Twin Cam (88 + 96) motor life??? Harley Twin Cam Discuss Twin Cam (88 + 96) motor life??? in the Motorcycles forums; Let's get some opinions here. How many miles do you think your TC88 or 96 motors will go before needing a top end? To add to the mix; list your ...

[jmk713]

Let's get some opinions here.
How many miles do you think your TC88 or 96 motors will go before needing a top end?
To add to the mix; list your mileage guesstimate plus how you ride...ie: hard, easy, bar-hopping, touring, Summers only, year 'round, high speed, etc.
Also might throw in what modifications you have made to your ride.
I think this will produce a lively discussion as well as provide some good info for people.

Mine is an '02 88 cu. in. TC. I ride about 8 months of the year; If we have a spell of good weather in the winter, I'm out there. I do touring, mostly with a passenger and rarely exceeding the speed limit. I rarely deal with stop and go traffic. If I stay on top of the cam chain tensioner concern of go to gears I predict that the top end is good for 100,000 miles given my conservative riding habits. Sincerely: Shovelmike.

I have a 2001 flht that i have put 38000 miles on, we ride mostly trips 150 miles or more, vacations, sometimes to work. i have put an oil cooler on on the bike and i run HD syn. oil.
when hd came out with this motor i remember reading about test engines with over 100,000 miles and still going strong.
well now i know there are differences in prototype motors and production motors,(can bearings, cam chain tensioner, ect) but i still have hopes for 100,000 miles ........ but i still believe in the Easter bunny too.....

[Saddleup]

Lubrication, lubrication, lubrication. Life blood of an engine.
These new synthetics are so good today takes my breath away.
Filtration is the next thing. The new Harly filters, I have read in this mag, is 5 microns. Thats pretty small. Probably a lot of bypass, but it'll keep real clean if changed everytime.
The thing that worries me is the cam tensioned for the silent chain models, changed in 07 to new design I believe. There is nothing wrong with the chain or really the tensioner but this type of chain never was designed for a tensioner. Written about in this issue. If I had one of these bikes I would change this out. New kit available now. These tiny nylon chips will plug things up starting with the filter.
I agree, taken care of, 100,000 miles or more not extreme.

[Capt Ron]

I ride a 2003 Firefighter Road King, and just recently went past 80,000 kms (50,000 mi). The whole top end just got replaced with a 95 kit, since when I had the motor checked for noise it started making, the motor was just about shot. The cam chain tensioner had disintegrated, one of the silent chainns was toast and the oil pump was wrecked. When the cylinders were pulled off for inspection, they were both ruined and needed to be re-honed or replaced.

There is nothing in the service schedules right up to and past 50,000 mi., that has the dealers check the cam chain tensioners or the silent chains, and from people I've talked to lately including other mechanics almost every bike past 40,000 kms (25,000 mi) has tensioners that should have already been replaced.

This fact was discovered in early 1999, but the information never got incorporated into service plans for the twin cam 88s, likely saved the company tons of money and let dealers make a small fortune selling extra parts and service down the road.

For those people that expect to get 100,000 mi out of their wheels, I'd suggest if you haven't had your tensioners checked don't wait until it's to late...

[Gunnert]

I have a 1999 Road King that is now a 116" motor. When I first built it, it was 95", 9.5:1 Compression, Roller Rockers, S&S 575 cams, White Brothers E 2-1 Pipe. I put 67,000 miles on that setup and it ran STRONG the day I took it apart.

[flashprez]

Originally Posted by jmk713

Let's get some opinions here.
How many miles do you think your TC88 or 96 motors will go before needing a top end?
To add to the mix; list your mileage guesstimate plus how you ride...ie: hard, easy, bar-hopping, touring, Summers only, year 'round, high speed, etc.
Also might throw in what modifications you have made to your ride.
I think this will produce a lively discussion as well as provide some good info for people.

I have a 2007 Ultra with a 103 kit, PC111, Kerker exhaust, Arlen Ness "Big Sucker". All this because the bike had so many noises clanks, clatter,& whines that I had to do something so I could stand to ride the bike. I use Amsoil Severe Gear 90w-140 in the Trans because it whined so loud it sounded like an ambulance going down the road. Any way back to the ouestion how long do I think it will last?? Well at 9k miles I've had the motor out twice and a new oil pump put in. Out of the first year I owned it(Sept.8, 2006- Sept. 8, 2007) the dealer has had it in their shop for 38 days. I figure it will last another 9k miles before it blows up again. I ride all year round, but at least I have other bikes to ride while the 07 is in the shop.

[o-sixs]

Originally Posted by Gunnert

I have a 1999 Road King that is now a 116" motor. When I first built it, it was 95", 9.5:1 Compression, Roller Rockers, S&S 575 cams, White Brothers E 2-1 Pipe. I put 67,000 miles on that setup and it ran STRONG the day I took it apart.

I bet that was a strong puppy,any dyno numbers on the 95. That 116 has got to be a monster!

[pittguy]

Regular maintenance and semi sane riding should allow the TCs to go the distance.The 07s with the rumored and sometime posted crank runout issues is a different story.Just ask some CVO owners!Some of these bikes will be throw aways,100000 miles a dream.HD has recently upped the runout specs-4 times what manual states- to their advantage of course so if true many warrantys would be expired before owner finds out.Replacing oil pumps and not fixing the cause isnt the answer.All 08s now come with updated crank brgs,but not timken style.

[gefish]

2000 SuperGlide with 45,000 miles on it. Regular oil changes. I don't baby it - I ride it fairly hard, but I wouldn't say abusive. Had the cam tensioners/ball bearing/oil pump meltdown at 37,000 miles, got that fixed for $1200. Ouch! But, since then its ran fine. In fact I just did a 750 mile weekend and no problems except for some oil blowby. Given the meltdown history, I will be happy to get 80,000. And real happy if I get 100,000. I'm just gonna ride it til it quits, then fix it and ride it some more!! But I will check those tensioners periodically! I will get my money's worth out of it one way or another.

Geoff
'00 FXD