2019 SG - where to pick up a "switched" 12 volts under the faring?

[Wharfcreek]

Hello Fellow SG Owners!!

New to this forum and my 2019 SG, though not-so-new to HD in general. This is my second SG, with an '07 being my first. Also had an '05 and an '07 Ultra...as well as an '01 and an '04 Road King. I rather cycled through most of these bikes as my '01 Fatboy has been with me now since '03, and this has basically been my primary ride. However, this '19 SG has put the Fatboy into retirement. Not sure what it's future will be, but that's another subject.

I'm in the process of breaking in my new SG, and only have 400 miles on it at the moment. Just got it last week. Over the weekend I installed a set of LED Passing lights to supplement the headlight. This is an aftermarket kit consisting of basically the mounts and lights with no wiring harness or installation instructions. As it worked out, I was able to remove the LED Turn Signal assemblies and reinstall the stock units. This left just the need to complete some kind of wiring hookup to the driving lights themselves.

I ran a 14 G wire back to the battery, and installed a 10 amp fuse there as well. I put this wire in one of those plastic loom covers and ran it under the tank and on up inside the faring. Because I didn't want to run the risk of failing to turn these lights off if I ran them during the day, I decided to put a "switched" relay into the system. This is where it gets dicey. I had no problem finding what appeared to be a suitable wire under the faring.....but then I guess that's the question: Is this wire I found actually suitable? As it worked out, I found a connector with both a blue wire and a black wire in it....which I believe are part of the lighting wiring harness.....and this connector is just left blank under the faring. If looking at the bike from the front, the connector is on the right...... or if in the saddle, it's on the left.....and located rather up to the top. When the ignition switch is turned on, the blue wire powers up with 12 volts from the battery. So, I used this wire to supply voltage to a relay. I put a small toggle switch in as well. So, now when the bike is turned "on"...power goes to the toggle switch. If I turn on the toggle switch, the relay triggers and the passing lights illuminate. The main power to the passing lights goes from the battery through the relay and on to the lights. And, if the motorcycle ignition switch is turned off, the power to the relay is lost and the lights go off as well. So, in all regards it seems OK. However I just want to make sure that using this blue wire is a good place to get my 12 volts of power to run the relay.....or if this represents some potential problem with the can-bus system?

Many thanks, WC

 

[asmith1923]

Grab the cigarette lighter wire. It’s a strong 12v accessory feed.


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Tony, don't know why I didn't think of that one myself! Old age must be taking it's toll on me. Thanks so much! Guess that front faring has to come off one more time, but to make this change it's probably a good idea. Hopefully that outlet is 'switched'.....but that's easy to find out. If not, then I'm back to this post again. I'll update shortly.

Thanks again, Tom

 

[Wharfcreek]

Tony, change made! System working perfectly. At this point I don't think I'm going to have time to do any more to the bike between now and when I depart on my 4.5K trip. But, at least I've got the lighting improvements made. I have to install some new grip, as the 'stock' ones that are on the bike just won't cut it for 4500 miles. I also have some highway pegs to install. But, I've got 4 more days at least, depending on how many miles I can ride between now and Friday, and if I can get the dealership to do the 1K service for me on Friday. If so, then I'll depart Saturday am. If not, then I guess I'll just have to wait until they can squeeze me in.

Thanks for the suggestion Tony! I guess not being used to bikes with Cigarette Lighters...... I just never thought of that one! Good call though!

Tom D.

 

[asmith1923]

Glad it worked out for you Tom. Where is this 4500 mile trip to??


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Hey Tony,

I live outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Been here for over 30 years now, but I'm originally from Michigan. My trip this year is tentatively scheduled to have me departing Baltimore and heading North to Scranton, PA to visit a buddy. From there I was heading north and east to Boston to seek out some old friends from my youth. This part of the trip is a 'maybe' as it's somewhat contingent on my being able to communicate with them prior to my departure. I haven't seen either of them in 40+ years........so..... who knows. One way or another I'll be heading to Niagara Falls to visit another friend.....then to Huron, Ohio for yet one more old buddy. Then to the Detroit area to visit 2 of my 3 kids, and all 3 of my grand kids. From Detroit it will be north west across Michigan to the Charlevoix area to seek out my brother who has a summer home on the shore of Lake Michigan. Then, about 30 miles from Charlevoix, and practically under the Mackinaw Bridge, my youngest son has 10 acres of 'off grid' woods. He has an "A" frame house he just built all by himself, as well as a Tree-House that would rival some hotel rooms....particularly if it had running water...which it does not! Out-house.....and bathing in the Pigeon River!!...lol Anyway, from there I'll cross the Mack bridge, and head west to Minnesota, then south to Milwaukee, Wis where I"ll pick up the Ferry and cross back east to Michigan at Muskegon. About 20 miles from there is my old College Room Mate.....so I'll visit him for a day or so, then head south east across Michigan to Jackson and find a few of my cousins. Then one more night in Detroit with my son or daughter....then back to Baltimore with one last night on the road somewhere.....maybe something like Charleston, WV. I calculate the trip, if including the Boston run, to be just under 5K miles. If I go from Scranton directly to Niagara, and still include going across Michigan's upper peninsula and down to Milwaukee, still about 4200 or so. If I skip that part and just turn back south toward Muskegon, then it works out to about 3300.....which is what I did last year. It's a great run, this time of year the weather is usually perfect unless you get caught in a rain storm. I don't melt, so that's not a worry for me. I don't like riding in the rain, but part of the new bike purchase was to get ABS.....so I"ll feel a bit safer. My only regret is that I won't be able to get my stereo system upgraded in time to leave. Oh well. Hey, if you want to make a run from AZ to WI....we could meet for HD's Dealer Show! Supposed to be a good time!!! Tom D.

 

[asmith1923]

That sounds like an amazing trip. How long will you be on the road? Any plans to visit the H-D plant while in WI? You riding by yourself?

I used to ride to see my dad a couple times a year, Arlington, VA to Cincinnatti. About 9 hours in a day, which took my body about 2 days to recover from. He moved to FL, and I’ve risen to see him once. It was a 2 day trip, about 8-9 hours each day. It wiped me out.

I’ve always wanted to ride to Stergis, but have never made it. My uncle did it once from Williamsburg, VA, but he trailered there (that doesn’t count) haha.

What’s your stereo upgrade? What are you riding and what have you done to it so far? Send some pics...


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Time on the road is rather 'undetermined'. I expect to spend about 10 days to 2 weeks, but depending on how things go with family, I could extend it some. I'm really on no set schedule, other than just wanting to hit the road. I actually lived and worked in Milwaukee for about 3 years in the late '90s. At one point I was living in an apartment on Capital Ave right under the shadow of the old HD plant. I've ridden back there twice; once for the 100th Anniversary, then again a year later to go visit a friend. Haven't been back since '04..... so this will be interesting. Oddly, in all my time there, I've never taken a formal tour of the plant. Likewise, I've been up to York, PA hundreds of times, and never been in that plant either. Growing up in the Detroit area, I'm a product of the auto industry. I spent over 33 years with Chrysler until they and GM filed for bankruptcy in '08. I lost my job as part of that, and rather got screwed, but that another whole story!! Anyway, I've been in so many assembly plants in my life that, as interesting as they are, I never felt the desire to go see the HD plants. If I had, I'd probably never ride a HD again. Kind of like seeing how food gets cooked in some restaurants........lol. Anyway, yup, I'll be riding solo! While it's nice to have company, it gives me options I wouldn't otherwise have.

I mentioned that I took this same trip last year. For that ride I had an '07 Street Glide. I purchased that bike 7 days prior to leaving, rode it for a day as a shake-down, discovered it had split drive belt, then spent 4 days tearing it apart in my driveway in 106 degree weather. Finished it on a Thursday, and left on a Friday. Rode the 3300 miles, got home, and sold the bike 2 days later. I didn't think I'd miss it, but I really did! So, I went looking for another '07, but wanted an ultra classic. I found one, but the guy wanted too much as it was really in bad condition. So, I found an '05 and bought it. Then the guy finally came down to a reasonable price on the '07, so I bought it too. For $3900, I couldn't say no. Anyway, sold the '05, and have been working on the '07 since last fall. I FINALLY got everything worked out except for one thing; the cruise control. After tearing my hair out trying to get it working over the past month, I finally decided to take it to the dealership. While there, I fell in love with a '19 Street Glide......and managed to get $10K on a trade for my '07 Ultra. Again, I couldn't say no. So, I now have the '19 SG, and aside from installing some passing lights, changing the wind screen to a 7" wave style type, and a few little chrome trinkets......it's bone stock. I hope to have a new set of grips arrive today, but other than that, I think I'm going to leave it alone other than wanting to upgrade the audio system. If you've got some suggestions about that, please let me know.

I should mention that I still have my old '01 Fatboy, to which I've done massive work. When I lost my job at Chrysler in '08, I went to work for a local place called Zippers here in Ellicott City. If you're not familiar with them, you may have heard of the Thundermax EFI controller...which was a Zippers Exclusive up until recently. Anyway, while at Zippers I took advantage of all the HD aftermarket performance stuff they sell, and pretty much did it all to my Fatboy; big bore, gear cams, ported heads w/ bigger valves, D&D 2-into-1, Daytona Ignition, Mikuni Flat Slide carb, adjustable push rods, Fueling lifters, hi-flow intake...blah, blah, blah. Bike now puts over 110 HP and 112 Ft lbs of torque to the rear wheel. It's a beast for what it is.... Anyway, I did this at about 8K miles, and now have about 68K miles, and the bike runs as well today as it did when I completed the project. I've ridden it back and forth from here to Michigan about 10 times......which is close to your Arlington to CinCin run. I think you got better scenery.......lol

Anyway, what else? Oh, I too have never done Sturgis. I think I've done Daytona about 40 times, as well as about every other event in the US with the other exception of Las Vegas. I did actually do Las Vegas, but only because I happened to be there for a Chrysler meeting......so I flew in and had a rental car. I'd LOVE to do Sturgis..... maybe next year.....Lord willing. I'm now pushing 68 in a few more months. I hope to get a few more good years in, but I'm now seeing the darkness at the end of the tunnel. I know I can't ride forever, and I know that quitting is just good judgement at some point. Having the good judgement to know when that point is, that's the challenge. I love to ride, but my knees are getting weak from past damage..... and I can't say my attention is all that it should be any more. Oddly, I had my first 'close call' this past weekend where I was changing lanes and failed to see an on-coming car. Obviously, it didn't go badly....but was rather a wake-up call. And, it was a 'first' from my perspective. So, it's got me thinking; how much longer do I push my luck?

Nice getting acquainted Tony.

Tom

 

[asmith1923]

Let me know how the new 7” windscreen does, I’m considering getting a taller one myself. I’m deaf in my left ear and the wind in my right drives me crazy.

I’d love to see some pics of the new ride and the upcoming road trip, please post some for us to enjoy.

I’ve put new headers, muffler cores, ecm programmer, aux lights and heated suit wiring with the panel switches. Detachable Tour Pack, Kahuna passenger floor boards and just last night - extended reach shift and brake pedals. Other than possibly a taller windscreen, the majors are done.

What are you considering doing to the stereo? I’d love to replace everything on mine, while keeping the stock head unit - if that’s even possible. The system does. It handle bass well. Whoever designed the crossover was an idiot.

I find factory’s fascinating. I’ve been to multiple breweries, Pepsi, jack daniels, corvette (that was super cool), Ford F150s, but would love a Harley tour sometime...


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[asmith1923]

We should schedule a ride, say hi in person and grab one of their free hotdogs (if they’re still doing that) at the Harley dealer in Frederick, when you get back from your trip.


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Tony, where are you? The site says Arizona! Meeting in Frederick will be quite a trick for you if you're coming all the way from AZ! Funny you mention Frederick, as I was actually at the HD dealer there today. As part of my need to log some miles prior to the 1K check-up, I took a ride up there today. I've now broken the 500 mile mark!! Today's ride was about 125 miles.....and sadly, it POURED on the way back! I knew that there was supposed to be rain today, but prediction was for some time after noon to 1 pm....then on into the later hours of the day and evening. As it worked out, my ride up to Frederick was dry and overcast.....which had me thinking that the prediction was probably correct. I was at the store for all of about 20 minutes....and when I went to exit it was raining pretty hard. It actually got worse as I headed East...... and about the time I got home at 12:30, it slowed up to a near stop. About 30 minutes later, the sun was out......and it stayed clear and beautiful for the rest of the day! Go figure! I did get in some fishing.......so that was a good thing!

So you're making some significant changes to your bike! Is this the '19 CVO bike you show with your avatar? If so, are you at all concerned about any warranty ramifications? If so, as an 'ex' Warranty Administration Manager at Chrysler, I can tell you that it is ILLEGAL to void a warranty! So, in effect, you can do anything you want to your bike and the motor company cannot 'void' any existing coverage. However, that said, NO manufacturer is obligated to pay for repairs determined to be the result of any add-ons or aftermarket modifications.....among other things like 'racing' or 'acts of God', or 'Neglect', etc! Further, with these newer motorcycles, the brain-box is smart enough to know that you've added an after-market tuner. So, just as a caution, if you've not already considered this, you should probably be aware of it in the event you ever did suffer any kind of failure that you expected to be a 'warranty' repair. Last comment on this is that no doubt HD has a field of experts lined up to decline most anything they think might not be a warranty failure. So, I'd get your ducks in a row if anything ever did happen, and maybe NOT get the dealership involved until after you had a firm knowledge of what actually what went wrong and why. Maybe time for an 'independent expert'..........

I'd love to meet in Frederick! And, from there, it's a hop, skip, and a jump on up to Gettysburg, PA....which is also pretty interesting. BUT..... I recently found a REALLY great area to ride in; this being the PA 'Spraul State Forest'. This was an absolutely beautiful area!! I don't know what AZ has for mountain top rides....but around here Skyline Drive is one of the local favorites. Goes all through the Smokey Mountains! Anyway, the Spraul (or maybe 'Sproul') State Forest also is part of a mountain chain....the Allegany mountains I believe. Me and a buddy took a run up there last fall......and I swear we rode for 3 hours or more, never once saw another car, and was some of the prettiest scenery around ever! The only drawback was the 'Beware of Elk' issue...... Seems they imported in some Elk about 20 odd years ago, and they've proliferated so much that they now jump off the rock ledges and on to cars traveling on the roads below. Not cool if you're on a motorcycle.

Anyway, I'm keeping my bike's running gear 'stock' for now. And, as of today, I ordered the Hogtunes upgrade for the '19 Street Glide. I should have it Thursday.....and they say it's about a 4 to 6 hour install depending on your tools and knowledge. I've heard all kinds of comments about this kit, ranging from 'it's great' to 'it sucks!!'. I believe it now sells for $469 but I got a deal for $331. This included the 225 watt amp, new speakers, and all the necessary mounting gear and harness. I'll probably wait until after I get back for this. Like you, I suffer somewhat from a hearing deficiency. Mine is that syndrome where when I get around a lot of noise, everything all just blends together and I can't distinguish one sound from another. Loud bars are a bitch! But, my hearing is actually quite acute! I have excellent range and sensitivity.....just gets all jumbled up. I might mention that I build amplifiers for fun and profit. I build both Guitar amps and home audio amps, all 'tube' stuff.

Gotta run..............

TSD

 

[Wharfcreek]

Oh, regarding the 7" windshield, I don't think it's all that much better than the stock windscreen that came with the bike. I got the 'wave' version, and I"d say that it probably does take a bit more of the wind load off your chest. But, the 7" version didn't do much for me in terms of reducing the wind noise at my ears. I'm not a particularly tall guy....6 feet with a 31" inseam. So, I guess I'm a bit long through the torso. I've ordered a 10.5" wave windscreen and I'm hopeful that it will be a bit more effective. I don't think I"m going to like the way it looks, but for a long trip, it may be well worth it. All of about $30 off ebay including shipping. I think HD gets about $180 for basically the same thing! Ridiculous! I'm not a big fan of cheap aftermarke stuff....but for some things, where HD is asking stupid money, I just can't see spending nearly $200 for something I can buy for under $30. Anyway......forgot to mention this in the last note.

 

[asmith1923]

So these new amps, do they include new crossovers? I don’t have an issue with how many watts the existing system puts out, I can never get the volume bet half before the abundance of bass muddies the sound and sounds like it’s gonna blow the rear speakers. And I have the bass gain turned all the way down. I should be able to crank this thing all the way up and it should stay clear. I would like some clear thumpin bass, but alas it’s all power and not clear at all.

Yes, I have the 19 CVO SG. It’s my 3rd CVO, and 5th new Harley.

07 Custom Softail
09 CVO RG
12 RG Ultra
17 CVO SG
19 CVO SG

I’ve never had a warranty issue, but as you can see, I don’t keep them very long. I typically put about 7500 miles/year on them. But thank you for the independent expert idea, that’s a great tip.

I live in Aldie, VA. Not sure why it says AZ. I’ve never lived there.

Amp builder?? So cool. I am in need of a new knob for my gerbing heated seat controller and want something kinda short metal and black. Do you know what the amp spline looks like?

In my cage today finishing up a barn. Check out my freshly fabricated Harley hauler...

Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Hey Tony,

First, my cell number is 410-925-7213. I'm generally free during the days, as my significant other is a nurse at a long-term care facillity and she works from like 7 to 3:30. She still has her own home and her 2 sons live there, both older gents...... like 25 and 28. She stays with me pretty much all the time, but I send her home once in a while just so I can have a bit of breathing room. My house isn't all that big, but I live 'on the water' on a creek just off the Chesapeake Bay. When I say 'creek'...... this is more like a vary large lake as some people would define it, as it's miles long and with 3 different segments. It's called 'Bodkin Creek', and is made up of Main Creek, Little Bodkin Creek, and Wharf Creek. Guess you now know where I got my handle from. Anyway, it's right off the Potapsco River on the south end where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay. I can drop my boat from my lift and within about 3 minutes on Weekdays (it's 5mph on weekends and holidays) I can be out in the Bay and look south and see the Bay Bridge down by Annapolis, and the Key Bridge by the port of Baltimore. My house is old and in ill-repair in some areas.....but, I love it here, as I'm an avid fisherman and go out virtually every day! I'm not really any good at it.....but it's good therapy.....and I have fun.

So that's quite a rig for your HD!! I don't know what kind of knob you need, but shouldn't be too hard to find something suitable! I know that Fender used some black anodized aluminum knobs with spline shafts on some of their guitars......as did some Asian manufacturers of copies. Maybe something like that would work? Shaft size is somewhat critical, but shouldn't be hard to find something with a set-screw!

I figured VA when I googled the town. So, meeting shouldn't be any problem.

I too have a bunch of bikes, and have sold off a number of them recently. I just sold my '01 Road King, as well as my '05 Ultra, and 'traded' the '07 Ultra in on the '19 SG. I still have my '01 Fatboy, as well as on '04 Sporty. Then I also have an '07 Triumph Scrambler, and a fleet of Yamaha XS650s.....like 6 of them, down from 11. I plan to sell off a few more asap as well.

OK, gotta run as I'm heading out to log some more miles for this 1K inspection I have scheduled for Friday. I'm only at 500 right now......so..... going to try to do another hundred or two today.

Later,

Tom

 

[Wharfcreek]

Oh, EQ on amps: I think some of the more expensive ones have cross-overs built into them. The Hogtunes unit runs off the HD speaker 'out' connections. So, it's EQ'd as is the Boom head unit. I'm told that HD offers a 'flash' for the head's EQ when used with some of the more sophisticated amps. But, from what I've seen, there is another way around this, which is to use one of the line-level converters....which takes the speaker connections and runs them into a tiny transformer. This creates an 'inducted' signal which is at line-lever, or that which goes to a standard RCA type input. This is pretty common in the auto-sound world.....but I don't know how well these guys address the aspect of speaker impedance with these line-level converters. As you probably know, the HD system uses 2 ohm speakers. I think most of these line level converters are made for 4 ohm car radios. In reality, this only poses a problem if you turn the radio up too high to get more volume. When using one of these, you should have a pretty powerful amp to compensate for the loss of drive through the converter. More on this later if you're interested.

Gotta go............

TSD

 

[asmith1923]

Hey, how was your ride this afternoon? How many miles did you log?

What are your thoughts on this product? Do you think it would clean up the stock boom system?

https://www.americanhardbag.com/col...dio-interface-equalizer-rockford-fosgate-dsr1

I found some guitar knobs, they’re perfect

They control my heated jacket and pants.


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Glad those knobs worked out for you!!

I did some reading on that Rockford unit. It's pretty interesting, not to mention 'sophisticated'. I think the answer to 'will it clean up the stock radio....?' is 'YES'! HOWEVER, I'm not sure that this is to say that it will make a stock system become satisfactory.

I did 200 miles today, and once again got caught in the rain....twice! But, I did a LOT more listening to the music system. I am no so sure but what the system may have some flaws that this Rockford thing might clear up nicely. I AM sure it's got some flaws! One of them is that after some extended listening, I perceived a very disturbing HF (High Frequency) response that was NOT 'musical'. It was as if the system was reacting to HF musical passages.....like cymbols or some guitar licks.....but as the system was 'attempting' to reproduce the HF cleanly, it ended up adding some kind of harmonic that was almost a 'screeching' noise....but it was pretty high up there in frequency range. This shrillness ended up giving me a headache....to the point where I had to turn things off.

I know we've mentioned some of our ailments.....and I have to add a very bad case of tinnitus to my list. The constant ringing in my ears sometimes drives me nutz....especially when trying to go to sleep. But, as I mentioned before, some testing I had done a few years ago supported that my hearing is still quite good. Actually, for a guy my age, it's extraordinary. I can still hear HF above 20Khz, and my sensitivity range was right at the top of the scale. So, while the ringing in my ears is constant, I'm still able to discern music pretty decisively. I don't know if this is helping me or hurting me when it comes to the 'Boom' system, but I can say that while I'm really happy to have music to listen to..... I may suffer some from the combination of the music, the engine noise, and the wind noise.

On my epic ride last year I ended up buying a 3/4 helmet so as to block some of the wind and engine noise. This was great, and made the ride SO much more enjoyable. However, last year was my first experience on any bike with a radio (that was on my '07 Street Glide). I had a couple of CDs with me, and I listened to them some, but I really wasn't thinking about music on the trip. In never before having a bike with tunes, I just didn't really appreciate having it on that one. BUT.....that trip rather introduced me to the whole prospect, and it was very much one of the things I missed when I sold that bike. The '07 SG didn't have cruise either, so that became a requirement on the replacement. As it worked out, the '05 Ultra I purchased DID have cruise, as did the '01 RK, but those two bikes were basically purchased to 'flip' and make a few $$ on. In selling all 3 of those bikes, the profits more than paid for the '07 Ultra....which I think I mention I only paid $3900 for. I figured I actually cleared about $5K on the '07 SG, the '05 Ultra, and the '01 RK. After doing all I had to do to get the '07 Ultra up and running, I put that $5K all back into it. BUT, at that point, I was at break-even. And, the cruise was NOT working on that bike! That, and the fact that the dealer gave me $10K trade for it, that made the purchase of the '19 SG almost something I couldn't refuse.

Anyway, I feel like I'm already abusing it by riding it in the rain. It's dirty now, and has lost that 'new glow' it had up until yesterday. But, I'm now at 700 mile on the nose! I told them I'd have 800 on it when I bring it in. It's a 70 mile ride up to Darlington and Chesapeake HD. So, I've got to do 30 more miles locally tomorrow, then ride up to to Darlington and drop it off. I'll pick it up by trailer on Friday, then maybe actually hit the road over the weekend. We'll see. My Hogtunes kit is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.....and I may just back my departure off long enough to install that kit. In any event, I'm now going to be a bit more cautious about the Boom system. I had tipped up the treble when I first got the bike, as well as backed off the bass....knowing that this would help the music cut through the wind and engine noise better. I may have to dial the treble back some....but then I think the ability to hear it at all will suffer. So.... now experiencing some limitations that I hope this Hogturnes kit will resolve. I'm NOT expecting audiophile sound quality..... but as most people seem to indicate that the sound system can actually deliver pretty 'undistorted' music even at highway speeds....... I hope my expectations ARE realistic.....and doable. Guess we'll see. Maybe that Rockford unit IS the answer!!!

 

[asmith1923]

Good morning

Did everything go OK with your 1000 mile service? So what did you decide on the Hogtunz install? Did you do before your 3500 journey?

Where are you riding today?


Tony
19 CVO SG

 

[Wharfcreek]

Hey Tony,

Well, I'm not so sure I ever want to go to a HD service department again!! My 1K service did NOT go as I'd hoped. While it appears the work was done, the bike came back with an anomaly that disturbed me, and of course, the Service Writer made the claim that ...."we had nothing to do with that.....". When I took the bike in, it rode just fine, and from my perspective other than what I perceived to be some intermittent detonation, the running aspect of the bike was virtually perfect. I rode it up to the dealership, and dropped it off with 776 miles on it. It was returned to me with 779 miles. So, someone obviously did ride it. Because I couldn't get a ride back up to Darlington to drop me off...... I had to trailer the bike back home. So, loaded it up at the dealership and unloaded it when I got back. They cleaned it up, which was nice of them......so I decided a quick few miles locally were in order. I started it.......and the idle was high.....like around 1700 rpm. Thinking this was just a function of being on the trailer, I rode it about 10 miles and returned home. When I got back, still idling at about 1500 rpm. I called the dealership and they said it would self-correct. I should mention that there was also a situation with the throttle as well. While idling at 1500, if you rolled the throttle grip in the reverse direction, much as you would to cancel the cruise control, the rpm would drop to 1K. I rode it another 30 miles and it remained the same. If you just let go of the throttle grip it would drop to 1500 rpm, but if you rolled the grip backwards, it would drop the remaining 500 rpm to 1K....which is where I think it should be. Anyway, I called the dealership back again, got the 'we didn't do anything that would have caused that.....' line, and I found myself getting pretty hot. They offered a 'maybe' on looking at it the next day.......and I said I'd call them back. I tried calling Laurel, Annapolis, and Baltimore.....and only got an answer at Laurel. The girl there was basically no help and knew nothing......so..... I called Chesapeake back and told them I'd have it back in the am and would be there until it was done. Later in the evening I took it out again with my girlfriend and low and behold it seemed as if it did self-correct. It's back at idling at 1K.......BUT....that idle cylinder drop-out thing seems to be going on way too much. Bottom line is that it's still running OK on the road, but this idle thing has me pretty angry. I don't know if it's now idling at 1K because it's only running on 1 cylinder, or if it's actually running like it should. AND, who do I trust to give me a proper answer? Has me pretty pissed off!!

So, I'm taking my trip, leaving tomorrow or Tuesday, and I'll just deal with it until I return.....or until it gets so bad I have to stop at a HD dealership along the way. Honestly, this might be the best solution as I think most dealerships take pity on people who are on vacations and have 'on the road' failures. I'm thinking I could pull into most any HD dealer along the way and just inquire about it and see what they say. Short of that, if I remain concerned after my return, it will go back to Chesapeake and I'll let them deal with it.

As to the stereo system, I've decided to wait that out too. And, now that I have this other problem, I'm glad I've not done any other 'tampering' with the bike other than having added the passing lights and put the new grips on it. I did change the wind screen, twice now. I took that rounded stock one off of it and put a 7" wave type on. But, in an effort to reduce the wind at my helmet a bit more, I changed the 7" to a 10.5". This has made a notable difference in that the wind is not in my face anymore. I'm not sure I'm going to like that when I'm riding, as I'm kind of a dog and like the wind in my face. And, that keeps me cooler while riding. But, it also is a noise factor that makes my ears ring like crazy.....and cuts down on the ability to hear the stereo. So, this 10.5" screen may help all that some. If so, great. If not, oh well......I tried! I don't honestly like the look of the higher windshield, but it's borderline......and it is black vs clear. So, doesn't have too much of the 'geezer-glide' look to it. Today I plan to put my highway pegs on, and set it up for departure. I may even pack it up to be able to leave tomorrow if I work out my final details. I still have to consult with some of the folks I plan to visit so as to firm up my route. Worst case is that I just go, and see who ever is available as I pass through their area. But, I'd like to at least make sure my grandkids will be around.

So, that's it for now. Not really happy with HD of Chesapeake's Service Department. The writer up there, Bob, seemed like he had kind of an 'attitude' about all this. I told him 'it wasn't that way when I brought it in', and he rather passed over that. He even tried to tell me something about possibly having some failed intake manifold gaskets....which I started to argue with him about then thought the better of that. I did mention to him that given my comment about detonation and spark knock at some points, if the bike had a 1.5K idle issue at any point PRIOR to my bringing it in, didn't he think I'd have mentioned that at write-up? Again, he just played dumb. My honest feeling is that in the process of washing it, they may have used some kind of pressure washer, and gotten some water contamination down into the throttle position sensor down inside the handlebars. Because it's EFI, and because it has both a throttle position sensor and a motor driven throttle, it seems pretty clear to me that if you can back the throttle down by going in reverse, it's some kind of an 'electrical' adjustment issue. But, now that it's somewhat subsided, I guess I'll know more as I ride.

So.....wish me luck! Not riding today.....taking care of 'stuff'.....so as to be able to hit the road tomorrow. How 'bout you.....you going out anywhere?

Later, Tom

 

[asmith1923]

Man, that sucks that you got stuck with Bob. I wish Harley would recognize that us CVO guys are a special breed and expect a certain level of service. After all, we’re probably singlehandedly keeping Harley afloat.

Do you have your EITMS system enabled? That might have had something to do with your experience. Especially if it was off when you took it in and they enabled it. I run with mine on all the time. Not sure if it helps, but when it kicks in at a light, it makes me think I have a high tech bike. Haha

If that’s not the case, then I think you other assumption might be correct. They got some water in something they weren’t supposed to when they washed it. I’m always very careful with the hose, but I’m sure they’re not. I’ve met a few Harley wash guys, and they’re typically a few cards short of a full deck.

Take her out one more time tonight before setting off on your journey, hopefully she’ll be all better after the water has had time to evaporate. This will at least help you sleep better

We were planning a trip to Rehobeth today, but are backing off because I don’t wanna ride back in the heat. We’re taking the cage instead.


Tony
19 CVO SG