Legal Case Inquiry
#1
04-27-2016, 02:33 PM
Legal Case Inquiry
Gentlemen and Ladies:
I am a lawyer in Connecticut. I have a case involving a 1993 HD Electra Glide FLHS. My client brought this specific model to his usual mechanic for routine maintenance (my client is 75 years old and does not do his own repair work -- however routine). He asked the mechanic to replace the front tire, and, while he was at it, to remove the decorative chrome caliper covers and rotor covers which had been on the bike's front wheel when he purchased it in 2002. The work was performed. On the day my client picked up the bike, after having traveled about 10 miles from the shop, he was badly injured when the front fender "fell" or "dipped" into the new front tire, causing the bike to stop abruptly and pitching my client to the street. The obvious circumstances point to the mechanic as creating the problem. However, the mechanic has now denied under oath that he touched the fender and/or the fender bolts and says he could remove the front tire and the rotor covers and caliper covers without removing the fender bolts. The bike was a total loss and was not inspected or examined before it was sold for salvage. However, I do have in my possession the actual chrome covers which were removed before the accident. To my admittedly amateur, non-mechanical eye, it looks to me like the rotor covers would have to attach, at least in part, to the front fender bolts on either side of the front fork. My theory is that the mechanic took the front bolts out (two of the four fender bolts) to remove the rotor covers and forgot to replace them or replaced them but forgot to tighten them. The fender was thus supported by only the rear bolts on either side and "pivoted" down into the wheel from road vibration, causing the accident.
Can anyone tell me how the rotor covers attach to the frame of a 1993 Electra Glide FLHS and whether the fender bolts are involved at all? Am I wrong? I have seen service bulletins or instructions for other HD models of the same vintage which say the fender bolts are involved when rotor covers are installed or removed, but the mechanic says the FLHS was not configured in the same way. I would appreciate your help.
I am a lawyer in Connecticut. I have a case involving a 1993 HD Electra Glide FLHS. My client brought this specific model to his usual mechanic for routine maintenance (my client is 75 years old and does not do his own repair work -- however routine). He asked the mechanic to replace the front tire, and, while he was at it, to remove the decorative chrome caliper covers and rotor covers which had been on the bike's front wheel when he purchased it in 2002. The work was performed. On the day my client picked up the bike, after having traveled about 10 miles from the shop, he was badly injured when the front fender "fell" or "dipped" into the new front tire, causing the bike to stop abruptly and pitching my client to the street. The obvious circumstances point to the mechanic as creating the problem. However, the mechanic has now denied under oath that he touched the fender and/or the fender bolts and says he could remove the front tire and the rotor covers and caliper covers without removing the fender bolts. The bike was a total loss and was not inspected or examined before it was sold for salvage. However, I do have in my possession the actual chrome covers which were removed before the accident. To my admittedly amateur, non-mechanical eye, it looks to me like the rotor covers would have to attach, at least in part, to the front fender bolts on either side of the front fork. My theory is that the mechanic took the front bolts out (two of the four fender bolts) to remove the rotor covers and forgot to replace them or replaced them but forgot to tighten them. The fender was thus supported by only the rear bolts on either side and "pivoted" down into the wheel from road vibration, causing the accident.
Can anyone tell me how the rotor covers attach to the frame of a 1993 Electra Glide FLHS and whether the fender bolts are involved at all? Am I wrong? I have seen service bulletins or instructions for other HD models of the same vintage which say the fender bolts are involved when rotor covers are installed or removed, but the mechanic says the FLHS was not configured in the same way. I would appreciate your help.
#2
04-27-2016, 02:42 PM
I think you #1 need to hire an expert, not try to get opinion on here, since most of us can't even agree on which oil to use. Also from what you describe I would tend to blame some blame on the rider based on tire rotation and how I believe the fender is mounted but without pictures I really can't answer that.
I would assume you can still buy a service manual which describes how it's all mounted
I would assume you can still buy a service manual which describes how it's all mounted
Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; 07-30-2018 at 09:39 PM. Reason: Multiple posts
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04-27-2016, 02:50 PM
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