My bike is still under manufacture warranty until June. I don’t take my bike to the dealer, but I use a friend who works at the dealership. He’s not too expensive but I know if I did it myself, I could save a lot of money. And he can only work on the bike Sunday and Monday. If it takes more that 2 days I have to wait until next Sunday and Monday.

Well during my 10K service that he did, he told me my front motor mounts were gone. I just dropped the bike off and they told me, 5 days before they can even look at it. Plus if they don’t have the parts in stock they would have to order them and so on and so on.

Well this was my 1st and last trip to the service department. I have to left thumbs and no wrenching experience, but I have a college degree and can read on the 5th grade level.

I truly believe with the help of this forum and the service manual, I can get it done. I’m jumping in with both feet and my 1st project will be the handlebars.

Wish me luck.

 

Not too bad working on bikes.

...just gotta watch out for those canutor valves. They are quite tricky.

 

knock yourself out!! its like putting lincon logs together. Or legos, whatever ya'll havein TX You'll do fine, just put it together the opposite way it came apart

 

I feel your pain,I'm in the same boat. It's a major hassle waiting on the dealer to dosomething and then praying they don't scratch up yourbike while they have it. I'm slowly building up my mechanical skills to work on the bike. Check out the Fix My Hog DVD. It's got some good stuff on it.

 

Before you jump in, you might find your bike is included in the free replacement of defective motor mounts, not sure what years besides 06 but there`were other years included. Free parts and labor would be worth a few days wait.

 

I'm not paying for the motor mounts. I'm still in the 2yr factory. It ends this June.

 

If you have decent riding weather, and the service department is worth anything at all...they should let you 'pencil-in' an appointment and drop the bike when they are ready for it.

No need to let the bike sit in their shop for 5 days when you could be riding around & leave it when they are ready.

As far as theavailablity parts...I would bet that there is a dealership somewhere close that has them - then they just transfer them from dealer to dealer.

 

Today is 3/28 and they still haven't touched my bike......

 

I would just do it myself. If you have a manual and common sense and this forum, you can go a lot. I am no wrench, butI just changed my cam chain tensioners and cam bearings myself. I spent a lot for the tools (Georges) but I did it myself and when the bike fired up at the end I was proud of myself. It took me several times longer than an experienced mechanic but now I have held my cams in my hands and I am intimate with the pushrods (SE ADJ) and lifters (AMS). I now think more about all that stuff whirling inside the engine when I run hard through the gears. But I have now put on about 400 miles and I am beginning to relax. I think I did a good job. You can do it and not have to be aggrevated by the dealers. Every time I took my bike in, they screwed up some little thing or another. Once they dented the air cleaner. Then they bent the inspection plate (I am in VA) to get the oil filter off and didn't even bother to straighten it back up. They rolled the bike out to me dirty and with the plate bent horizontal to the ground when it should have been vertical. God knows what they have done I haven't found yet. I do all my work now and if it gets too complicated for me (like tearing the motor apart) I will take it to a local independent. I have done my brakes and the 20,000 miles and forward services using the manual. You can do it. We can help (to quote a diy store).
Tnicean

 

Before you do, make sure: you have a service manual, & the proper tools. If you come across something; say like a torx 27 for your handgrip assemblies, and you don't have one, STOP, and go get one. Don't use a torx 25, you'll strip it! Get my drift? We're here to help. Do it on the touring page though.