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High Mileage Options; Rebuild or Replace

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Mike Ramsay

Member
Hello folks. I've got an '09 Ultra with 196,000+ km on it. It should have shot past 200K this summer, but that's another story Bottom line, some major work is in the offing. rather than do a straight rebuild would it make more sense to buy a Stage 4 kit and go that route? It came to me last night watching one of many installation videos, that this kit has everything needed if i were to do a conventional tear down and refurbishment.

Thoughts?

One more thing. This bike has been a real Trojan. It has never let me down on the side of the road. i see no reason to part with it.
 
If your going to do it do it right and send the lower end in for balancing and truing the crank JMO
 
At that mileage there will be a few other parts that should be replaced along with a new or rebuilt motor but a Stage 4 kit would not be high on the list. Three questions before I jump in with my thoughts if interested.
1. Do you have a budget?
2. Will you be doing the work?
3. What is your goal for a new or rebulit motor?
 
dolt said:
At that mileage there will be a few other parts that should be replaced along with a new or rebuilt motor but a Stage 4 kit would not be high on the list. Three questions before I jump in with my thoughts if interested.
1. Do you have a budget?
2. Will you be doing the work?
3. What is your goal for a new or rebulit motor?
Click to expand...
Hey Dolt.

I'm trying to price out options at the moment. The reason for using the Stage 4 as a reference point is it will give apackage proce for 90% of what i think the top end will need. My first assumption to test will be I expect the cumulative price of the individual parts will be at or above that Stage 4 package price. So, for whatever the cost; it seems an upgrade to what is essentially a 110 from a 96 is a better choice. If I'm wrong, i get a refurbished 96.

You mention additional parts. The cam chest bearings come to mind as well as the bearings on the primary side of the flywheel. i like the S&S cam plate & oil pump setup. I'm assuming the checking will address all the bushings within the engine as well. i know it's not just throwing the kit into it, but the kit is a good starting point for buidling a comparable parts list for price comparison.

I intend to do the work myself. I have a couple of tools to buy to remove and install bearings, Their cost is a wash since there won't be a labour bill other than small charges for something i won't have a specialized tool for. I'm retired, so i'm under no time pressure. The work may begin this winter or next, depending on what i learn. i'm working in anticipation of something that is on the horizon. When the pricing is done, i can begin to purchase to the parts list i build.

The goal it to have a reliable, fun, slightly punchy long distance tourer to run for the next number of years; not unlike what it's been these past years. I like to have a main summer trip that's between 8 - 10,000 km. the last few have been closer to 9,000 part way around Lake Ontario on both sides of the border and out to Winnipeg and bag, with side detours to visit friends along the way. This bike will probably see me out. I'd rather work on it than trade it.

Mike
 
I haven't kept track of all the Stage IV kits but IIRC, the kit you are considering will cost just south of $3000? Kit incliudes pistons/rings, cylinders, cams, pushrods, intake manifold, throttle body, heads, The problem I have with HD kits is that you are locked in to how that configuration performs which you may or may not be happy with. My approach has always been to put together a configuration that performs the way I want it to, i.e. 100 torque shortly off idle, strong mid range with flat torque curve that pulls to the redline. The other thing I don't like about HD kits is piston to cylinder fitment. The kits are pistons and cylinders off the MoCo shelf so piston to cylinder fitment could be off and has to be checked in torque plates before assembly. Having cylinders bored by a local machine shop insures that piston to cylinder fitment is dead on. I think you could have your OEM cylinders bored to fit new pistons for 103", have the heads Stage I ported and an aftermarket bolt in cam for much less than what you will spend on a Stage IV kit. You don't need more throttle body and intake manifold to build a 103" motor that will meet your stated goals.

The S&S cam chest components are quality but consider gear driven cams to replace the hydro tensioners.

Other parts to be considered, for me anyway, would be clutch upgrade to hold the increase in power; swing arm bushings, inner primary tensioner; drive belt; hoses and cables. Of course, you will need a fuel mangement system and a dyno tune whichever route you decide to go.

All JMHO. Good luck with the project.:)
 
A bit of info that may be useful. A few years ago EBay had a vendor that had Harley special tools. You bought them, used them, then returned them. If returned in good shape, a good portion of your money was refunded. I used it for cam bearing tool. It ended up costing me very little money. Now this was when Harleys were still a hot item, it may no longer be in business.
 
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