One thing that has driven me nuts from the first day I rode my brand new fat bob away from the dealer is that when riding and looking down at the speedometer in relation to the steering head, it appears that the fuel tank is very noticeably off center to the right of the bike's front end. It is possible that the tank is also slightly rotated to the right as well.

Now I suppose it's not something I should be concerned about, as the tank seems perfectly securely mounted, but I'm one of those people that likes symmetry in the handlebars/forks and once I notice something looks crooked, I fixate on it when I'm riding and it bothers me. This also isn't the first time I've noticed this same misalignment on a Harley, but it's the first time I've seen it on a brand new bike that I KNOW has no damage.

Anyone else noticed anything out of alignment on a factory new bike? I also noticed that all of the turn signals, both front and rear, seemed like no one even tried to aim them properly. The headlight was also aimed too high and slightly to the left until I readjusted it. Is this stuff just normal on H-Ds? I would kinda expect any brand new vehicle to be put together straight. Should I just stop being so ****?

 

Have you thought about checking out another one on the showroom floor to see if its the same way if not I would say something to them about it

 

I have thought of that and I will do so the next time I'm at a dealer. Just thought I'd see if anyone else had noticed the same thing.

 

I noticed my rear tire not centered in the fender a few days after bringing the bike home. Thought it was a spacer screw up or something. The HD mech said that the rear tire not being centered is common - hard to believe HD would accept this flaw. Anyway I had the fender off a couple of weeks ago and could see that the rear tire was tilted to the left which would give you the illusion with the fender on that the tire was not centered. Next week I am going to adjust the top engine stabilizer as per the Vehical Alignment procedure and hopefully all will be good.

A long reply, but I guess I am just saying that all is not right on brand new Harleys.

 

That's NOT normal! That would drive me crazy too! Is it the tank or the console? The console itself does have some adjustment via the two bolts on the top/front of it. That may be what is out of whack! Just loosen the two allen head bolts and the console and rubber gasket will shift slightly. Good luck!

 

Well that's comforting. Going to check my rear tire now.