delete delete

 

Got any "obsolete" 6 speeds?

 

I guess H-D has to have limited storage facilities and has to prioritise stocks of uptodate models. But I was surprised to find TC parts already obsoleted.

I wonder if their old stock was auctioned off, it went to tender or if Vintage Parts were the only operation in town.

I cannot find any news or trade articles about it.

What's H-D's policy in this area? Is it age related?

I thought California made them have to supply parts for 25 years or something.

 

The answer is very simple. All businesses must pay taxes on inventory on a yearly basis.

 

and insurance!

 

The information I stated above not only holds true for the manufacturer but also for the individual dealer. Hope this helps.

 

Funnily enough, I used to work as a parts and warranty manager back in Carter-Parrat pre-computer days so, yes, I understand the principles of stock control.

I had a shock, may be 15 years ago when I went to work in a dealership & discovered they plain didn't keep stock & only ordered to order. Every one had to wait. I guess that was more a reflection on bikes being low mileage toys rather than essential transport.

Today I went into a 70+ year old H-D dealership for a few bushings for an Evo, e.g. camshaft etc, and was referred to dealers in another *COUNTRY* as being the only actual stock holders. They are obsolete now.

I think I am just traumatised into understanding I ride an antique now and it's time to start stockpiling consumable parts like some apocalyptic survivalist.

It seems there's also a push to sell people "economically viable" complete units, e.g a complete nacelle kit or in this case a complete nosecone, rather than single parts.

It's not a culture I recognise. I'm becoming the 'disorientated old guy' counting his pennies at the front of the queue wondering when the world overtook him ...

Yes, I wouldn't have expected H-D to have rolled all their old stock out into the lot on a Sunday morning but I might have expected it to have been auctioned off like Army surplus.

Anyone else have nightmares at what might have gone straight into recycling?

 

Bearings like the camshaft roller race are universal. Just because dealers no longer stock them under H-D's part number doesn't mean they cannot be purchased from a general bearing supplier! All that is needed is the brand and the number etched on a known genuine bearing (which is NOT an H-D part number, but an industry one) and hey presto!

 

Thanks, but these are the bushes, not the bearings. There are a number of aftermarket ones but then you run into sizing problems. My chromer stuck the nose cone in the wrong type of vat and part-dissolved them. It's a massive hassle that might, or at least should, lead to the crank cases being split to size them properly.

It's the sort of thing which if one had a lathe could be knocked up to fit better ... however, I don't and it's impossible to find one near me these days.

Johnz was saying the H-D ones have the best chance of just fitting ... however, he was wrong about de-choming not effecting them. Make a mental note folks ... reverse electrolysis may not effect bushes or even seals but if they use an acid bath it will eat straight through them. I don't know but I am guessing it is the hydrochloric acid attacking the zinc content very rapidly.

As an aside ... here's a link to good article about another obsolete service, H-Ds Evo remanufacturing process ... REMANUFACTURING EVOLUTIONS BY HARLEY-DAVIDSON. Now done, I think you said, by S&S.

What really inspires me about it is seeing two women working on the line. Where can I find a women like that? Imagine ... a women who can strip and rebuild your engine, cook your dinner *AND* ... Hell, for that I'd even cook *her* dinner.

You know a lot of men pay good money to be humiliated by a professional woman ... and, no, I am not talking about divorce. I'd love to have a women who could humiliate me with her technical skills for a change.

 

DR, sorry about the mix up old chap, but you may have answered your question about availability - contact S&S for bushings! They offer standard crank case sets for all post-War engines, so must also make suitable bushings.

As for women working on engines, it was said back in the 1970s that Ducati employed exclusively women on their engine build line, because they were more patient than the men, who were inclined to force parts together if they didn't fit on the first attempt! So there is a long established precedent, although I don't know if they are still used today.