Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Fairing removal nightmare

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 10:54 AM
  #1  
ral819's Avatar
ral819
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 266
Likes: 14
From: Illinois
Default Fairing removal nightmare

For you people who have had trouble with the threaded fairing inserts on changing your windshield, here's a fix. Use 5 minute epoxy, and push them back in. I bought some of the Harley repair inserts and was not impressed. At a cost of 7.70 apiece, I wish I had used the Epoxy.
I had bought a new windshield, and on replacing the bolts, one threaded insert began to slip. It's been too hot to ride through the day, in Illinois, lately. So I thought I'd take off the fairing and repair the insert. I went to my local HD dealer and bought 2 of the repair inserts and some Boom Audio speakers. (While the fairing was off, I thought I would upgrade speakers as well. This was the easy part of the day) The repair insert is a new threaded insert that is split on top. You put the bolt in, and twist it in where the factory insert has been removed. The split portion breaks off and then you back out the bolt. Easy right ? (The portion that breaks off isn't square.) So when I tried to put the fairing back on, The insert on the other side broke loose ( this was the last bolt of the job) No matter, as I had bought two repair inserts. So, Off with the fairing, and in with another repair insert. For some of you who turn a wrench more often than I, I'm sure this would be no problem. But, In backing out the bolt from the first repair insert, the threads hung up and came out on the bolt. Eventually, I got both repair inserts back in and the fairing is back on. I was wringing wet but, a little wiser for the process. I'm hoping this may save someone else a little frustration if you have to do the same thing some day... Good Luck
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 11:27 AM
  #2  
The Q's Avatar
The Q
Road Warrior
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Liked
Loved
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,420
Likes: 61
From: South Texas
Default

Sounds like you put the inserts in wrong. The split end goes in first. I repaired two of mine and the inserts worked great.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 11:35 AM
  #3  
IAMSWUTIAMS's Avatar
IAMSWUTIAMS
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 18,664
Likes: 16
From: San Diego, Mexifornia
Default

What he said.
Originally Posted by The Q
Sounds like you put the inserts in wrong. The split end goes in first. I repaired two of mine and the inserts worked great.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 11:53 AM
  #4  
ral819's Avatar
ral819
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 266
Likes: 14
From: Illinois
Default

So the "wings" aren't there to break off on purpose ? Woops, I hate when that happens.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 11:58 AM
  #5  
iclick's Avatar
iclick
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
Default

Originally Posted by The Q
Sounds like you put the inserts in wrong. The split end goes in first. I repaired two of mine and the inserts worked great.
They've worked great for me too, much better than the stockers. It's a common mistake to thread them in backwards, and I've even seen dealer techs do it wrong. The slot is there to start the thread cutting, as the stock inserts are a press-fit. Use the stock screw and thread it into the insert all the way, and you can use that to screw the insert in and cut the new threads.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 12:16 PM
  #6  
jjnoble's Avatar
jjnoble
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,727
Likes: 6
Default

Same here, I just repaired one. The split goes in first. I had no problems.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 12:35 PM
  #7  
SpiderPig's Avatar
SpiderPig
Stellar HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,036
Likes: 65
From: Earth
Default

Originally Posted by The Q
Sounds like you put the inserts in wrong. The split end goes in first. I repaired two of mine and the inserts worked great.
And if you run a tap to cut the threads first. This is a piece of cake job.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 12:40 PM
  #8  
ral819's Avatar
ral819
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 266
Likes: 14
From: Illinois
Default

Gives the "Ask first before doing" some more support doesn't it ???
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-5

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-6

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 02:18 PM
  #9  
SG Mike's Avatar
SG Mike
Road Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 959
Likes: 1
From: Westerville, OH
Default

Worked like a charm for me too. I also bought a 3/8 tap to start the thread.
 
Reply
Old Jul 12, 2011 | 02:25 PM
  #10  
Potato_Potato's Avatar
Potato_Potato
Outstanding HDF Member
15 Year Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,600
Likes: 7
From: Minnesota
Default

I don't remember paying $7.70 apiece for them - I think they were only a couple of bucks.
 

Last edited by Potato_Potato; Aug 20, 2011 at 10:11 PM.
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:02 PM.

story-0
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 18:28:05


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

Slideshow: From military-inspired singles to scooters and three-wheel utility vehicles, these Harleys took the company far outside its comfort zone.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-02 18:34:10


VIEW MORE
story-2
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-3
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-4
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-6
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-7
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-8
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-9
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE