That Time We Experienced Reliability Issues With American Motorcycles- Part II

"McMike" (mcmike) 08/27/2015 at 12:00 • Filed to: McSTurgis, tutu513, twowheelsbad, roadtrip

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Welcome to part two of That Time We Experienced Reliability Issues With American Motorcycles. You knew there wouldn’t be just one, right?

As some of you know, I rode my motorcycle from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during the first two weeks in August. It’s only now that I’m putting all the photos together, and trying to come up with some interesting parts of the trip to share. I wrote nothing down, and only have time-stamped images and a future credit card bill to freak out about sort it out.

There were all less dramatic, less of a mystery (and a less expensive) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Here’s what else we ran into.

Check Engine light - Sturgis SD

Good news is, this happened a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Out the the blue on my way to work one morning, the CEL came on along with the battery light. Not knowing how long I could run on just the battery, I went home, grabbed the factory service manual, got the car, and left for work again.

While I was at work googling the shit out of this issue, I discovered that you can check/clear CELs using the ODO, the ODO reset switch, and a confusing array of taps and holds. The code P0562 was a “System Voltage Low” error, so of course, I checked the regulator, battery, and stator to find nothing wrong with any of them.

I cleared the code back then when it first popped up, and then again while we were in South Dakota. Weird, but it didn’t seem to be a problem.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Oil leak - Somewhere in Nebraska

I think it was day ten or 11, when I looked down at my buddies bike at a stoplight (finally, it wasn’t mine) and noticed that some of the wiring harness and the area around his oil filter/cooler looked wet. Was it a new leak? Did it have a leak when he bought it? How quickly was it leaking? Was it leftover mess from the oil change the dealer did before he took delivery? The light turned green, and we rolled of. I started thinking about more important things like when my bike would start backfiring again, and where we were going to find tacos that night.

The next day while we were traveling, I noticed that it was now staring to blow back over his primary, and on his shifter arm (photos above). When we stopped for lunch, I said to him. “Dude, remind me after lunch that we need to check your oil to see if that leak is going to be an issue or not.” He was surprised, and righfully pissed. His $15K purchase had a 30 day/1500mile warranty that expired four states ago.

The oil level was still pretty high, but I wanted to know how much he was losing. We found an auto parts store and picked up some brakeclean and a quart of oil. He added 8oz of oil to top it off, and cleaned the area so we could later tell where the leak was. I was pretty confident that we would get home. I wasn’t sure how many quarts of oil he would use, but we would get home.

I thought it also might be worth a shot to give that oil filter a twist to see if it was loose the next morning when it was cool to the touch.

It was loose! He was able to give it about a 1/4 turn with his hand, and it didn’t leak the rest of the trip. Either there are two gaskets on it, or the tech didn’t tighten it all the way. We need to do the 25K service here soon, so we’ll figure it out.

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!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

While not bike related, I was relying on these to 1) reduce wind noise, and to 2) listen to the Google lady tell me which !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Thankfully, Mrs McMike had a a sparkly pair of earbuds I could use.

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Another P0562 on our last day.

I’m getting pretty good at checking/clearing CELs now. Mrs McMike didn’t even have to get off the bike this time. I’m going to have to take a closer look at this, since it’s now reoccurring.

It could have been worse. At least someone didn’t steal all of our clothes.

We got off pretty easy with the few problems we had, and it could have been a lot worse. We could have easily been facing a bus ticket, shipping a bike home, or a several day delay because of a tow/repair instead of $400 and a quart of oil.

Oppo, what are some of the roadside repairs and problems you all have experienced a long ways from home?

Sam > McMike 08/27/2015 at 12:17

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A Harley leaking oil? I think you’re lying to us Mr. McMike. They never, ever do that, ever.

Or so my friend who works at the Harley dealership wants me to believe.

McMike > Sam 08/27/2015 at 12:18

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I have 35K miles and don’t have one yet. (fingers crossed)

Now, my British cars?

pip bip - choose Corrour > McMike 08/28/2015 at 02:47

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had clutch master cylinder decide to let go a few years ago hen i was interstate.’

just had to pump a few times , to limp home.