I bought a 2001 Road King (carburetor model) last fall and learned about the Twin Cam Chain follower issue AFTER buying the bike. It is a nice bike has less than 14,000 miles on it from the original owner. I got a quote from my dealer to do the gear drive upgrade if the tolerances are good for about $3,000 (yikes) or about $1,200 to do a hydraulic upgrade. I don't want to try and do this on the cheap, but I'm 65 probably ride two or three thousand miles a year and wonder how either of these could be cost effective. Am I being unreasonable to think about replacing the old shoes, switching to full synthetic in all three holes and just enjoying the ride for the next however many years I can ride? BTW, I do not ride hard, I just enjoy getting out when I can.

Least expensive option
 

I just had my tensioners changed along with cam bearings . 600 bucks at my Indy shop. At 31 k miles mine were half worn thru.

There are a lot of older high-mile TC engines out there with the spring tensioners. At 14K miles, you should not worry. There are very few documented cases of tensioners trashing engines compared to the number of engines using these and the miles that are racked up...Think lightening striking. You don't want to stand under a tree or hold an umbrella to increase your odds of being hit. Likewise, the probability of your tensioners trashing your engine is not very likely as long as you take care of it.

I got the same kind of quote here at the dealer. We have a good indy here who did the gear drive, cams. Out the door I was about 1600. Boom, done, never looked back. These guys are rock solid. Won't take my bike anywhere else.

2007 has a different setup....you should be fine.

I'm currently shopping for a value touring bike. Hopefully find one (if it's 99-06) that's already been done. A $1500 mandatory fix on a $7000 or less bike sux. I'm finding alot of the sellers don't know? Could ya trust em if they said "yes"?
Some say if the bike has over 50k, it's gotta been done. Idk.

Cyco shoes, all new bearings, either cut your pushrods or take the tank off and go through the top. The material in the Cyco shoes will probably last 15 years with your riding style. If you're happy with the performance then anything else would be overkill.

I did the same thing with my 06. Switched to S&S 510 G’s at 38K. I have about 60K on them now without a problem. IMHO, probably the best mod I did on that bike.

I had NO clue about this issue when I bought mine. (Its an 06, not 07 as I previously stated. ) I bought my bike in pristine condition with 15K miles on it. I got home and al of the sudden I find out that any stock cam shoe with more than 28 miles on it will self destruct and cause thermonuclear detonation. I spent a good month or two asking everyone I knew, referencing the net and talking to Indys., The answer I got most often was 'dont worry about it until 30k.' So yeah, I agree with you that its a shit situation. But use it to your advantage. When you find that 06 of your dreams, ask if the cam shoe upgrade has been performed. If the owner says no, convince them that they are just seconds away from catastrophic failure and whittle their price down.

And if you can do this job yourself? You can do for less than $200.
I'll also add, on these older bikes it's not always about the miles, age is a factor as well. Those stock tensioner pads get very brittle.