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[SIX38]

 I am (once again) looking for some opinions from the many experts on this site.
 I presently have 14,000 miles on my 2009 SEUC. It has cat less OEM header pipes, 1 3/4" Fullsac cores in the stock mufflers, TTS Mastertune and a HD Heavy Breather A/C with a K&N element. The engines performance is more than adequate for what I use this bike for (1 & 2 up touring), and I truly like this motorcycle. 
 This years travel plans presently will be around 7000 miles, putting this bike at over 20,000 miles, and I'm concerned about the potential for a lifter failure, having read or heard about numerous cases of this happening in this mileage range.
 Should I be pro active and replace the lifters this winter and if so what else should I do to the engine with reliability as the primary goal?

Thanks,
Tom P.

[VANAMAL]

Sure. Not that big of a deal. Time to check it all out and replace inner cam bearings too. Maybe cams. Ck oil pump etc. If you wrench just do it yourself. Last time mine was apart i put in fueling pump,lifters and plate. Inner and outer bearings. Runs nice and quiet may do it to the 2012 bike after it gets 20k or so

[gabe]

 wow i have 13,000 on my 2011  i better replace the motor

[HILLSIDECYCLE.COM]

wow i have 13,000 on my 2011  i better replace the motor

Your 409 might outlast your bike engine...........
Scott

[guppytrash]

Based on my experience I would say yes.  It is not expensive and will give you peace of mind.
Seems like the original lifters last 20-25k in the 110's.

wow i have 13,000 on my 2011  i better replace the motor

If a lifter goes bad you may very well get to replace your whole motor.  13k is a little early, but if you don't want to worry about it during your riding season then go for it.  I put in the S&S travel limit lifters and Woods TW7h cams.  No regrets... love what the TW7h does to the 110.

[SIX38]

 Thanks for the responses. Looks like the product improvement program continues. New lifters and a few other goodies coming up.
 
 I'm attempting to make the bike as reliable as possible because being on a vacation trip and broke down out in the middle of nowhere would truly suck.
 
 One last question. New lifters require a new cam, correct???

Thanks again,
Tom P.

[1sharprdkg]

Thanks for the responses. Looks like the product improvement program continues. New lifters and a few other goodies coming up.
 
 I'm attempting to make the bike as reliable as possible because being on a vacation trip and broke down out in the middle of nowhere would truly suck.
 
 One last question. New lifters require a new cam, correct???

Thanks again,
Tom P.

Tom, I don't think new lifters would require a new cam but why not since it will be torn down anyway. Can't hurt to upgrade power/performance with a new cam. Any thoughts on what cam and lifters you are going to use?

[grc]

Thanks for the responses. Looks like the product improvement program continues. New lifters and a few other goodies coming up.
 
 I'm attempting to make the bike as reliable as possible because being on a vacation trip and broke down out in the middle of nowhere would truly suck.
 
 One last question. New lifters require a new cam, correct???

Thanks again,
Tom P.

Not sure if that question is serious or not, but if it is the answer is no.  If you were talking about an old style flat tappet setup (non-roller), then yes it was normally recommended to not mix old and new parts due to wear patterns on the lobes and the lifters.  With rollers, that isn't a real concern.  It would be a good idea to inspect the cam if you find any issues with the old lifters once you've removed them, like if there is evidence of a roller sliding instead of rolling.

I'm starting to wonder if preventative maintenance on a Harley shouldn't be simplified to just recommending replacing the entire bike whenever the factory warranty expires.  I'm sure Harley would like that idea.


Jerry

[HD Street Performance]

I do replace lifters with a cam change. Different reason than a flat tappet cam however.
The HD TC stresses lifters especially the 110 and the piston works in a certain area of the body all of it's life. Then we change something like a cam and push rods moving the piston into a new working area. Not good in my book unless the motor is nearly new.

Ever do a set of brakes on an older car and go to bleed them all the way down with the master cylinder stroking it. If you did you will get the idea.
If I owned a 110 with the issues we are seeing with stock lifters and cams I would be checking the same way we used to check the tensioners at about the same interval.
Aftermarket and SE cams are Steel Billet which is an improvement, the newest -C lifters are made by Federal Mogul and are not the same quality as the older -B Delphi lifter. We will see how the -C lifters hold up in the 110, a true test.

[HILLSIDECYCLE.COM]

Not sure if that question is serious or not, but if it is the answer is no.  If you were talking about an old style flat tappet setup (non-roller), then yes it was normally recommended to not mix old and new parts due to wear patterns on the lobes and the lifters.  With rollers, that isn't a real concern.  It would be a good idea to inspect the cam if you find any issues with the old lifters once you've removed them, like if there is evidence of a roller sliding instead of rolling.

I'm starting to wonder if preventative maintenance on a Harley shouldn't be simplified to just recommending replacing the entire bike whenever the factory warranty expires.  I'm sure Harley would like that idea.


Jerry

I agree with Jerry.
Scott

[FAST380]

is it just the Harley lifters that are junk? I changed out my cam's and lifters to Fueling parts, what mileage should I think about replacing the lifters?

[SBB]

Should I be pro active and replace the lifters this winter and if so what else should I do to the engine with reliability as the primary goal?

Thanks,
Tom P.

YES!
Jim (hd-dude) changed mine on the 2011.5 at 4K miles.
I plan to change them again at 20K and then every 15K after that.
Regardless of the reason (poor motor design, poor oiling or bad lifters) it has become a maintenance item for me.
The up side is I'm still getting more miles out of my lifters than my tires.
 

SBB

[mjb765]

Just waiting for my new cam to arrive and then cam and lifters going in sometime in the next week or two.

[SIX38]

Again Thank Youfor all the responses.
 It has always been my belief that once broken in, a lifter is married to its corresponding cam lobe. Same goes for other rotating and reciprocating parts. The failed lifters I have seen show a roller that was not rolling but sliding on the lobe, so is the damage occurring over time or is it an instant catastrophic failure? I agree with Jerry, an inspection of the cams is a must do on a change of lifters only.
 
To be honest, I was probably was just looking for an excuse to do a cam upgrade, you know, the "well since I got it apart" logic we use on ourselves.
 
When I was laying up the bikes last fall, my wife asked me what my winter project was. " Believe it or not honey, there is nothing I have to do. They're perfect!"
 I LIED

Tom P.    

[mjb765]

Again Thank Youfor all the responses.
 It has always been my belief that once broken in, a lifter is married to its corresponding cam lobe. Same goes for other rotating and reciprocating parts. The failed lifters I have seen show a roller that was not rolling but sliding on the lobe, so is the damage occurring over time or is it an instant catastrophic failure? I agree with Jerry, an inspection of the cams is a must do on a change of lifters only.
 
To be honest, I was probably was just looking for an excuse to do a cam upgrade, you know, the "well since I got it apart" logic we use on ourselves.
 
When I was laying up the bikes last fall, my wife asked me what my winter project was. " Believe it or not honey, there is nothing I have to do. They're perfect!"
 I LIED

Tom P.    

Nothing you need to do over the winter......yeah...keep trying to talk yourself into that.....

Mike