In an earlier post about some work I was having done I mentioned that the crank was in better shape than I expected it to be. Well I jumped the gun as the shop found it to be .011 out. Visually it looked ok and, since I was sending out, we didn’t bother to measure the run out before removing it. I knew the main shaft bearing race was ugly (see photo) but thought the cause was something else.

The mechanic and the shop (first rate with a national following) think the only way the crank could have been out that much is it came that way from the factory.

 

And when the transmission oil was drained (to check for metal) it came out looking like Pepto-Bismol so I don't think the last shop that serviced it used Amsoil.

 

ouchy how many miles?

 

Looks like that mainshaft had a healthy dose of salt water...

 

If it came out looking like Pepto, it was Red Line

 

It has right around 72,000 miles (2008 FLHX). At least half of those miles were between Marathon (home) and Key West, there is no avoiding the salt air. I spray it with salt away every three or four days but after I get it back that will happen every night before I put it away, as you can see from the thumb nail most of the corrosion has been exposed.

 

I guess thats the price you pay for living in the tropics..

 

man that looks like it's pretty well eaten up. hope you get her replaced or fixed.

 

At .011 out the crank cannot be trued, obviously the bearing and race will be replaced.

I am dealing with all of the corrosion to include replacing almost every bolt. I wish I had known about Salt Away when I first got the bike and I won’t be stingy with it when I get the bike back. It’s not just the salt in the air, whenever there is more than a 15 MPH cross wind you can feel the salt spray when crossing any of the longer bridges and the first one I hit is almost 7 miles long.

 

LOL! Well, at least you still have your sense of humor.