Issues After Dropping Dyna super glide
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 38
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
Issues After Dropping Dyna super glide
New rider & new harley owner here. Looking forward to being a part of these forums.
Got a used 2009 Dyna super glide recently and absolutely love riding it.
I made a low speed turn on a tricky intersection on top of a steep hill and dropped my bike at about 3 mph on its right side. Knocked my righthand mirror loose and my brake lever out of alignment. My ego took a major hit but I like to make a point of learning from my mistakes and Ill learn from this one.
I replaced the busted mirror easy enough, but I am having some issues with the following:
1) [rear] Brake lever is out of alignment, it keeps sliding left. Its vertical position is okay and the brakes still work. Its not readily clear what I can do to tighten it and keep it fixed where its supposed to stay. Is the procedure for adjusting the [rear] brake lever (vertically) the same procedure as is used to fix its horizontal positioning?
2) starting up motorcycle seems to make a much louder bang (or couple of bangs) noise than it used to. It shakes a bit then it settles down after a couple of seconds. However its hard to really tell what is normal since Ive only owned this bike for a couple of weeks.
3) Exhaust pipes seem to run hotter - Last riding attempt resulted in my right jeans leg actually catching on fire. Im trying to figure out if my jeans may have been flapping in the wind and come into contact with my pipes, but... catching on fire seems a little unusual to me.
Hate to do my first post with a set of "is this normal" questions but I figure someone's gotta start somewhere.
Got a used 2009 Dyna super glide recently and absolutely love riding it.
I made a low speed turn on a tricky intersection on top of a steep hill and dropped my bike at about 3 mph on its right side. Knocked my righthand mirror loose and my brake lever out of alignment. My ego took a major hit but I like to make a point of learning from my mistakes and Ill learn from this one.
I replaced the busted mirror easy enough, but I am having some issues with the following:
1) [rear] Brake lever is out of alignment, it keeps sliding left. Its vertical position is okay and the brakes still work. Its not readily clear what I can do to tighten it and keep it fixed where its supposed to stay. Is the procedure for adjusting the [rear] brake lever (vertically) the same procedure as is used to fix its horizontal positioning?
2) starting up motorcycle seems to make a much louder bang (or couple of bangs) noise than it used to. It shakes a bit then it settles down after a couple of seconds. However its hard to really tell what is normal since Ive only owned this bike for a couple of weeks.
3) Exhaust pipes seem to run hotter - Last riding attempt resulted in my right jeans leg actually catching on fire. Im trying to figure out if my jeans may have been flapping in the wind and come into contact with my pipes, but... catching on fire seems a little unusual to me.
Hate to do my first post with a set of "is this normal" questions but I figure someone's gotta start somewhere.
Last edited by orin; Oct 25, 2010 at 07:27 PM. Reason: added clarification re: rear brake lever
Supporter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 15,787
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From: along the shore of Mishigami
There are two "torx" screws that actually clamp the front brake/caliper housing to the handlebars. Just snug those down. The starter problem could be a battery below full charge capacity and could just use a full charge. Suggest a smart battery tender on a regular basis. Take the bike to the nearest dealer, explain to them the extra heat and maybe they could re-flash the ECM or diagnosis the ECM, yea sounds a bit warm.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 38
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From: Southern California
Thanks - glad to confirm pipes may be running warmer than what appears to be normally the case. Will definitely mention to the dealer when I get this checked - i just wanted to get a sense of normal levels of heat.
By the way i realized i neglected to mention that it was the rear brake lever that was sliding left off of its normal position, not the front brake lever. Ive edited the original post to clarify that. Sorry.
By the way i realized i neglected to mention that it was the rear brake lever that was sliding left off of its normal position, not the front brake lever. Ive edited the original post to clarify that. Sorry.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Enterprise, AL
I'm fairly sure the rear brake lever has some sort of "c" clip or retaining clip on the inside where it mounts/pivots on the right footpeg bracket. You may have popped this retaining clip off or bent some stuff up down there--the first being a relatively easy fix and the second maybe not so much.
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 46
Likes: 2
From: Lubbock, TX
Jeans catching on fire? .....Well, sir, they all do that 
No seriously man that is f'd up. It's possible that you knocked a sensor loose. ECM reflash is probably a good idea, but I'd look over your air cleaner very carefully and make sure you didn't whack whatever sensor is in there. Though if it's a sensor your "check engine" light should be on and the bike will run like total crap. I'm not much of a FI guy, but check everything...see if the bike pops up a trouble code...
No seriously man that is f'd up. It's possible that you knocked a sensor loose. ECM reflash is probably a good idea, but I'd look over your air cleaner very carefully and make sure you didn't whack whatever sensor is in there. Though if it's a sensor your "check engine" light should be on and the bike will run like total crap. I'm not much of a FI guy, but check everything...see if the bike pops up a trouble code...
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,447
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From: Danville Va, Providence NC
I know all about the jeans catching on fire. When you are doing about 70, the fire really appreciates all that wind. 
And if you have a 8 year old daughter on the back, they think the world is blowing up!
Lay down on a roller creeper, or get a towel or something to lay on. Really look at the bottom of the foot peg. A small bend will show up big at the end of the lever.
And if you have a 8 year old daughter on the back, they think the world is blowing up! Lay down on a roller creeper, or get a towel or something to lay on. Really look at the bottom of the foot peg. A small bend will show up big at the end of the lever.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 383
Likes: 4
From: Bel Air, MD
There is a clamp on the rear brake that could have broken off and probably did but that may not be the only issue. I had a similar problem with my super glide when I dropped my bike on the right side accidentally and the weight of the bike laid on the rear brake pedal and not only broke the clamp but also stretched out the hole at the bottom of the pedal so not even a new clamp would keep it from moving and I had to just replace the whole brake pedal. Be sure to have the dealer check that out. Good luck!
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,707
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From: Newtown, PA
Your pants caught fire? How did they come into contact with the exhaust pipes? Were you wearing 1970s bell bottom jeans? All exhaust pipes, including the heat shields, get hot as hell. The fact that your exhaust pipes are hot doesn't sound abnormal to me.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 602
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From: Durban South Africa
It sounds like you are running super lean, the fact that you backfire on start up tells me something is not right. When you laid her down did the bike rest on the air intake, if so you might have cracked something allowing it to suck more Air. take the filter cover off and see if you can see any cracks. Good luck and let us know what you find