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High Mileage Twin Cams

74K views 54 replies 31 participants last post by  Belgium 
#1 ·
I'm beginning to wonder if I'm entering an area of concern. I'm approaching 75K on my 2004 TC88 (stock internals, no mods). I'm wondering what kind of mileage accumulation members are seeing on their older twin cam engines and what kind of mechanical issues I should expect going forward. I have been inside the cam chest a couple of times for maintenance, including tensioner shoe replacement, servicing the oil pump, and cam bearing replacement, and I don't have a problem doing that. My engine does not consume any oil, the exhaust is clean and dry, it runs great and I think my noises are normal.

Any knowledgeable opinions about how far I can expect this engine to go without requiring teardown and overhaul will be welcomed. I love my bike but I worry just a bit about future reliability for long distance touring.

Please feel free to post your mileages and experiences.

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#2 ·
I can understand the concern of high mileage on any vehicle and the worry that comes up when you plan a long trip. A friend of mine has 99 wide glide with 175k on it. Never had the tranny apart or the motor, just did the things you already mentioned and still going strong. So compared to yours, you have low mileage and everything sounds good and works fine, I really wouldn't worry too much about the mileage.
 
#4 ·
Are you just looking for an excuse to beef that baby up? Lol As stated above, I think you will be fine if you're doing normal PM. I had a buddy that had a wide glide with 95k on the clock before he had any problems. And he rode that thing hard and put it up wet all the time!!
 
#5 ·
You can always do a compression check to get an idea how tight your cylinders are , if your reading 90psi or more with less than 10% variance between cylinders then it's considered normal.

Second compression check this time injecting a 1/2 oz of motor oil in each cylinder , if the readings (psi ) are considerably higher then this indicates worn piston rings.
 
#6 ·
Had an 88" in here once with 131,000 on the clock, that was never opened.
Need cam chain shoes/parts.
Valve job, port work, bored the cylinders to 95" with a used set of 203 take-off cams..........last we knew if had over 180,000 on it.
Scott
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the responses, guys! That's what I was hoping to hear. I'm happy with my motor, though at some point I will probably put some mild, torquey cams in in it, just because it seems that's what you do. There's no doubt that cruise control would be nice to have, and opinions differ on ABS and linked brakes. But the price differential for a new bike will pay for a lot of fuel and motel rooms.

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#15 ·
His old bike has too much soul.

Silverback, that girl has your back for a long time coming, man. She's just getting broken in.
 
#20 ·
This is great to hear! But you really do need to check those shoes.

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#16 ·
You DO need cruise though, brother. I don't know how you live without it.
 
#19 ·
Didn't realize you have the lock. That's good enough most of the time.

And, that throttle boss is a nice touch. Added one when we did my apes. I like it a lot.
 
#21 ·
Dave, as great as your bike runs, I'd just ride it as is. And you DO have that throttle lock mastered as I recall.
 
#22 ·
Hutch53 I agree with Silverback. At least have a H-D mechanic give your cam cover a listen.
It's my experience that people get used to the sounds their bikes make and a fresh experienced ear can pinpoint a problem.
The cam tensioner shoes don't last 100,000 plus miles !
 
#26 ·
It's on the list. All in time. :thumb

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#24 ·
I had the throttle boss on my Deuce and while it was great and the new ride will get one too ( ordering some Avons w/throttle boss ) now that I've experienced factory cruise no way I wouldn't have it in the future.
 
#33 ·
hello, i have 166k on 2001 flht bought new, changed tensioners at 70k upgraded to 07 and up style tensioners at 100k installed andrews 26 n cams changed lifters at same time. nice cam better mpg bike pulls better. at 110k changed belt and complete clutch basket. I changed the clutch basket because i wanted all new bearings clutch hub and friction discs and plates. i tried the harley primary chain auto adjuster , didnt like it , pretty sure it adjusted to tight and i spun the clutch hub. if u are going to keep the bike, at 100k or so think about the complete clutch basket and belt u could put new primary chain and gear on also. run it for another 100k, my bike uses some oil but no smoking and still pulls good riding 2 up
bill
 
#36 ·
Bill, you're singing a sweet song to my ears! My 04 will have north of 75 k by the end of the month.

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#38 ·
You haven't seen a picture of my bank account. :D

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