LOL, you had to look in the service manual to learn the correct way to check your oil level???

~John

 

By the way, not only are they innacurate they are notparticularly dependable either.

The shop I used to work in had a whole pail of defective ones sitting in one corner. We would point it out anytime anyone asked if we recommended using them.

Heck, if you want to use it becauseyou think itlooks cool I have no problem with that(just don't ever mistake it for an accurate reference unit)

~John

 

No, I didn't have to. I already knew the correct way. I press the button on the LED dipstick.

 

I read a number of forum threads before settling on the firing-mounted HD oil-temp gauge (75324-05). At the time, about a month ago, the aftermarket McEwan gauge was $99 at Wally's, but some owners had complained that they didn't exactly match the existing HD gauges in the fairing. The $140 HD kit was $107 from Zanotti's (www.zanottimotor.com), so I opted for that considering the small difference in price. I didn't get the $50 oil-filter adapter "required" for '07 bikes, but instead installed it in the hole vacated by the spare oil pan plug by purchasing a $2 1/8-3/8" adapter at Napa (Home Depot didn't have it). This was a much easier install than HD's solution, even though teeing off the return line from the engine would provide a more accurate reading. But every oil-temp gauge I've ever owned has read from the pan, so I'm attuned to readings that come from that source. With the McEwan gauge I understand there is an adapter for installation in the pan included in the kit, so you're ready to go.

On '06 and earlier TC's, the HD sender is teed from the oil line under cover, but after this is done the cover will no longer fit, leaving everything exposed. OTOH, you can also buy the 1/8-3/8" adapter and have a more simple install.

I had installed the dipstick gauge on my previous bike, a '96 RK, and didn't like it for several reasons. First, it can't be safely read except when stopped. Second, it can be stolen easily. Finally, mine lasted only three years before the flimsy o-ring water barrier shrunk or otherwise deformed and allowed water to enter. Despite a heroic effort to take it apart and fix it on multiple occasions, I never got it working reliably again and I didn't buy another one. By that time I could guess the temp within a few degrees anyway. I would recommend the fairing-mounted gauge over the dipstick alternative, and Wally's has a sale going on the McEwan gauge now (http://*******.com/yfnbqo). Had it been this cheap a month ago, I probably would've bought it instead of the HD gauge.

 

Don't want to come off sounding like a smart ***, but I just use a good quality oil (synthetic) and no gauge. To me the gauge is just one more thing to worry about, and it's really not necassary. Just my $.02

 

Hehe, your local repair guy must love you.......

Guys with "know it all" attitudes like that made me the most money when I made a living turning wrenches.....

~John

 

Just because I believe Harley Davidson sells high quality merchandise and parts that are not POS doesn't mean I have a "know it all" attitude. And just because you made a living turning wrenches doesn't mean you know more than any of the rest of us.

If you think that HD stuff is POS, there's a Goldwing forum where I'm sure your opinion is wanted.

 

They make high quality stuff, they make some real junk also. Any HD wrench will tell you those LED dipsticks fall into the junk catagory.

~John

 

Some of the stuff HD makes is garbage, if you had any experience working on HD's you would know that was true & you wouldn't be so defensive about it.

~John

 

Garbage? ... Really??? ... garbage? That's great to know. I had no idea. Been riding HD's for all these years and had no idea.

I'm heading out first thing in the morning to the dealership. Going to tell them that John from NY said their stuff was garbage and get my money back. Thanks John from NY. You saved me big time on this one.