Something was bound to happen...

Picturesque: One week earlier there was 7 inches of snow.

April has decided to make itself known to the midwest. Since my last check in, I have seen weather in the 80's and 7 inches of snow in less than 6 hours. As always, the weather remains unpredictable even when it should have stabilized. Needless to say riding has been a bit of a crapshoot.

That is not to say I have not logged a fair amount of miles. Indeed, at this point I believe I am close to hitting the 1K mark. Any ridable weather that I encounter is thoroughly taken advantage of. The spring has been full of good rides. A day long excursion to Pennsylvania, a quick visit to southern Ohio and a trek to the covered bridges have occupied the past few weekends.

Stay hydrated and well fed on long rides!

Of course, it would not be a Harley blog if I didn't make mention of the money I have spent. Really though, the money I have gone through recently was all for a good cause. We finally bought new helmets (the last one I bought was from 2001) along with riding boots for my wife and gloves for me. This important safety investment will hopefully (and God forbid) serve it's purpose. Aside from the gear, we also made investments in US Passport renewal. Canada here we come! 

Covered bridges are fun but do not expect a phone signal!

But aside from the mundane, I also bring the upsetting. Upon returning from our excursion to southern Ohio, I noticed something a bit off about the rear fender. It looked like the bumper was broken. At a certain point down south we went off road, so I figured the bumper got busted up along the way. No worry! My uncle has a spare, I'll throw that on!

For a week I didn't bother to. In fact the following weekend we took a trip to Pennsylvania, clocking in around 200 miles total. It was at that point, however, that I realized it was more than just the bumper. The whole left side of the bike was leaning...badly. Ah crap...

Always take the time to inspect after a long ride!

Upon closer inspection I found that the bracket that attaches to the fender, which also holds one side of the bumper, which also holds the mufflers, which also holds saddlebag support, which also holds the saddlebag rail support bracket, had snapped. The steel had cracked and then snapped off completely. I feel foolish for not noticing earlier. I was fortunate that it had not done more damage. Really, the only thing holding the muffler during the long run, was the bolts that keep the pipe in the cylinder head. If it had snapped, it would have been a costly 'oops'. 

Naturally, I hit up the internet to find an answer. I found out some interesting facts. This was and has been an ongoing, known issue. The steel was too weak at the bend when it was manufactured, causing numerous breaks. The obvious solution was to buy new rails..for $115 a pair. The second option was to weld the piece in place but from what I read it is A. difficult and B. usually breaks off again anyway. On EBay though I found an answer.

Someone in Pennsylvania fabricates replacement pieces that bolt into one of the holes in the bracket and replace the broken piece. This 'fix' only cost around $34, a much more reasonable expense. I ordered it immediately.

This guy.

The USPS is not known for their speedy service, but I have never had an issue with them until now. The seller shipped the item via 2 day priority mail on Wednesday. The item did not arrive until the following Monday. Three days in transit and one more for delivery, from one state away? It was a frustrating wait.

Since the weather was supposed to be close to 70 Sunday, I planned a ride. I decided that using bungee cords to attach the broken bracket to the luggage rack was a good idea. It really was not. Using the 'redneck' fix method, I managed to scuff the back of the left saddlebag. Luckily most of the markings were rubbed out...but still. If anything I have learned that I must absolutely be patient or risk further damage and downtime.

Just wait. Don't do this. It was very stupid. 

The actual fix was relatively painless to apply but as usual your situation will vary.

Be Patient, Wait for the Parts and Take your Time!

I arrived home yesterday in a 80+ degree heatwave to be greeted by a small package sticking out of the mailbox. Immediately I opened the box to find the two brackets along with a set of nuts and bolts. I opened the garage and began working.

I began by removing the saddlebags themselves. The quick release pins on the interior of the bags make this a swift process. I placed the bag far from my work area to avoid further damage.

The cords serve as temporary support.

I left the bungee cords in place while I began to remove the hardware. The thought was that it would remove pressure from the exhaust pipe, which was holding on via the header bracket. Although it worked while I removed the first bolt, I found that after that bolt was out, I needed to find a better solution.

Removing the first bolt using the Torx head driver. 

I used a hydraulic jack that I keep in the garage to support the muffler bracket. Using this jack allowed me to reach the required height to safely support the muffler without damaging the header. Once I had the muffler on the jack, I removed the bungee cords and the passenger backrest and luggage rack.

The jack provided much needed support while I removed the remaining bolt. 

Each of the stock bolts uses a Torx T-40 head. I used the required bit plus a 1/2 inch ratcheting wrench to remove both stock bolts from the brackets. Although Torx provides the torque required for a vibrating surface, I have had bad luck with the bits. I was worried about breaking a Torx bit and needing to buy a new one. Luckily I removed both without any problems.

The broken piece and the removed pole bracket. 

Once the second bolt was out the pole light ring and the broken section of bracket fell out. I decided to remove the pole light support ring completely as I have no intention of putting the police lights back on. I did keep the metal bracket piece in case I can have it welded.

Removing the bolt from the fender.

The next step was to remove the Torx bolt from the rear fender bracket itself. The bolt threads into a welded nut in the fender, so there was no need to hold the nut with a wrench. The bolt loosened easily and fell onto the floor. To my surprise, the rear saddlebag rail lifted up, out of place. Indeed, I discovered that these rails are under a fair amount of pressure.

The rail sat in this raised position until I replaced the bolt in the new bracket. The rails are under pressure.

Once I cleared the area I prepared the new part for installation. I found the correct bracket and angle for installation and then sought out the thread locker. I decided to use the bolts the seller included, along with the stock nuts.

The new part ready to go in!

The section of the fender that the replacement bolts against has some play in it. That is, there is some adjustment provided by the maker. I used the other side as a guide to ensure I placed the bracket at the right height on the adjuster. I then double checked by having my wife confirm the symmetry of the rear. This small detail can drive you crazy!

Always use Loctite. 

Once the bracket was in place, I bent down the saddlebag support rail (which was quite difficult), applied a generous amount of thread locker to the bolt and threaded it in. Threading the bolt by hand first will assure you don't make a mistake and crossthread the hole, which in turn could cause additional problems.

Bracket attached to fender and almost done!

From that point all I did was simply line up the bracket with the fender bracket and exhaust hanger bracket and feed the bolts through. Once they were through I covered the bolts and nuts in a thread locker. Any place where vibrations occur should also be locked for safety.

The finished product. 

And that's it! The bracket worked well and is barely noticeable, especially once the bags are put back on. Although not difficult, the job took around 40 minutes from start to ignition. If you're Harley touring bike has this trouble, this solution is a rare concept; sturdy and cheap!