Total rebuild

[jcolson]

Got my trike back today after 7mos. Had to get a complete rebuild from the crankshaft up. The only parts not changed were the cases & heads. New S&S crankshaft kit with the rods,new 10:5-1 pistons,rings, all new bearings,oil pan,jugs bored out to.005 over to make sure the cylinders were true,cams, S&S pushrods(adjustable),another SE oil pump with a pressure relieve valve spring in it,480# clutch spring.

The reason for the build was because the dealership that built my motor before I even picked it up new installed the rings upside down. Kept using a lot of oil. They kept putting stock lifters in a high performance motor & kept taking out the lifters. They put new jugs on but the rings were upside down for the 3rd time & the jugs were still out of round from the factory. So took it to a independent shop & they had to put in a SE oil pump & better lifters. $1400 later & the motor started knocking again.

They tore it down & found out that the rods didn't have any side play from the factory so it was rubbing into the crankshaft making metal shavings that got into everything & tore the motor up. So much for quality control from Harley. Plus the last time the dealership put the jugs in they had too much piston gap so the pistons were slapping the cylinder walls & the ring end gap was so big it was pretty much like they were wore out.

What the hell do they teach these so called techs!!!!!!!!!!!! $5123.70 later plus the other time I took it to the independent for the last set of lifters & oil pump to be replaced. That was $1400. So I have $50,000 in this $32,000 bike. I had $43,000 in it to start with because I had the motor built up from the beginning. Sorry about the long post but had to get it of my chest. I just hope this is the last time I have to put a bunch of money in a 2011 trike. Jim

 

[87Trike1200]

Wow - that's quite a story. Now that everything is up to snuff, we wish you all the best and plenty of trouble free riding...ThumbUp

 

[DTR 11TG]

Sorry about all the problems, but glad you got it back & running, how well does it run, how many miles have you put on it, how many tanks of fuel? I think after that long i would find it hard to get off of it for very long epper:

 

[msocko3]

Got my trike back today after 7mos. Had to get a complete rebuild from the crankshaft up. The only parts not changed were the cases & heads. New S&S crankshaft kit with the rods,new 10:5-1 pistons,rings, all new bearings,oil pan,jugs bored out to.005 over to make sure the cylinders were true,cams, S&S pushrods(adjustable),another SE oil pump with a pressure relieve valve spring in it,480# clutch spring. The reason for the build was because the dealership that built my motor before I even picked it up new installed the rings upside down. Kept using a lot of oil. They kept putting stock lifters in a high performance motor & kept taking out the lifters. They put new jugs on but the rings were upside down for the 3rd time & the jugs were still out of round from the factory. So took it to a independent shop & they had to put in a SE oil pump & better lifters. $1400 later & the motor started knocking again. They tore it down & found out that the rods didn't have any side play from the factory so it was rubbing into the crankshaft making metal shavings that got into everything & tore the motor up. So much for quality control from Harley. Plus the last time the dealership put the jugs in they had too much piston gap so the pistons were slapping the cylinder walls & the ring end gap was so big it was pretty much like they were wore out. What the hell do they teach these so called techs!!!!!!!!!!!! $5123.70 later plus the other time I took it to the independent for the last set of lifters & oil pump to be replaced. That was $1400. So I have $50,000 in this $32,000 bike. I had $43,000 in it to start with because I had the motor built up from the beginning. Sorry about the long post but had to get it of my chest. I just hope this is the last time I have to put a bunch of money in a 2011 trike. Jim

Glad you got it back, how does it run now? What I have learned over the years from contact with different dealer techs and service managers is, most are just parts changers. They are great at opening a box and bolting on a part, they suck at the fine details.

Unfortunately a person has a 50% chance an engine build by one of these ham fist is going to be right. They get flat rate so time is a biggie to them. They literally draw the parts from the parts dept and proceed to do the tare down, then open boxes and bolt things on. All the extra effort a good engine builder puts into a build doesn't happen. They don't chase threads, they don't check piston to wall clearance or look for bore taper, they don't check ring end gaps, they won't bother with checking crank run out on the pinion side of the crank. They won't give rod side clearance a 2nd thought, things only get cleaned if they have to be cleaned. Its just pull it apart, open boxes and get'er done.

Unfortunately the few truly good techs get branded by these misfit toys, some even struggle at the simplest task. Its not uncommon to find loose fasteners, a couple extra scratches to add character, and some hidden dirty deeds.

 

[jcolson]

Yeah Mike it really sucks. You pay all that money for a good bike & you would think they would pay decent money for techs to keep them running!Makes you want to think about a Honda. By the way Mike hows yours running? I put 35 miles on it yesterday. Wow!! Next week it's suppose to rain everyday but Tues. I'm getting backed up on jobs anyway so i'll have to work. Bike runs good for a change. I'll put 200miles on & should be good to go. For some reason it's easier than ever to find neutral. Maybe it's the 480# spring or just because they no how to adjust the clutch. Everytime I'd get it back from the dealership I had to take it back to get it readjusted. Go figure! Now I have to figure out whether to get it Dynoed again & where if I do. Want to ride down & see Dennis again. See ya. Jim

 

[Rick Kay]

Glad you got it back, Jim! Now it's time to enjoy it!

 

[msocko3]

Yeah Mike it really sucks. You pay all that money for a good bike & you would think they would pay decent money for techs to keep them running!Makes you want to think about a Honda. By the way Mike hows yours running? I put 35 miles on it yesterday. Wow!! Next week it's suppose to rain everyday but Tues. I'm getting backed up on jobs anyway so i'll have to work. Bike runs good for a change. I'll put 200miles on & should be good to go. For some reason it's easier than ever to find neutral. Maybe it's the 480# spring or just because they no how to adjust the clutch. Everytime I'd get it back from the dealership I had to take it back to get it readjusted. Go figure! Now I have to figure out whether to get it Dynoed again & where if I do. Want to ride down & see Dennis again. See ya. Jim

I'm a very happy camper with my Hanniganized Goldwing, just what the doctor ordered. Way I look at it is I have the best of both worlds. When I feel old school I can ride my 06 Ultra, when I want smooth and quiet I can ride the Wing.

I'm betting your clutch is because the guy knew how to adjust a clutch, the dealer you had been having problems with has techs who have not a clue on how to do it correctly.

 

[pcombe]

Something I learned years ago?
The simpler the engine the similar the operation. I don't want to put a typical Harley dealer mechanic to the task of building a high performance engine I don't really believe they are trained for it?

It's a simple deal to buy a new 80" evo and put a little hotter cam in it and expect great life and performance out of it. It's the motor with the power I wanted and it's doing what I expected it to.

if I take a Harley parts changer and put him to work creating a 103 inch out of the 80" It's a whole different ball game.
The sad thing about all this is you had them do it right off the bat, with a new engine with factory tolerances and they still couldn't get it right.

Makes me wonder if They shouldn't start color coding rings with a THIS SIDE UP written on it?:blush:

 

[irmagoo]

glad you trike is fixed for sure...
how about a up date in thousand miles or so after all parts are broke in a little.
would be interesting to hear how it runs!!
magoo

 

[jcolson]

I'll let you all know how it goes & thanks for the support, especialy you Mike. If only the weather would cooperate.

 

[msocko3]

I'll let you all know how it goes & thanks for the support, especialy you Mike. If only the weather would cooperate.

I hear you, the weather here hasn't been very pleasant. Seems every day is rain, more rain, cold and rain.