Denim paint problems?
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,889
Likes: 104
From: Mississippi
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,278
Likes: 2
From: Mission,BC.Canada
Newer bikes use DOT5 fluid, it is silicone based and doesn't affect paint. Is the clear coat pealing from the color or is all the paint pealing rite off the metal? Take pictures and send them to Harley's customer complaint dept. Can you post pictures hear for us to see?
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,889
Likes: 104
From: Mississippi
Heelz listed his bike as a 2009 FLHX...The big twins have been using dot 4 fluid since 2006...The xl models went to dot 4 in 2007...dot 4 will ruin a paint job.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 120
Likes: 0
Geezer is right about the newer Harleys using Dot 4. I don't think the denim paint jobs have a clear coat. A clear coat would add gloss to the paint job eliminating the flat denim look
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,235
Likes: 65
From: Joliet, Illinois
Denim paint jobs have a flat clear coat.
What exactly is peeling? Is the basecoat peeling leaving the primer, or is all the paint coming off leaving bare metal? I would think the swingarm is powdercoated, but I could be wrong. Either way, the swingarm is different from the tins. With both peeling, I would suspect environmental factors.
If it's peeling down to bare metal, that would most likely indicate some issue with a contaminant on the metal, poor prep, maybe a faulty batch of primer (rare)...
Is it just peeling in certain areas? Can you peel it off in other areas? Don't worry about screwing it up - it needs to be entirely stripped, prepped and repainted anyway. I've seen peelers where you can blow ALL the paint and primer off with an air hose (mostly on bumper covers though). What about chipping - in the areas where it is not peeling, can you chip it and get it to crack and start peeling?
The bottom line is it's not something HD or anyone else can troubleshoot without actually looking at it. To really determine the cause, they'd then need to send a chip of the paint to the paint manufacturer. Their lab will analyze the sample to determine the exact cause (down to identifying the presence of brake fluid or any other possible issues).
Certainly it's on HD to look at it and make a valid determination as to the cause. If they refuse to do so, contact a lawyer. It would probably be enough for a lawyer to send a letter to the dealer. That would likely be sufficient to convince them to look at it and figure out the problem.
Even if it ends up back on you for some environmental cause - brake fluid, something in your garage... at least you know what to do to prevent it from happening again.
As for the dealer saying you hit it... that isn't sufficient reason for paint to peel. A properly prepped and applied paint job should maintain adhesion much better than that. Look at wrecked cars - you can see body panels all mangled, wrinkled and dented and the paint maintains adhesion in everything but the most severe instances.
What exactly is peeling? Is the basecoat peeling leaving the primer, or is all the paint coming off leaving bare metal? I would think the swingarm is powdercoated, but I could be wrong. Either way, the swingarm is different from the tins. With both peeling, I would suspect environmental factors.
If it's peeling down to bare metal, that would most likely indicate some issue with a contaminant on the metal, poor prep, maybe a faulty batch of primer (rare)...
Is it just peeling in certain areas? Can you peel it off in other areas? Don't worry about screwing it up - it needs to be entirely stripped, prepped and repainted anyway. I've seen peelers where you can blow ALL the paint and primer off with an air hose (mostly on bumper covers though). What about chipping - in the areas where it is not peeling, can you chip it and get it to crack and start peeling?
The bottom line is it's not something HD or anyone else can troubleshoot without actually looking at it. To really determine the cause, they'd then need to send a chip of the paint to the paint manufacturer. Their lab will analyze the sample to determine the exact cause (down to identifying the presence of brake fluid or any other possible issues).
Certainly it's on HD to look at it and make a valid determination as to the cause. If they refuse to do so, contact a lawyer. It would probably be enough for a lawyer to send a letter to the dealer. That would likely be sufficient to convince them to look at it and figure out the problem.
Even if it ends up back on you for some environmental cause - brake fluid, something in your garage... at least you know what to do to prevent it from happening again.
As for the dealer saying you hit it... that isn't sufficient reason for paint to peel. A properly prepped and applied paint job should maintain adhesion much better than that. Look at wrecked cars - you can see body panels all mangled, wrinkled and dented and the paint maintains adhesion in everything but the most severe instances.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 374
Likes: 2
From: central WI
Denim paint jobs have a flat clear coat.
What exactly is peeling? Is the basecoat peeling leaving the primer, or is all the paint coming off leaving bare metal? I would think the swingarm is powdercoated, but I could be wrong. Either way, the swingarm is different from the tins. With both peeling, I would suspect environmental factors.
If it's peeling down to bare metal, that would most likely indicate some issue with a contaminant on the metal, poor prep, maybe a faulty batch of primer (rare)...
Is it just peeling in certain areas? Can you peel it off in other areas? Don't worry about screwing it up - it needs to be entirely stripped, prepped and repainted anyway. I've seen peelers where you can blow ALL the paint and primer off with an air hose (mostly on bumper covers though). What about chipping - in the areas where it is not peeling, can you chip it and get it to crack and start peeling?
The bottom line is it's not something HD or anyone else can troubleshoot without actually looking at it. To really determine the cause, they'd then need to send a chip of the paint to the paint manufacturer. Their lab will analyze the sample to determine the exact cause (down to identifying the presence of brake fluid or any other possible issues).
Certainly it's on HD to look at it and make a valid determination as to the cause. If they refuse to do so, contact a lawyer. It would probably be enough for a lawyer to send a letter to the dealer. That would likely be sufficient to convince them to look at it and figure out the problem.
Even if it ends up back on you for some environmental cause - brake fluid, something in your garage... at least you know what to do to prevent it from happening again.
As for the dealer saying you hit it... that isn't sufficient reason for paint to peel. A properly prepped and applied paint job should maintain adhesion much better than that. Look at wrecked cars - you can see body panels all mangled, wrinkled and dented and the paint maintains adhesion in everything but the most severe instances.
What exactly is peeling? Is the basecoat peeling leaving the primer, or is all the paint coming off leaving bare metal? I would think the swingarm is powdercoated, but I could be wrong. Either way, the swingarm is different from the tins. With both peeling, I would suspect environmental factors.
If it's peeling down to bare metal, that would most likely indicate some issue with a contaminant on the metal, poor prep, maybe a faulty batch of primer (rare)...
Is it just peeling in certain areas? Can you peel it off in other areas? Don't worry about screwing it up - it needs to be entirely stripped, prepped and repainted anyway. I've seen peelers where you can blow ALL the paint and primer off with an air hose (mostly on bumper covers though). What about chipping - in the areas where it is not peeling, can you chip it and get it to crack and start peeling?
The bottom line is it's not something HD or anyone else can troubleshoot without actually looking at it. To really determine the cause, they'd then need to send a chip of the paint to the paint manufacturer. Their lab will analyze the sample to determine the exact cause (down to identifying the presence of brake fluid or any other possible issues).
Certainly it's on HD to look at it and make a valid determination as to the cause. If they refuse to do so, contact a lawyer. It would probably be enough for a lawyer to send a letter to the dealer. That would likely be sufficient to convince them to look at it and figure out the problem.
Even if it ends up back on you for some environmental cause - brake fluid, something in your garage... at least you know what to do to prevent it from happening again.
As for the dealer saying you hit it... that isn't sufficient reason for paint to peel. A properly prepped and applied paint job should maintain adhesion much better than that. Look at wrecked cars - you can see body panels all mangled, wrinkled and dented and the paint maintains adhesion in everything but the most severe instances.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,235
Likes: 65
From: Joliet, Illinois
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