HD dealer stripped screws on outer fairing

[STEVE07]

The 08 Road Glide does not have brass inserts , it screws right into the plastic outer fairing , the plastic is threaded to accept the screws . It can be easy to strip if you dont know what you are doing , you can not use a air or electric screw driver , you can use a 1/4 inch drive rachet with very little tourqe applied , I use a tourqe bit screwdriver for the best results . I do not believe that there is enough material on the outer fairing to install the brass insert or HD would have done that in the first place . The 4 short screws should be tighten to 6 - 12 in-lb the 2 long screws should be tighten to 10 - 15 in-lb according to 08 HD touring service manual . HD should have a repair proceedure or the only other repair would be a new outer fairing . It seems that everytime I take the bike to the dealer it gets a new scratch or something & now this happens .

I didn't know the 08 RG doesnt have the inserts,something I have done on ABS tubing would work ,heat up a butter knife and melt a bit of ABS into the fairing,like you are using a spatula,then clean it up using a dremel and drill and retap (I'm assuming the RG fairing is made of ABS like the EG is)

 

[ironmark]

I went to another HD dealer today & talked to the service manager & tech & they said HD does not have a fix for stripped threads in the outer fairing , the only fix HD has is to replace the outer fairing & if I messed with it HD may not replace it .

Went to dealer that stripped the screw in the outer fairing & they would NOT fix it & they would not accept the blame HD only fix is a new outer fairing . Called customer service & they would do nothing ( said they would not overide the tech) The tech that they could not overide was the same tech that did the work . Should I get a lawyer or should I send e-mail to mc mags . I told the Dealer that I took the fairing off before & that info was already in the customer service records when I called & it was only 10 min after the service manager talked to me . The dealer also told me that if you take the screws out of the fairing that it whould wear our the plastic & you that I should not do that . Even though you have to remove the outer fairing to grease the neck bearings or replace headlight bulbs ect,ect . Is there any other way that I can resolve this or do I have to bite it ?

 

[glider]

It sounds as if your goose is cooked because you told them you removed the fairing IMO.Once you said that and they recorded it, the blame can be shifted to you even if you didn't cause the problem. It's a weak link in the chain (the screws) and when they have an out, they use it.
Never offer any more info to the dealer than you have to in the future.

 

[kemo]

Some more of the great Harley (EDIT) to go with the cam tensioners and crsnkshafts etc. I ended up doing to my E/G fairing screws like TQ and drilled right through using stainless 1 1/2 inch button head screws and stainless acorn nuts. I have a Hoppnal 3 pouch w/s mounted on top of the inner fairing so you cannot see my job. The factory insert were such a pain. I had repaired them so many tims and later they would come loose.


Please read this...

A Friendly Reminder - Harley Davidson Community

 

[ironmark]

It sounds as if your goose is cooked because you told them you removed the fairing IMO.Once you said that and they recorded it, the blame can be shifted to you even if you didn't cause the problem. It's a weak link in the chain (the screws) and when they have an out, they use it.
Never offer any more info to the dealer than you have to in the future.

You are right they would not do anything about the problem even though they were at fault . Customer service said that they could not over ride the techs decision even if the tech that made the dicision was the same tech that stripped the screws . HD sevice manager & tech said that if you take the screws in & out to many times that it will ruin the integerity of the plastic . I see it this way , if anything has to be done like replaceing headlight bulbs or general maintinance like greasing the neck bearings you have to remove the outer fairing & if I have the bike for 10 years or more how many time will the outer fairing have to be removed just for maintinance ?? Granted if the tech or owner knows how to perform the proceedure correctly there may never be a problem . I believe that this is a design problem & I should check into other ways of resolving the problem .

 

[Redman]

Iron...this is a load of (self edit). I have to say that this kind of stuff is a real eye opener. I just purchased a 09 flhx and am so happy with all the improvements over the 08...however what kind of a manufacturer puts thousands of man hours into redesign and leaves a manufacturing and design flaw like this. Your point about the headlight bulb and the neck bearing grease should be enough for one of the powers that be to stop developement of any future models until this is fixed. I, like many who have the Streetglide will be replacing the insufficient windshield...well if you are over 5' 7" it is a must and this will require removing those fairing screws...and so the saga begins. How long would it take to get the same team of engineers who added ABS, Cruise control, a rear cylinder shut down a list of other improvements to fix this simple problem. I hate to say this but this kind of approach has kept me with other motorcycle manufacturers for 30 years. I am proud to be a member of the Harley community and love my bike but hate to see a business run this way.
I own my own business (18 years) and realize how difficult it can be at times but paramount is customer satisfaction and quite frankly this is a great example of a companies failure to do so. If this were my company I would surely respond immediately to this concern...tell me that the engineers are not aware of this problem...none of them ride a faired Harley...I know as a fact that is not the case. Well....more than enough said...Iron, I wish you luck and please keep us up to date as I am sure more of us will walk this path.:small3d023:

 

[Cpt.FancyPants]

Took bike in to get rear bearing fixed & told service manager that the rubber strip that is between the inner & outer fairng is coming off as I ride , so the dealer took the fairing apart & put a little more glue on the rubber strip . I did some work on the outer fairing today & one of the screws was STRIPED the dealer did it . I took the bike back to the dealer & told them about it & I am going to take the bike Wednesday to have it looked at . I know that the dealer is going to pass the buck & blame me . Is there a fix for this problem besides getting a new fairing , you would think this has happened before & HD would have a fix . I was thinking about filling the hole with fiberglass resin & drilling & installing the stock screw .

thought i posted this earlier
try some loctite thread repair. It handles a decent amount of torque.

 

[jims87flh]

Here is a suggestion. Get some of that two part epoxy putty, mix a bit and cram the hole full of it. Once it cures, carefully drill and tap the hole to accept the screw.

I messed up the screws at the top of the outer fairing that hold the windshield secure. Those are brass inserts molded in the plastic that the screws thread into. I pulled them out by over tightening. My fix for this was to drill all the way through the inner fairing and run some stainless screws from the inside out. Put acorn nuts on the outside. Actually looks kinda good!! See:

TQ

This would be my fix, as it's probably going to keep happening, eventually the others will wear too. However, you still have to watch how tight you tighten them, I'm now looking for a stainless steel or chromed strip to put under my acorn nuts because someone got over zealous tightening them.

 

[TQuentin1]

This would be my fix, as it's probably going to keep happening, eventually the others will wear too. However, you still have to watch how tight you tighten them, I'm now looking for a stainless steel or chromed strip to put under my acorn nuts because someone got over zealous tightening them.

Right! You mean on the front, right? Check out the top pix above. That strip is a HD item.

TQ

 

[jims87flh]

That'll work, however if it's an HD item, I'm sure it's 200 bucks, but I'll take a look. Maybe Drag specialties, or Custom Chrome has something more reasonable?