Not at ease when on long trips. Please help
The funny thing is I put 62k miles on an 09 Road King and it never left me stranded. I've now put almost 30k miles on a 11 Limited that I picked up used and that hasn't left me stranded either.
Hope I'm not jinxing myself taking off for a 2k trip in a little bit, hoping that that 30k becomes 32k without leaving me stranded.
Don't know what I would think if I was you, after 91k miles without leaving me on the side of the road if it happens now I wont consider it a bad run. But if it happened often or early on (low mileage bike) it would most likely shake my confidence.
I think you're going to hear a lot of stories like mine, but that certainly does not help you in the least. All that matters is that your bike is reliable and someone/you needs to figure out whats going on with it and make it right so you feel good about riding it. Just my 2 cents
btw my bikes have not been trouble free, compensator, stator, faulty switch, front wheel bearing etc... I got lucky with those issues always happening close to home and getting it to my local shop and I travel a lot. Man I feel like I'm jinxing myself.
After reading this again....
I think some people should save their touring to being done in a Buick.
Either the guy is a troll, and good at it, or he really doesn't want to tour his Harley.
Neither decision of his has an affect on me.
The original post... the words "life threatening" to me are inserted for drama.
Wheel bearings typically don't fail in a "life threatening" manner, they're usually bad before you hear them, but would actually have to be checked, (some people don't lift their front wheel to clean it, I get it, I do) then you can hear them for a few hundred miles before they actually fail, and then you can still ride the bike, but you're tearing other **** up.
Limp mode being "life threatening"?.... Really? Buzz-kill, maybe. But life threatening?
Sorry, not trying to be harsh, but there is some drama queen happening.
If you don't trust your bike, don't take it.
Actual life threatening events can happen JUST as easily a mile from home as they can across country.
MOST accidents happen within 5 miles of the house.. and only 17% happen more than 20 miles.
< 1 mile 23%
2 - 5 miles 29%
6 - 10 miles 17%
11 - 15 miles 8%
16 - 20 miles 6%
> 20 miles 17%
My 2 cents, likely not worth that.
I think some people should save their touring to being done in a Buick.
Either the guy is a troll, and good at it, or he really doesn't want to tour his Harley.
Neither decision of his has an affect on me.
The original post... the words "life threatening" to me are inserted for drama.
Wheel bearings typically don't fail in a "life threatening" manner, they're usually bad before you hear them, but would actually have to be checked, (some people don't lift their front wheel to clean it, I get it, I do) then you can hear them for a few hundred miles before they actually fail, and then you can still ride the bike, but you're tearing other **** up.
Limp mode being "life threatening"?.... Really? Buzz-kill, maybe. But life threatening?
Sorry, not trying to be harsh, but there is some drama queen happening.
If you don't trust your bike, don't take it.
Actual life threatening events can happen JUST as easily a mile from home as they can across country.
MOST accidents happen within 5 miles of the house.. and only 17% happen more than 20 miles.
< 1 mile 23%
2 - 5 miles 29%
6 - 10 miles 17%
11 - 15 miles 8%
16 - 20 miles 6%
> 20 miles 17%
My 2 cents, likely not worth that.
Last edited by SafetyMan; Sep 12, 2014 at 10:01 AM.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 267
Likes: 19
From: south
I recently bought a 2010 Ultra Classic after 39 tears on a 75 Shovel. In those 39 years I had some of the best times of my life with the Rambler, although some were spent on the roadside rummaging though my tool roll. No cell phones back then, but a brother never passed up a downed brother on the roadside. Met some great folks as a result back then, and helped some great folks myself. Two rear tire/tube changes on I-40 on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and a brief fire, mostly smoke, when some poor wiring took a crap at gathering jump to mind but there were countless small "timeouts" with her over the years. With time, the longer trips became harder to make, less fun over the long haul. Still love the bike, never gonna part with her but we've ridden the Ultra to South Carolina three times to visit the kids and never thought about anything but putting gas in her. Routine maintenance keeps one confident. I've put around 6000 miles on Ruby in the past 8 months and just getting started. I've got a cell phone and a credit card if need be and there's just too much good road out there to worry. Sure, I could break down tomorrow but if so, we'll just get back on her feet and keep rolling. Really feel fortunate to be able to afford to ride a Harley, can't imagine a life without my bikes. Be safe.
Last edited by theCoach; Sep 12, 2014 at 12:25 PM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,104
Likes: 1,759
From: Atlanta, GA
The old saying, "If its got **** or a motor, you're gonna have problems".
But we continue to ride and enjoy both, don't we? And a little PM done to both will go a long way towards smooth sailing.
But we continue to ride and enjoy both, don't we? And a little PM done to both will go a long way towards smooth sailing.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
After reading this again....
I think some people should save their touring to being done in a Buick.
Either the guy is a troll, and good at it, or he really doesn't want to tour his Harley.
Neither decision of his has an affect on me.
The original post... the words "life threatening" to me are inserted for drama.
Wheel bearings typically don't fail in a "life threatening" manner, they're usually bad before you hear them, but would actually have to be checked, (some people don't lift their front wheel to clean it, I get it, I do) then you can hear them for a few hundred miles before they actually fail, and then you can still ride the bike, but you're tearing other **** up.
Limp mode being "life threatening"?.... Really? Buzz-kill, maybe. But life threatening?
Sorry, not trying to be harsh, but there is some drama queen happening.
If you don't trust your bike, don't take it.
Actual life threatening events can happen JUST as easily a mile from home as they can across country.
MOST accidents happen within 5 miles of the house.. and only 17% happen more than 20 miles.
< 1 mile 23%
2 - 5 miles 29%
6 - 10 miles 17%
11 - 15 miles 8%
16 - 20 miles 6%
> 20 miles 17%
My 2 cents, likely not worth that.
I think some people should save their touring to being done in a Buick.
Either the guy is a troll, and good at it, or he really doesn't want to tour his Harley.
Neither decision of his has an affect on me.
The original post... the words "life threatening" to me are inserted for drama.
Wheel bearings typically don't fail in a "life threatening" manner, they're usually bad before you hear them, but would actually have to be checked, (some people don't lift their front wheel to clean it, I get it, I do) then you can hear them for a few hundred miles before they actually fail, and then you can still ride the bike, but you're tearing other **** up.
Limp mode being "life threatening"?.... Really? Buzz-kill, maybe. But life threatening?
Sorry, not trying to be harsh, but there is some drama queen happening.
If you don't trust your bike, don't take it.
Actual life threatening events can happen JUST as easily a mile from home as they can across country.
MOST accidents happen within 5 miles of the house.. and only 17% happen more than 20 miles.
< 1 mile 23%
2 - 5 miles 29%
6 - 10 miles 17%
11 - 15 miles 8%
16 - 20 miles 6%
> 20 miles 17%
My 2 cents, likely not worth that.
Safetyman pretty much hit it on the head for me...this is exactly what I was thinking as I read the original post...the problem isn't so much with the bike as it is with the OP's head and approach...When ya buy a Harley, you ain't buyin' that Buick that SM refers to...you're buying a bike that uses technology born almost a hundred years ago...From the time you buy one, you're immediately changing things or fixing things...that's the charm of the beast, it's also the curse. Either get with it, or buy that Gold Wing.
It's as simple as that.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,011
Likes: 143
From: Albuquerque New Mexico
111,000 troublefree miles on my 09 through 35 states in some of the most adverse conditions. Ride on in confidence!