Evolution problem?

I was at a Harley Davidson dealer today just looking at different bikes.
The sales person said not to look at one older then mid 99, because the evolution series engine wouldn't last much past 35,000 miles.
He claimed there was a problem in the lower end of the engine that caused it to blow apart around or before 35,000 miles.
Has anyone else heard of this?
I was always of the belief that if i took care of my 95 that i would get 50,0000-80,000 miles out of it.
I started a thread on here a while back about the life of an evolution and from the few responses i was feeling pretty good until today.
Maybe i should start a poll about this and see what everyone thinks?

I think if you keep the bike in stock or a mild state of tune..not too much compression and look after it it should last a long time..I've seen a bunch of high milage EVOs out there and if the motor is getting iffy you can take advantage of Harley's rebuild program. I've heard of some cases cracking around the lifter blocks in the late eighties and early nineties..some base gasket issues ; cam bearings problems in later EVos...they switched bearings. but all in all my opinion is that they're pretty stout in general..the key is letting them warm up properly and maintain them.

I've read that the bugs were completely worked out of the Evo motors by 1992-93 model years. The cases they had problems with were recast with a better alloy and didn't fail anymore. Fuel injection was a new thing and didn't work so well back then...but I've read post from other members who have done just routine maintenance and have 80-100,000 miles on their Evo's. Another guy I read from, had done two top end jobs and had 240,000 miles on a 1993 Evo powered heritage.

I'd say your dealer was filling you full of sh*t to get you to buy a newer and more expensive model.

1991 Sportster Evo

I sold my 1991 carbureted 880 Evo in 2001 with 32,000 miles on it. It was bone stock. The motor had some minor weeping around the clutch inspecton port and a little discoloration around the base gaskets. It used around one pint of oil between 3,000 mile changes. Over its lifetime the bike had the usual minor electrical hiccups, however the motor ran pretty much flawlessly. The new owner tore it down and put a 1200 kit on it. The heads and cylinder bores were still eminently serviceable. The rebuild shop mech stated the stock motor would have been good for at least another 25-30,000 miles. The tranny was in solid condition and in fact needed no mods for the upgrade. As I recall, HD used the same tranny for 880s and 1200s so no great surprise there. I hesitate to say your HD sales person is full of crap, however I have not heard of any epidemic of grenading EVOs. It was actually a pretty darn good motor for its time.

So, did your rear end start weeping after that load was stuffed? Let's compare known issues between EVO's and Twinkies.

EVO:
1. INA bearing used for inner cam bearing in order to save .50¢ per unit. This actually began with the Shovels.
2. Base gasket leaks which were quite easily fixed permanently. https://www.directparts.com/static/articles/harleyoilfix.html
3. Case porosity problems where engine oil can weep into the primary.
4. Case cracking problems where the tappet block area cracked.
5. Starting in the 1993 model year when the head breathers were introduced, some consider the weeping a "problem".

TC88:

1. Outer cam bearings failing due to engineers using incorrect bearing.
2. Inner cam bearings are still INA so guess what fails?
3. Oil blowing out breather was supposed to be a problem with oil pump alignment. (right ) Hey, H-D get a clue will ya! IT IS YOUR BREATHER DESIGN! Just as on the 93 up EVO where we invented the cure for the breathers.
4. Oil pump wear issues requiring premature pump replacement.
5. Chain tensioners wear at an alarming rate including some breakage with engine failure. H-D has an unofficial inspection every 35k now.
6. Metal shavings and debris routinely gets caught under the seat of the oil pressure relief valve.

EVO production run was from 1984 to 1999 or 15+ years.
TC88 production run 1999 - 2006 + so 7 years.
The TC88 cam chest has problems in every component except the cams. There are a lot of owners with nothing but the H-D pinion shaft in the chest.

I put our old test mule FXR through many runs on the Dyno, many trips, many mods and she kept ticking away. I actually have experienced more problems with the TC88 than the EVO's I have owned...and that is a "few".

The TC88 is a good design but so was the EVO. The TC88 is going to have a long run just as the EVO enjoyed. Either will get you there if you take care of them.

Auto and M/C salesman are basically trained to steer you into what they want to sell. They will tell you whatever story they can concoct in order to convince you to step up to the new models. One of my retail guys was a new and used car salesman for eight plus years. The stories he tells will make you shake your head in wonder. Do you think the H-D shop is any different?

When you want to talk older models, find a good indy shop with a rep for talking straight. They have no vested interest in selling you a new ride so most likely will tell you the truth.

Thanks! everyone, I'am feeling a lot better already.

This is my first Harley. I bought it in September. A 1995 Dyna Wide Glide with 8700 miles on it. It looks like it just rolled off the show room floor.

I was looking forward to having it around for a long time and from what you guys have told me i can relax and enjoy it now.

Now I'm confused, as this is my first Harley. I thought the Sportster 883 (in my case an '01) was still and EVO but looks like it's a TC88? By the laundry list of problems for the TC88 I'll be riding a ticking time bomb just by poor design. Are these regarded as "disposable" engines? This is not good news.
Any mods to change these inherent bad designs?

When I was looking for a Harley, I was told to steer clear due to the unreliability of the bikes, but I figured after all of the years of production, they HAD to be o.k. I didn't want a Honda, Suzuki etc, they don't carry the same mystique as a Harley, but maybe that comes at a price.

your sportster is an EVO. It is a different setup than a Big Twin. They're still using your motor in new Sportsters. I think it's been around since '86? They're using it in Buells and getting some serious horsepower out of them. I had an 883 a bunch of years ago and rode it hard. The only issues I had were vibration related.

To me, it would depend on the person (how he rides), where he rides and the preventive maintenance of the cycle. Anyone can trash a bike. EVO’s are well known to rack the miles, 100K- plus. I know a guy that had well over 200K on his bike before he rebuilt it, (an 88 or 89 heritage, it was still running OK ) but, he was a pretty mellow rider. The motor was completely stock never had the heads off or anything.

Ctd, those Sportsters are pretty bullet proof and can take a lot of abuse.

My .02

It's good to hear the Sportsters are tough, it makes me feel better. I don't plan any HP upgrades as the bike suits me fine in stock condition. I'm a fanatic about maintenance, it's a lot cheaper to do maintenance than it is to pay for large dollar repairs.

Thanks

In support to Killer-B's statement, I've been riding an Evo for around 10 years now, and it beats the crap out of the shovel I used to have. Bottom line, take care of it and it'll take care of you.

I'm into maintenance and leaving things stock, so it's good to hear the bike will go the distance. So far I've been really pleased with it. Thanks for the reply.

I have a 1994 FLSTN with 74,000+ miles on with very minimal repair and still running like the day she was born.

Some problems....

Friend on mine works at a Harley dealer tells me lifters go bad about 20-30000 miles. Says the bearings on the rollers will not last. All I know is that i have 44000 on my 97 evo and still runs strong...Would like to get 100000 on it before any rebuilds....

Makes you wonder about the frequency of oil changes/filters with the rollers going bad. Possible engineering, but with mileages that are being reported, it would more likely seem to be a frequency of maintenance issue. I'm just glad to see the mileage that is accumulating without problems. I had a chance to talk with the service manager at our local HD dealer and asked about the life of the EVO engine. He said with regular service, 100,000miles is reasonable. He had one customer who had 150,000 before the first rebuild, and now has over 250,000 on the bike. Not bad.