Imagine this: The two bolts that hold your ape hanger handle bar's break off. Your lucky to be alive. Harley tells you your paying for all damages.

Is that right or wrong?

What I can tell you is as a customer I asked all I could ask. Do these need to be checked peridoicaly? Do they ever break? Do I have to check them every x amount of miles or months? They said no no and no.

What the hell else could I have done? Even though i've been losing sleep i'm not looking for extra to sue or anything. I just want broken parts fixed and they're giving me nothing but bullshit and run arounds.

Am I wrong or should they be fixing the bike?

Anybody?

 

I Think they need to fix it for free.......

Always Ride like everyone is trying to KILL you. Why? because they are...

 

Howdy from Houston!

I thought I remembered you...
They have been on the bike for 6 years... .I don't think anyone is going to warranty it...


M I K E (he's on the forum) had his bars snap....
I know of several people who have striped the threads on their risers trying to tighten the bolts...

I check most fasteners when I clean my bike... just a once over...
I have a few buddies that don't know anything about their bikes and complain about taking them in for service...$$
as much as I hate Stealers... at least (they should) check most critical fasteners...

Now if you had just had is serviced by the dealer... I would bitch a little louder about them not checking things out...



CC

 

IN THIS CASE I REALLY DONT THINK HARLEY SHOULD PAY BUT THEN AGAIN IM NOT SURE ALL THE DETAILS OF WHY THEY BROKE.BUT WHEN THE DEALER SAIS NO YOU KNOW HOW THAT IS ...BUT HEY ITS A HARLEY ANYTHING CAN BE FIXED OR REBUILT .PEACE

 

Thanks so far guys for your replies.

Hey Cheesecake! It's not about loose bolts or tightening anything. There are 4 fastners that clamp around the base of the actual bars themselves. They would at times get loose but no biggie there. This whole clamp is held to the top of the forks by two larger bolts, it is they that snapped clean in 1/2.

There is no way to check them. All the customer can do is ask about the safety record or dangerous possibilities. From then till now everyone and their mothers is saying that this dont happen. So obviously at the very least I have a unique situation that requires some looking into.

If you want to take the side of HD you should be wondering if they told me when they put them on that "THE BOLTS CAN SNAP CLEAN IN 1/2 CAUSING A HIGH RISK OF DEATH AND/OR DISFIGURMENT! (never mind a destroyed bike) SO JUST BE FORWARNED INCASE THAT DOES HAPPEN WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING!"

But that never happen. They just said "Dont worry these things dont break!" So it has nothing to do with what your suggesting. I'm not a "STEALER" and I didn't neglect by bike then try and blame Harley.

 

IMO,, why should HD pay to fix something that the owner changed out yrs ago. I don't know if they were HD bars or risers.?

Was the bolts replaced or did new ones come with the risers when they were installed.? The bolts IMO should have been changed out with higher strength bolts over stock ones.

Looking at it from the engineering side..
I could see how a lot of extra pressure could be applied on the bolts with apes.

With 16" apes bars U can easily put 2-4 times the stress on the bolts that the bike came with, depending on what the height was stock and how much pressure the rider put on the bars.

Having that happen is really a bummer, but I don't see how someone could buy aftermarket bars and or risers that fail and then blame HD.

U didn't supply much info other than they broke. But
If HD sold U them and installed them, then maybe its on them till Ur warranty is up.

BTY,, How old is Ur bike and the bars,, what type of bike is it.???????????

 

Thank you for some input. 2002 dyna wide. Yes they were purchased through HD and installed by HD. The bars themselves are another compnay but the bars did not fail. The bolts that HD used did. They already admitted to that. The bars come in the mail naked, nothing but the bars themsleves.

New bolts were used along with the new bars all at the same time but I dont know the differnece between higher strenght bolts or whatever. As the paying customer I could only ask what to do with them how to treat them or what to look out for as for dangers and problems. I did all that. What else could I have done?

IMO, "Ride at your own risk," is in reference to people who tailgate us and pot holes and stuff like that. I'm having a hard time accepting that it should be on me that parts of the bike should be allowed to give way and let the bike break down in potentially catastrophic ways. If HD just tells me, "Hey, we'll put these on for you but when they break off it's all on you!" then fine, my bad. But that didn't happen. And even though I didn't get hurt going down, I almosty died of a friggin heart attack.

I'm not cheap. I'm not looking to steal. Sueing never crossed my mind even though lots are suggesting it. I just want the broken parts fixed and for the life of me I can't figure out how this was my fault.

But thats why i'm here. I am taking all points into consideration. Thank you very much again and at the very least, it's good to spread the word; This can happen!

 

snapped one of mine.on my heritage pushing it around the garage.wanna say a buddie snapped one of his also.

 

Sorry for your bad luck.

 

Welcome aboard from New York.