Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[eagle.b]

As mentioned in previous post I finally got my new rims. I went with the chrome HD thunderstar (from ebay). I took them to a local HD dealer who is very hesitant on installing them because ( I will do my best to describe ) he claims the center part of the rear wheel in which the disc and pully mount to is not a perfectly flat surface. He says when they were chromed they kind of have a rounded edge which means the bolts could easily come undone when mounted. I contacted the seller who claims they're full of S&*T and probably just pissed i didn't buy them from them. He says he's sold hundreds of similar sets  and has never had a complaint or problem. I don't care if these rims aren't perfect, I wouldn't care if it was just a cosmetic concern, does anyone understand what HD is saying because my only concern is safety. Or is it possible HD is over reacting and its not a big deal.

[grc]

What's the history of those ebay wheels?  Were they rechromed, or just used takeoffs, or maybe even overstocks being sold by a dealer?  I could see possibly rounding off an edge while cleaning them up prior to plating if they were rechromed, otherwise any rounding of an edge due to the original plating process would be very minimal and not something a normal person would tend to see.  Did the dealership show you with a straight edge or other flat part what they were talking about?  Have them lay a rotor or sprocket on the mounting surface and see if there is any daylight between the parts, or any rocking.

I would suggest that you look at some of the wheels that your local Harley dealerships have for sale (many have displays of the various upgrade wheels) and see if any of them have the same "rounded" appearance as your ebay wheels.  Without seeing them, there's no way I or anyone else on the site is going to be able to tell you if what you have is good or not.  I can tell you that on my stock Thunderstars there is no obvious "rounded edge" visible where the rotors or sprocket contact the hub.


Jerry

[eagle.b]

Thanks Jerry, I'm not sure on the history of the rims but the front is perfect and the rear is re-chromed. I can see the difference between the 2. The dealer did show me what would happen when the 2 surfaces met, I would say there was very very minimal rocking or movement if any. Would that be enough to consider them unsafe??

[grc]

Thanks Jerry, I'm not sure on the history of the rims but the front is perfect and the rear is re-chromed. I can see the difference between the 2. The dealer did show me what would happen when the 2 surfaces met, I would say there was very very minimal rocking or movement if any. Would that be enough to consider them unsafe??

I would want the mounting surfaces to be dead flat.  If they aren't, it's not so much an issue of the bolts coming loose, it's an issue of the parts that mate to the hub being pulled out-of-flat or stressed when you tighten them down.  If the actual mounting surface is flat, but just the outer edge of the hub slightly rounded, that shouldn't make a difference.  But the rotor and sprocket have to sit flat where they actually contact the hub and at all bolt locations so that they will remain flat and parallel after torquing all the fasteners.  I'd say if you have any doubts at all about the veracity of the dealership person, try another dealership or independent shop.  If two different places tell you the same thing, then it's time to talk to the ebay seller about a refund. 


Jerry

[Wanna ride]

Post a couple pics of the areas of concern, so we have a better idea of what the problem may be. But, keep in mind, dealerships don't really care for you spending your money somewhere else.