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Custom Vehicle Discussions => Screamin’ Eagle® Softail® Springer® => Topic started by: so sweet so sweet on December 22, 2007, 12:42:04 AM
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Has anyone had any problems with their bike?? The first 1200 miles the tach was replaced, it just quit working. Now at 5700 the belt snapped, the tach broke again, the led gas guage is being replaced and the front wheel bearing went out. The dealership called to let me know they replaced the belt and bearing and the guage and tach are on order. While riding there is still a problem with the front wheel so it may have to be replaced. I know stuff happens, but this is rediculous.
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So why did the belt break??
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They don't know. Some say the torque on the bike is too strong, but no one knows for sure.
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Belts are pretty tough. I have been pretty rough on a few through the years, and I have never broke one. I think I would want them to make sure there is not anything wrong with the bike that is going to cause the belt to break again.
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Unless you are riding really aggressive (dragstrip racing) the belt shouldn't be an issue. If it were out of alignment this could cause a premature breakage. I believe I've heard of others w/the issue concerning the LED gas gauge, and tach both. If you're still feeling something not right w/front wheel that might be something you want to insist on getting replaced.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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I do ride pretty aggressively, but even so they said it should not have been a problem. It didn't show any wear or rubbing or anything that could cause it to snap. As far as the front wheel, I had already had them replaced once. When I picked the bike up I noticed it was making a noise and had a chugging feeling. The guy told me that it was the springer getting broken in and I should get used to the noise. I did let him know that it was smooth before and now you could feel and hear something. This new guy said he felt and heard what I was talking about and the other guy should have listened since he didn't know what it was like before.
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Are you having your bike looked at at your local HD shop or an independent that you have known for awhile? Maybe just trying a new service shop might get someone who is willing to listen to you. Hope you find the solution to the problem. I don't think your belt should be breaking if everything is in correct alignment.
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Belt breakage, even with the latest narrow belts, is not a common occurence. As for the torque statement, no stock H-D has anything even approaching the torque necessary to snap a belt. There are plenty of heavily modified bikes running stock belts with no breakage issues.
Common causes of breakage are misalignment, improper tension, and foreign objects being trapped between the belt and sprockets. Then there is the possibility of just getting a defective belt from the supplier. Have the dealer closely inspect the sprockets for abnormal wear, sharp edges, etc., and then make sure the alignment and belt tension are set properly. You will need to have the new belt checked and readjusted after 500-1000 miles.
I'm not familiar with the current springer setup, but the older versions had to be maintained, cleaned, and lubricated religiously to reduce noise and harshness. I wonder if this has anything to do with your front end issues? Hopefully someone with more Springer experience will chime in here.
Jerry
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Belt breakage, even with the latest narrow belts, is not a common occurence. As for the torque statement, no stock H-D has anything even approaching the torque necessary to snap a belt. There are plenty of heavily modified bikes running stock belts with no breakage issues.
Common causes of breakage are misalignment, improper tension, and foreign objects being trapped between the belt and sprockets. Then there is the possibility of just getting a defective belt from the supplier. Have the dealer closely inspect the sprockets for abnormal wear, sharp edges, etc., and then make sure the alignment and belt tension are set properly. You will need to have the new belt checked and readjusted after 500-1000 miles.
I'm not familiar with the current springer setup, but the older versions had to be maintained, cleaned, and lubricated religiously to reduce noise and harshness. I wonder if this has anything to do with your front end issues? Hopefully someone with more Springer experience will chime in here.
Jerry
I agree with Jerry and the general consensus that the belt didn't break from torque output. It would also seem unlikely that the engineers at The Motor Company wouldn't account for the torque output of their drivetrains. And if they didn't, we'd probably have the knowledge by now that belt breakage was a common problem. Jerry's advice of having the new belt inspected and adjusted after 500-1000 miles tells me tells me he knows his stuff!!!
I've been a Springer guy for some time and aside from greasing the front end frequently, I've gone 20,000 miles between services for the steering head. This typically involves new races and bearings. If you bang the bike around from those wonderful potholes that seek us out, I would have the geometry checked out more often. You're not the first CVO Springer owner that has told me they're having multiple problems, and God knows what Harley has done to their tachs. I usually hit the Factory show in Rapid City during Sturgis week and that's a good time to vocalize your complaints to the guys that design our bikes. I hope they get you fixed up and In The Wind!
Joe
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Thank y'all for the responses. I will update if/when they ever let me know more. It is at the original dealer I bought the bike from this time. It was their sister store that had done the work before.
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Check if the belt touches the inner plastic fender, right behind the belt guard. Look for scratch marks there.
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My belt broke with a little more than 900 miles on it. The reason the dealer gave was unknown, but replaced it under the warranty. The real reason I think it broke was the belt tension. I've gotten on it a couple of times before and it made a god awful sound. From the tires squealing I really didn't know what it was. Now that the belt has been replace I've been a little light on the gas. I did get the back end a sideways the other day and nothing was noted out of the ordinary.
I do think that the extended warranty on this bike is a must! A friend of mine has a 07 with 6500 miles on it and not a problem one and he hides pretty hard.
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I agree with GRC, no current production Harley has enough power to snap a belt. Mis-aligned is my best guess.
I snapped a belt in 00 on my Softail and I believe I must have picked something up in the belt or it was simply mis-aligned. My 124" has a belt on a rigid frame and I enjoy pulling hole shots with this bike, no issues.
Congratulations on the 08 BUSA. Nice ride. :2vrolijk_21: I'm tempted even though when I sold mine this summer I said never again. ;)
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What problem are you still having with the front wheel? I agree with GRC, or Puzzled. If you kicked up a rock and it got in between the belt and the pulley it could damage the belt and cause a sharp edge on the pulley causing the belt to break. The reason I asked about your front wheel, if you have an alignment problem it could cause the belt problem and could cause riding issues too, causing you to think you have a problem with the front wheel. If you've been going to the same dealer and are not getting the results, I'd try going somewhere else.
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I have seen two belts break in the past couple of years. Both on baggers. Both had rocks impeded in the pulley that had cut the belts....
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I have seen two belts break in the past couple of years. Both on baggers. Both had rocks impeded in the pulley that had cut the belts....
Makes me want to put my belt guards back on. ;) :)
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They called yesterday, the bike should be ready for pick up today. The only answer they gave me for the front wheel bearing going out and the belt breaking was that this is what sometimes happens. Luck of the draw I guess. I ride pretty aggressively, but it can't be that hard on the bike. They sent the bike back to the original dealer that put the wheels and bearing on it to get that part fixed and they fixed the rest.
Congratulations on the 08 BUSA. Nice ride. :2vrolijk_21: I'm tempted even though when I sold mine this summer I said never again. ;)
Thank you. I picked the orange to have matching bikes. It is just so pretty. I've only put 1,000 miles on it so far this past couple of weeks.
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They sent the bike back to the original dealer that put the wheels and bearing on it to get that part fixed and they fixed the rest.
That seems unusual. Makes me wonder why. :nixweiss: :-\
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That seems unusual. Makes me wonder why. :nixweiss: :-\
Fore sure, that is odd. :confused5:
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They called yesterday, the bike should be ready for pick up today. The only answer they gave me for the front wheel bearing going out and the belt breaking was that this is what sometimes happens. Luck of the draw I guess. I ride pretty aggressively, but it can't be that hard on the bike. They sent the bike back to the original dealer that put the wheels and bearing on it to get that part fixed and they fixed the rest.
Thank you. I picked the orange to have matching bikes. It is just so pretty. I've only put 1,000 miles on it so far this past couple of weeks.
They did this w/o your knowledge? If so, then somebody has some serious explaining to do. :sauer005: How did they know you didn't have issues w/that dealer and that was the reason you didn't take it back to them in the first place.
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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They called yesterday, the bike should be ready for pick up today. The only answer they gave me for the front wheel bearing going out and the belt breaking was that this is what sometimes happens. Luck of the draw I guess. I ride pretty aggressively, but it can't be that hard on the bike. They sent the bike back to the original dealer that put the wheels and bearing on it to get that part fixed and they fixed the rest.
Thank you. I picked the orange to have matching bikes. It is just so pretty. I've only put 1,000 miles on it so far this past couple of weeks.
Regardless of how it got fixed, or where (thought it is curious for them to send the bike back to the other dealer), glad to see it returned to you in good shape. A lot of us ride agressively from time to time ::) so that's not what did it....like you said, just a couple of bad parts pulled off the assembly line shelf, we hope. Nice 'Busa...that's a hell of a lot of bike, so keep the rubber side down.
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Might want to check the belt tension when you get the bike home.
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Might want to check the belt tension when you get the bike home.
Yep, and I would also look the pulleys over real well to make sure they are not damaged in any way that might cause damage to the belt again (bent or gouged).
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Well, I went to get the bike today and it did ride a lot smoother. I didn't even get 11 miles down the road and the new tach went out. I was not a happy camper as I turned around and took the bike back. There is apparently some type of short that happens with this dumb tach very easily. I am not sure why they sent it back to the other dealer, but it did ride smoother this time around. Hopefully better luck when I pick it up again tomorrow.
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The "Busa" looks good on you. :2vrolijk_21: Ride that when you feel aggressive. ;D
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I read somewhere that the replacement tachs are not quite a match for the old one. Something about the needle not matching up in style with the speedo. It will be interesting to know if your tach is the same (visually) as the old.
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Well, I didn't have to pick the bike up from the dealer. They delivered it to me. I rode it all day and no issues (other than the hour of sleep I got before another 14 hr shift at work). This tach looks the same as the others that were on it before. Apparently something in the wiring gets knocked loose very easily and they "fixed" it this time. We shall see. The weather is great and too bad I am a little too tired to ride this morning.
The "Busa" looks good on you. :2vrolijk_21: Ride that when you feel aggressive. ;D
Thank you and I would, but most of the guys I ride with are on cruisers and I leave them behind as it is.
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What I want to know is how you have time to ride 3 bikes? BTW,If you wanna go fast you should have got a ZX 14. :P
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What I want to know is how you have time to ride 3 bikes? BTW,If you wanna go fast you should have got a ZX 14. :P
lol, not that much faster and the Busa is WAYYYY more comfy for me. I work a week and am off a week. 7 days is plenty of riding time and I switch it up so the bikes don't get jealous of each other. Going to the 1/4 mile track on Friday to play some. It will be tons of fun.
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lol, not that much faster and the Busa is WAYYYY more comfy for me. I work a week and am off a week. 7 days is plenty of riding time and I switch it up so the bikes don't get jealous of each other. Going to the 1/4 mile track on Friday to play some. It will be tons of fun.
Wow, and I thought FF's had a good work schedule. :o I could go for a schedule like that. :2vrolijk_21:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:firmean:
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Wow, and I thought FF's had a good work schedule. :o I could go for a schedule like that. :2vrolijk_21:
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:firmean:
It is great for the most part. We don't get sick or vacation days. Luckily for me I don't get sick and I'd rather have the vacation every other week than having to request one and be turned down for it.
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Hmmm, maybe it isn't as good as I thought it was w/o any sick or vacation days. :-\ I work 9 - 10 days a month w/4.5 weeks vacation, 11 holidays, and sick days I'm probably working less during the year then you are. I think I'll just keep what I have. ;D
:pumpkin:
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
:fireman:
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lol, not that much faster and the Busa is WAYYYY more comfy for me. I work a week and am off a week. 7 days is plenty of riding time and I switch it up so the bikes don't get jealous of each other. Going to the 1/4 mile track on Friday to play some. It will be tons of fun.
Yea,I was just messin' with ya.As you probably know,the Busa and 14 guys have a pretty intense rivalry.And yes,I'm also a Kawi guy. :)