Why do I do this to myself?
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,036
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From: Temecula, CA
Well, got my bike back. The chrome lowers look great and really make the front end look complete. They painted the heat shields and unless you look closely, you can't even tell they were damaged. Great jog there too. I won't stress about them too much until I can get them powder coated so that's good.
The bike did come back dirty, but I can live with that. The forks are going to need to be polished good as there are greasy fingerprints all over them. The only minor complaint I have is they damaged my new lighting.
Just before I sent it off to be worked on, I had installed a set of engine LEDs. Two strips under the tank, one behind the AC, on behind the horn cover, one under the seat, and two on the lower frame rails pointing at the ground. Well, took the bike out tonight and turned on the LEDs. On my way home I noticed that it seemed like one of the LED strips under the bike was out. So, at 1 in the morning (I'm **** about this stuff...would have kept me up all night had I not done this) I take off my seat and check all the connections under the seat. They're good. Wiggle them and nothing. So I get out a flashlight, lay down on the ground and start tracing the wire from the end of the LED strip. About 4 inches back I find it. The wire looks like it was crushed but I'm not sure if it got tangled in the kickstand and that cut it on the lift or the wire had just enough slack to get between the frame and the lift and that cut it. I know the lights worked when I dropped it off and I've only rode it from the shop home before I discovered it.
Well, I'll be sodering and heat shrinking it tomorrow before I wash it so water doesn't get up in there before I can fix it. Oh well, just happy to have my bike back.
The bike did come back dirty, but I can live with that. The forks are going to need to be polished good as there are greasy fingerprints all over them. The only minor complaint I have is they damaged my new lighting.
Just before I sent it off to be worked on, I had installed a set of engine LEDs. Two strips under the tank, one behind the AC, on behind the horn cover, one under the seat, and two on the lower frame rails pointing at the ground. Well, took the bike out tonight and turned on the LEDs. On my way home I noticed that it seemed like one of the LED strips under the bike was out. So, at 1 in the morning (I'm **** about this stuff...would have kept me up all night had I not done this) I take off my seat and check all the connections under the seat. They're good. Wiggle them and nothing. So I get out a flashlight, lay down on the ground and start tracing the wire from the end of the LED strip. About 4 inches back I find it. The wire looks like it was crushed but I'm not sure if it got tangled in the kickstand and that cut it on the lift or the wire had just enough slack to get between the frame and the lift and that cut it. I know the lights worked when I dropped it off and I've only rode it from the shop home before I discovered it.
Well, I'll be sodering and heat shrinking it tomorrow before I wash it so water doesn't get up in there before I can fix it. Oh well, just happy to have my bike back.
Thread Starter
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,036
Likes: 8
From: Temecula, CA
Oh...now I'm pissed. Just found some pretty good scratches in my upper tripple tree right next to the left side fork. Polished out a lot of them but there are two or three which are about 1-1.5" long and aren't polishing out. Not happy. They were not there when I brought the bike to them. NEVER again. Got the LEDs fixed at least.
I feel you man, but here's a different take on it. I had like no time and my buddy's shop was struggling (too much shop, not enough pay clients and too many long term Hot Rod builds) so I let him build my new rear for my '56 a few years ago. Well when he was putting it in he asked if I would like him to install my new rear brakes (upgrading from the 10.5" GM to 12.1 Wilwood) so I give him the go ahead. (Note to self I should have remembered his shop helper is a dumbazz and shouldn't be allowed around tools...seems my wife's idiot husband forgot that little tid bit!) Well we move fast forward and I will tell you, almost everytime I let someone else wrench on my stuff I end up fixing something they did. Saturday night I am on my way to meet up with a buddy and as I turn into the parking lot I hear a load clunk!
My mind is racing on what the hell that was...driveshaft? Note still under it's own power, something under the hood or worse in the engine trying to get out?? Nope, so I park, get out start looking around...Hmmm where the heck is my driver's rear caliper (BTW, car is slammed) so I bend down and see the caliper has rotated from where it should be at 3:00 to straight up Noon! I call AAA get it home and we head out to dinner. This morning I get up early and pull the wheel. Two bolts just hanging there, one bolt snapped and the caliper mount is twisted, brake line is snapped. The idiot didn't put any loctite on the threads! I drove it for 3 years and at some fairly high speed too. This happened at less than 5 MPH thank the Lord!
Note to self...Fix your own stuff and re-establish #1 rull...I work on my own stuff.
Bob
My mind is racing on what the hell that was...driveshaft? Note still under it's own power, something under the hood or worse in the engine trying to get out?? Nope, so I park, get out start looking around...Hmmm where the heck is my driver's rear caliper (BTW, car is slammed) so I bend down and see the caliper has rotated from where it should be at 3:00 to straight up Noon! I call AAA get it home and we head out to dinner. This morning I get up early and pull the wheel. Two bolts just hanging there, one bolt snapped and the caliper mount is twisted, brake line is snapped. The idiot didn't put any loctite on the threads! I drove it for 3 years and at some fairly high speed too. This happened at less than 5 MPH thank the Lord!
Note to self...Fix your own stuff and re-establish #1 rull...I work on my own stuff.
Bob
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Temecula, CA
Amen to that Hyper. I spent a good amount of time yesterday rewiring the LED strip. You could see where the wires had been crushed, not cut. Once soldiered and rewired I made sure those wires were in a place where they couldn't roll down and get pinched again.
Worked on the Tripple Tree with some Mother's aluminum polish and minimized the scratches so they won't bug the crap out of me as much...just whenever I wash the bike, I know.
Also took the time to hook up my wideband O2s to the autotune module. Going to ride it a bit and see how the tune is (found out Harley didn't hook up the front O2 when the pipes went on. Only reason they put them on was because when I took my old pipes off I found two broken bracket mount bolts and the bike was still under warranty. Figured after they got the bolts out they could put on my new exhaust rather than the old one). The tune seemed good when I rode it...still no poping...but didn't put a lot of miles on it so tomorrow, when I can finaly ride into work again (THANK GOD!) we'll see how she does. If she seems off, I can throw on my PowerVision and get a real good tune on it now.
Worked on the Tripple Tree with some Mother's aluminum polish and minimized the scratches so they won't bug the crap out of me as much...just whenever I wash the bike, I know.
Also took the time to hook up my wideband O2s to the autotune module. Going to ride it a bit and see how the tune is (found out Harley didn't hook up the front O2 when the pipes went on. Only reason they put them on was because when I took my old pipes off I found two broken bracket mount bolts and the bike was still under warranty. Figured after they got the bolts out they could put on my new exhaust rather than the old one). The tune seemed good when I rode it...still no poping...but didn't put a lot of miles on it so tomorrow, when I can finaly ride into work again (THANK GOD!) we'll see how she does. If she seems off, I can throw on my PowerVision and get a real good tune on it now.
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