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Harley Davidson Hidden AM/FM antenna burned in half

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Old Feb 10, 2017 | 10:50 PM
  #11  
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It looks like mouse damage to me too.
I would take the seat off and check under it. They like the warm engine when you pull in a garage or shed and can get into some tight places and cause expensive damage.

I found this mess two days before leaving on a road trip a couple of years ago. He/she chewed the wiring harness that connects to the security module. He even sharpened his teeth on the cooling fins on the ECM.

Cost $10 and some change and took less than 15 minutes for me to change it out. Probably one of the cheapest parts on a Harley Davidson. Dealer had one in stock too.

Notice in the first pic the wire that was chewed is less than a half inch from the harness that leads to the ECM. Chewing into that would have been more than a $10 fix.

Why they like to chew wiring is beyond me.


 
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 07:58 AM
  #12  
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It would be nice to know if it is a mouse looks like it. I am going to install one in the fairing soon. Maybe I can learn what not to do
 
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 09:58 AM
  #13  
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You may want to put a mouse trap near the bike to determine if it is a critter or rubbing.
 
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 02:00 PM
  #14  
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I don't know if it was a mouse, but they can cause issues. That is why i have a couple of old tom cats in the barn, mice like tractors too. My cats stay well fed, and my tractors stay operational.

Black snakes take care of rodents very well also and are welcome ( my wife doesn't visit the barn very often ) until they decide to curl up somewhere on one of the tractors.

The Harley is in the garage and there is a fair amount of activity in there, i let the cats in there to sweep it every few days.
 

Last edited by 68 XLCH; Feb 11, 2017 at 02:05 PM.
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 02:29 PM
  #15  
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mice will shred the fine wire insulation into a furry matting for nesting material.
 
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 02:35 PM
  #16  
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I would say it's rubbing against something. If it was a mouse there be a lot of evidence in nesting material and droppings in your fairing
 
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Old Feb 11, 2017 | 07:07 PM
  #17  
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Is there a chance the antenna wire would have interfered with any moving parts? I have seen a lot of wire chafing and that just does not look like it was chaffing, or done by rodents. It looks like it got caught up in a belt or something.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2017 | 06:47 PM
  #18  
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So its at the dealership now and they're going to run through it and try to determine what might have happened. Ill post again when i get the word.
 
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Old Feb 14, 2017 | 12:33 AM
  #19  
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I live in the country so mice are always an issue, especially during the cold months. I just found some shell like material that must have come from the bean field piled up behind the oil cooler. Also some on top the transmission. In the past they have gotten in the fairing and chewed on the rubber weatherstrip that runs along the bottom of the outer fairing. Little things **** me off, I kill them whenever I can.

I have found that D-Con is completely useless as mouse killer. Apparently the killing agent in it is too weak so they can chow down on it without dying. I have found the little mice using it as nesting material also. Tom Cat DOES kill them, as long as they eat it. I also use sticky pads and have caught several on them on it.
 
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 09:24 PM
  #20  
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SO I forgot to post back in here the results of taking it to the dealership. What they determined was that a mouse did in fact get into the fairing and had himself some fun. What they brought to my attention was that the speaker wire on the right side (looking at front of the bike) going to the speaker box was completely chewed, leaving no actual covering to the wire. I didnt realize this in the beginning or wouldn't have thought that it was the antenna burning through the wiring. Worst part about the whole thing is that the replacement for that wiring harness was about $12.99 but cost me almost 2 hours of labor between them going through to make sure there was no more damage and to put everything back together. It is what it is. I'm just glad that it wasn't actually something wrong with the wiring of the bike that would cause issues moving forward.

Appreciate all the feedback on this post from everyone.
 
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