Has anyone with a new HD done any engine work on their bike?

[artistic_gore]

I just watched "How it's made" and they showed the assembly of an HD V-twin, something around 1600CCs. All I have to say is no thank you. The crank is press fit together around a single piece con rod. Holy cow! You can kiss DIY rebuilds goodbye.

[Motorcycle Forum]

[DrBob]

All you need is the right tool. Ive done a half dozen Twin Cams, and never had a problem with it. Not as easay to work on as a shovelhead, but not exacly impossible like you suggest.

[omegajim]

familiar with the concept but not the details of "the crank is press fit together around a single piece of conrod."

I reckon the press fit together doesn't lend itself to rebuilding, but the single piece of conrod has me a bit stumped.

and I imagine it was done to make the mfg of said bike cheaper.

usually how it goes.

[DrBob]

Actually, it requires a much more precise assembly process, so it is probably more expensive to manufacture. But it has the benefit of making the con rods much lighter, and stronger, to handle higher compression ratios and higher RPM. Te reduced mass of the reciprocating assembly makes for less vibration, which in turn allows the engine to be more rigidly mounted, which in turn allows the primary drive to handle more power.
Solid con rods and multi-piece cranks (technically called built up crankshafts) are fairly common, though Harley did not use them until the Twin Cam motor.
They do make DIY rebuilds more difficult, in that you need ot have a special tool to separte them, and you have to be very precise when you put them back together, but if you can handle an engine rebuild then this little bit of extra is really nothgin to worry about.