it has been quite a challenge trying to remain positive about a bike that breaks down and needs more attention than a needy girlfriend. any way. i had pulled the primary cover to replace the stator and see what happened and one of the magnets on the rotor was missing a chunk....likely came loose and got chewed up in the casing and shorted the stator windings, frying my voltage regulator as well....so i call harley dealy and get price for the 3 parts. over 800 bucks and they are of different amps, the rotor was 45 the stator 32 and the regulator 38, but the dealer says its the right one for the bike (i expected a future issue because i explained to him pumping a max 45 amps will over heat a 32 amp stator (it is just a coil of wire) and likely pop my 40 amp breaker. so i declined the harley dealer parts cause it sounded like he didn't understand my concern, and i ordered and bought a matched 38 amp set of rotor stator and regulator from jp cycles for 350 dollars for all 3 pieces. how sweet. my bike was parked wile i waited on parts again. and i was a full week into my vacation before i got them. i put it together on a sunday night in yellowknife canada, drove to sturgis on that bike, about 4000 miles with out an electrical problem. i replaced the battery before i left for the hell of it. in sturgis i had to find a welding shop... the tail pipe /muffler ripped the metal bracket from the mount under the hard bags so it needed welding. we drove back trouble free ...i've attached a pic going into yellowsone park before we hit sturgis...

last fall i bought a 99 flhtcui ultra clssic from a dealer with less than 30 ooo km on it. didnt get to use it till the next sping, it ran ok (if black smoke out the tail pipe is common for a $14000 fuel injected used bike sold as excellent condition bike) so any way, when i fueled it up, where the fuel hoses attached to the tank (there are 2 pressure connectors on the tank on the injector module) they were both dripping gas on to the engine... so i had to replace both at my cost 200 bucks. just for the parts, sorry only the engine and transmission were covered under warranty i was told.... so i bought the parts and did it my self, thank god for the after markets that make better parts than the original equipment. if i had to pay the dealer to do it it would have probably been double. ok the bike starting cutting out.... with a passenger its dangerous.... turns out the crank sensor in the engine started failing intermittently.... stranded twice.... after i put less than 1000 kms on it.... the embarrassment was nasty too, i called the dealer they sure we will cover it... had it fixed... then sorry that's electrical not the engine. even though its in the equine, but your warranty is still good... so it cost me over 400 dollars... now the stator fried... i mean fried... no voltage out of it... stinks..... now i am trying to replace that at my cost of course... did i mention the mount for the tour pack was fractured, likely from the vibration on the flimsy metal bracket that holds it in place.... all under me riding it 5000kms....is it my last harley?? probably.

99 Dyna.....71,000 trouble free miles and going strong....have done all my own work too...and I'm not even that great of a mechanic

Editor: Just to clarify, you are saying that you have 71k with absolutely no mechanical failures or any kind of work needed outside of routine maintenance and enhancements?

One of my battery cables got loose once....it took me a few minutes to figure out why it wouldn't start......... other than that......oil, plugs, tires etc.......still goin strong...........the days of the leaky, unreliable harley are in the distant past

I am fresh off the freeway, and that piece of HD sh*t I have been trying to ride for the past four years has run out of last chances. Several weeks ago, it stranded me (again!) this time apparently because the vacuum valve in my fuel cock decided to stop working. Tonight for the first time in a long time, it went gutless on me *again* for most of my ride home.... Barely holding 50 MPH at full throttle, and this time with my girlfriend on the back.... How cool is that? How many of you would put up with this from whatever it is you commute to work with every day?

The End Times May Be Here! My 1999 1200 Sporty has almost 55,000 miles on it with only a throttle return spring breaking so far. No oil leaks either, although it does eat a bit of oil (about half a quart every 500 miles or so). But I have been religious about oil changes, maintenance and proper warm up procedures. You would be surprised how many HD riders just start and go, then complain about leaks.