On my 05 dlx, there is plenty of room untill the forks compress. Then they clear, but barely.

 

Just as others have already stated...my '04 has a gap between the fender and the fork.

Is the fender centered in the fork tubes?

 

Thanks for all of the replies...

Yes, everything looks to be in place and nothing is bent, twisted, loose, or otherwise the obvious reason why this rubbing is taking place. It wasn't there when I picked up the bike, but developed over the 8,000 miles I've put on it in 6 months. When you push down on the bars and compress the front struts while watching it -- it gets close, but doesn't touch. I can only think there is a vibration in the chrome fork cover during hard braking which is causing the problem. Yet it is as tight as it could be.

Here is the latest... Service manager sent the pics of the fender/strut to HD and they called him back and said it isn't covered by the warranty. It was right at closing time for HD when I called them yesterday, but I got the same results. The guy who makes the final warranty decisions was already gone for the day, so I'm expecting another call back from them today.

Am I off base here with my gripe? Since the bike has never been in an accident or even dropped, I say it is a factory fit & finish issue is causing the problem. I've still got 18 months of warranty left and HD is saying they don't want to honor it.

Like I told the HD guy on the phone... "If you guys don't back up your warranty I guess my first Harley just changed into my last Harley..."

Edmo

 

I would not give up on this. If this is not covered what is? If HD operates like this you will not be the only one thinking different brand on the next bike purchase. What a load of crap. Ask them what caused it and then ask who's fault is it? This is a no brainer, it is HD responsibility to fix. [:@] I guess on a 20K bike the body parts are not covered....

 

Final call from HD... According to Debra at HD customer service, this is not covered... Welcome to the world of false warranties and coverage...

Edmo

 

What is their reason for not covering it? They have to tell you why. I cannot believe under a new warranty body damage due to poor design is not covered. It is not happening to anyone else. That is total BS! DO NOT go away, as that is what they are hoping for. This would drive me away from MOCO unless there is more to the story then I know. Can you say Chicken Shi%![:@]

 

Edmo, don't you dare give up on them, make enough noise and you will get results!!! That just ain't right!!!

 

Their reasoning is this: If it were a fit and finish problem from their end, the rubbing would have shown itself prior to 6 months & almost 8,000 miles later. They suggested the scuffing is a result of an accident the bike "may" have been in and even suggested I may have done it while washing the bike! I'm not sure how you wash your bikes, but my technique is a little more gentle than HD suggests. Once again, the only part of the bike which has touched the ground are the 2 tires & the jiffy stand... It has never been in an accident and there is nothing which could lead you to this conclusion. The bike is in showroom condition, except for the rubbed fender and marring on the inside of the strut cover. Debra at HD also suggested I contact my insurance company and file a claim!

Bottom line, if you read your warranty info in the back of the owner's manual the alignment issue which caused this problem should be covered. It is now more the principle of the issue, so I'm going to press the BS button. Hopefully they will recognize their mistake and make good.

HD is a Better Business Bureau member, so I filed a claim against them... I'm not sure what that will do in itself, but it is a start. At least this incident will be documented with someone besides Me/HD if I decide to get a lawyer involved...

OBTW, I was looking at a Sportster for my wife this spring/summer, but after this taste of HD "customer service" they can keep their overpriced, non-warranty bikes. I'm going metric. Maybe the other guys will stand behind their product...

Edmo

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[IMG]local://upfiles/1690/1E1E78BCB01B43ECA1F4C51A003CC941.jpg[/IMG]

 

Have you ever used tie down straps on the bike with the front forks compressed. That may have been where this came from. If the fork was compressed while bounceing around, or one tie down was tighter than the other causing it to pull to one side it could easily scrape it like you have shown. Just a thought.

 

Another thought, stand the bike up straight on tie it down to compress the forks and see if you have equal space on each side, that will tell you if it's a fit and finish problem.