Wow,

My source of rider's shame has dissipated! I appreciate the stories and the feedback. I was hesitant to make any claim to my insurance company because of what it might do to the residual value or record of the bike, but if the hair dryer and CO2 doesn't do it -- then I may just file a claim; $800 bucks is a lot for a new tank!

Ciphex

 

I tried the dry ice/hair dryer and the air dryer/hair dryer trick on my FXR tank with absolutely no results. I was told by my indy that they wouldn't (ahead of time) but I still had to try. He said the metal on the tank is too thick and dentless repair shops wouldn't touch it. I contacted several by e-mail, and left a lot of phone messages, giving my situation. Absolutely no one returned my calls or e-mail. I ended up buying a tank and front/rear fender set off E-bay. I think I'll try selling my old fenders/tank on Ebay as is. Otherwise I'm going to try sealing the holes, filling it with water and putting it in the freezer for a time to see if ice will push it out (gotta be careful and not split the seams)....

Dave

 

There's an '08 FB Tank on ebay currently at $152 with about 15 hours to go...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harle...=p4506.c0.m245

 

This is when those Ugly Engine Guard bars come in real nice!! I was backing mine off of a trailer that was wet and my foot slipped and down when the Bike. Landed right on the guard bar and no damaged done. They paid for there self the first time I needed them.

 

Does anyone know how an insurance claim effects the residual value and records on the bike?

I really like the idea of Engine Guards, but they're a hard thing to blend in visually on a Dyna. Still, it may be worth it... I wonder if there are variations in style that don't make them such an eye sore...

Do the Engine Guards interfere at all with the SE Big Breather or a Front Spoiler?

 

Dropped mine doing a U-turn on a steep hill in the mountains last year. Just had my bike repainted and asked what they could do about the dent. The guy put something called "all metal"? in the dent. Filled it. Baked it four times, then powder coated it. For some reason, the powder coat left a halo effect over the all metal, so we ended up having to do a flat black paint which had a bit more gloss than the powder coat and was a few shades darker. Despite all the set backs, I love the look and you can't tell there was any dent in the tank. Wish I could tell you how much all that cost but the guy was a friend and did it for free. I know it wouldn't have been cheap though.

You may be better off trying to find a take off tank for sale on ebay or here on the forums.

 

had a buddy drop his (won't go into the story), but he put a tennis ball sized flat spot on the filler side of the tank. He ended up doing some bondo on it... took about 3 or 4 coats between lots of sanding to get it to where you couldn't tell where the dent was. Then talked to the local HD dealership and there was a guy there that did paint on the side. He charged my buddy $400 to repaint all his tins. He had them all painted and iceberg white (has a blue tinge to it in the light) and a couple of coats of clear. Super job and you can't even tell where the dent was.