I think a s&s 124 HD would be a nice second bike.

I really don't see a problem here. As I see it, when I find the next used big twin that I want, I know I have to figure an extra 2 grand minimum, over the asking price as a needed reserve to make it a reliable machine.

Cause, not knowing the history, first thing I have to do is open the cam chest to see what's going on in there. Check the condition of the cam chain tensioners which will turn into a new support plate for the new hydraulic tensioners along with the upgraded oil pump, change the cam inner bearings cause the ones from the factory are shit (easy to do with the specialty tools I will have to buy), might as well put in new cams cause the factory ones suck (not put in high performance cams which would require head work), and might as well install new lifters as they need to be replaced every 20-30k miles anyway. Oh and new adjustable pushrods cause I cut the existing ones so I wouldn't have to remove the rocker cover and rockers.

There, now, $1500 to $2000 or more later, as long as I don't run into too many leaky seals or gaskets or oil leaking from the cylinder bases or rocker covers, I have a motor that will be reliable for maybe 50K on the cam tensioners, but heck, I have to replace the lifters again at their 20-30k life so I should at least take off the front exhaust again and pop the cam plate cover for a quick inspection of the chain guides. If they are good, I can probably go another 20k before having to replace them. Just in time for my second new set of lifters. you know, just Normal Maintenance". But it will be the damned bike I ever owned, dam good motor, that year engine was one of was one of the best they ever made. Got a 100k trouble free miles out of it. Got the wrenching down pat too. Would by another in a heartbeat.

Oh wait a minute, guess after talking to my neighbor, I spent too much time investigating HD forums. Forgot what forum I was on for a minute.


Never mind!

My Friend and riding buddy owns a 2000 fat boy and this guy is the poster child for Harley Davidson. He is everything they seek in a HD owner. He won't buy any riding gear unless it has HD stamped on it, had to get a HD tattoo, covered his brand new 47k pickup truck with HD stickers. I don't believe he owns a shirt that isn't HD. He hauled his bike to Sturgis only to have the cam bearing
shit the bed the 2nd day he was there and the HD dealership in Sturgis told him the engine was toast...bike had less than 20k for miles. He hauled it home and had a local HD mechanic repair it but it needed new cam bearings cams, lifters along with a good case flushing. He's had 2 ignition switches burn out, and had to replace various oil seals, and now the rocker box covers chrome is peeling. He now has almost 60k on the bike and I have to laugh when he tells people he hasn't had many problems with it. Dam near every ride we take he has to stop at the HD shop where ever we are and its become irritating as hell to me. He'll say he just likes to stop and check out the new models to which I reply What new models?

Know I posted this elsewhere before, but I'll combine 2 observations. First, Consumer Reports recently started to include frequency of repair records on bikes in their publication. I've been taking it for 40 years now. H-D came in second to the worst... the worst being BMW. Those two, H-D and BMW, were separate from the rest of the pack of manufacturers as being considerably worse than all the rest.

The very best of the bunch was... guessed it yet? Our very own dear beloved Yamaha!

Now, my second observation is more anecdotal. A good riding buddy was a Yami trained tech for at least 20 years. He said that their V-Star line was the most amazing of them all. When they'd sell a V-Star... didn't matter, 650 or 1,100... they'd never see them again, unless buyer wanted dealer service. They just wouldn't break! The Road Stars were excellent, and, of course, they saw ALL of them back due to the recall, but other than that, they were 'bout as reliable as a rock, as we all pretty much well know, also.

The Road Star is dead... long live the Road Star!

Questcap wrote:
<<<snip>>>
... V-Star line was the most amazing of them all. When they'd sell a V-Star... didn't matter, 650 or 1,100... they'd never see them again, unless buyer wanted dealer service. They just wouldn't break! The Road Stars were excellent, and, of course, they saw ALL of them back due to the recall, but other than that, they were 'bout as reliable as a rock, as we all pretty much well know, also.

The Road Star is dead... long live the Road Star!

As someone who sees a LOT of bikes being worked on, I can attest to this as being right in line with my own observations.

The 650/1100 do have a common issue that should be looked at.
The shaft drive coupling nut at the front of the shaft has a tendency to work itself loose over time and can roach the driveshaft & coupler. If you open it up to tighten, add a drop of Locktite & stake it properly you'll probably never have to do it again (kind of like our front pulley). Most don't have the problem but enough do that you'll find examples posted on message boards.

Questcap wrote:
The very best of the bunch was... guessed it yet? Our very own dear beloved Yamaha!


If only they made automobiles too.

grubsie wrote:
Questcap wrote:
The very best of the bunch was... guessed it yet? Our very own dear beloved Yamaha!


If only they made automobiles too.

They've had their hands in a lot of cars, in Japan, the US & Europe.
Yamaha made the Ford Taurus SHO V6 & V8 engines in the 90s, the ones that kept tearing up transmissions.
Ford's fix to make the transmissions last? Detune the ECU to drop 70 HP off the engine power.

Wasn't there also something done between Yamaha & either Volvo or Saab fairly recently?

Concept car from Yamaha:


They've built a few of these, currently on the show circuit:

Plus 1 on the 1200 Sportster. That's because the Sportster engine is simply an updated Evo and the eminently reliable Evo is what brought Harley out of bankruptcy. They just had to screw it up by replacing it with the twin cam because the only complaint with the Evo was the lack of power. However, S&S was able to use the Evo design and get more power out of it. Go figure.Flashback wrote:
The only one I would have is the 1200 sporty..............