2003 FLHTC - 100,000 mile Report

[Kleetus]

Well it finally happened. I hit the century mark on the Harley this week. Some have asked what it takes to make 100,000 miles on a Harley. Let me just say that I never intended to make this a 100,000 mile quest; it just happened because I prefer to ride the bike instead of the Detroit coffin. I ride mostly every day unless there is bad weather. Types of riding include a daily commute of 70 miles plus weekend trips.
The Purchase
• June 1, 2003 with zero miles; Purchased new FLHTC from Orlando Harley Davidson in Orlando, FL. Rode it home to Georgia 450 miles for the break-in.
Maintenance
• Oil & filter changes & primary fluid every 5K miles with Amsoil 20W50 since the beginning. I change the Transmission every 20K with Amsoil 75W90. The primary chain usually needs adjustment every 20K miles give or take a bit.
• All services per the HD Touring Manual have been performed by me including the little things like lubing the cables, checking critical torque fasteners, lubing the steering neck, checking belt tension etc. (I prefer do the work myself )
• Tires: Front seem to last 22-25K and rear go about 10-12K. (Brand doesn’t seem to matter much) I have used the OEM Dunlop; switched to Metzeler 880’s for most of the time but recently at 94K installed a set of the new Dunlop E-3’s to give them a try. So far I like them.
• Brakes: I use the EBC pads as they work well and are inexpensive at my local independent shop. I replaced the front silly OEM rotors at 55,000 miles with Russell units which made a 100% improvement. Front brakes last about 25-30K miles while I usually get 15-20K on the rear.
Modifications
• At 22,000 miles (June 2004) I installed a 95” kit with SE flat top pistons with Andrews 26G Gear drive cams. While installing the gear drive cams it was determined that the RH pinion shaft had .006” of run-out. We replaced the crankshaft and oil pump and continued the build with slightly ported heads. Arlen Ness Big Sucker intake, re-jetted the OEM carburetor, added a Woods needle and installed White Bros 2:1 E-Pipe. The bike made 101 ft. lbs of torque and 88 HP and still gets good fuel mileage. Installed H/D Touring oil cooler kit with built in thermostat. According to the LCD dip stick and this bike consistently runs 20* F cooler than other bikes like it during the same riding conditions.
• At 44,000 miles I installed VPC clutch pressure plate from HIPPO. Works Great!
• At 52,000 miles installed Hog Tunes front & rear speakers with the rear pods and amplifier. The system works perfectly, just as advertised.
• At 67,000 miles I installed a Starcom 1 intercom system with inputs for stereo, cell phone and GPS. The system works great!
Problems
• At 31,000 miles the Starter clutch failed. Replaced with Terry Components unit.
• At 35,000 miles the stator quit charging while on vacation in Ft. Walton, FL. The local dealer fixed me overnight with a new stator. *They are nice folks*
• At 41,000 miles the voltage regulator quit working and it was replaced with an OEM unit. During installation I noticed the spades in the connector to the stator showed signs of arching which could have caused the system to fail. So at re-assembly I squeezed the female connectors to make for a tighter fit, lubed it with grease, secured it with wire ties and positioned it to keep water out. No more trouble since. (Knock on wood)
• At 56,000 the speedometer speed sensor failed and was replaced with an OEM unit.
• At 81,000 the starter ring & pinion stripped from kickback. Replaced the ring & pinion with a kit from Riviera.
Things I like
• Easy to ride, good fuel mileage, comfortable for me and my wife, good weather protection, easy to service, pleasing sound, simple design.
Annoyances
• Changing the rear tire is a pain, my BMW is much simpler. It’s not a deal breaker though.
• Braking authority could be better. I am considering upgrading the calipers. Brembo maybe?
• The rear end will wallow a bit in a high speed sweeper but it’s not made to be a track bike. Should I buy one of those anti sway contraptions to attach to the swing arm that everyone is spewing about? NO, I’ll just ride it like a normal person…the sky isn’t falling.
• I have a valve train rattle on the front cylinder like a can of spray paint. I plan to try shimming the rockers soon. It may be a lifter. It’s pretty noisy when the engine is cold and gets slightly quieter when it’s fully warmed up. That will be for another day
Gee Whiz information
• Exhaust: I have tried many different exhaust systems besides the E Pipe including, Wild pig slip-ons, Bub’s sleeper slip-on’s, White Bros E slip-on’s, D&D Fat Cat, Vance & Hines True Duals and am currently running a Supertrapp 2:1 Supermeg. Just a caution about tunable exhaust. I purchased the Trapp used and later discovered that someone had over tightened the discs screws and distorted the disc‘s which hampered the performance tremendously. I replaced the disc pack and it ran much better. So, be careful not to over tighten the cap screws on a tunable exhaust.
• Seats: I gave my original unit away and installed a Mustang. I have also tried a Corbin dual tour. After 10K miles of break-in it still hurt so I sold it. I also tried others but have gone back to the Mustang but now at 100K it is about shot. We plan to have a custom Russell Day Long Saddle made in April.
I hope you enjoyed my long term wrap up on the 2003 FLHTC. Remember, these are my observations and experiences. Yours may be different.
Kleetus

[MadCity]

That's quite the milestone, Kleetus. I doubt that many riders ever reach it on just one bike. A very detailed and interesting summary of the work it took to get you there, too. Congrats!

[Ridewv]

Very useful post Kleetus. I've noted some issues to look for on my 2004 although I'm only at 16K now. I agree that changing tires is a PITA compared to most BMW's.
Good riding and I'll look forward to your 200K report!

[trucky911]

Congrats Kleetus, and I too will be waiting for the 200,000 mile report...


Trucky911

[navyman]

Thanks for taking the time to educate us. You don't often see info like this.

[Hog Wild]

Nice report Kleetus !!! Thanks for taking the time to post this info !!!

[claydbal]

thanks kleetus! and kep the not quite so shiny side up!!!!

[Jeffytune]

Good report, but you said that you had a 95 kit done, and the crank was replaced because of run-out, did you have the Tinken kit installed?
New roller bearings?

[Butch Usner]

Ok, now that it's finally broke in.... You can put so serious miles on it...

Good work, I enjoyed your post....

[Kleetus]

JT,
The crank run-out was bad from the get go. I didn't install the Timken Tapered Bearing like the 02 and earlier TC's. I didn't feel like I needed it for the simple build I did.
Thanks,
Kleetus

[MrBill]

Nice write up. Thank you for your review

[Fourcats]

Congratz on the BIG miles and the report.
I have the "rattle" but earplus get rid of most of it. If the engine ever comes apart it will get new rockers/shafts
A flat tire is a "new direction" for the day.

Hope to get my "report" in this Fall.

[mikevr007]

Thanks Kleetus. And congrats on the 100K. Godspeed on the next 100K!

[harleymike77]

WOW !!!!! 100,000. That is AWESOME Kleetus. You are one DEDICATED rider! Thanks for the write up - I have read it through three times. Appreciate the time you took to write it out.

Ride safe.

[madalaskan]

WOW Great post and congrats on the milestone. I have a 2007 with a meager 6,000 miles on it but then again I live in Alaska and don't get the opportunity that many of you get to ride. Enough whining. I really enjoyed the play by play it was very informative. It's great you can do your own work. I don't have the expierence and am a little afraid to tackle to big of projects for fear of messing something up. But I did put a set of Vance & Hines Dresser Duals on this winter and the project went well. Anyway I'm rambling thanks again for the information and the great post and congrats one more time!!!