Well, that's what I thought also. However, you can only stop payment on a credit card if it is issued by a bank or similar financial institution. If it is not issued by a bank, they can not stop payment. You can only dispute the amount of the charges or whether the charge was made by someone who stole your credit card information.

 

This was an Indy not a dealer. Just an FYI...

 

Hmmm....thanks for clarification....still sorry to hear and heads-up

 

For the record KJC builds a solid, nearly bulletproof high performance, high horsepower engine. I have a highly modified 80" Evo built over 6 years ago with 30K + miles on it. Heads, cam, roller rockers and crank work. Still solid and gets over 45 mph cruising the backroads 2 up. I would not hesitate to have them do the work. They test the parts in their builds on the drag strip, if it doesn't hold up there, he doesn't use it.

 

I looked at your list of mods and,no offense, but it seems like a hefty sum to put into a 10 year old bike--might've been cheaper to sell it & put the additional kablingy on a 103". I have a mint,lo mile '04 Fatty, and the only performance mod I plan to do is a Mikuni this winter;in addition to the stage 1 that's already there. Anything more just wouldn't be cost-efective.

Plus--the "No warranty" thing would've made me do a 180 out the front door. Seems like the tranny is your only problem,and prolly be a simple fix. I would get it fixed by the dealer & send this guy the bill,accompanied by a lawyer's letter. Or a rock!

 

You're absolutely right. It was a lot of money to put into a bike that old. When I bought the bike in 2005, I became the third owner. The original owner had ordered the bike new from HD with a ton of stuff on it. It's a really long story but, they paid on it for 3 years, had never missed a payment, and still owed $24K when they let the bank reposess the bike in 2004 (about to get busted for embezzling). I actually got to see the paperwork from the bank. The second owner told me that after he bought the bike at auction, the original owner contacted him, tried to buy the bike back and told him that they had over $30K invested in it (although I didn't really see it). After I came in possession of the bike, I put a set of PM wheels, matching brake rotors and sprocket, a sissy bar, passenger footboards, removal windshield, removable saddlebags, and more chrome on the bike (all total probably another $5000).

I was rear-ended back in September of last year (actually 9-11). The bike orginally came with a Harley Limited Edition tank and fender set. The rear fender had to be replaced and the tank had to be repainted. With what the insurance company gave me for repairs and the money I saved doing the work myself, I ended up with a $3500 custom paint job (and a few more upgrades).

Between all of the stuff the bike already had on it and my own sentimental attachment, that's how I justified spending the money to upgrade a bike that old.

Now, having said that, I'll also say that after I was forced to rent a bike to go to Sturgis (2011 Street Glide), I really enjoyed riding a newer model bike and I'd love to have one. If I happen to win the lottery, I definitely buy a new bagger. But, I'd probably keep the Fatboy and turn it back into a true cruiser.

 

I think I've settled on a plan for getting everything ironed out.

I have an appointment tomorrow with my local HD dealer to install a speedometer calibration kit. That's something Shane should have done but didn't. I don't know if you can blame it on lack of knowledge or negligence but, I don't think I can expect him to compensate me for that.

I talked to a guy at KJC yesterday about the tranny. I was extremely impressed. He took the time to listen to my story (lengthy as it is) and offered me his opinions. First, he said that the problem with the transmission not shifting into neutral was most likely due to the clutch not being adjusted properly instead of the clutch packs needing to wear in. He told me that the problem with the neutral light is fairly common and easily fixed. He said that it's possible that the shifting problems could be fixed, but with a lot of aftermarket gear sets they frequently experience a wide range of problems (even some of the more well known brands like JIMS and Ultima). The ONLY ones that they don't normally have trouble with are the Bakers.

So, rather than waste a lot of time (and money) trying to get an inferior gear set to work, I decided to have KJC remove it and install a Baker OD 6-speed gear set. They ordered a gear set for me yesterday and will call me to make an appointment to install it when the gear set comes in. BTW, KJC guaranteed me it would be right when I get it back, they warranty their work, and the Baker gear set comes with a 5 year/50K mile warranty from Baker.

Beyond that, I'll provide an update after I've had a chance to communicate my intentions to SWM.

 

Time to call MoCo directly

 

Seriously, need to see a picture of this bike. With your engine build, would you have been pushing up to $45k into this?

 

Well, I bought the bike for $18K in 2005. With all the stuff I've done and including this upgrade project, I've put approximately $13K into it. By the time I fix the stuff Shane didn't do correctly, I'll have at least another $3K on top of that. And that doesn't include the $5K the insurance company paid me last year (which went into the paint, upgraded pipes, instrument console, etc.). So, I will personally have $34K into it. I hope to recover a little over $1300 on the transmission.

The original owner had the Limited Edition tank and fender set installed from the factory, chrome rear swing arm, double-t handle bars, chrome front end, big nacelle headlight, custom engraved ignition cover (since replaced), "Fatboys Rule" shift linkage, chrome switch covers. I don't know if there's other stuff I'm missing, but it just didn't seem like there was anyway to run it up to $30K on the original purchase. I suppose it's possible with everything being installed by the dealer.

As soon as I get some of this stuff ironed out, I'll update the pictures in my gallery. If you take a look in my gallery now, it has my current paint job. The only visible difference will be that the cylinders and heads will be diamond cut, it now has a 45mm Mikuni carb and Hypercharger Pro-R air cleaner, oil cooler, different colored plug wires, and an LED headlight.