This happened to me with my 2009 FLHTCU ... There is/was a "fix" in the HD technical service bulletins. If you remove the belt guard you'll see a mark on the belt guard that will correspond with a hole that is supposed to be open in the swing arm. The belt guard didn't have the hole drilled out. Remove the guard, note the rust spot on the guard ( on the side that lies against the swing are ) and drill out the guard.
Really, that issue still exists? My 09 Ultra had the same problem. This is my problem with HD they never fix the nagging little items that just grind away at the owners and the overall quality year after year. I hope my 2021 tour won't have the same issue. Oh wait, I'm positive it won't.
Really, that issue still exists? My 09 Ultra had the same problem. This is my problem with HD they never fix the nagging little items that just grind away at the owners and the overall quality year after year. I hope my 2021 tour won't have the same issue. Oh wait, I'm positive it won't.
I kinda resurrected this thread to see if drilling a hole in the belt guard was still the appropriate fix.
Yep as far as I have hear - still Tech Bulletin TT413.
Its an easy fix and I enjoy puttering around learning the bike and finding other things - but I shouldnt have to given the price and this is not exactly an unknown issue.
There is one bolt that you do not have to take all the way out - the plastic guard has an elongated hole that is obvious if you are looking for it. Makes things a lot easier if you do not remove that bolt all the way, and even if you do, its just a little bit of a pain to get it back in. It is also fairly obvious where you need to create the hole in the belt guard to let the swingarm drain
I looked at doing that but there is very little room to get any silicone sealant or other on the plug circumference. You can get some on maybe the top part of the plug, but the remaining 2/3 I didnt see a way to get to it. I also looked at where the holding clip for the brake line on the right hand side of the swing arm plugs in and didnt see a meaningful gap there as well. I dont know where that water comes from, but with the drain free now, I just am not going to worry about it. I have read where other people have dried to dry out the inside of the swing arm and spray some rustproofing sealant inside, but I didnt want to mess with that
I looked at doing that but there is very little room to get any silicone sealant or other on the plug circumference. You can get some on maybe the top part of the plug, but the remaining 2/3 I didnt see a way to get to it. I also looked at where the holding clip for the brake line on the right hand side of the swing arm plugs in and didnt see a meaningful gap there as well. I dont know where that water comes from, but with the drain free now, I just am not going to worry about it. I have read where other people have dried to dry out the inside of the swing arm and spray some rustproofing sealant inside, but I didnt want to mess with that
I liked the idea of spraying WD40 or some other form of rust inhibitor inside the swingarm, until I thought about it potentially dripping out and onto the belt.
After reading this thread and the links I decided to take a look at my 2020 FLHXS.
Looks like the motor company has "fixed" the issue. My bike has a plug in the swingarm.
Sorry for the bad pic.
03-05-2018, 04:58 PM
