Front Crash Bar Broke

[onahog]

Anyone else have the upper tab on there front engine guard/crash bar break off ??
2009 Triglide, 16,000kms
I was in Sturgis and found that the top tab was broken off and the lower bolts all loose....MOCO is replacing under EXT warranty...
Just kinda weird occurance too me...Musta bin a defective tab im thinking????

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

That's a first one I have ever heard of the weld breaking in that area on its own.

[onahog]

Looks to have bin broken for awhile...rusty..and rub marks from steering dampner holding it in place...Thx god for steering dampner bracket or it would fallen forward into fender and forks..HB

[Mr.Wizard]

Have you been doing circus stunt riding again Hank?

[onahog]

Ya Man!!!..Sturgis Stunt Riding....LOL..Once removed I see how small the tab is and looks as tho it was burnt thru from factory robot welding...Lucky no harm done and ext warranty is taking care of the part...Im doin the labour, as I really don't need anyone else scratchin things up on me...By the way Wiz, its running A1, Thx again to You!
HaNkB

[msocko3]

I've never seen it happen, must be a Canadian thing.

[onahog]

I think maybe ur right Mike....I do have this other 09 bagger and the eng guard is bent in half and it ripped the frame out instead of breakin the tab off...My trike just wanted attention I guess!!!..They get that way Ya no when theres to many other bikes getting all the attention in shop..LOL..HanKb

[Keystone]

Have you been doing circus stunt riding again Hank?

I have never heard of one breaking unless it had been involved in an accident.

[onahog]

No accidents on trike ever..!!!
As said, poorly welded and then lower bolts came loose from vibrating and finished it off I guess..

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

No accidents on trike ever..!!!
As said, poorly welded and then lower bolts came loose from vibrating and finished it off I guess..

Out of curiosity, do you have highway pegs mounted to your crash bar? If so, do you push on them a lot?

[onahog]

Yes, I do have Hwy pegs...I use them as toe rests..They are mounted as low as they can be..I am only 160 lbs soaking wet, so doubt that's the problem...Im sure it was just poor QC on Hds part

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

You might not know your own strength...

[screwball]

You worried me, so I went out and looked at the center tab on my crash bars. Everything looks OK, no sign of fatigue or cracking.

[TheBobs]

You worried me, so I went out and looked at the center tab on my crash bars. Everything looks OK, no sign of fatigue or cracking.

Same here, I'll be looking when I get home from work. Driving the F-250 Roadragemobile today.

[Bikerbozo]

With my high mileage and girth on my hwy pegs, bar has never cracked on '10 TG. Used to break one on '77 from vibration all the time.

[saab9k]

Man made it, it will break. When who knows.

[DK Custom Products]

Never heard of that before (apart from an accident, and then it usually bends the frame tab). Glad to hear no incident because of it.

I use my highway pegs a lot, and I see the engine guard flex at times when pushing on the pegs.

Gonna keep an eye on it going forward.

[Lakeman]

I would think the bolts were loose, causing vibration and tab failure. Just had a tour of the Kansas City, MO plant and it sure seems they do as much as they can to make sure the bikes are right when the dealer gets them. All robot work is checked by a human. The quality control people pick five bikes a day and go thru them with a fine tooth comb and ride them for 25-30 miles any day the plant is in operation, weather be damned! Anything that is found to be a problem is put on sticky tabs and put on the bike then they put the bikes in the cafeteria for everyone to see. I was told if you buy a bike with 25 - 30 miles on it right off the truck it will be top notch. Each work zone has 12 work stations and a worker will switch from station to station every two and half hours to help with monotony. They pull samples of steel (like frame tubes) very often and test to make sure it is correct hardness and strength and type. The 2014 models were in production so we were not able to see some of the assembly line. He did say that something big is going to happen. I had a tour of the Corvette plant a few years back and there is no comparison. In the corvette plant the people looked like hell and every work station had a boom box wide open, the place looked like hell. All the people in the Harley plant looked fine in jeans and a dissent shirt and some dissent music playing from one location. They have up front Harley parking for the works that ride their Harley to work, right at the front door in a semi circle, looks good at the entrance.