three Harley's since 1979 the first two i rode over a hundred thousand miles. one of them i rode in mexico and canada.... mexico on a harley was a trip... i was too young and stupid to know what a risk i was taking.
i worry a lot about doing anything that will break the bike, when i do any maintenance i look at what will make it more reliable.
unfortunately I hardly ever go on trips any more, don't ride much anymore, am going to keep the bike i have till i drop dead or win the lottery. this site is one of the best for finding info on durability. what mods cause huge problems, what mods make things last a long time. what parts to really watch. i can think of several times over the years where having this info when i was younger would have saved me a LOT of headaches (and bux)
what I've learned: - most of the time bone stock is the most durable - but - lifters, valve springs, main & rod bearings, seals, parts like that - use the highest quality parts you can find - often stock is best part - but not always.. s&s sells really good quality parts. gearing is more important than a hopped up engine. tires are more important than anything.