Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What's happened to Harley-Davidson reliability??

OEM parts are ALWAYS more expensive, sometimes a LOT more. It's what keeps auto parts stores in business, selling the same parts with a different name on them. The only exception I've found to that is the cartridge oil filter for my Toyota Highlander. Walmart carries the oem filter for less than their after market brands.

My 2009 is oil tight. Hardly uses any at all. Doesn't leak a drop. Same deal with the 2005 Sportster I had. My BMW R100RS smoked at startup if it was on the side stand, but it had a lot of miles on it. Didn't use much oil, either. Never had a oil leaker. Lots of honda, and yamaha. They were all pretty good. The 72 Kawasaki 500 was goofy, but heck, it was a 1972!

is that the headlight that blinds the driver in the other lane?

Dude, I just can’t watch any of your videos. I’d rather have a tooth pulled....

Worked at an independent bike shop for awhile. HD's "problem" is you pay an extra 5-15K for an allegedly American made bike over metric(Assembled in america doesn't count) and don't have the same metric reliability. Look I do not hate HD or the company but numbers never lie why do metric bikes sale in this country? Price.

Yes they were.. Are.

I have a '97 Heritage Springer. Original owner. Local HD shop owner told me don't ever sell it. But, if you do, I want it in my garage.

I should be fined $500 for even opening this thread.

"What's happened to Harley-Davidson reliability?"

It has continued to improve.

My first Harley, an FXRS I bought brand new in 1989, had something come loose in the clutch before the bike had 500 miles. Dealer quickly fixed it under warranty. Also have owned a 2009 Dyna Super Glide Custom and a 2006 Sportster 883/1200 Custom, both bought used, Replaced valve cover gaskets on the Sportster at 25,000 miles. Really solid bikes. Only reason I went away from Harley is that, at 77 years old, and a few serious injuries including a fractured pelvis, I can no longer bear the weight of the bikes.

Also have owned Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and BMW motorcycles. Presently own a Kawasaki W-650, which is basically a Triumph Bonneville redux.

harley owns the big twin market in the us with roughly fifty percent with all others combined to make the rest up....so surely there are going to be more issues there

yes with their 100 year old engine design

you work on them do ya...whats so old with them
bikes either have flywheels or crankshafts to my knowledge ,pistons and valves and thats about all they have in common with 100 year old technology

I doubt it. It isn't aimed to go in the other lane. I'm not a dickweed.

They are actually pretty trick. They just aren't fast or make scads of hp. They ARE entertaining though. To each his own. I've had a bunch of them, from boy racer to old guy bikes. I like them all.

I've owned 6-7 HDs over my time. I'm not a speed demon, and like the mechanical throb of a big twin while loafing along. But I've always marveled at the HD brand. How do you manufacture a bike with 100 year old technology, suspect reliability, low on speed and power, and charge more than twice what a competitor's bike cost? They're a marketing wonder!

That's some funny chit right there. "100 year old design"

Nearly every gun in my vault is an over 100 year old design. Half the appliances in the house, same. Phuqk, auto transmissions offered on any scale are 81 YO this year, passenger car fuel injection is about 80 YO, the AR-15 is 64. So what is H/D thinking? Gee.

They have NOT done a lot of thinking if they can't figure how to balance an engine. Krisake, John Deere figured it out over 100 years ago.

Couple that with their handling like a frigg' n hay wagon.
But, they do make a lot of noise.

Actually handles pretty good. Very light touch and stable. I'll tell you what handled like a hay wagon - the Honda 750 sohc and Kawasaki Z1. Yuck. Anyway, they are most assuredly not a race bike . I'll give you that. The street ain't a racetrack, either. Way too many variables to really put the hammer down safely. Dandy that your bike will do 200 and lean to 45 degrees. Not a lot of opportunities to actually use it. Unless of course you don't give a crap when you smack the soccer mom after you miss your apex and cross the center line...

[quote=RDW]Harley reliability has not been a problem for me (grin)




-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A Harley Ninja ???? When did they 'hybrid' ?



Rice burners have served me well ATST.

I only have 1 Harley and it's the only 1 I've had. A 98 Ultra Glide Ultra Classic



I bought it 2017 from a friend who had TOO many toys and I got it for a steal.
It turned 50 K recently and to date not a single problem.

WhatcanIsay ?

Nice.

they do not have overhead cams. the idiotic design of one cylinder behind the other means the back cylinder runs a lot hotter. japs position engine where all 4 cylinders get air. every year or two jap engines improve with more horsepower in the same size engine. in fact a 500cc jap bike now would blow away a Harley . would you compare a 2 speed chevy trans from 1965 to a 6 speed tranny? if I had access to the tons and train loads of money poured into the AR the powder bullets twist rate for 40 years other people would have developed a mind controlled laser gun