Is that all? A bad lifter? You can fix that trust me its not that hard. And if someone is trying to charge you $1000.00 tell them to go to hell they are trying to rip u off

 

I have not had any problems with any of mine. I think that they are fairly priced. It is my opinion that someone should not buy a luxury item unless they pay cash and have the 9 months of emergency funds should something happen to their job/income. Just ask Suzzie Orman.

I also believe that if anything breaks up to and including a total loss that it puts the owner in a bind, again they should not have bought it.

I have 5 HD's and only insure them for the state required liability. They go they go. I'll just get another.

 

Well if only everybody could be in the boat you're in. guess this gives new meaning to "tooting" your own horn.

 

Sounded like Dave Ramsey for a second. I'd say the vast majority of Harley/boat/sports car/luxury item owners have financed their toys. Either way....another idea is to look up some of these repairs on Youtube as there are videos of Harley repairs an maintenance. That's what I used when I wanted to adjust my clutch. Also, a lot of these HD mechanics do work outside of the dealer (they won't tell you that up front though) and charge a lot less. My feelings are mixed as far as the quality of HD bikes since I am on my third one and have had to tinker with each....including my four month old 2010 FLHTC that had an oil leak as soon as I rode it home from the dealer. I still love em and will probably always ride one but some things are left to be desired.

 

Maybe Harley should run an asset check before they ALLOW us to buy a bike. If we can't pay cash and don't have, let's say, $25,000 K in the bank so we can fix whatever might break we aren't allowed to have the bike. Sounds about right to me.

 

The single most important accessory you can buy is the Factory Service Manual. They're about $60 from the dealer, and I can just about guarantee it will be the best $60 you spend. If you need some kind of maintenance, look in the book. You might find out it's beyond your ability or tools, so take it to the dealer or an indy - or you might find out it's easier than you thought, so do it yourself. In that case, the price of your manual cost less than one hour of shop labor!

Look on ebay also for a manual. I bought both Factory Service and Parts manuals for my 99 Sporty for $45 total.

 

Honestly, the wealth of response to my initial whine is surprising and very much appreciated. The responses also seem to be from the full spectrum of both riders and socio-economic levels.
Three separate issues going on here:
1. Fiscal responsibility.
2. True value of a HD.
3. Grow some Cajones (do the dam work myself).

Response to #1: harleytuner, WOW! Wish I was you. To be honest, from a strictly financial perspective, the money isn't REALLY going to kill me, just being a penny pincher (which is how I got the bike in the first place). That being said, does the concept of cost-value ratio not mean anything to you? While I got a good deal on this bike ($11,500) there come with HD an expectation that "most" bikes (a statistical term, lol) wouldn't require excessive reinvestment in such a short timeframe (miles, not chronologic). Based on your economic principles a purchase is made purely based on how big your bank is vs. the value of the item. Sorry, but I'll always be a penny pincher and will expect items of a certain cost/price to perform on a reasonable ratio to said price/cost.

Response to #2: When it's all said and done the answer is subjective...is riding a HD make you feel good? I gotta say...YES. I rode up to Port Townsend, WA the weekend before the dreaded "noise" started. Rode H-A-R-D all the way. Going up Hood's Canal on Hwy 101 is a good ride (I suggest this ride to anyone in this area). Obviously if a machine is on the blocks more than the road you have a lemon, but in my heart I do not believe my HD is lemon. So yes, I will continue to ride HD just cuz' it feels...well...dam good.

Response to #3: Wow, I really needed some of these responses to get my b-u-double-T into gear and go buy a manual. A lot of you guys sound kinda like me, have aptitude + ability. Many thanks to you all for the surprisingly kind words of support and motivation to grow some stones and use my god-given aptitude for the good of the bike.

ps - get my bike back today and, rain or shine, gonna ride all winter (except when that pretty white stuff is on the road). Total work was: Cam Chain Tensioners, Lifters, Exhaust bracket). Yes, all things I coulda done myself (shame/lazy) I'll be buying a manual TODAY from HD.

 

Glad you are sticking with it and buying the manual..........definitely the way to go.

BTW.....I think you may have confused the financial advice you received, it was not harleytuner from what I remember reading giving said advice. No matter how well someone is financially we should not expect luxury toys to be "throw aways."

 

yeah bro, don't mean to get your feathers in a bunch, sorry if I did. but I think you miss read my post, I was quoting lh4x4, he's the one that said if you don't have the cash on hand to fix your bike you shouldn't own it, not me. Here's a copy of my first post on page 1
anyways, glad you decided to go with the service manual. Good luck.

 

OOPS, nuther blunder on my tab. Sorry for the mix up harleytuner. Thank for the good words.

Now, the trick is to walk the walk. The manual is on order. Maybe I won't need until 100k?

Naaaaa, there are always cool mods I hear folks talk about on here and with a manual and my newly grown ball$ (untested), I'll do em' myself.

Lastly, to lh4x4: my HD isn't a "luxury item", it's my main mode of transpo. To work every day (except snow days), to the gym, every weekend, etc. If we were actually talking about a "luxury item" I might partially agree w/you. But it ain't. It's my ride dude.