Any aftermarket caps to get rid of the issue?

 

You don't even have to ride in the rain. Above average humidity will fog the glass. On humid mornings, my gauges will be clear until I turn the ignition on. The little bit of heat generated by the backlight will fog the glass. It goes away after a while, but HD knows the warranty goes away after a while also.

 

I'm going to try this on my Industrial Grey FXFBS. Ratcheting and vented just like the OEM cap.

https://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/lowbr...ter-black.html

 

Mine doesn't fog up UNTIL it's 80+ and sunny. It's weird though, I've got a Low Rider, speedometer and tach in the tank console. The tach is fine, only the speedometer that fogs up in the bottom third of the glass.

 

 

I want this issue to remain alive because it is so infuriating that it can't/won't be solved.

But here are some of my facts as I investigate this: 2018 FLCHS

1) I don't readily discount the theory that gas vapors are at play here. The "moisture" definitely leaves behind a residue that suggests that it COULD be gas. Also, I was removing my console last night and there was a strong smell of gasoline from underneath the console. So, while I can't prove the theory - honestly, I can't structure a scenario where it is true - I can't completely eliminate it either.

2) Here is what is hard for me to explain......while I ride in all conditions moisture will form under the glass of the speedo. If I park the bike either in my garage, or in the sunlight, the moisture almost immediately begins to go away. Then, when I ride again, it returns. That's not the way this should act if it was moisture from the air. Additionally, it forms in the exact same spot every time. If the coolness of the air while riding is enough to condense the humidity in the air, the moisture should become worse once the bike is in the "cool" confines of my garage....not go away. Therefore, I also cannot completely rule out the theory that this is the result of an interaction of some glue or seal that is used inside the speedo.

3) If the moisture can get in....it should be able to get out when it is heated up. The hotter it get, the more it should leave the speedo. That doesn't appear to be the case. The speedo I have now has never been in the rain, and it has been protected when I wash the bike (which has been about 2x since the speedo was replaced). And yet, it condenses in EXACTLY the identical way that the first one did. That can't be coincidence.

Bottom line: I think we are too quick to label this a moisture issue and are neglecting other causes.

Bottom line 2: HD should be ashamed of themselves and should move out of the U.S. if this is the best they can do. (not really....just frustrated)

 

In support of what you are saying, I actually suffed a bunch of desicant packets (those little envelopes of silica that asborb moisture to keep things dry) under the speedo console to see if the moisture was from the outside air. It did not help. These packets would have absorbed moisture had it been from humidity or from gasoline vapors at least till they became saturated but they are still dry.

Looking underneath the console I see the speedo is an all plastic housing. Logic says that you are probably correct to believe that it is most likely the glue or the plastic itself that is generating what appears to be moisture under the glass when the bike is ridden.

Moisture from water in air needs to cool to condense...this, what appears to be moisture, develops only as the bike is ridden. I'm inclined to believe it may be generated by the electrical input to the speedo somehow and may not be temperture related at all. Although it appears to be moisture, it may not be water but another liquid product being produced (most likely vaporized glue because of the noted residue left behind when the moisture goes away).

Could we, as a group, do some sort of write in campain to H-D to maybe get them motivated to find a fix to this problem?????????? I can't believe corporate H-D reads these posts so just keeping this thread alive will not have any result.

 

Just another way of the MoCo saying "F""" you ! ", you brought it, deal with it ! Never had a Jap bike do this (20 plus).
So SAD that one of the last American products having problems lasting for years. They don't care !!

 

The absolute simplest way to fix the gas cap rattle is to remove it and place it upside down on the bench with some thick padding under it. Then Use a medium sized flat tip screwdriver and hammer and simply stake it 3 or 4 places around the underside of the cap, in the groove where the outer cap is attached to the inner cap. It is super simple, and free, works every time as long as you stake it firmly enough, if it still rattles, do it again a bit harder until the rattle stops.