My 2005 "Goodwood Green" America lasted 74,000 miles, then went into the "one thing or another" mode to the point I couldn't trust it anymore. I noticed first, around 35,000 miles a noticeable metal to metal sound when I hit the starter button. I'm like, "Oh crap, that don't sound good", but blew it off. I pulled the left side cover off to replace the Sprague clutch when the culprit was revealed. A crack along the topside of the starter gear spindle boss.
Wasn't aware of the repair kit that you can get from somewhere in Europe at the time, so me and my Georgia Tech buddy did some lathe work and made and insert to go into the cracked boss, then coated with JB Weld. As far as I know, the repair is still holding, but the metal to metal clunk is still there. Then the constant "roaring" from the rear wheel area turned out the be the o-ring chain being "kinked" in several areas. With the bike on a jack running and in gear, the chain was a constant blur of veritical movement. Tried everything to fix this, but even a new o-ring chain insisted on kinking and producing this noise. I asked if anyone else experienced this problem at a rally once, they all looked at me like I had 3 eyes! (I don't do rally's well, especially ones I bring my wife too and the folks get wasted drunk watching porn in the parking lot, then hitting on my wife)....
Anyway, the bike then developed a spit and sputter coming from both carburetors. Spent nearly $400 on every component in the ignition system, cleaned and rebuilt carbs twice or three times, took fuel samples, replaced perfectly good filters and hoses, shot wires, by-passed bad grounds on safety switches, verified output voltages and current, cleaned all fuses and fuse block, verified all grounding points, and it still left me on the side of the interstate.
Right now, the bike is at a very good friends house that knows a little more about the bike than I do, but as far as I know, no progress has been made. So for me, to do it again and buy the bike new, I probably would, as 74,000 miles on a very comfortable and powerful (enough for me) was worth it, but it's time to move onto bigger and brighter. Perhaps a new Thunderbird is in my future, it' in the top 2 anyway! (The '05 remains for sale, or may become a complete overhaul project)...If you get more than 75,000 miles from that machine, in my opinion your doing well
