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[kona76]

In my infinite wisdom, as I worked on various items in the rear end, engine and installing OCD stuff, I had the occasion to test drive my bike to make sure everything was in working order.

During the short, late night & cold ride, I heard a noise unheard by these ears ever before. It happened to be the passenger backrest assembly taking a fall off my bike and skidding to a halt in the middle of the road. No traffic, I turned around, got my backrest and went to the nearest corner to check the damage. As you can tell by the following photographs, I tore up the pad in two areas. I thought, no biggee, just order a new  pad and live with the scratch on the chrome. After all, I am the dummy who did the air pressure change in the rear shocks and forgot to lock up the stock assembly...plus it could have been much worse (as if I don't read the manuals; can cause death, etc...)

So, I go to Santa Maria, CA HD shop and order my part #51822-07. They ship us a plain Jane pad. It has the part number, but no reptile print as my FLHRSE4 SERK calls for. Take it back, and order another; but I get another mistake; this time a drivers backrest which is cool, cause it came with the reptile print. Buit no help is in site.

Now, my friends, I'll get to the point. Called the customer service at HD to find out the part number has been superseded to the generic pad part number, and the Reptile Print is discontinued, with no stock reported at any dealer in all of the states.

I just received the bike on January 18, 2008 and before the end of the year, it is discontinued. The 07 "embossed flame" type backrest pad is available, but not the Reptile Print.

How lame is that? I thought there must have been a good reason. The MOCO is a huge OEM, like IBM, one of the largest OEM's in the computer world. And when the HD procurement department says that it's no longer available, then thats the end of game. No referral to the original maker of this product, nothing except a generic pad.

Am I just too sensitive to crap like this? Cause, I'm not happy with this status report. I wonder if anyone else has had the same type of parts problem?

I will try to fix this myself, and stop being so lazy about repair vs. buy a new part. Still, I don't think I need anything else to complain about....ya know?

Mike K.
kona76

[kona76]

Another pix of my latest brilliant moment.....

[Puzzled]

Take it to an upholstery shop. They can salvage the reptile inlay and replace the damaged area.

I had my SERG seat done this way. I was able to retain the material in the middle while having the outside replaced.

[AXIL]

 KONA76, sorry to here about your back rest. i'll check around here and see if some one has one.   axil
               
               p.s. most parts counts are wrong i'll have them look on the shelf

[kona76]

Thanks. I know about the shops to redo the pad. Lots of em here locally. And not real expensive.... It's just so final with the MOCO's tough luck attitude. Stop complaining and buy a new bike is all whats on the agenda there.

In the worlds industries, isn't there some ISO standard about 10 years of parts needing to be available??? Don't quote me but computer industry ISO 9000 (??) is like that I think. Again, old information from long ago....

I think some Parts and accessories should be available for the duration of the sales cycle, at the very least. Give us a year for parts..we'll spend the money part....

Mike K.
kona76

[skreminegul07]

Thanks. I know about the shops to redo the pad. Lots of em here locally. And not real expensive.... It's just so final with the MOCO's tough luck attitude. Stop complaining and buy a new bike is all whats on the agenda there.

In the worlds industries, isn't there some ISO standard about 10 years of parts needing to be available??? Don't quote me but computer industry ISO 9000 (??) is like that I think. Again, old information from long ago....

I think some Parts and accessories should be available for the duration of the sales cycle, at the very least. Give us a year for parts..we'll spend the money part....

Mike K.
kona76

For some reason, I was thinking it was 7 years, but maybe only necessary parts.  HD is probably within the requirements by substituting a similarly function part, although cosmetically different. 

[Twolanerider]

There are standards, including federal law and admin regulation, on parts availability.  And it is several years.  It is now, however, a mandate for exact replacements.  The mandate is there to keep vehicles running.  So the requirement is that a functional replacement be available.  So if some fancy one-off bit is part of what draws you do a new bike, especially if that bit is a one-year-only-low-production-piece, it's a mistake to assume identical replacements will be around very long. 

The tighter bottom lines and other lean standards get the more you'll see parts inventories with fewer and fewer individual part numbers and more and more generic broader based replacement parts.  It makes warehousing cheaper and easier.  It sucks for the guys with the unique or otherwise special pieces.

[AXIL]

kona76, i checked all the dealers i know, no luck. sorry       axil

[kona76]

kona76, i checked all the dealers i know, no luck. sorry       axil

AXIL,

Thank you for your effort.

Mike K.
kona76

[FNGw/08SERK]

AXIL,

Thank you for your effort.

Mike K.
kona76

Mike, just curious if a resolution was had??