Afternoon all a very close freind of mine who lives in Ballina (NSW) is having problems dealing with the HD dealer there in regards to his 08 Nightster he brought 5 months ago.

The problem relates to the spokes of his new bike developing bad rust problems after only having the bike for 4 months. Sadly the gentleman in question has had two heart attacks and numerous other health issues during this time and was unable to proceed with this problem before now.

on the weekend he finally took his bike back to the dealer and was told in no uncertain terms that the dealer would do nothing to rectify the fault.

As you guys could imagine he was very upset and sent this dealer a very cordial but critical email comlaining about the service and the response he received.

 

My question guys is whom else in the Harley heirachy can he approach to A) get this problem solved ie get rid of the rust. B) complain about the dealers pathetic attitude and lack of interest in helping provide solutions rather than show distain to a very nice human being.

 

Cheers Pops

Mate you do realise you are talking about a HD dealer don't you... I'm sure thier response will be along the lines of...

Good luck...

I'm guessing Ballina is near the sea (?) which would explain the rust. I would think that rust isn't covered (just like with cars) under warranty and if the dealer lives near the sea he would be used to people coming back saying its his fault. Have you tried getting the rust off to see what damage has been done? Chrome cleaner + shoe laces or thin strips of rags pulled back and forth between the spokes.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Harley- Davidson Australia Pty Ltd

Ive heard of this before on another Forum. I also havd the same problem with my own 06 Front Wheel. The Spokes did the same after 6 months, I took the Bike Back to Peter Stevens and was mucked around for months be for giving up and changing the Wheel my self to a 80 Spoke Wheel

Thanks for the replys guys Just received an email from my mate a coupleof minutes ago saying the owner of the business is going to fix the problem under warrenty So it looks like everything is going to be ok.

 

cheers

Mate i had a problem a few years ago with a car...just keep sticking it to them, threaten them with everything, just keep cool. nothing like bad word of mouth.

glad to hear that it was sorted out for your mate.

Our hd dealer in gladstone is excellent in regards to probs like that, they have replaced the front wheel on lil-bitches sporty because of rust and the cam covers are about to be replaced and the back wheel also because of chrome starting to flake off, all under warranty which runs out in a few months

If you buy a new Harley you usually get a questionaire a couple of months later to fill out. You can highlight the problem there, regardless of the immediate outcome. Okay they are going to fix it but you can still give your feedback of how you were treated.

Maybe these guys in the US need to know how much crap we put up with, that's if they care.
Its good to see some internal contacts, screem and if they don't answer screem louder and more often, then you may get a reply.

Thanks guys will let you know how it all works out for my mate
Cheers Pops

Hi Calabos yup that sounds like my mate and yes his name is Graham

I had a rust problem with an 05 softail front spoked rim. They got the warranty rep for nsw to come take a look at my bike and he told me this: "If the rust is bubbling through from underneath then its a warranty problem fair and square. If the rust is chewing its way in from the outside then its the owners problem."

They are looking for bubbling chrome or paint.

For the record the knocked me back the assholes (frasers newy). Fitted a new one myself.

My argument was that 18 month old jap bikes dont have rusty spokes / rims even if left in the damn weather for months at a go do they?

My experiences with HD corporate echo the sentiments of many others here. Basically its "we're large and in charge, screw you little guy!"

Cheers, Richo

There's the problem, Seaside Motorcycles, rust by the ocean.

well i was rewarded with a new rim cause my chrome on my front wheel started bubbling, the spokes were rusty too but i hadn't cleaned them in over a year.
now i have had my new front wheel on about 3-4 monthes and i have major rust issues, it doesnt really worry me and i have a lot of respect for our dealership so i am not going to ask for a new one.
but from what i can gather the chroming on my front spokes lasted and was heaps better than the chroming on these spokes.
infact i cant get rid of all th4 marks on these spokes even though its only a couple monthes old. i spoke to the head mechanic (who actually pointed the rust out to me) and he said its just from the shit that comes off the road from other cars and traffic on the road. still doesnt make sense to me why my 1st spoked rim didnt rust as fast as my second spoked rim.
time for a couple mags :-)
charls

 Yeah I have rust on both my wheels as well. I got mine in dec, so whats that 4 months? The back wheel is only a little bit rusted but the front is pretty much every single spoke. I ride my bike useally 6-7 days a week and clean it every saturday/sunday. I don't really want to change to alloy cause i love the look of the spokes. Would it help if i got them chromed again? or mabey even painted black?

 

 

I have rusty spokes but I'm a tad out of warranty so I just sprayed them black and voilà, roberts your mothers brother.

try these

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/3863

bart.com.au/.../Know%20How%20to%20Complain%20-%20Stand%20Up%20for%20your%20Consumer%20Rights.pdf

Akront alloy rims and stainless spokes, never a rust problem again, wipe them over with WD40.

washed my 48 for the 1st time  the other day ,dried it off ,took it for a ride ,put it away for the night .

next day found rust on a weld on the swing arm

Ive had the bike for a few weeks and have not run it in yet

its seen no rain or dirt roads  nor coastlines .

 

heres the conundrum ,if you ride it you gotta wash it ,especially if you ride near the sea ,but if you wash it ,it rusts

 

love the bike but am hopeing its build quality lives up to its name and legendary status