pinch bolts holding forks on
#1
07-30-2007, 06:02 PM
pinch bolts holding forks on
UNBELIVEABLE! Check your bolts! In 2002 I purchased a new 2003 Fatboy. I drove old junk all my life so I decided to get a new bike that would last me. Last weekend I went to a rally. The front right fork started to leak oil. Got the bike home and took off the forks to put new seals in them. While doing this I found that the top of the fork was unscrewed and the pinch bolt that holds the fork on was broken! Nothing was holding the fork on![/b] I [/b]got in touch with the dealer and was told the bike was out of warranty and I had to bring it in. I was also told that these bolts just break. They acted as if the forks falling off are no big deal. I contacted Harley Davidson and told them what happened. I was told that with that many miles the bolts break and I should take it to the dealer to have the front end rebuilt. WHAT! I was just told by Harley that after just 22,500 miles that the front of the bike might fall off you should take it in and pay to have it rebuilt with the same breakable bolts[/b]… IF YOU SURVIVE.[/b] I am holding the phone and I do not have a clue what to say. Totally speechless. After a long pause I asked “Did I hear you right, bolts break that hold on the front of the bike and it’s no big deal?” I again was told that they just break and to take it in and get it rebuilt. I just hung up the phone, shocked. How many bikers have been killed by this broken bolt? If they did no one would know because it would look like the bolt got broken in the crash instead of being the cause. I’m just in a daze.
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07-30-2007, 09:40 PM
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07-31-2007, 12:16 PM
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RE: pinch bolts holding forks on
Welcome from CT
-Thanks for the heads up. I had a similiar situation. When I bought my wideglide, I had STAMFORD, CT Harley Davidson (Fritz's) install chrome lowers. I also had them relocate my turn signals to the forks, luckily i had them doing this because i kept noticing that the left turn signal kept moving, i thought it was the mountig clamp on the turn signal so i kept tightening it, then finally i got tired of it so i brought it back, they said they needed to keep the bike. Turned out they didnt tighten the forks enough and the left one was unscrewing...that would have been a great way to ruin a new bike. When i asked if that was dangerous ( i was new at the time) they said no dont worry you would have been sprayed with oil before it failed...yeah sounds safe to me. I now do all my own work and keep my bike away from the dealership.
-Thanks for the heads up. I had a similiar situation. When I bought my wideglide, I had STAMFORD, CT Harley Davidson (Fritz's) install chrome lowers. I also had them relocate my turn signals to the forks, luckily i had them doing this because i kept noticing that the left turn signal kept moving, i thought it was the mountig clamp on the turn signal so i kept tightening it, then finally i got tired of it so i brought it back, they said they needed to keep the bike. Turned out they didnt tighten the forks enough and the left one was unscrewing...that would have been a great way to ruin a new bike. When i asked if that was dangerous ( i was new at the time) they said no dont worry you would have been sprayed with oil before it failed...yeah sounds safe to me. I now do all my own work and keep my bike away from the dealership.
