After reading this post I started to think about how far a bike will go?
How far have I taken my bike and what's still left in it?
When should I fix it and when should I replace it?
What is a good year of riding constist of? more miles? more stories? more wax?
How many of those years do you get? with or with out your bike?
How many miles are on me?



So how far do you think your bike will go?
Where do you plan on taking it, you know the reason you bought it. The Trip!!
I bought mine to go cross country, anywhere and everywhere and I hope I have 100,000 miles in it and me.

As fast as I'm falling apart I'm betting my bike will be around long after I'm gone

I hear that.
BUT
Riding always brings out the kid in me, so maybe it keeps me young at the same time.
Makes all those aches and pains go away even for just a while.

My 1983 FLHS which I bought new and still have is hanging in there pretty good. The newer more technologically advanced bikes worry me a little because I don't know of any high mileage bench marks and mechanical failure ratio's. Wonder if the sensors and relays dry up and crack? Wonder if the diodes or whatever sensors on the throttle by wire corrode or accululate filth and cause failure?

I traded away 2 bikes recently. A 2001 and 1998 Ultra. The 2001 was getting towards the 50,000 mile mark and looked pretty clean still. Now I have a 2012 Ultra, probably my last bike, its loaded with all kinds of fancy modern technology.

just turned 187,000 miles on my 2000 ultra, runs and rides better than new. deerslayer

What, if any, major or minor mechanical adjustments did you have to make along the way? Thats outstanding. MAybe I should have kept my 2 Ultra's...naw...eventually when I retire I couldn't afford to maintain 2-3 bikes.

So you're sold on the new technology? I'm just curious about peoples opinions of the experience. New isn't necessarily bad. I've come up from the Pan years to the Shovel, then Evo then twinky 88 and now the 103.

BI, I would like to hear what you think about your new 103 everybody I know that has one loves it!

I've had the bike a little over a week and because of all the rain I've got maybe 120 miles only. I can tell you that in 6th gear at 75mph its only hitting about 2500 RPM.

Haven't yet felt the heat or need to up grade the perfectly good exhaust system although I know what I'm getting when and if I ever do.

what kind of oil do you use in it? any advice on how to get my bike to run that long would be appreciated
that is pretty amazing.

I got the 187,000 miles with straight HD oil every 2500 miles, not sinthetic. For repairs, I had to replace and then finaly repairing the swingarm. Added plates to the sides of the arm at the axel. Timing chain tensioner, once under warnenty second time went with geardrive at 137,000. Replaced the lowerend at 137,000 along with 06 heads for the raised ports. The geardrive cams are 510 lift, great cams no change needed in the heads. brought the engine up to 95" with flatop pistons, installed a baker plus one oil pan and a Fueling oil pump and adjustable pushrods. After 50,000 on the new motor 88.5 HP 102 of torque. In the 180,000s had to replace the throttle body, leaking at the throttle rod, then the newest one found out that harley uses plastic cages in thier transmissions, had the countershaft door bearing go, fortinatley it come apart in my driveway. Replaced with a Baker direct drive 6 speed. Got rid of the cleveblocks for the swingarm and went with a spherical bearing setup, bike handles better than ever, cornering is an easy event at high speed into tihgt turns, no shake in the bars when I take my hands off them for extended periods. Everyear I take out the new fls and they don't equal what I have at this time. I have been from the atlantic to the pacific twice, runs out to the northwest and Fl. I have never worried about going anywhere on it at any time. Can't think of anything else, except for the repair after I hit a deer back in 05, but that wasn't the bikes fault. At that time I disasemble the bike and repaired it in my driveway in the winter. I live in Ma. I hit the deer in Nov. and was riding in March, and while repairing it I had a cast on my leg and working full time. I would never think of replacing this machine, I am 67 and this one is it for life. I also have a promod shovel for harley drag raceing but due to the deer can't fit on the bike. my last bike was a 69 sportster I had for 25 years. Deerslayer