitting the cases. So I am guessing the $2000 apply in either case.

Does the $2000 include splitting the cases, pulling the crank and reassembling when the repaired crank is returned? If so, ask what the price would be for just the motor R/R. If I were in your situation, I would rather pay Hoban Brothers to split the cases and examine all the internals, take measurements and make the decisions on what, if any, collateral damage may have occurred, make those repairs and reassemble the lower unit and return it to the mechanic to be reinstalled in the bike. That way, you can converse directly with Hoban about the repairs.

The independent shops in my area charge $70-$80/hour; the dealerships about the same. it would take me 8-10 hours to strip a bike and remove the lower unit and longer to reinstall; I tend to spend a fair amount of time trying to find tools that I just used! So, let's say your guy is as slow as I am and it takes him 16 hours to R/R the motor and another 8 hours to split and reassemble the cases. That's 24 hours at, say, $75 per for a total of $1800. I think that is a conservative estimate as your guy is probably faster than I am; it is what he does. He also needs to buy plugs, gaskets, oil and filter; another $150 or so. That get's pretty close to his quote of $2000, if he has included splitting the cases and reassembling the lower unit when the repaired crank is returned. I don't know what his hourly rate is but would think not more than $70. So, I think you have some negotiating room and that that you can negotiate $200 or so off the quoted price.

You have a couple of options when it comes to lower unit repairs. Hoban will check rod to crankpin clearance and replace either or both if necessary; they will insist on replacing both crank bearings; they will true and weld the crank, assuming it can be repaired. I am guessing that you are looking at another $1000-$1200 for the Hoban's work, plus another $150 for shipping both ways.

One thing you might consider, if you have the $$$, is replacing your OEM 4.0" stroke crank with a 4.375" stroke crank. For a few hundred dollars more, you can come out of this with a 103" motor instead of an 88" motor. You would have to spend another $300 or so to have your cylinders bored to 3.875" to fit a set of SE cast flat top "stroker" pistons from the 96" motor. The 88" pistons will not work with the 96" crank. I know, mo money, but when you break the added cost down in terms of added TQ/HP per dollar spent, it's not a bad deal and, hopefully, you won't have this chance again.

Another option you may consider is buying a reman engine from the MoCo. You can have your trashed motor remanufuactured by the MoCo through your local dealer; takes about two weeks. For $3850, your motor can be rebuilt and upgraded to 95" with the later billet cam plate/hydraulic tensioner/ roller chain setup. You can also finance the cost through the dealer. May not appeal to you but it is an option. Ther is a warranty but that requires the dealer R/R the motor. Downside is the crank that comes in the reman motors will still be subject to tweaking but there are plenty of the later model cranks running around without issues; it's a crap shoot. Or, you could spend $3150 and revert to the stock 88" configuration.

Those are just some of my thoghts. It's your bike, your money, you have to decide. Once you spend this much money on a bike, it makes it damn near impossible to sell; just too much money invested. I have an '02 FLHT that I will never sell (I know, never say never) and I can afford to buy any motorcycle I want. I opted to look for an '02 FLHT, with some miles as a projet opposed to buying a new one; my personal preference and penchant for the ealier Twin Cams. Your situation is different but you have a similar choice to make. Spend the minimum and then sell the bike, take the hit and buy another, or accept the fact that once you turn this corner and sink another $3000 to $4000 in the bike, you are stuck with it.

Topugh decisions but it's a tough situation.

 

2000.00 is for everything with him sending it off to darkhorse and all. Actually had a buddy call that works where I got it dyno'd and he said that he would come to the shop and tear the motor down and we could send it off to darkhorse ourselves then put it back together.. He feels bad about what happened and says he will help me do it if I wanna go that route

 

And of course we check everytThing while we are taking it apart

 

Sending what off to Darkhorse? The lower unit or the crank?

Having your buddy help out with the R/R of the motor is a good idea. It will save you a ton of money, you will learn a lot in the process and you can take your time. Whatever you do, send the lower unit to Darkhorse; don't split the cases. If the re-assembly of the cases is botched, you will be pulling the lower unit again. I can promise you that after you do it once, you won't look forward to doing it again, even with your buddy's help.

Once Darkhorse has the lower unit apart, you can talk to John about repair options.

 

Oh no.. Im not gonna split the cases. I'm gonna let that be darkhorses puppy there.. It just makes me nervous attempting a job like this ya know

 

Keep us posted; PM me if you have questions or need some off line advice. Good luck! BTW, get the service manual for your bike.