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Weak points?

Started by Xyzzy, April 08, 2018, 06:45:11 PM

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Xyzzy

I just got a Sportster. I am pretty familiar with Twin Cam engines so I know to watch out for:

Compensator problems (No compensator on a Sportster!)
Cam chain tensioner shoes (Gear driven cams on a Sportster!)
Excessive crankshaft runout (Sportster?)
Scissored cranks (Sportster?)

So I am wondering which of these issues affect the Sportster and if there is anything else to watch out for.

FWIW, I already replaced the spring plate in my clutch with two steels and one friction disk.

Thanks!

Xyzzy

Is anyone out there?

:nix:

Edit: I put 7,200 miles on my 48 over the last month. It runs great!

harley_cruiser

Quote from: Xyzzy on April 18, 2018, 06:52:05 PM
Is anyone out there?

:nix:

Edit: I put 7,200 miles on my 48 over the last month. It runs great!
What year?


Hossamania

It needs a proper tune.
I have a friend with an almost ten year old Nightster, 50,000 miles or so, no problems.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

Quote from: Hossamania on April 19, 2018, 06:00:41 AM
It needs a proper tune.

It runs real smooth on the stock tune. Compared to my previous 5 HDs it runs impressively cool as well. I have the analog oil dipstick thermometer thingy and it rarely ventures higher than 210F. The cats are in the mufflers so the heat (if there is any) doesn't wash onto me as I ride.

It doesn't make a ton of power, but it makes up for that by being significantly lighter. The fuel economy is great, too. (I know most people dismiss fuel economy, but I ride 5-7K a month so it adds up!)

[attach=0]

I'm going to do an EPA-approved SE stage 1 to it. I value reliability and smoothness above all else so keeping the bike as close to stock as possible means I spend less time wrenching and more time riding. I'm hoping to get just a tad bit more volume out of the mufflers and perhaps a slightly deeper tone.

I really like the gearing spread that the bike has and the engine loves to rev so this is the most fun I've had in a long time!

I never would have considered a Sportster. I had the idea they were entry-level bike or girl's bikes. (I am not up to speed on HD history.) But, I took one for a test ride and it really spoke to me.

My progression of HDs has been from big to small:

RGS -> SGS -> RK -> LRS -> 48

I really like being in the wind and the visceral/elemental feel of a minimal bike. The bigger bikes insulate me from the experience too much.

Edit: The whine from the gear driven cams sounds really cool!

Will-Run

Interested to hear your, on going adventure and evaluation of the Sporty.
Lean Angle, " Is Life."

Xyzzy

I haven't been able to figure out what a Sportster uses for engine knock detection.

I know it does not use the Delphi ion sensing system.

The tune I put on it via a SE tuner only has an ignition timing retard table for temperature.

Any ideas?

I wish I could find a technical book on the Evo Sportster engine!

rbabos

Quote from: Xyzzy on April 24, 2018, 12:02:08 PM
I haven't been able to figure out what a Sportster uses for engine knock detection.

I know it does not use the Delphi ion sensing system.

The tune I put on it via a SE tuner only has an ignition timing retard table for temperature.

Any ideas?

I wish I could find a technical book on the Evo Sportster engine!
Simple. It has no knock detection.
Ron

Xyzzy

Quote from: rbabos on April 24, 2018, 05:08:09 PMSimple. It has no knock detection.

So they retard the timing enough by default to cover any possible situation?

I suppose that works but it leaves a lot of efficiency and power untapped.

The bike has ample power (for me) so I guess I'm okay with it.

:smilep:

rbabos

Quote from: Xyzzy on April 24, 2018, 07:41:40 PM
Quote from: rbabos on April 24, 2018, 05:08:09 PMSimple. It has no knock detection.

So they retard the timing enough by default to cover any possible situation?

I suppose that works but it leaves a lot of efficiency and power untapped.

The bike has ample power (for me) so I guess I'm okay with it.

:smilep:
I don't think you would lose power. In some cases too much timing kills power. Get the timing right it should be just as good but it could detonate with lower grade fuel or extreme temps, which is when in those conditions knock sensing would shine. Tmax for example doesn't have it either. Timing is the hardest part to get dialed .
Ron

Xyzzy

I suppose I will use this thread for general/random Sportster thoughts. (Until someone tells me to stop, I guess?)

For motor oil I am using Redline 20W50 (42504). For transmission/primary oil I am using Redline 75W90 (57904).

I passed 10,000 miles today. That took me 41 days.

I can't believe how fun it is to ride!

[attach=1]

Hossamania

10,000 miles in 41 days? Damn, man, have you no responsibilities?
I'm jealous!
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Karl H.

Coming back to the main topic and having experience with Twin Cam and rubber mounted Sportster Harleys I can tell you that the Sportster engine is a very robust design and more reliable than the Twin Cam. The integrated tranny/primary design leaves less oil seals that can start leaking. Gear driven cams don't need chains and tensioners. The external oil pump is robust and reliable. Last but not least some service work like changing the drive belt or replacing the shifter oil seal (if ever necessary) is significantly easyer.

The only repairs I had to do with my two Sportsters within 50.000 miles:
- Screw on front motor mount loose
- Slightly leaking oil line due to a loose fitting
- Leaking valve cover gasket
- defective wheel bearing

Karl
Dyna Wide Glide '03, Softail Deluxe '13, Street Glide '14, Sportster 883R '15

aswracing

There have been various weak points over the years, most of which HD has corrected. Most of these issues only show up when you raise the power level of the motor. Some were apparent even on stock Buells due to their higher stock power levels, and when HD addressed them in Buells, for the most part they rolled those changes into Sportsters.

For example, through 2000 they liked to crack the steel backing plate in the primary tensioner. Hardly ever happened on a stock Sportster. But Buells were failing even while stock, and HD came out with a thicker version in 2001 that solved the problem.

Another similar issue with the 4 bolts that held the alternator rotor hat to the front primary sprocket through 2001. Not a problem at 65hp. But Buells at 85hp were known for shearing those bolts. HD came out with an 8-bolt version in 2002.

Probably the worst one though was the oil pump drive gear, the one that sits on the pinion shaft right under the pinion gear. At higher rpm's the cranks develop some spread, and that causes a little runout, and what happens is the engagement of that gear with it's matching gear on the oil pump changes. The teeth start getting sharp in one area, and 180 degrees from that spot they'll look like new. Eventually the teeth fail and you have shrapnel all through the crankcase and no oil pressure. It's a mess. Again, it was a non-issue on stock XL's, but Buells were eating these gears up. HD finally came out with a bronze gear in 2006 (part number 26391-06) but on this one, they never put it on XL's, it was only put on Buells. Must've costed a nickel more than the steel gear or something. It's an upgrade we recommend whenever anyone is in their Sportster or pre-2006 Buell for a cam swap. Cheap piece of preventative maintenance.

The other issue that's plagued XL's forever is wet sumping. It's always been something of an issue, but in 2004 when they added the oil squirters, it got worse. They revised the oil pump in 1998, 2001, and again in 2007, making improvements to the scavenging each time. The 2007 change actually made the pressure side smaller so that they could make the scavenge side bigger. Wet sumping is mostly an issue at sustained high rpm, and it also gets worse the better your ring seal gets. Gapless rings tend to make these motors wet sump terribly. A little blow-by helps scavenging believe it or not.

And finally, there's been one other issue on rubber mount XL's specifically (2004+). The rear motor mount has this tube and the retaining bolts for it like to shear off. Here, let me find a pic ...



Number 1 in the above pic. There are three of them. If the back of the bike starts getting squirrely, check those bolts.

The front motor mount donuts are also known to develop a sag over time. Consider it a maintenance item. Not hard to change.

With respect to tuners, even a stock bike can be made to run much better with the addition of a good tuner. I'm a Powervision fan for it's ease of use. Generally speaking, you find more by softening the timing, not being more aggressive. These motors have a fair bit of cylinder pressure right from the factory, the stock cams have a 25 degree IVC and the CR is 9.7-10:1, depending on which year's specs you read. I don't know why they put so much spark advance into them from the factory. Also there's a pretty big closed-loop area of the map and most guys will shrink that down to just the cruise range.

fbn ent

Had to do a repair for the wobble on my wife's '07. Still the same set up on the new models....Here is more info.

http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php/topic,68845.msg743651.html#msg743651
'02 FLTRI - 103" / '84 FLH - 88"<br />Hinton, Alberta

PC_Hater

You can tell Sportsters are good when somebody that really knows what they are doing comes up with such a short list of problems!

I might be inspired enough to build a slightly smaller version of my FLTRI affectionately known as 'The Barge' using a rubber-mount Sportster...
As long it takes HD panniers and that comfy Electra-Glide seat she likes it'll be fine...
1942 WLA45 chop, 1999 FLTR(not I), 2000 1200S

Xyzzy

A question about lifters:

The Twin Cam and the Sportster share the same lifter part number. (18538-99C)

You read about lifter problems a bunch on the Twin Cam sub-forum here.

Are lifters an issue for Sportsters?

If not, why not?

cyclobutch

My '89 XLH1200 hasn't been so good.

Broke the horse shoe shaped thing in the gearbox.
Bust the magnets off the alternator.
Needed new starter motor.
Needed all new ignition module.
Original clutch plates got sticky and had to be replaced.

Got 22k miles on it is all.
B
'88 XLH1200

aswracing

Quote from: Xyzzy on May 01, 2018, 06:17:37 PM
A question about lifters:

The Twin Cam and the Sportster share the same lifter part number. (18538-99C)

You read about lifter problems a bunch on the Twin Cam sub-forum here.

Are lifters an issue for Sportsters?

If not, why not?

We do tons of performance packages for guys, using the stock lifters. Issues are rare.

I don't know why the difference.

Xyzzy

I've been experiencing intermittent misfires every once in a while that feels like I have bad fuel. It only happens occasionally for a few minutes and then stops.

Today I pulled the plugs and the terminal thingy was loose on the rear cylinder plug. (I put in NGK plugs which have a threaded terminal thingy.)

I put the OEM plugs back in. (They have a bonded terminal thingy.)

This never happened before I put the NGK plugs in.

I hope this fixes the issue!

Hossamania

A common issue to have those connectors come loose. I give them an extra twist when I install them, almost squeezing them to deform them. It has been mentioned to mung the threads a bit to act like a thread locker.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

I think I unscrewed the terminal when I twisted the plug rubber to take it off.

I went for a long ride today. Initially, everything was fine. The fix worked!

But, about 150 miles into the ride, the bike started misfiring again.

I was so pissed I just pulled over to the side of the road and turned the bike off and sat under a tree.

I have 14,000 miles on the bike as of today. It has run perfectly up until a few days ago. Was there anything I could think of that might be the cause?

Well, until a few days ago, the weather has been pretty mild. And during the winter, it was pretty cold.

I have a rear cylinder head temperature readout on my speedometer. I keep a close eye on it just because I am curious. It usually reads max about 375F. When the bike is misfiring, I remembered that it was pretty hot out. Today, the CHT was in the 380s.

Now the next part is hard to believe. I am not even sure it is legit.

When I traded in my LRS for the Sportster, I kept these cool covers:

https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/classic-chrome-spark-plug-covers

They don't list them as fitting my Sportster, but they (physically) do.

They were super duper hot. (It took me a long time to get them off they were so hot!)

After removing them, the misfiring was gone. I wasn't able to get the CHT into the 380s, though. Maybe the (insulating?) covers caused the high temps?

So my theory is that the spark plugs were overheating.

The bike wasn't pinging, just stumbling like it had bad fuel.

So:

1 - Does this "fix" make sense?

2 - If so, did I damage the spark plugs or engine in any way?

3 - Should I get a spark plug that is 1 heat range cooler?

I'm pretty baffled right now. Spark plugs on a car are buried under a hood and have no air flow and they don't "overheat".

Hossamania

Those covers would definitely be suspect. I have read of them causing trouble more than once in the past. I'd even suspect them of causing a misfire due to shorting out more than the heat, or because of the heat.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

I'm unclear how the covers could short circuit anything.

They are metal but what would they short out?

Hossamania

My thought is if the wires are less than perfect, and/or the heat is compromising them, the spark may be jumping to the covers, and from there jumping to ground on the motor. Whether the heat or shorting out, long term testing without them on will let you know if they are suspect.
Can you post a picture of the covers installed?
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Hossamania

May 10, 2018, 05:39:20 AM #26 Last Edit: May 10, 2018, 06:22:34 AM by Hossamania
A friend of mine had an aftermarket coil on his FatBoy, after a year it started acting up. It turned out the stock chrome coil cover had rubbed on a plug wire and was shorting to ground. It didn't cut into the wire, so much as create a rub mark. Removed the cover, all good, same wires still running. Just food for thought.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

fbn ent

Toss the covers and ride it  :bike:. I have never trusted any fancy, sparky, dressy things that are related to plugs or plug wires.
'02 FLTRI - 103" / '84 FLH - 88"<br />Hinton, Alberta

Hossamania

Quote from: fbn ent on May 10, 2018, 06:17:32 AM
Toss the covers and ride it  :bike:. I have never trusted any fancy, sparky, dressy things that are related to plugs or plug wires.

Same here, but then I'm a fan of function over form, generally.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

fbn ent

'02 FLTRI - 103" / '84 FLH - 88"<br />Hinton, Alberta

Xyzzy

Today I'll be putting more than 300 miles on the bike so it will be a good test to see if the covers were the issue. It is supposed to get pretty warm, too.

I'm a fan of function over form as well. The covers were cheap and looked pretty cool, but if they are the problem I have no issue with losing them.

FWIW, when I looked at the insulator and strap on the plugs I pulled yesterday they looked okay. I've seen plugs that have been run too lean and mine didn't look like that. Very weird!

Hossamania

I would think if they were misfiring, they would run a bit rich, not lean. Still getting the same amount of fuel, but not burning it completely.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

May 10, 2018, 04:57:01 PM #32 Last Edit: May 10, 2018, 05:02:25 PM by Xyzzy
Okay, today has been weird.

The bike ran fine all the way to my appointment, about 100 miles. I'm thinking the plug cover removal did the trick! The CHT even got into the 380F range.

When I started the bike up after my appointment, it immediately started running rough. The CHT at startup was 95F. I rode it around the parking lot a little to see if it would clear up. I pulled the rear cylinder plug wire and let it run on just the front, and then I pulled the front cylinder plug wire and let it run on just the rear. I reseated the plug wires very securely. I moved the wires around in a bunch of directions to see if there was a break in the wire. The bike still ran rough.

The roughness is always only at partial throttle. It runs smooth at idle and at 50% to WOT. It doesn't feel like it is going to stall. The misfires are very brief.

I was able to get on the highway within a mile and after a hard run up to speed things smoothed out. In the past I haven't been able to "power through" the rough running.

What I have eliminated/learned:

  • I removed the plug covers but it happens with and without them.
  • I put the OEM plugs back in but it happens with both sets of plugs.
  • The plug wires seem structurally intact.
  • There is no audible pinging or backfiring.
  • The bike ran fine for the first 13,000 miles/6 weeks I have had it. (Cooler weather?)
  • I always use 93 octane fuel.
  • It isn't bad gas, unless every station I go to has bad gas, and even then the problem wouldn't come and go away, it would last the whole tank of bad fuel.
  • It occasionally stumbles (for a few minutes) when:

    • It the motor is hot.
    • When the motor is cool.
    • Never at idle or WOT.
    • I ride a lot so the stumble is a very very small percentage of my overall miles. (But it still bothers me a lot!)
When I got home tonight I pulled the battery and reinstalled it making sure all the connections were secure.

My next plan:

  • When it happens again look at my voltmeter to see if there is a voltage loss.
  • Open the gas cap to make sure there is not a vacuum in the tank.
  • Dunno what else to check!
Oddball idea: Change the spark plug gap?

I don't know how to isolate this issue to either an electrical problem or a fuel problem.

Edit: My speedometer can pull codes. It says there are no codes stored to look at.

Xyzzy

No weirdness yesterday.

Last night I "reprogrammed" the ECU and reset the fuel trims. I also used the tuner (SE) to check for codes in case my speedometer deal is wonky. There were no codes.

I'll put on a few hundred miles today. I'd say if it never acted up again I'd be happy, but I wouldn't. I really want to know WHY it is/was acting up.

:smilep:

Hossamania

There was a problem with fretting at the ECU connectors and throttle body connectors on some bikes in the past. You might try disconnecting and cleaning them.
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

fbn ent

I have had issues with my FL with the Thundermax auto tuning itself stupid. It is a pretty good indicator that a: Intake seals are leaking or b: exhaust gaskets are letting in air and messing up the tune. The intake  leaks only reared their ugly heads when running at high temps. Different I know but perhaps one or the other could be the culprit.  :scratch:
'02 FLTRI - 103" / '84 FLH - 88"<br />Hinton, Alberta

Xyzzy

I rode 430 miles today. Some interesting stuff happened:
  • It was 97F here. The CHT never got any higher than 383F.
  • When I first started the bike this morning, it acted up badly. Like usual, I take off immediately, so when I hit 30MPH I killed the ignition and cycled it back on. The bike ran fine then. (!)
  • For the rest of the day the bike ran perfectly, except during very-low/load-slow speed situations, such as tooling through small ghost towns at 30MPH in 3rd. Then the fuelling felt "floaty" or like it was hunting. (I am not good a describing this!) Cycling the ignition had no effect on this behavior.
  • But, for 99% of the ride, the bike was fine.
  • The voltage never dropped during any of the poor running episodes. Opening the gas tank had no effect. I've had the bike act up with a full tank and with an empty tank of fuel.
My new theory:

The change in behavior is so quick I think it is either a sensor that is not initializing properly or maybe a sensor that is drifting into garbage values.

AND/OR:

Because the ambient air temp is higher now, and the bike ran perfectly when the ambient temp was from 30-70F, my tune might be too lean in the low MAP/low RPM area.

Weird data: When I rode in March and April, my primary cover and oil filter never got even close to being too hot to touch. Today, and the last few weeks, the primary cover and oil filter are too hot to touch except very briefly. I don't know how this translates to fuelling performance, but it is a piece of data that is different. Maybe it is indicative of something? (I know the primary and oil filter being hot is okay. I'm just illustrating the conditions where my bike ran flawlessly.)

I will collect more data tomorrow!

Xyzzy

May 13, 2018, 03:58:31 PM #37 Last Edit: May 13, 2018, 04:14:38 PM by Xyzzy
Today's data:

I had a minor instance where the bike started to stumble badly. I had just fuelled up and was pulling out of the gas station. I was in third. I immediately went WOT for a few seconds and...

It cleared up!

All throughout the day the bike exhibited the "floaty" hunting fuelling under low load.

I will now start to give the bike maybe 10-15 seconds to "boot" when I flip on the power. (How long does it take?)

I still have no idea what is happening but I guess I am learning to manage the problem.

Edit: The bike ran for at least an hour at a sustained CHT of 388F and peaked at 396F. The numbers go: 388, 392, 394, 396 so I'm guessing in the ECM they are actually in Celsius and the conversion to Fahrenheit rounds them out to irregular intervals.

In other news, I passed 15K miles today. It took me 56 days. My "fewest days to 15K" was on my Road King last year that took me only 47 days. It took me 79 days on my Low Rider S.

My fuel log is here: http://www.mersenneforum.org/png/fuel.png

[attach=0]

[attach=1]

harley_cruiser

Isn't this a new bike, a 18? Is it still under warranty?

Xyzzy

Quote from: Harley_Cruiser Rocker Lockers on May 13, 2018, 04:16:46 PM
Isn't this a new bike, a 18? Is it still under warranty?

I hope so. They told me I had a two-year unlimited-mile warranty. I asked them if unlimited really meant unlimited. They said yes.

That said, I have no plan to ever take it to a dealer. If it catches on fire I will rebuild it into something better.

Xyzzy

I think I solved the problem of the rough running!

No, really!

Well, I'm pretty sure!

It took several hints and events to clue me in.

1 - When having the episodes of bad running, going WOT would "fix" it.
2 - I had several episodes of bad running after stopping with a hot engine.
3 - I have the crankcase breathers vented to the air cleaner.
4 - On my 10K oil change, I put in 8oz more oil, just because I thought 3/4 full on the dipstick was better than 1/2 full.

I know, you got it now! It is so obvious!

I replaced my air cleaner assembly today. It was a SE deal but now it is a V&H VO2.

I noticed a lot of oil pooled in the TB.

At the 10K oil change when I looked at the TB, there was no oil.

My theory:

The "overfull" oil and high-speed running created a super-mist of oil in the TB.

The oil mist got on some sensor somewhere, corrupting the signal it sends to the computer.

When parked hot, the oil would migrate onto the sensor and cool there and stick.

When I go WOT, the incoming air stream rush "cleans" off the sensor.

What do you think?

I also think this caused the partial throttle problem I had. Maybe the sensor was getting fogged at partial throttle?

I have about 1.5K miles since my last post.

The episodes are becoming less frequent. (My 15K oil change was the normal 1/2 dipstick amount.)

I cleaned out the TB today and put on the new system. It ran flawlessly.

Knock on wood!

:smilep:

Hossamania

It is definitely a possibility. Have you thought about venting to atmosphere (the ground) instead of into the throttle body?
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

Quote from: Hossamania on May 18, 2018, 05:50:48 AM
It is definitely a possibility. Have you thought about venting to atmosphere (the ground) instead of into the throttle body?

I have considered that, but I haven't found a way to do it that looks "OEM". (I know I'm weird!)

I rode 300+ miles today. It is incredible how smooth and "happy" the engine is now compared to when it was acting up!

Yesterday I ordered a PV-2 from Jamie, and I am thinking about adding V&H slip-ons.

Not sure which I prefer:

https://products.vanceandhines.com/store/harley/16861/
https://products.vanceandhines.com/store/harley/16863/

I want to keep the stock header since it has the crossover. I think that affects reversion and keeps the low and mid torque from sagging.

Xyzzy

Here are some pictures of the V&H VO2 intake I recently installed.

PS - I know the bike is dirty!

[attach=0]

[attach=1]

Hossamania

Thats a good loooking air cleaner. Not very "OEM" looking...      :potstir:
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

Quote from: Xyzzy on May 18, 2018, 05:18:30 PM
Not sure which I prefer:

https://products.vanceandhines.com/store/harley/16861/
https://products.vanceandhines.com/store/harley/16863/

I want to keep the stock header since it has the crossover. I think that affects reversion and keeps the low and mid torque from sagging.

I ended up with the Twin Slash 3" slip-ons. It runs and sounds great!

I'm not sure what I'm going to change/modify/improve next. I've been thinking about a Twin Power lithium battery but I don't know if the Sportster version is going to be as awesome as the "big twin" lithium battery. I think the stock battery is 200 CCA and the Twin Power battery is 250 CCA, but I'm not sure that would be a noticeable difference. The engine is a bit sluggish to start. I don't have compression releases, though. My Low Rider S, once the calibration was updated to open the compression releases, fired up instantly on the stock battery. I'd like that kind of performance for my Sportster.

[attach=0]

Xyzzy

I picked up a vanity plate today.

:smilep:

Hossamania

If I had that plate, my friends would say, "Let's be honest, that should be XXL."
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

Xyzzy

You and me both!

I'll just tell people that "XL" is my nickname with the ladies!

:wink:

Xyzzy

Day 72:

:smilep:

[attach=0]

[attach=1]

thunderrat

So how's the bike Xyzzy?    Still have it or move on to something else, or something smaller yet?

Xyzzy

I traded in the Sportster a long time ago. Since then I have gone through a 107 Fat Bob, a 107 Softail Slim, a 114 Heritage Classic and now I am on a 107 Road King.

The Sportster was the most fun I have had on a Harley but I need to have cruise control otherwise the arthritis in my hands kills me.

:smilep:

Xyzzy

As for smaller, I do have a Monkey.

:smilep:

[attach=0]

thunderrat

Nice little Monkey!

I take you didn't like the Heritage.  How many miles did you put on that?

Xyzzy

15K

I liked it but it had a few small issues and one big issue.

Small:

A surprising amount of vibration in the footboards at cruising speed.
A fake gas tank cap.
Wire wheels.
Tubes.
A single front disc brake.

Big:

This might sound weird, but it felt like the bike was trying to be something it wasn't. It didn't feel authentic. It was high quality and stuff, but it felt odd. The fake gas cap really bothered me. (I'm weird, I know!)

The Road King doesn't have to try to be anything. It is the real deal.

Here is a picture of the Heritage Classic. It was a good looking bike for sure!

:smilep:

[attach=0,msg1305948]

thunderrat

Thanks for the pic.  Yes they are good looking  I've only driven one, and that was on HD's demo fleet......and it ran really bad.

I'm thinking the next bike I get might be a Road King.  Very clean, less clutter, a nice ride and more room for the wife.

Xyzzy

Here is my new RK.

It is supposed to be silver but it actually looks like light blue. I think it looks neat.

:smilep:

[attach=0]

Hossamania

That is a good looking machine. Congratulations!
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.

thunderrat

Yes it is.  :up: The windshield is a little too tall for me though.  How many miles of this so far?