LH4X4 I was going to say to make a new thread as we're in someone else's but it's a punk post so it's up to you man keep 'em coming or make a new thread and keep 'em coming.
How do your bikes get that rusted? Mine is ridden almost every day, is parked outside or just in a carport a large portion of the time and has zero rust. That head bolt looks more like a caustic cleaner was used on it. I am not questioning your situations(they use some ugly hardware in places that they shouldn't for sure) but damn, that looks like hell.
So now we've gone from, "Harley's don't rust" to "Don't you clean your bike?"
I live nowhere near the ocean, our roads aren't salted, my bike is parked in the garage, and it's cleaned every week.
HD uses crap parts. If it was my neglect, there would be rust all over not just on isolated parts from top to bottom. Seriously, stainless steel band clamps just for the heat shields are around a dollar and change each at AutoZone. Could HD be bothered to use them? Nope.
Give it a rest, they're cutting corners. Stop trying to shift blame.
Maybe you do clean your bike, but your technique must be flawed. Because I ride every day 365 days a year on an island in the middle of the Pacific and don't have rust issues. It rains very often, and I always dry my bike off with air when I get home and put her away for the night. But at work she sits uncovered and gets risen every day in whatever mother nature has in store for us. I don't have any rust on my bikes inspite of constant exposure to salt air, and being consistently wet down by mother nature. I use the same cleaning regimine I've used for years, with the addition of a metal sealer prior to polish once every other month.
So you sir either have a lemon (doubtful) or your technique is flawed.
I realize Harley has moved to chrome plated head bolts. This pic is only to support my point.
That pic looks just like the head bolts on my '01 Springer... but it is 16 years old and the prior owner put those silly chrome caps on them. I don't like the chrome caps and went to remove them, that is what I found underneath.... so I put the chrome caps back on.
My '03 has had those same bolts, uncovered for 14 years. I parked outside under a cover for 6 of those 14 years.... not a mark on the '03 bolts....
I guess I'm saying that I never had an issue with HD hardware, but I do wash & wax my bikes a couple times a year...
@Bamjoop What type of bag is that on the back of your Slim?
It is a one off bag made by a company called Busch and Busch. They made it for a give-a-way at a ride I went to out at Area 51. They are on instagram. It is the perfect size of a 12/18 pack of beer, a bag of ice and is waterproof.
It is a one off bag made by a company called Busch and Busch. They made it for a give-a-way at a ride I went to out at Area 51. They are on instagram. It is the perfect size of a 12/18 pack of beer, a bag of ice and is waterproof.
10-27-2017 | 12:02 PM
