| Author | Message | ||
     Mv2devnul |
In literally the last 2 miles of a 300 mile trip, my Uly started making strange exhaust noises. Pulling over immediately I found one of the front exhaust clamps sheared in two, and on the front cylinder one exhaust nut was gone and the other exhaust flange stud sheared off in the head. I have 3500 miles on the bike, and check the fasteners on the bike every 3rd ride or so with a torque wrench, so my guess is that the breakage of the front exhaust clamp caused excess vibrations/droop that lead to the stud shearing? Odd thing is that the break in the front clamp is absolutely clean ( almost like it was cut by a laser---maybe aliens sabotaged it?  ) Loaded up bike and took it to dealer and they said that they've seen it happen before. Just curious: has anyone else seen this and is there any mod to keep it from happening again? | ||
| Billyo |
Similar thing happened on my firebolt except I was lucky and the header studs didn't break. One day before a ride I noticed the front muffler clamp hanging. It also looked like a perfect cut. I figured what happened was that I re-used the clamps when I got my Drummer. I didn't know it at the time but clamp re-use is a no-no. | ||
| Mv2devnul |
Bought the bike new and have never removed the clamps...still leaning toward aliens theory | ||
| Froggy |
Yes, either the clamp was over torqued or the strap was removed and reused, it is one time use. Buying the thing new doesn't mean a damn, the bike could of easily had its exhaust removed. | ||
| Paralegalpete |
 mine broke, probably because I had been riding without the front muffler mount fastener for a while as the bolt and nut had fallen out. Don't know for how long. I replaced the bolt and nut and shortly thereafter the strap clamp broke | ||
| Oldwesterncowboy |
could you use regular hose clamps? | ||
| Paralegalpete |
I carry a couple of worm (regular) hose clamps in case of an emergency break, but I don't know how long they would hold up. I use two, one on top of the other. I also carry a spare proper clamp on longer trips It seems one side case is permanently full of tools, and spares | ||
| Jlnance |
> could you use regular hose clamps? If you had to, it might work for a while. They aren't really made for that kind of tension. Bailing wire would probably work too, for a while. (Message edited by jlnance on June 01, 2010) | ||
| Mv2devnul |
@Froggy: yeah, I understand. Who knows how long the bike sat in dealership and/or what was taken off or put back on. @paralegalpete: my strap broke 180 degrees from the fastener. Still curious on cause/effect though: did the strap break lead to the stud shear, or vice-versa? (and though it wasn't clear from my original post, one stud sheared, the other just lost its nut). If nut lossage caused the shear (which lead to strap breaking), then I wonder if there is something like the Stage 8 locking nuts that will fit? Left it a dealership on Sat. Will be traveling next few weeks, so no rush to get bike back....though my 2006 XB12SS looks lonely in the garage by itself. :-( | ||
| Jlnance |
@ mv2devnul: My guess is the strap broke first. I broke a strap (reused it and tightened it w/o a torque wrench) and it took the header stud out with it eventually. PS: I like your screen name. | ||
| Rwven |
Could constantly retorquing the stud on the header flange without loosening it first have led to it shearing off? Over stretched it maybe? | ||
| Mv2devnul |
@rwven: unlikely, I think. The torque on the nuts is pretty low. First time I read the service manual, I was sure it was a misprint. @jlnance: re screen name: always good when someone "gets" the name. :-) | ||
| Mv2devnul |
Update: service department called today, and boy am I surprised. First the good news, its all covered by HD, so I'm not out any money. The bad news, and I'm really shocked by this repair strategy: they ordered and new head *and* a new frame?!?! The mechanic told me that the frame was "compromised" when the exhaust system slipped. When I asked what "compromised" meant, he said "it pinched the frame and wore through the powder coating---we could just try to cover it, but we'd rather get a new frame so you don't have to worry about rust, etc" So, oh Lords of Buelldom: does that make any sense at all?} | ||
| Satori |
Makes sense from a liability angle, from the manufactures standpoint. A frame is a whole lot cheaper,than say the frame leaking, injuring rider and the ensuing lawsuit. Just as a point of reference, Ive worked at Cage dealerships for half my life, including management. If the fuel wasnt in the frame, probably much less likely it would have even been brought up. | ||
| Badrap |
Rust, what rust? You are talking about the aluminum frame that holds the fuel right? | ||
| Mv2devnul |
Precisely... | ||
| Dynasport |
OK, I admit it, I dont get the screen name, a little help please. | ||
| Froggy |
You aren't nerdy enough to get it!  | ||
| Mv2devnul |
@dynasport: that just means you're normal. :-) It's a (bad) reference to the Unix-lore, where one arcane way of deleting something is to: "move" (mv is the Unix command for moving, and coincidentally my initials), "to" (the number 2 in the screen name), "/dev/null" (devnul in screen name) which is the proverbial bit-bucket in Unix. Only funny if you know how I nearly lost all my Master's thesis due to a self-inflicted programming error... And admittedly not too funny anyway... We return you to your regularly scheduled thread already in progress. | ||
| Dynasport |
Ok, I feel better now. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Technically, it should be cat > /dev/null. Can I use 'rm -rf ~' for a user name?  | ||
| Mv2devnul |
@reepicheep: this is true. I was gonna use BuellIsFairer as a screen name but realized not everyone appreciates bad word play (that and all I need is another login name to forget). Anywho, gonna call the dealership tomorrow to understand more about the frame replacement. | ||
| Satori |
See if they will give you the old frame, and keep it as a spare. Just a thought.. | ||
| Dynasport |
I wonder if they can for liability reasons, plus HD may want to see if for warranty verification, or not. | ||
| Froggy |
It would never happen. The dealer will get slapped with a $10k fine if they don't return the damaged frame or at least the steering neck with VIN. Similar other policies with other warranty parts. | ||
| Satori |
Figured it for a long shot. Froggy question though, does the new frame have the vin on it? how does that work? just curious. Thanks | ||
| Froggy |
The Frame Fairy will bring a new frame with same VIN to your dealer. Back in the day the dealer had to send the damaged one back first as proof of destruction, but now they do the advanced exchange and send it back after you are back on the road. | ||
| Mv2devnul |
Yes, Virginia, there is a Frame Fairy, but he looks like Tex Cobb and dresses in a pink tutu? Shudder | ||
| Mv2devnul |
Mini update on the saga. While I still don't grok replacing the frame, I called Monday this week and found out that the heads (that's right, *both*heads are being replaced) have arrived, and the replacement frame is the hold up. So, for those of you bemoaning drive belts on backorder... Think I'll head down to dealer this Saturday to see the bike---is that a conjugal visit of sorts? Dealer seems to be making progress, and given my travel schedule of late, I'm not missing much in the way of riding opportunities. |
