I am sure you are referring to me with the failing engines. I can rest assure you my bikes a very well cared for. They receive all required maintenance and then some. My 15 SERGU was in twice due to my complaining of noisy lifters. HD refused to replace them. The bike was under warranty and I wanted them replaced, but they would not at the 40K service. At 43800 miles, three weeks later, the lifters failed and took out the engine, metal all through it. This was ten days past the two year warranty. Compensator had been replaced in that bike also due to my insistence.
My very good friend who's engine was replaced at 35K miles in a 15 SERGU takes better care of his bikes than anybody I have ever met. Again his was only 18 months old.
I have never had an ESP, but on a 110 I was keeping more than 2 years I would consider it. Or I would build the motor right as has been done on my 13 CVO King. I fully understand those who can not replace their own lifters, or compensator or such getting an ESP on a CVO 110 they are keeping 5 or 7 years.
My built CVO King is ridden much harder than my bikes I use for trips. Zero issues with a hi hp and big torque 110 built to 117. No one issue. Reason is better bearings, better tolerances and Much better Lifters and better behive valve springs.
So was your bike under warranty at 40K when you replaced the lifters?
If your bike was under warranty, and your lifters were noisy and HD refused to replace them, would you go a head and replace them?
Didn't mean to single anyone out personally Dave. Started out trying to trow in some good advice about Warranties and paying for them based on my experiences.
I've been riding Harleys for decades, with many different circles of friends; the burnout/wheelie guys, the cross country guys, the garage queen guys, the horsepower guys, I've put on 100k miles, twice over. In all those years I can only remember once where a repair was so extensive it cost more than an ESP. It was a horsepower guy.
On the other side, I've had a more than a few encounters with minor warranty issues, where the service manager was a prick and threatened to not cover the factory warranty! Such as was the case with your lifter issue. No way would I ever want to pay to extend that relationship, and yes it's not the same dealership.
Back to the circle of friends, the crazy thing is here is... it seems everyone's bike here has a major breakdown. I'll call this group the, exploding engine guys! Again not to single anyone out in particular. Just seems crazy to me that this is the consensus.
To answer you question about the lifters at 40k. I'm fortunate to be mechanically inclined and I pay close attention every detail. The lifters were installed by myself under what I consider normal maintenance, for few hundred dollars (Gaterman's #GP1023). Problem solved. Something I learned during the shovelhead years. Still a guy could pay for the labor at a dealer for much less than the cost of an ESP! Or neglect the issue until it becomes catastrophic. It seems the exploding engine guys may be practicing the later of two, or in your case warranty denied. Glad to hear they covered it, you are fortunate!