Lucky Me
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 269
Likes: 59
From: Akron ohio
Lucky Me
I got my 01 RK a few years ago with 40,000 miles on it. I knew I would have to change the cam chain tensioners but kept putting it off. I wasn’t getting any noise or anything but I figured I would do it over this winter.
I opened the cam cover and to my surprise new tensioners. I took my bore scope to check the rear and the same thing, new.
It was very hard to see any wear at all, I was so freakin happy.
The guy bought a new Ultra a couple of years before I got the bike so the RK sat a bit and road very little, he must have forgotten.
Lucky me.
I opened the cam cover and to my surprise new tensioners. I took my bore scope to check the rear and the same thing, new.
It was very hard to see any wear at all, I was so freakin happy.
The guy bought a new Ultra a couple of years before I got the bike so the RK sat a bit and road very little, he must have forgotten.
Lucky me.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 920
Likes: 896
From: Upstate NY
I had mine replaced this summer with less than 18K miles on my 2006. The tech told me my old shoes looked fine. I paid for peace of mind I guess. (I also decided to stick with the original design but use a newer composition. With an inspect interval of every 30K, and living in NY, it will be about 10 years until I ride that much and have to open the chest again. )
Glad you made out with the least expensive route.
Glad you made out with the least expensive route.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 54
Likes: 46
From: California
I had mine replaced this summer with less than 18K miles on my 2006. The tech told me my old shoes looked fine. I paid for peace of mind I guess. (I also decided to stick with the original design but use a newer composition. With an inspect interval of every 30K, and living in NY, it will be about 10 years until I ride that much and have to open the chest again..
What shoes did you get with the 30K interval? Did you do the work yourself? I have 20K on my 1999 RK and just checked the shoes. They're fine so far. Thanks!
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 354
Likes: 119
From: Penna.
Just a note about the tensioners. I have an '04 EG. I was worried about them failing so at 75,000 miles I changed them to the Screaming Eagle improved design. The original tensioners showed very little wear.
It's certainly a must to check them regularly but they don't all fail catastrophically.
It's certainly a must to check them regularly but they don't all fail catastrophically.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 920
Likes: 896
From: Upstate NY
I dont remember the brand, but it was a US based company that someone here recommended to me. The shoes were some kind of 'upgraded' material, claimed to be better than OEM. It was an entire ca chest/gasket/shoe kit. They are still the same spring loaded design. Im aware of the original design flaws, but with the very limited riding seasons we have here in NY, (meaning Ill never drive thousands of miles a year) I just chose to replace them rather than upgrade to a much more expensive system. The 30K interval seems to be the established 'inspection' term with spring tensioners, regardless of manufacturer.
I did not do the work myself. Im capable of moderate engine work, but the cam swap required a tuner and I did NOT want to mess with that. A local shop gave me a decent quote on labor so I just saved myself the headache and paid for them to do it.
Honestly, for every 1 horror story I hear about these cam tensioners, I hear 20 other guys who say "I pulled mine at 40, 50, 60, 70K and they were fine...." But Im also a firm believer in Murphy's law.
I did not do the work myself. Im capable of moderate engine work, but the cam swap required a tuner and I did NOT want to mess with that. A local shop gave me a decent quote on labor so I just saved myself the headache and paid for them to do it.
Honestly, for every 1 horror story I hear about these cam tensioners, I hear 20 other guys who say "I pulled mine at 40, 50, 60, 70K and they were fine...." But Im also a firm believer in Murphy's law.
Last edited by internet troll; Jan 11, 2020 at 02:41 PM.
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Road Master
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 920
Likes: 896
From: Upstate NY
You sure about that? Because there are plenty of internet stories about cam shoes falling apart, the chunks clogging the oil passages and entire bottom ends getting fragged from oil starvation. Ive never experienced it personally, but there are plenty of stories on this forum alone of cam tensioner failure and engine damage. Again, some it could be internet hoopla, but I was concerned enough to swap them out.
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Advanced
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 54
Likes: 46
From: California
The shoes are prone to failure under two known issues.
1. The cam chains are rough at the microscopic level hence wearing the shoes quicker than normal and leading to premature failure.
2. The shoes porous (bubble under engine oil heat) when the engine over heats in traffic, poor maintenance etc. And cause premature failure.
Either way check them every 10K and replace them when you can. Additionally inspect your oil filter internally at every oil change looking for orange plastic bits.
1. The cam chains are rough at the microscopic level hence wearing the shoes quicker than normal and leading to premature failure.
2. The shoes porous (bubble under engine oil heat) when the engine over heats in traffic, poor maintenance etc. And cause premature failure.
Either way check them every 10K and replace them when you can. Additionally inspect your oil filter internally at every oil change looking for orange plastic bits.
Last edited by Yee Hog; Jan 11, 2020 at 05:36 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,656
Likes: 8,261
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Originally Posted by Yee Hog
The shoes are prone to failure under two known issues.
1. The cam chains are rough at the microscopic level hence wearing the shoes quicker than normal and leading to premature failure.
2. The shoes porous (bubble under engine oil heat) when the engine over heats in traffic, poor maintenance etc. And cause premature failure.
Either way check them every 10K and replace them when you can. Additionally inspect your oil filter internally at every oil change looking for orange plastic bits.
1. The cam chains are rough at the microscopic level hence wearing the shoes quicker than normal and leading to premature failure.
2. The shoes porous (bubble under engine oil heat) when the engine over heats in traffic, poor maintenance etc. And cause premature failure.
Either way check them every 10K and replace them when you can. Additionally inspect your oil filter internally at every oil change looking for orange plastic bits.