Thanks. I figured it was time to branch out a little.


Yeah, I remember those guys, 43 I think it is. Lots of folks were put off by the antics, I kind of liked that stuff. I was accused of reviving the DC era a couple years back because I tried to get a bunch of members interested in real life friendships instead of the anonymous online stuff. I made a lot of great friends that I still keep in touch with and visit occasionally, even the ones who are no longer active on the site. Apparently, we became too rambunctious for the management. As soon as we were being related to the Doofs, the crackdown started.


I agree on the M8 thing over there. Nothing about it, not that I really care, but I find it odd. The active topics page used to fill up in about 2-3 hours over there, now it takes 2-3 days.


It's kind of like the site went from being a cool bar to an old folks home. Be vewy, vewy quiet.

 

You're right 43....because 4 + 3 = 7 (lucky) ...I got rusty.

 

The 43 was for D and C the 4th and 3rd letters of the alphabet. Couple of those guys still run around here.

 

Right again. I actually was a member long ago...never quit, just never had much contact and wasn't in proximity to anyone to participate in all the real fun. I'm rustier than I thought...they have/had their own site but I haven't been in a long time. Good guys. I doof therefore I am.

 

I guess I'll wait until 2021 before I buy a new touring HD

 

I just read the warranties in the 2018 Softail owner's manual, and the EPA Consent Decree. There are crystal-clear and obvious examples of when Harley can and will void your warranty, including (yes) for slip-ons and tuners.

First, in the Consent Decree, the EPA actually REQUIRES Harley to void the warranty on any 2017-2020 motorcycle if there is any proof that a non-EPA-compliant tuner was used to tune the bike. Period. So if you use a FuelPak FP3, or a PowerVision, or have a dyno tuner tune your bike, then yes, your warranty is voided immediately. Harley has no choice in this, the EPA requires them to do it. You can only retain your warranty if the tuner used is EPA-compliant, and for now that looks like it's only the Screamin' Eagle Pro Street Tuner (SE PST). Any use of any other, non-EPA-compliant tuner = immediate voiding of warranty, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Second, regarding slip-ons and intakes and such: the specific clause of interest (in the 2018 Softail owner's manual warranty) is found under Exclusions, section 4. It says So will a slip-on void your warranty? It certainly may, if it is an off-road or competition part. Which means installing something like (for example) certain Rinehart or Vance & Hines slip-ons which clearly say "For Off-Road Or Competition Use Only", can indeed void your warranty. On the other hand, a street-legal EPA-compliant slip-on such as (for example) the Street Cannons or the S&S Grand National mufflers, should not cause them to void the warranty. The exclusion specifically discusses off-road or competition parts. So if you're looking at a V&H O2 Naked air cleaner (which says it's not for street use) then yes, that may void your warranty. On the other hand, an Arlen Ness Big Sucker (which claims A.R.B. compliance) or an S&S Stealth intake or a Screamin' Eagle intake, those all claim CARB compliance and say that they're street legal. Because of that, they would appear to fall outside of this paragraph of exclusions. However, do be aware that there is a catch-all phrase in paragraph 4 that says "or has other unapproved modifications"; theoretically they could use that to get out of warrantying any bike that has had any non-factory modification so -- I'm not guaranteeing they WON'T void your warranty if you use street-legal non-Harley parts, I'm just saying that they definitely MAY void your warranty if you do use competition/off-road parts, and they MAY decide to void it anyway even for street-legal parts, although the P.R. fallout would be pretty bad if they did. My reading of it says that you are on solid ground to use Harley Screamin' Eagle parts, and I think the ground is solid enough to use street-legal parts to the point where I'm going to install the S&S Grand Nationals, and do not expect to encounter any warranty issue. Just: if you use non-street-legal parts, you should not be surprised to find your warranty voided. Common sense, really.

So if you want to keep your warranty intact, the rules of thumb to follow appear to be:
1) avoid any product that says "off-road only" or "not for street use". That includes intakes, slip-ons, headers, complete exhaust systems, camshafts, anything. My brief check of the Rineharts, V&H Short Shots, and Neighbor Haters show them as all "not for street use", so they're potential warranty voiders. There are some (like the Screamin' Eagle or the S&S Grand National) that do say they are 50-state legal, so you have to check with the manufacturer to know for sure.

2) only ever get tuned using a "compliant" tuner (which pretty much means the SE PST only). Any other tuning services or products (yes, including the very popular PowerVision, the FuelMoto maps, the V&H FP3 and its maps, and even your local performance shop's dyno tuner guy) all cause immediate voiding of the warranty. Note that it is possible that some of these products or services might come out with an EPA-compliant 50-state-legal version someday, at which point those would be safe to use and retain the warranty, but as of the time of this writing I think that the only tuning product or service that you're safe to use is the SE PST.

 

Just to add another data point:

The manufactures certificate that comes with S&S MK45 touring mufflers states (in part) " Qualified manufactures declared emissions replacement part...compliant in all 50 states in compliance with CA and EPA regulations..and SAE J2825 sound compliant when installed on 2017-18 FL touring models."

Not one word irt a "performance part" or "for off-road use only."

regards,

 

Tuner not "parts". Non-compliant tuner. The decree makes no mention of Mag vs Moss nor pipes or A/C, although you would be foolish to put non-EPA compliant parts on the bike and expect warranty coverage.

Mag vs Moss still applies for all OEM level replacement parts, just not "performance parts" (like a tuner) or straight pipes, turbos, JATO rockets...

 

That high lighted phrase means it's an OEM replacement part. It will be protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty act..... to void your warranty for this part, they need to prove this part caused the problem...

 

When I first read this, I thought it was a funny joke. As I read on, I see it is a real issue! I never would have thought a trailer hitch would void a warranty!!