| Author | Message | ||
     07bamafan |
I was preparing my bike for an overnight trip this weekend, and I tried to wipe off a little road grime off the airbox cover. It wasn't terribly bad looking, but it was noticeable. I wet a paper towel with water and tried to wipe it off. Instead of wiping away, the substance on my airbox cover turned white! I've tried to clean this stuff with everything from soap and water, some generic plastic cleaner, Novus, and even WD-40. This white stuff won't budge. When I tried scraping it off with my fingernail, it seemed to just come back after a very short period of time. As you can see from the pictures below, it is only on the right side of the airbox cover (if you're sitting on it). This leads me to believe that it could be brake fluid, since it's right behind the reservoir. Anyone have ideas as to what it could be, or how to remove it? Should I contact Buell, or am I going to have to fork up the cash for a new airbox cover?   | ||
| Strmvt |
it possibly could be brake fluid. Check the seal of the cap. If it is brake fluid it has an acidic type property to it and will "eat" plastic which sounds like what your describing. I'm nit sure what you would do to get it off. Maybe some other badwebbers have some ideas. | ||
| Sloppy |
I agree -- it looks like classic brake fluid bubbling. Brake fluid removes paint and discolors / hardens plastic. If so it sounds like you have the opportunity to do that fun paint project you always wanted to try. Don't feel bad -- I did the same thing on my Kawasaki. I lightly wet sanded it to make it smooth and blend in to the rest of the paint job. | ||
| Comeauzee |
+1 with sloppy, I think wet sanding will do the trick. The down fall is though you might have to take off you Buell decals to get it perfect, and it is going to take you some time and effort. Good luck though. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
The plastic, actually Dupont Surlyn, can be polished, but in your case, you would need to remove the X and the Buell plastic letters to do the job. I don't know about replacing the X, but the letters are available as a spare part from your dealer. Lots of guys just take them off any way. You heat them up with a hair dryer, and they just peel off. Do not overheat. a little does it. You need to sand with really fine wet or dry, like 1500 or even better, 2000 if you can find it, normally at auto parts stores. The Surlyn is very, very soft and easy to scratch. The final polishing is a bit tricky, but brothers have reported good results with Eagle One Nano polish by hand or with a electric buffer, or buffing with a string buffing wheel and fine rouge. The trick is to not get this soft plastic too hot by power buffing it like paint. Might be easier to just get a new one. Let me know if you want to get rid of that one. Also might be a good idea to check your front brake master cylinder. In addition to ruining the finish on your air box cover, you want to make sure that you have not lost so much fluid that your brakes no longer work properly, or that the brake fluid is contaminated by water. Might be a good time to change your front brake fluid anyway, while you are at it. | ||
| Ustorque |
07BAMA you got a PM! | ||
| Staindus |
This looks like what happened to my bike, the day after I purchased it (06 XB9SX) Brake fluid was leaking from the banjo bolt on the brake reservoir. I called HD where I bought the bike they came and picked it up and fixed it. The cover took a bit longer. The problem has not happened since. If its still under warranty call the dealer and see what they say. Hope this helps | ||
| Teddagreek |
GAS probably brake fluid... I had something similar but no where near that bad.. It's fixable but its going need some work.... | ||
| 07bamafan |
Thanks guys. I'm planning on replacing the brake fluid and the gasket/seal for the reservoir. If that doesn't do the trick, then I don't know what. Looks like a new airbox is in store for me. Think I might just remove everything off the old one and paint it flat black, for when I want to change things up. How hard is it to replace the brake fluid and pads? I'm the only one who has worked on my bike so far, and I would like to keep it that way. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I don't want to sound like I'm trying to profit from your misfortune, but I'll buy that "X" off your airbox if you're taking it off anyway (and it's in reasonably good shape). I've been wanting to get a tank bag and would prefer to have a little protection underneath it. Wish I had a solution for your problem. Brake fluid is not a friend to paint and plastic. Sorry this happened to you. | ||
| Teddagreek |
brakes are breeze... Bleeding your system can suck if if you have a lot of air.... I ended up buying MityVac to do it right.... | ||
| Terp84alum |
Isn't it under warranty? Your bike is an 07 and it came with a 2 year warranty, right? | ||
| 07bamafan |
I'll let you know if/when I take the X off. Could be a while, I don't know. I don't know if my bike is under warranty. I did the 1000 mile service myself, so I think that voided it. | ||
| Spiderman |
The plastic, actually Dupont Surlyn, can be polished, True, BUT the translucid plastic isn't Surlyn... | ||
| Xbrfirebolt |
Doing your own service will not void your warranty. Just keep records and receipts for your oil and filters. Also what work you did. Magnuson-Moss Warranty act. | ||
| Pwnzor |
You can polish that out with this: ...and some elbow grease. The label says it's for metal, but never you mind that. This product is what I use on every inch of metal and plastic on my bike, including the clear windscreen and it sparkles like new even after 5 years of ownership. | ||
| Ustorque |
don't give up on your airbox...it can be done and think of how proud you'll feel!!!! i bet you could do a lot with $200 bucks  | ||
| Ustorque |
this thing was junk when i found the 1/8" thick of rock hard super glue under my X when i ripped it off and thought i was doomed.....but a few hours later a hell of a lot of wet sanding and a good buff man she's purdy!  and crystal clear  | ||
| Court |
First. Find the problem. Old lesson learned in pilot training . . . . . don't even worry about getting back to your assigned altitude, on course or any of than UNTIL you have arrested the problem. Solve, then situate. As the sage Jon said . . . the brakes could also present a safety problem as well. Find the cause. If you need help bleeding and replacing fluid . . . .well, you are are in the right place for the help. People have successfully removed the "X", you can too. The BUELL decals remove easily, I can provide you the part number for your replacements. They are easy to get. Now . . do whatever you want with the cover. I've heard lots of good things about the Novus. Look at it this way . . you've nothing to loose. You can do all the work with the cover intact and keep riding. When it gets to be "X time" you can either put it back on or it that presents a problem. . . drop me a \mail{court.canfield@gmail.com,court.canfield@gmai l.com}, note} and I've a sneaking' suspicion I can help. But . . first things first . . . find the source of your woe. Court P.S. - Having a spent more time than I care to confess studying labor and trade laws, I'd go the "Sue Buell" route with some caution. We are talking SPOTS on a piece of plastic here . . . not your Aunt's defibrillator battery. The way you would recover under The Act would be to hire and attorney, file a law suit and convince a judge that the "tie-in" provisions of the Act apply in this case. Frankly, I think you lack the requisite components that are generally present in a successful case (the dealer, nor Buell did nothing here) . . again, we're talking spots on plastic and when, after you spend your thousands to retain a lawyer you are standing before a Judge and he asks you "what egregious and wrong act has been unconscionably perpetrated against you?" . . . well, you'll have to, while keeping a straight face, tell him "I have white spots on a piece of plastic". Anyway . . you get my point. If buying the new cover for $150 is a concern, I'm betting the attorney and the 2 year process would be less fun. If you decide to go through with it, here's the general part of the law that has been applied to customers doing work (we're talking ROUTINE maintenance, "warranty work" MUST be done by a dealer) themselves in the auto industry. I'd be eager to be proved wrong but I think you'd be the first in the motorcycle business to assert this . . . . . "Give me justice or give me spots" legal action.  "Tie-In Sales" Provisions Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty. The following are examples of prohibited tie-in sales provisions. In order to keep your new Plenum Brand Vacuum Cleaner warranty in effect, you must use genuine Plenum Brand Filter Bags. Failure to have scheduled maintenance performed, at your expense, by the Great American Maintenance Company, Inc., voids this warranty. While you cannot use a tie-in sales provision, your warranty need not cover use of replacement parts, repairs, or maintenance that is inappropriate for your product. The following is an example of a permissible provision that excludes coverage of such things. While necessary maintenance or repairs on your AudioMundo Stereo System can be performed by any company, we recommend that you use only authorized AudioMundo dealers. Improper or incorrectly performed maintenance or repair voids this warranty. Although tie-in sales provisions generally are not allowed, you can include such a provision in your warranty if you can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FTC that your product will not work properly without a specified item or service. If you believe that this is the case, you should contact the warranty staff of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection for information on how to apply for a waiver of the tie-in sales prohibition. We live in a sue happy world. . . . | ||
| His_and_her_buells |
If you sell the X to tx05xb12s and the cover to me you'll get get most of what you need to buy a new cover  . just a thought. |
