When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I'm installing an LED headlight (73391-10A) on my 2004 Fatboy. Everything is cool except for one problem. I can't get the headlight retainer ring to slide over the outside lip of the new LED housing. I've tried it a 1000 times and there's no way it's going to slide into position. I'm thinking the retainer ring just got distorted, because it was extremely hard to get if off of the original headlight. Any suggestions? And yes... I have the service manual.
Mine went on without any issue at all when I did the swap over.
Its pretty evident if the ring is distorted, perhaps buy a new ring and see its not that expensive a part. But I cant imagine why it would fit. Its also nbot that tough a piece of metal that you shouldnt be able to manipulate it.
I once bought a new ring from Harley, and it didnt fit my stock bucket and lamp out of the package. HD makes the worst headlight rings. I ended up getting a Cobra II headlight and am much happier with it. Am hoping to install the HD LED into later on.
I actually took the assembly over to the Harley dealer and I felt a little better when they looked at it and said they had never seen one that was that far off. Unfortunately, they didn't have one in stock, so I had to order one. In the mean time, I took my Dremel tool and cut the spot weld on my retainer ring, so that I could open it up enough to fit around the led housing. Once I tightened the three screws that fasten the assembly to headlight bucket, I was surprised to see that the light was locked into position nice and tight. Just for a little extra piece of mind, I added a heavy duty tie-wrap around the outside of the retainer ring, which pulled together the small gap where I had made my cut and I was good to go.
Was it a mickey mouse solution?.... absolutely, but at least I can ride my bike and enjoy the new LED headlight, while waiting for my new retainer ring to come in.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.