Should this be happening?
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6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
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Should this be happening?
Bought my brand new 2004 Fatboy in Oct 04. I have had it garaged all winter and only have 600 miles on it. The rear stock wheel is all oxidized on the caliper side. Took it to the dealers yesterday and they are telling me that they will try to have it put thru the warranty but I should not get my hopes too high since it is probably due to the temp in my garage. I told the dealer that was unacceptable. I have had my other bike in this garage for the last 6 years and there is not an ounce of rust on it anywhere. What do you guys think - should I fight this? They tried cleaning it with pigsnot but it didn't look any better. Any help is greatly appreciated
Bad Guy
Bad Guy
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RE: Should this be happening?
If I had spent that kind of money on a bike, I would definitley see what could be done about it, even if it meant getting a second opinion from someone else. With that kind of money invested, I think that something could be done to help you out. Good Luck
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2005
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RE: Should this be happening?
Ask for the name of the Manufacturer's Rep. or Zone Manager or whoever is between them and Harley. I've had to do this a couple of times with cages and as soon as I ask or make one phone call or letter, everything seems to magically get taken care of almost immediately.
Their attitude is usually, We've sold hundreds of bikes before and never had this problem...must be your fault. Factory reps are more familiar witht the big picture and often say yes, it's rare, but we've seen it before...go ahead and fix it.
Hope it all gets resolved for you. Art
Their attitude is usually, We've sold hundreds of bikes before and never had this problem...must be your fault. Factory reps are more familiar witht the big picture and often say yes, it's rare, but we've seen it before...go ahead and fix it.
Hope it all gets resolved for you. Art
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2005
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RE: Should this be happening?
I have an 04 fatboy and my wheel did the same but not as bad as yours, never paid much attetion to it though as i rode it all winter in the georgia mountains.
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RE: Should this be happening?
This winter I had my bike, an '87 Sloptail, in my unheated shop for an extended time due to being sick and working on it. When I got over being sick and decided to go out and finish the work on it, I noticed the polished aluminum was pretty nasty. The change in temperature in the unheated shop caused condensation on the metal. Over the several weeks that I didn't stick my head in the shop the damage was done.
My rear wheel, an old '92 Sporty mag-type had more corrosion on the caliper side than it did on the belt side. I wondered at the time if it was due to the angle the bike leaned while on its kickstand. Figured the condensation was able to "stick" to that side better than the other. Took quite a bit of elbow grease to bring it back.
Something else that can contribute to severely corroding the aluminum is chemicals, especially cleaners, stored in the same room, especially an unheated room. The vapors are deposited on the surface and start their feast. If condensation can occur the problem is exacerbated by the chemical vapors being carried by the water vapor. This increases the amount of chemical being deposited on the metal surfaces.
These two reasons are probably why the HD shop told you not to hope for too much. Push it anyway as you ain't got nothin' to lose at this point. Point out that it only happened on one side of the wheel, too. Good luck!
My rear wheel, an old '92 Sporty mag-type had more corrosion on the caliper side than it did on the belt side. I wondered at the time if it was due to the angle the bike leaned while on its kickstand. Figured the condensation was able to "stick" to that side better than the other. Took quite a bit of elbow grease to bring it back.
Something else that can contribute to severely corroding the aluminum is chemicals, especially cleaners, stored in the same room, especially an unheated room. The vapors are deposited on the surface and start their feast. If condensation can occur the problem is exacerbated by the chemical vapors being carried by the water vapor. This increases the amount of chemical being deposited on the metal surfaces.
These two reasons are probably why the HD shop told you not to hope for too much. Push it anyway as you ain't got nothin' to lose at this point. Point out that it only happened on one side of the wheel, too. Good luck!
Intermediate
Joined: May 2005
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RE: Should this be happening?
While we are on this subject, I need some advice. My new bike has alot of chrome on it and it stays out in my 1 car garage. Its unheated but its a 6 car garage. I know that didn't make sense but I own a condo and theres 6 garges side by side, I own one. I was wondering what I could do to make sure everything on my bike stays good during the winter. Should I wipe it off once a week or... ?