[ridgerunner]

I know I have been away from this board for quite a while, but I was wondering how everyone's bikes are holding up to the test of time. I thought maybe we might see a trend in breakdowns or service that will help keep us vigilant in our upkeep. So, what year and model is your bike and how many miles do you have on it? Any unexpected breakdowns? Any quirks? Just curious!

[ridgerunner]

2008 Classic Bullet ES AVL, 19,800 miles. I've got one fork seal starting to leak, the battery needs replacing (I have to kick start), and the one quirk that I haven't figured out yet is that the clutch is adjusted regularly and operates properly, but on cold mornings on the way into work the clutch will slip at the same spot EVERY time.

[greenie]

'06 electra  4850 miles. clutch cable snapped at around 3000 mi. replaced one push rod around 2000 mi. (adj broke). other than that, runs fine.

[ridgerunner]

Thanks greenie, my clutch cable failed at about 5000 miles. Broke off in the trans. Good thing that little retainer is on there, or I could have run the end through the gears.

[r80rt]

'09, C5, 12,288 miles, rock solid all the way.

[barenekd]

2011 G5, 3350 miles and rising about 150 miles a week.
No problems.

Bare

[Michael Marsceill]

'09 AVL deluxe. Bought new April 2010. 3800 miles since then. No issues

[Rosetap]

'09 AVL (military frame).

Total engine replacement at around 1,500 miles (oil blowby issues, never was told the exact reason why).  1,000 miles on new engine, required a complete re-wiring (wiring harness under tank melted).  500 miles later, blew LH fork seal.

Still running on all the original cables, though.

[ridgerunner]

'09 AVL (military frame).

Total engine replacement at around 1,500 miles (oil blowby issues, never was told the exact reason why).  1,000 miles on new engine, required a complete re-wiring (wiring harness under tank melted).  500 miles later, blew LH fork seal.

Still running on all the original cables, though.
[/quote}

Woof! Sorry to hear about your bad experience. My Clutch failed at 622 miles and I thought I had wasted my money on this bike. I just hit 20,000 on my 08 with very few issues, and pushing nearly 80mpg.

[faltnerc]

2006 Electra-X, AVL Engine
 20000 miles,

Sprag clutch at 1000 miles
Clutch cable at 15000 miles
Big end bearing (new crank shaft) at 16000 miles
Battery at 20000 miles.

Everything repaired by myself!

I love my bike!

Chris

[SRL790]

1954 Redditch 350, 47000 miles.

Rebore 38,900 miles.
New crank (all but one flywheel) 44000 miles.
(Lesson learned - If you've got the crankcases apart, REPLACE THE MAIN BEARINGS/b] )

Andy

[MDLNB]

I have a 1968 bullet, that has matching frame and engine serial, originally a 350. It still has the original bottom end on it, but the whole thing has been rebuilt to a 535. I also have an electronic ignition module, disk brake on front end, and a 16"x120 rear wheel. Supposedly, I had the front sprocket replaced with a 21 tooth.  The Carb is a Delorto.

I plan to upgrade the seals in the gear box so that I can eliminate the leakage, or at least some of it.  It isn't too bad, until it gets real hot from riding.

[DavidMeermans]

'09 AVL with 8100 miles.  Replaced the cluch cable a few thousand miles ago.  Ride daily to work, winter and summer (Dallas, TX).  Have the little muffler and an ACE air cleaner, gets about 70 mpg.

[boggy]

2007 AVL - 6500 miles, 3700 of which are mine since 2009. 
Daily commuter, April through Dec.

Starter solenoid was replaced before I bought it.
Battery was replaced before i bought it.

Broken clutch cables at 3,500 miles.
Broken throttle cable at 4,000 miles.

Gets about 50 mpg.  30mm flatslide, K&N pancake, NField Megaphone.
I crank on it pretty good and have a daily 60-65 mph run for a few miles.

Except for the paint, the bike looks extremely weathered.  Don't think the previous owner wintered it.  The metal and all the screws/connection points look 20 years old.

Carb has taken a long time and lots of effort here to tune.

[lasalsa]

2006 AVL 350 with 1900 Kms. (Only one in the U.S. ) Don't ride it much. Still Mint!

I might do an oil change pretty soon..

[Rosetap]

I should post also that the green paint on my 2009 military has gone to pot completely.  Even though I keep it under a cover 90% of the time, and we don't really have winters where I live (one day of snow, low precip, I ride all year anyway), the paint and all the rubber are almost sun-white.  The seat is white, dry, and cracked in places, the fenders and toolboxes are chalky, and the casquette could barely be called "green" anymore.  In comparison, the gas tank, which I SPRAY PAINTED a year and a half ago with some Rustoleum 2x "hunter green", looks 10 times better than the rest of the paint on the bike. 

And yes, I keep it properly washed, cleaned, and weather-proofed with the same stuff that I do on my horrible '80's car, and the car looks twice as nice as the bike.  I think the tiniest amount of UV exposure destroys these bikes.

I still love it, and it adds to the "patina" of the bike when I lie and tell people it's 50 years old, but I'm seriously considering tearing it down and spraying it with the same stuff I used on the tank.  The tank has held up wonderfully, even with gas spills.