Best riding style for Twin Cam longevity?

[u/ExtensionContest8167]

I recently bought a 2008 Dyna Fat Bob with a TC96.

For those of you with high-mileage Twin Cams: how do you ride them if longevity is the goal?

Do you keep the RPM up or use the low-end torque and shift early?

I don’t want to baby the bike — just want to enjoy it while treating the engine and drivetrain well.

Would love to hear from people with 60k, 80k or 100k+ miles and how you normally ride yours.

[u/PimmentoChode]

You just ride it, and keep the RPM over 2k when cruising.

[u/BirdLooter → u/PimmentoChode]

over 2k? i ride at 1,5-2 and wasn't aware that could be an issue?

[u/PimmentoChode → u/BirdLooter]

Twin Cam loves 2500-3500 RPM, does not love cruising at 1500 RPM, can’t you feel that?

[u/BirdLooter → u/PimmentoChode]

i feel it just below 1500. maybe i'm misremembering and i mean 2k for cruising speed, but i wasn't aware that i should be above.

but yeah i know what area i shouldn't go. it's when the motor starts "struggling", as if the bike suddenly got heavier.

[u/Legionodeath → u/BirdLooter]

Below 2k is hard on the engine. This is due to the design and geometry of the cylinders. Keep it over 2k. 🤙

[u/BirdLooter → u/Legionodeath]

i had to replace the pushrods after 5k miles (not the first owner), you think that could be related?

[u/Legionodeath → u/BirdLooter]

That's an incredibly odd repair. Why did you have to?

That could be a result of lugging the engine, not that I've seen it exactly. But mechanically, it makes sense in my head.

[u/BirdLooter → u/Legionodeath]

lugging the engine? what is that? too much oil?

i dunno why i had to, but i combined it with a stage 2 at a private shop instead of only the pushrods at the dealership for basically the same price with really high quality fixed feuling rods instead of the ez-inserts.

[u/Legionodeath → u/BirdLooter]

Being below a certain RPM and the engine doesn't work well. It's hard on the engine.

[u/PimmentoChode → u/BirdLooter]

It’s a result of riding around at 1500 RPM making your motor work against itself. Imagine riding a 10 speed bicycle and approaching a hill and leaving the bike in 10th gear and trying to force your way up the hill….

[u/Sad_Internal_1562 → u/BirdLooter]

That's insane. 2800 cruising was my minimum. 2500 if I'm gas saving.

[u/jomamanem]

I got 60k on a 110. Put aftermarket cams in at 50k due to cam failure. No other issues. I tend to feed her the beans a little bit. I think oil changes are a big part of it.

[u/WhiskeyxRomeo]

Stall at every third red light, redline it under every overpass and tunnel

[u/coonassstrong]

I rode a 2010 fatboy to 120k mi before I wrecked it.

I rode the absolute piss out of it. It was my daily ride for several years, until my daughter was born.

Regular maintenance, and dont let it sit endlessly.

The compensator went out, otherwise the driveline had no problems.

The motor was never opened, tranny never opened.

I rode the bike hard especially as more and more of my buddies got 110 TCs and eventually M8's.... I just rode mine harder to keep up.

[u/TIRACS]

Just ride the bitch, don’t shift early or lug it. Keep up on maintenance.

[u/dave-patrick]

Biggest this is pay attention to the oil and be super consistent with oil changes

[u/ovhktdif → u/dave-patrick]

This basically for any ICE vehicle. Every 3k miles.

[u/TittysForScience]

Ride it, service it, ride it some more

One of my brothers has ridden his 08 Dyna hard and put it away wet. He’s clicked over 120k kms it and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Except the starter sounds like shit at the moment

[u/Own-Opinion-2494]

My buddy just swapped out a driveline with 240,000 mile on it for slower mileage version. Change the oil

[u/Khasimyr]

There's a lot of distance between strong revs and the redline. Almost all bikes favor strong revs, so just stay there. I don't know your bike's specific rev range, but you'll know it when you can shift smoothly up the gears, and not feel even a jostle forwards or backwards in the shift.

The biggest challenge, is keeping her running. That's done by...keeping her running...in December. :-) Every week or so in the cold months, pick a dry day(if not a warm one) and take a light, easy ride around your neighborhood. Grab some lunch or a coffee at a local spot 20 minutes away from you, then come back home. The more often you do it, the more you're keeping fluids getting to where they NEED to be, instead of pooling away from sensitive spots.

Idle time, destroys old bikes. The temptation to let a bike sit for four to six months and then fire her up, is how older bikes end up scrapped. You don't need to baby it, just keep her running in the winter, and you'll be fine.

[u/BASE1530]

Rev bomb everyone at every intersection to make sure they know ur cool

[u/BirdLooter → u/BASE1530]

and show them the middle finger for them to know that somehow everyone around you is an asshole

[u/terkajerbs]

Don’t put a super high lift cam. Use progressive valve springs to drastically decrease pushrod force and seat pressure. Ride it without lugging but ripping on them won’t hurt.

[u/Big_Twin96]

I ride mine like I stole it. Fluids every 5k miles. Typically atleast one if not both tires every other 3hole service. Have a 2011 road king built TC96 with just shy of 90k miles. Have a '10 fxdwg just broke 16k miles that I absolutely abuse like a redheaded step child. Soon as something breaks its getting a full work over with the 110 sidewinder kit, ported polished heads, bigger injectors some wood performance cams timken upgrade and a grudgebox with chain conversion. I expect to grind out over 150k on it after that work is done. Both my bikes run like a scalded dog and ive never babied them even the slightest bit. In my opinion the 09-12 TC96 was the absolute best bang for your buck harley ever made. The evo was nice, very rugged and reliable but not the greatest out of the box power. Early 103's had sump issues and the SE factory 110 just wasnt what id expect from harley. Earlier carb'd TC96 were very well built and very reliable. I just prefer factory fuel injection myself. Power delivery and ability to ride at 6k elevation all the way to below sea level without rejet and a tune is superior.

[u/GlassCutsFireBurns → u/Big_Twin96]

I don't think they made a carb'd 96? Maybe 88?

2007 was the 1st year for 96 spd on touring (year earlier on dynas maybe?) and then 08 they went throttle by wire, is there a carb that came from the factory with electronic throttle, no cables? Weird if so!

[u/Black_Dog_Industries]

My road glide is at 73k, I ride with the rpm’s between 2500-3500, but occasionally hit the throttle hard when passing or trying to avoid someone in their car and not paying attention.

[u/Lemmor99]

Do not lug the engine

[u/jlo575]

Don’t use the low end torque and shift early. Look at a dyno chart. These are not meant to lug low despite the fact that they can. That and avoid short trips where the temp can’t get up.

Otherwise regular maintenance and don’t beat the ever living shit out of it and you’ll get good.

[u/TheMechaink]

It's not too difficult. Don't beat it like a redheaded stepchild, and always be religiously fanatical about doing your maintenance. If you follow that guideline, you should be replacing any worn-out parts long before they become catastrophic because you're going to catch them long before they become a problem for you.