Your battery likes to work.  It has power when you need it and as it goes along it receives a fresh charge of power from your charging system.  Like you, when it lays around for 30-60 days, it loses a little of its power.  If you do this a lot it gets in the habit and when it is too low it will not fire your cycle.  Then sometimes it will refuse to recharge itself.  Bad Battery.  You can prevent this.

If storing your motorcycle for 30-60 days or longer, remove the positive cable or your main fuse.  Every 30 days hook up your battery to one of our battery chargers for 24 hours.  I never recommend leaving a battery charger hooked up all the time.  The next time we service your cycle, ask us to install a battery wiring harness for you.  Remember your motorcycle has a little computer that likes to draw power from your battery every day.

Ask for a Super Smart Battery Charger from Gary Bang HD.  The cost is $39.95 plus tax and the harness is $7.95.

Should I have my Motorcycle serviced?

That is like saying should I brush my teeth.  Yes, you should.  The most important service is the first 1,000 miles.  After that, you should have your service every 5,000 miles.  You may ask, "What if I only put on 2,000 miles a year?" Then, I would have my cycle serviced at least 1 times a year.  Why? The modern motorcycle is not very efficient.  Do you notice that the air cleaner is sitting right next to your leg? This means that dust, moisture has a very easy way to get to your motor.  We are there to help you out with that problem.

Help! My Rear Tire Wears Out Too Fast!!

First off, what is too fast?? Second, where are you riding? A rear tire on your FLH can wear faster riding 2-up and loaded to capacity.  Check the road you travel on.  Freeway riding is the best because the road is very smooth.  How about those back roads that we like to ride on.  Take a look down at the surface.  Sometimes it almost looks like a cheese grater.  You can almost see the rubber coming off.  Another thing to remember is that Motorcycle tires have a sticker compound that wears faster than car tires.  Heat also causes tires to wear down quickly.  On a July day, the road can be over 200 degrees, the rubber can just melt away.  When checking your tire pressure while riding 2-up, it should read 39lbs rear and 38-39 in the front.  I have a very nice customer that gets around 10,000 miles Plus on  his Ultra Classic and changes both front and rear.  Some things I do notice is that he seldom has a passenger and most of his riding is freeway riding.  he also checks the tire pressure on a regular basis.  In his case, 10,000 miles is a real good average for his type of riding.  If yours is less, you are not doing anything wrong, just riding a little bit different.  A very old friend of mine, Johnny said, "I want my tires to grab fast, so I may go fast." He forgot to add, they may wear fast.

Why do my Spokes Loosen Up??

Spokes never just loosen up, but let me start from the beginning.  Your wheel was trued at the Factory and tightened to Specs.  Then, if your Cycle came from Gary Bang Harley-Davidson we checked the tightness and made necessary adjustments.  After that, at a 1,000 mile check-up, we did the same (checked the tension and made sure the wheel was in true.) At 5,000 miles, we again do the same. This will go on as long as you own the Cycle.  So the question is, "why do they loosen up?" The answer is they do not loosen up.  First off they have 4 places that they keep settling into: the Wheel Hub, the Spoke bend going into the Hub, the recess in the rim, and the spoke nipple going into the rim.  Then, add the wheel going at high speeds and sometimes hitting bumps, the spokes like to Stretch.  So you may ask, should I really tighten my spokes really tight and then they will never come loose? Not really, there is a proper way to do this and if you tighten them too tight, you will start breaking spokes.  Then the problem can become dangerous.  Leave your wheel work to a professional.

What if my Charging System Fails on the Road?

What would I do if my regulator and charging system is not putting out electricity, and my battery is dead? The best way to get home is to either charge the battery or purchase a new one.  You can go with a fully charged battery with your lights on approximately One Hundred Fifty Miles. If it is daylight, you may remove your headlight and taillight fuse and you should be able to go approximately Four Hundred Fifty Miles. Remember you must start with a fully charged battery. And the battery must have been charged correctly before installing. This is the way I would get home, and I am only speaking on a personal emergency situation only. I am not recommending you do the same, this is just what I would do in this instance.

What if I have Too Much Oil in My Oil Tank?

Pressure and oil expansion will build up in your oil tank. If you have a stage 1 breather on your motorcycle and you are running down the highway at highway speeds on a hot day you may notice oil coming out from around your air cleaner. Sometimes this is an indication that you have too much oil in your tank.  I like to check the oil hot, on the side stand is fine, and leave the oil level between the fill and the full mark. NEVER over fill your oil tank.