Cracked fairing brackets.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 4
From: Central IL
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
ORIGINAL: LOU
The cracking fairing support/ speaker brackets should not be news to any dealer. My '06 Street Glide had two cracked brackets and were replaced under warranty. It only took me 20 minutes to do both sides. I heard a loose rattling sound inside my fairing andconfermed the problem when I installed my new Hog Tunes speakers. Must happen often as the dealer had both sides in stock.
The cracking fairing support/ speaker brackets should not be news to any dealer. My '06 Street Glide had two cracked brackets and were replaced under warranty. It only took me 20 minutes to do both sides. I heard a loose rattling sound inside my fairing andconfermed the problem when I installed my new Hog Tunes speakers. Must happen often as the dealer had both sides in stock.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 758
Likes: 0
From: Winston Salen, NC
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
Both of mine were broken. One was rattling and the other cracked but not loose yet. I added 2 washers @ each screw to pinch the u opening between the washers causing it to not stress the tabs and make the whole end act as one. 8000 miles and no more problems as of yet. I also bought the brackets as they would not cover them unless they installed them. I already had the fairing off so what the heck. I was to impatiant to wait. Easy fix but welding more metal or total remake with thicker stock would also work. Good luck.
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 162
Likes: 1
From:
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
On my '03 Ultra, I found both brackets broken also. EVORider, can you or someone else tell us where to look for breaks/cracks in the vertical brackets? When I replaced my bars, I fixed the broken side brackets but didn't think to check the others. I guess the fairing comes off yet again and we do some close scrutinizing of the whole setup! Thanks for letting us know!
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 4
From: Central IL
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
My vertical ones must have broke too at some time because when I took it to the dealer for the horizontal one they found "three of the four were either broken or starting to crack". Sounds like H-D needs a recall on the "bat wing" fairing models!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 1
From: Tallahassee, Fl
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
Had the same problem while riding to the HD dealer one morning. Started seeing alot of vibration at initial throttle roll and and at the end of roll off. Service mgr. took it for a ride and came back and told me it was the front motor mount so they replaced it. Left shop and started noticing the same thing. Two days later left Florida for TN State Hog Rally in Nashville and had it happen the whole way up there. The second day there we rode up to Harley Dealer in Clarksville, TN and went in to their service dept. and started describing the same symptoms to them and one of the mechnics says I know exactly what your problem is ........ cracked braces in your fairing. We went out took the outer fairing off and sure enough I had vertical and horizontal brackets crackerd or broken. Due to length of time to fix them all I decided to wait until I got back home and took it back to local dealer and TOLD them what they needed to fix and they did.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
From: Scottsdale, AZ
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
What a coincedence. I was just going to make a post on this. A couple months ago I found my right vertical bracket broken at the 90Âş angle on top (16K miles). I fixed it by installing a "L" bracket. All other were okay. Sunday I pulled it apart as I kept hearing a buzz. I found the right horizontal broken at the narrow end on the speaker side and, the left vertical one broken in the same place the right one was (17.5K miles). I silver soldered the horizontal one but, I know it won't hold up. I don't have access to a welder.
When I was in for my 15K service I mentioned the vibration seemed worse. I was told it vibrates normally for a HD. Go figure. I'm wondering if a motor mount is broke and if this could possible increase the chance of fairing brackets to break. This is not to imply that they only break due to broken motor mounts.
Someone else once mentioned about upgraded speakers. I do have the Hogtunes. Could it be the added weight increases the chance for the brackets to break? Also, since I will bring this up when I go in for my 20K service, could they not allow warranty because of the added speakers saying they caused the problem?
When I was in for my 15K service I mentioned the vibration seemed worse. I was told it vibrates normally for a HD. Go figure. I'm wondering if a motor mount is broke and if this could possible increase the chance of fairing brackets to break. This is not to imply that they only break due to broken motor mounts.
Someone else once mentioned about upgraded speakers. I do have the Hogtunes. Could it be the added weight increases the chance for the brackets to break? Also, since I will bring this up when I go in for my 20K service, could they not allow warranty because of the added speakers saying they caused the problem?
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 477
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville, Fla
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
My '06 SG isin for bracket repalcement again, this is the eight time! Verticals broke but I fixed them myself.
The horizontal brakets are breaking more frequently now? About once every month or so now.
I told them NOT replace them this time; I want a more premanent fix. So they're on the horn with HD tech seeing if there is a fix.
I'll post and let you know what they tell me...
The horizontal brakets are breaking more frequently now? About once every month or so now.
I told them NOT replace them this time; I want a more premanent fix. So they're on the horn with HD tech seeing if there is a fix.
I'll post and let you know what they tell me...
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 4
From: Central IL
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
Just spent an hour on the phone with H-D customer service. First, let me say that I was on hold for 20 minutes and the line IS NOT toll-free. Asked the lady if "most of her calls were complaints". She replied "yes". I told her I had only one when I called but now I had 3 !!! 1st...I was experiencing problems with my fairing support brackets. 2nd....I had been on hold for 20 minutes.3rd......I was PAYING for that 20 minutes. Go figure......A billion dollar company which gets 20K and up for most of their models and they can't afford to provide a toll-free customer service line ??? Regarding the brackets, of course she said there was no known problem. She did say that she would turn it over to the "chassis design" department. I told her surely one of their multi-degreed engineers could come up with a solution to something as simple as a 50 cent bracket (but retails for almost ten bucks) that was overly prone to breaking. UHHHHH.....make them with a bit heavier stock might be an easy place to start I suggested.This could become a REAL big problem if all 4brackets are prone to failure (which they are) and they just happened to all fail at once whilesomeone was doing 75 mph and all that was left to hold the fairing on was the wiring contained within it.Told her I was relatively sure that the plugs associated with that wiring had not been load tested while supporting the entire weight of the fairing while it was flopping around in a 75 mph head wind. As far as Hog Tunes causing the breaking (my dealer suggested that too and they sold me the damn speakers !!!), I don't belive that is the case as my brackets were breaking BEFORE I ever even installed the speakers.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 4
From: Central IL
RE: Cracked fairing brackets.
Harley dealer in Decatur told me just this afternoon that they had none in stock because they had replaced FOUR (thats right H-D... FOUR)just over the weekend. Also told me that this problem was not a problem until the dash redesign. I urge anyone who has had a problem with these brackets on any model with a "bat wing" fairing since the '96 redesign to call H-D customer service @ (414) 343-4056. Pay attention to the prompts as there are many. If thereare enough phone calls maybe, just maybe, they (H-D) will acknowledge that a bonifide problem does indeed exist.
Complain about having to foot the bill for the phone call too while you're at it.
Complain about having to foot the bill for the phone call too while you're at it.