March 6, 2011 11:47 PM PST
I'm not factory trained but I do find the service manuals are very helpful as a book to remind me of a certain sequence or a torque spec etc. I purchased my service manual last week and it was helpful when I was doing my 20k service. I think each of us knows his mechanical ability and I also don't think buying a book is a substitution for factory training but it sure did make some of the questions I had about my streetglide more clear and i feel it was well worth the 60 dollars I spent on it. I spent about 120 dollars on everything I needed for the 20k service and the dealership wanted 750 for the 20K service so the book has allready paid for itself I believe.
Just make sure when you're doing the torque sequences that you have all the up to date service bulletins... hopefully the new manuals are finally going to reveal the correct torquing technic on the heads. There are more than a stack of service bulletins as I have a whole folder full, anybody need any info please contact me and I'll be glad to send out the info if I can help. :-)
P.S.
I agree that HD is a rip off when it comes to service quotes, they don't pay their techs or mechs anything and they scoop up about 80% of that money and put it in their pockets to pay for their big ugly mall-like stores. I encourage anyone who can work on their own to do so, and if I know you I'm more than happy to share my skills and experience.