Of all the tensioner problems I've read and compared to my wife's '03, mileage seems to be all over the place. Some at 7k, ours at 17k, others have 50k and still going. Must be luck of the draw. I don't know what HD says.
Symptoms are noise in the cam cover. Or, an all over noise you just can't put yer finger on.
You cannot use stock cams/ gear drive. You can purchase cams with near stock profiles. We are using S&S 510g, and the heritage runs real good. I think there is one more step before it's no longer a bolt in cam. There are also options of using a better chain and tensioner.
Other ugrades... I think there's an upgraded cam support plate for '02s... adjustable pushrods maybe... he may decide different. Does he already have a good exhaust system? What about fuel delivery?
It's a whole process, and yes, a decent wrench can do most or all of it. Maybe some machine shop time for pressing bearings correctly. BUT don't poke around if you don't have the experience. Clearences MUST be checked using a dial indicator or real bad, ugly things happen.
Got a manual? If not, get one. Then, go to S&S website, I think you can download the gear drive instructions. Compare the stock installation to the gear drive, and plan an attack. These are the things you need to find out about before diggin in.
I'm a mechanic, not a pro bike mechanic, and was able to do the installation on my own. I didn't have the correct tools, and pressing the bearings was scary. I strongly urge you to have the right tools for the job, or find someone who does. Measuring the backlash is the next tricky thing. After that, it's just careful wrenchin.
Take care, let us know what he does.  | 
Gear drive questions 
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