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[Chains]

Well after riding Saturday an noticing severe shake in the fairing, I decided to take it apart.  Diagnosis, both upper brackets broke and the RH speaker bracket busted in half, left hand fractured and ready to break.  Tig welded RH speaker bracket back together today and added stiffener rib 1/8 inch thick at break point.  Will stiffen up LH tomorrow.  Making two new stainless brackets to fix upper and a cross bar to tie them all together.  Will post photos of finished fix when complete.

[Chains]

Well after riding Saturday an noticing severe shake in the fairing, I decided to take it apart.  Diagnosis, both upper brackets broke and the RH speaker bracket busted in half, left hand fractured and ready to break.  Tig welded RH speaker bracket back together today and added stiffener rib 1/8 inch thick at break point.  Will stiffen up LH tomorrow.  Making two new stainless brackets to fix upper and a cross bar to tie them all together.  Will post photos of finished fix when complete.

Other side of upper bracket

[Chains]

Other side of upper bracket

RH speaker bracket, not a good shot hope you can see the stifner

[JDOFLHRIDER]

they have came up with a better factory bracket same part number with a (B or C) at end.

[grc]

they have came up with a better factory bracket same part number with a (B or C) at end.

I have the new brackets sitting in the boxes in the garage waiting for my lazy butt to install them.  From my admittedly cursory examination so far, it appears the only thing they beefed up is the tab at the top that attaches to the inner fairing.  Those are usually the first thing to break, but they aren't the only weak areas.  Mine have broken at those tabs, but I also had a major crack across the main part of the bracket.  I've been applying "bandaids" previously, but decided it was time to just replace and start over.  And as for the speaker braces, those are just as flimsy as the old parts.  I'm going to look at using pieces of the old ones to reinforce the new ones at the outboard ends.

Sure would be nice if H-D could either design parts strong enough to handle the vibration, or isolate them from the vibration.  I've seen stronger brackets on bicycle reflectors.


Jerry

[Chains]

I have the new brackets sitting in the boxes in the garage waiting for my lazy butt to install them.  From my admittedly cursory examination so far, it appears the only thing they beefed up is the tab at the top that attaches to the inner fairing.  Those are usually the first thing to break, but they aren't the only weak areas.  Mine have broken at those tabs, but I also had a major crack across the main part of the bracket.  I've been applying "bandaids" previously, but decided it was time to just replace and start over.  And as for the speaker braces, those are just as flimsy as the old parts.  I'm going to look at using pieces of the old ones to reinforce the new ones at the outboard ends.

Sure would be nice if H-D could either design parts strong enough to handle the vibration, or isolate them from the vibration.  I've seen stronger brackets on bicycle reflectors.


Jerry

How true, I have been thinking about a thin rubber isolator between the fairing and the bracket once I make the new brackets, sure is a cheap flimsy part for a high dollar ride.  I figure the brackets are made in China as everything else from there seems to be of poor quality at best.  It has to be a big job to replace the entire bracket and I wonder if the new ones would be any better.  As far as the speaker bracket stamping it is of the poorest weakest design I have ever seen (I am in the stamping business) no one I know would have ever put such a weak link in their system.  I'll let you know how things work out since I have re enforced them.

[CVOTequila]

I installed the Hawg Wired speakers, and actually removed those brackets all together.  I have noticed a bit more vibration in the fairing, but it has not been severe by any means, I was concerned at first about vibrations damaging the inner workings of the fairing and the electircal systems, but after taking the fairing back apart to inspect, I have not located any vibration damage. 

[Chains]

I installed the Hawg Wired speakers, and actually removed those brackets all together.  I have noticed a bit more vibration in the fairing, but it has not been severe by any means, I was concerned at first about vibrations damaging the inner workings of the fairing and the electircal systems, but after taking the fairing back apart to inspect, I have not located any vibration damage. 

Thanks,
That is good to know, I shoul have no issues then once I complete the stifners for the factory brackets.

[Boatman]

I've seen stronger brackets on bicycle reflectors.


Jerry

 

[CVOTequila]

Thanks,
That is good to know, I shoul have no issues then once I complete the stifners for the factory brackets.

I think you will be fine, but just food for thought, if you ever decide to install aftermarket speakers, you might have to modify those brackets.   

[Chains]

I think you will be fine, but just food for thought, if you ever decide to install aftermarket speakers, you might have to modify those brackets.   

Not much to modify, they are flimsy pieces of junk.

[49445CVO]

Here is a post on another member who had the same problem  and his fix.


http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=45870.0

[Quik2]

I have had the updated brackets in for the speakers since last spring granted they are not the best of quality but have lasted longer than the 1st gen brackets.

[tazmun]

Just curious, how long has Harley been making & selling the "Batwing"?

Something so simple, should only break the first year of production, after that, "NEVER AGAIN".

Wait, "improved design", or "lets make it cheaper", which is it?

[Chains]

Just curious, how long has Harley been making & selling the "Batwing"?

Something so simple, should only break the first year of production, after that, "NEVER AGAIN".

Wait, "improved design", or "lets make it cheaper", which is it?

Make it cheaper, this is my third Ultra and the first to have these issues

[tazmun]

Make it cheaper, this is my third Ultra and the first to have these issues

Would this come under the extended service plan, or???

[Chains]

Would this come under the extended service plan, or???

Wow, good question, I have extended warranty but never gave it a thought

[Ultra2010]

my 07 did the same thing............. easy to change out, new brackets are better. 

[Chains]

Upper brackets done, 304 Stainless Steel With Stainless bolts, had to have some hidden bling.  Will finish cross bracket tomorrow I hope if I get done with a customer visit early enough to work on it.  This is the RH side

[Chains]

Upper brackets done, 304 Stainless Steel With Stainless bolts, had to have some hidden bling.  Will finish cross bracket tomorrow I hope if I get done with a customer visit early enough to work on it.  This is the RH side

LH Side

[dustingaunder]

Where do these nuts belong?  I found them rattling in my fork sliders one on each side.

[Chains]

Where do these nuts belong?  I found them rattling in my fork sliders one on each side.

The hold the gauges in , hopefully they were dropped in at the factory.

[dustingaunder]

Great...  I'm gonna pull the front off and see if there is a spot for them on the gauges then.  Are there more than two of these holding them in?

[Boatman]

Great...  I'm gonna pull the front off and see if there is a spot for them on the gauges then.  Are there more than two of these holding them in?

Two per gauge.

[dustingaunder]

Alright.  From where they were laying they should have come off different gauges and none of the gauges have fallen off so hopefully I haven't lost any more of them that weren't still in the bike.

[Chains]

Done, final brace made and installed, the fairing is so secure now I think I could tie the bike down with it.  I just hope its not to well mounted and will start to fatigue the fiberglass.

[grc]

my 07 did the same thing............. easy to change out, new brackets are better.  

    I guess "easy" is a relative term.  I'm changing out all my brackets, and while the speaker braces are a piece of cake, the main brackets are a PITA.  Wouldn't be too bad if the clutch fluid line didn't run through the left main bracket, requiring you to disconnect the clutch line, pull it through the inner fairing and the bracket, then thread it through the new bracket and the inner fairing before screwing it all back together and refilling/bleeding the clutch.  Too bad the morons didn't route the line around the bracket, rather than right through it.  That's how the throttle cable side is, so that one is simple.

Didn't realize it when I decided to change all the brackets out, but the right main bracket was broken through at the top bolt to the inner fairing this time.  That makes the fourth broken piece in 5 years.  Way to go H-D, your engineering and quality leave me underwhelmed once again.

One good thing about changing all this crap out I guess, it gave me a good excuse to take everything apart and inspect & clean all the pieces.  Good time to change the fork oil also.  As long as I don't come up with any extra parts when I'm done, I'll try to look at this little task in a positive light.


Jerry

Oh, btw, I compared the old and new main brackets to each other off the bike, and the only difference is the upper attachment tab for the inner fairing.  The rest of the bracket is exactly the same.  So while this change may help the upper tab problem, I don't see anything that will help the cracks in the main portion of the bracket.  I'll be keeping the old bandaid style reinforcing pieces from the old broken brackets in my junk drawer, so when the new ones break I won't have to reinvent the wheel to fix them.

[Ultra2010]

  I guess "easy" is a relative term.  I'm changing out all my brackets, and while the speaker braces are a piece of cake, the main brackets are a PITA.  Wouldn't be too bad if the clutch fluid line didn't run through the left main bracket, requiring you to disconnect the clutch line, pull it through the inner fairing and the bracket, then thread it through the new bracket and the inner fairing before screwing it all back together and refilling/bleeding the clutch.  Too bad the morons didn't route the line around the bracket, rather than right through it.  That's how the throttle cable side is, so that one is simple.

Didn't realize it when I decided to change all the brackets out, but the right main bracket was broken through at the top bolt to the inner fairing this time.  That makes the fourth broken piece in 5 years.  Way to go H-D, your engineering and quality leave me underwhelmed once again.

One good thing about changing all this crap out I guess, it gave me a good excuse to take everything apart and inspect & clean all the pieces.  Good time to change the fork oil also.  As long as I don't come up with any extra parts when I'm done, I'll try to look at this little task in a positive light.






on the 07, it was just a simple bracket change, nothing running within it.......... 













Jerry

Oh, btw, I compared the old and new main brackets to each other off the bike, and the only difference is the upper attachment tab for the inner fairing.  The rest of the bracket is exactly the same.  So while this change may help the upper tab problem, I don't see anything that will help the cracks in the main portion of the bracket.  I'll be keeping the old bandaid style reinforcing pieces from the old broken brackets in my junk drawer, so when the new ones break I won't have to reinvent the wheel to fix them.

[Chains]

I plan on a long ride tomorrow, I'll let you know if the bracket changes I made make a difference.  Hopefully I have improved the HD pieces of crap.  I think the SS brackets will endure more than the cheap old cold roll parts, my stainless pieces are 50% thicker and the tensile strength is much higher, time will tell.

[Mr D]

I plan on a long ride tomorrow, I'll let you know if the bracket changes I made make a difference.  Hopefully I have improved the HD pieces of crap.  I think the SS brackets will endure more than the cheap old cold roll parts, my stainless pieces are 50% thicker and the tensile strength is much higher, time will tell.

Chains,

Where did you purchase these from?

[Chains]

Chains,

Where did you purchase these from?

I made them my self out of some pieces of stainless I had in the shop.

[Mr D]

I made them my self out of some pieces of stainless I had in the shop.