"Did you really need to replace that?"

Progress means one step forward and two steps back.

It's been a few days since I sat down to update this experiment of mine. It's not that I'm running out of things to discuss, it's that I don't know where to begin. I spent the better part of the past Saturday basking in the unusually warm weather and working on the bike. It was unfortunate that the roads in the area are still covered in so much salt because it would have been an excellent day to ride.

Let's begin with the worst thing that happened this past Saturday; the badges.

The air cleaner badge heavily worn down. Directly below the timing cover badge with the separation. 

When I first purchased the bike a couple of things bothered me. On the air cleaner, the words "Road King Police" were badly worn down and the timing cover badge had lamination separation.  I am by no means a perfectionist (well, sometimes) but I do like finishes to look clean and polished.

I ordered these two inserts from the dealer, which took about one week to arrive. This was supposed to be an easy project. The air cleaner simply screwed off and the timing cover would do the same. Both these jobs seemed like they would only take a minute or so, but as I always forget, it's never easy.

The air cleaner, however was going to receive a much more radical change. We decided to use an older cover that my uncle had which he had powder coated black instead of the traditional chrome. The hope was that the silver-etched letters would pop on the solid black and create a very sharp look.

Possibly the most difficult aspect of the air cleaner was applying the badge. The badge itself is a ring with a form backing, pre-coated with a very sticky adhesive. When you're ready to apply it, simply remove the protective cover and press in. The most obnoxious part is lining the lettering up properly. Since it's circular, there isn't really a reliable center, nor is it keyed to go in one way only. It is a simple matter of "eyeballing" the insert. I left this job to my wife as she has far more attention to detail than I do.

The timing cover badge is just a small, circular, cosmetic item that covers where the points used to be on older motorcycles. It's simply a design remnant from a bygone era. There are five torx screws that hold this badge into place that must be removed in order to replace this piece.

All of the screws are very easy to get to, in fact this job could easily be done by anyone with a torx screwdriver, or so I thought.

The screws used to hold this badge in place are very small and, as I found out, after 13 years very brittle. I put the driver to the head and began to turn. Nothing was moving so I turned a bit harder. Still nothing, so I started to apply serious force..and then I heard it, the sound of a screw head breaking clean off. This was not good.

"OK", I thought to myself, "we don't need all five to hold this tiny badge in, we can glue it!" I tried to take the next one out with no luck. Despite my caution I managed to break another. At this point there was really no going back. Now the whole cover must be replaced. I am fortunate that my uncle has another timing cover unless I would need to spend around $300 for a new cover. Luckily I will only need to spend money on a new gasket which will be acquired this week.

The air cleaner came out fantastic.

Now class, what did we learn today?

The finest details will dive you crazy.

If you intend to replace the inlay badge on the air filter I could recommend some things to make your life easier. First, try and find a picture online of the badge placement. Mine was easy since I had the factory example right in front of me. Use tape or something non corrosive to make some type of alignment mark to follow that can be removed easily. Try and find a household object with the same circumference as the badge itself. A drinking glass will most likely work. Place the glass on the badge along with a bit of weight from an object on top. Completing this balancing act once you've placed the badge will help the adhesive bond to the air cleaner with greater strength. Also, make sure your badge is at room temperature before you place it in the cleaner. The adhesive won't work right when it's too cold outside.

If you want to replace the timing badge be vary weary of where you are working at. I really have no idea what to suggest to avoid the same fate that I experienced. Perhaps soaking the area in blaster would be a start along with using a mini-torch to apply heat to the screws themselves. If I had to do it all again, I simply wouldn't. Understand that if the bike is old, you might be better off not changing it at all, or at least be prepared to remove the whole cover.


At least the air cleaner looks nice.