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Yeah, it's kind of weird. Harley parts are both better and worse than their counterparts. If you're coming from Japanese bikes, especially the cruisers, they look great until you realize 90% of the shiny parts are just chrome plated plastic vs. Harleys which are polished aluminum, stainless, and chrome plated steel. You can certainly replace screws and bolts with stainless in the non-structural parts (e.g., engine covers). Dunno, guess we take the good with the bad, and folks modify, paint, powdercoat and customize just about everything on our bikes anyway.
At least you found out that a 18+ Softail is a huge step up over any Sportster, and my '19 Low Rider is the best Harley I've ever had.
Dont get me wrong, the Sportster is a great bike, especially for a first time rider and for cruising around town but the Low Rider is just simply a totally different ride. I just need to replace some parts to make it even more mine!
The QC of many parts is hard for HD as bits come in from all over right and these parts are built/made down to a price not up. Yo it's not just Harley either it's every manufacturer, sometimes batches get through that aren't quite there .A busy station worker can miss it and the QC guy/gal might only look at every fourth or fifth bike.The station worker has to stop the line if it's not right but if he stops the line and it just needs a buff the guy might get his *** chewed right.He can put a mark or tag on it but the QC guy can still miss it. Harley has made some changes and the QC of bits and pieces isn't quite where it was years ago but the bikes are better everywhere else by a big margin so swings and roundabouts.Fastener bolts now are a case in point they look old/tarnished fast.The paint and major parts are usually good but it's the bits that sometimes aren't there but mostly that's contractor stuff not HD but yes it is on HD in the long run..
I would take that back and get them to look at it if it won't buff down and look good but don't get it nearly there and take it in.Take a picture and then work on it so you can show how it was.You'll get a result.
Someone may argue they've been the the factory and bla bla bla but the guys and gals in the factory are human not machines and humans make mistakes.
"The QC of many parts is hard for HD as bits come in from all over right and these parts are built/made down to a price not up" ... So what you're saying is the ubiquitous excuse " it's not my ( HD's ) fault" ... There's an easy way to fix that and Quality Control is part of parts procurement ... The longer that the global economy ( cheapest price ) prevails the further we sink
I've been riding for about 18 years and have had a lot of different bikes ranging from sport bikes to Harleys. That being said, I moved to the beach here in Florida in March with a Yamaha MT-09 and traded for a brand new Sportster Forty-Eight in like April. I foolishly bought chrome aftermarket pipes for it which started to get very tiny black spots maybe a month in, as well as ANY bolt that had been just slightly marred from using started to oxidize, bar clamp where I put my Ram mount for instance. I had got caught in the rain plenty here, but that was never a problem for rust when I lived in Louisville, KY. The biggest thing I've learned about having a bike in FL is that you HAVE to clean it more often than most other regions are this seems to happen. Also, like you I traded up in early June, but for a Street Bob. LOVE the 6th gear, better ride and handling. No issues so far with oxidation, and most of my parts are black because I didn't want the upkeep of shiny.
No issues so far with oxidation, and most of my parts are black because I didn't want the upkeep of shiny ... Wait 'til you start keeping up with the Black :<(
I've been riding for about 18 years and have had a lot of different bikes ranging from sport bikes to Harleys. That being said, I moved to the beach here in Florida in March with a Yamaha MT-09 and traded for a brand new Sportster Forty-Eight in like April. I foolishly bought chrome aftermarket pipes for it which started to get very tiny black spots maybe a month in, as well as ANY bolt that had been just slightly marred from using started to oxidize, bar clamp where I put my Ram mount for instance. I had got caught in the rain plenty here, but that was never a problem for rust when I lived in Louisville, KY. The biggest thing I've learned about having a bike in FL is that you HAVE to clean it more often than most other regions are this seems to happen. Also, like you I traded up in early June, but for a Street Bob. LOVE the 6th gear, better ride and handling. No issues so far with oxidation, and most of my parts are black because I didn't want the upkeep of shiny.
I live in Orlando about 70 miles from Titusville so I dont know how that much distance from the ocean affects things but I guess Ill find out soon enough.
... Wait 'til you start keeping up with the Black :<(
Hmm. When I had the FLSTN with all the chrome and wide whitewalls, I was washing and detailing that bike all the time. I've owned the '19 Heritage (black trim) for a over a year and almost 9,000 miles and I've washed it exactly twice. The nice thing about the black is I don't have to "keep up with it."
I recently bought my very first Harley, a 2018 LR, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the quality and features of the bike so far. Sure, some frame welds could be a little cleaner, but I'm quite happy with all the painted, chromed, and polished bits.
Originally Posted by Uncle Larry
The longer that the global economy ( cheapest price ) prevails the further we sink
I recently bought my very first Harley, a 2018 LR, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the quality and features of the bike so far. Sure, some frame welds could be a little cleaner, but I'm quite happy with all the painted, chromed, and polished bits.
I recently bought my very first Harley, a 2018 LR, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the quality and features of the bike so far. Sure, some frame welds could be a little cleaner, but I'm quite happy with all the painted, chromed, and polished bits.
Blame the consumer, no?
Like I said they do get it right on 99.9% of bikes built , there's the odd one come through like the OP mentioned.
Im new to Harleys and was curious about quality control. The first bike I bought was a 20 Iron 883 and after a couple of weeks, I noticed the rear view mirror nuts were starting to rust. I ended up trading it about three weeks later for a 20 Low Rider for a more comfortable highway ride, a little longer range and the six-speed gearbox. Since I bought it, I noticed the triple clamps have scratches and seem to be oxidizing a bit. One of the things I love about this bike is all the bright work. The polished cast items seem so dull compared to the chrome. In addition, the handlebar chrome has a hint of copper color compared to the pipes and rocker covers. It almost seems like its tarnishing. Is this normal Harley quality?
I have objections only about some non-metal parts. Otherwise, my Sportster 1200 Superlow is very good.
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