Yep, I've been warned. The CVO 110" engine is a piece of junk and only works properly with a new crank and timken bushing. I should expect to have the engine leak and have general build quality "issues" from day one and I'll be lucky if it survives 1000 miles. Maybe in the four years I have full coverage the shop will be able to get my engine stabile enough so I can at least use it on the weekends for joy rides around the hood as planned.
Honestly I can't imagine why any of you guys knowingly spent $25K + on a bike with such a problematic engine to being with, I mean I know why I'm doing it, but it seems I wasn't informed and if I only knew what you all know then I would avoid Harley 110" engines like the pledge. SO what about the rest of you with CVO 110" why did you do it?
Greg
First, since you are going with the street legal 110, the stuff about
having to do a Timken and welded crank is bogus. The 110 in stock form doesn't produce enough power to destroy a properly machined and assembled crank. The trick is figuring out if you have a good one, or one of those that is a little less than good. With Harley's new plus or minus a foot tolerances, the whole thing is a crap shoot even if you stick with the stock 96. I think the recommendations to do the crank mods are just well intentioned ideas that make sense if you're tearing the engine completely down anyway. I think it's called insurance. I would say that since the engine is coming apart, you will at least want the crank runout thoroughly checked while it's torn down. Much rather find a problem then, instead of after it's put back together.
Second,
assuming your dealer has a good engine tech who puts this engine together properly, you shouldn't have any more of a propensity for leaks than the current stuff coming out of the Harley plant. Same parts involved, so
if the tech is good, the outcome should be similar to what you would get from H-D. However, the high combustion temps that helped create the original 110 problems will still be with you if you don't take actions to correct them. So now you are butting into that warranty thing again. You do realize that changing the factory calibration with a tuning device also voids the warranty and makes the bike illegal as well?
Third, some of us didn't spend the $30k - $40k for one of these bikes specifically because of all the issues (110 engines, transmissions, steering heads, electrical problems up the wahzoo, etc.). In my case, I'd been hoping for a SE version of the Road Glide for many years. They finally brought one out in 2009, and there are still plenty of them available, but you'll note that I'm still riding my 2005 SEEG. I'm not interested in being a guinea pig for H-D's latest installment of "Quality, what Quality?" soap opera.
I may have missed it, but have you actually ridden a similar sized bike with a 110? If you did, and you felt the performance difference was worth the investment, then don't worry about what all us nay-sayers tell you. After all, it's all about what makes
you happy.
Jerry