6 Speed bearing replacement

[dmz1965]

I recently read on the web that HD recommends replacing the main bearing in the 6 speed transmission every 15K but have not been able to verify; anyone know where I can get a copy of the bulletin before I call my local dealer?

 

[glider]

That's a fact but only in the early dyna line (early06) . They discontinued that when they replaced the bearing with a better quality bearing later on. The owners of the bikes signed an agreement when the bike was purchased to bring it back for the bearing replacement at 15K.

Your dealer should be able to use the VIN number and check on the status of your bike and the bearing if it had been done or needs to be done.


Try entering your VIN here.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/EX/M...bmLocale=en_US

 

[66cruiser]

I have an early 06 (oct 05) & wonder if it has to go to the dealer where it was originally purchaced. I bought it 2nd hand and am much closer to another dealer. 12000+ miles & no sign of any problem.. yet.

 

[glider]

I have an early 06 (oct 05) & wonder if it has to go to the dealer where it was originally purchaced. I bought it 2nd hand and am much closer to another dealer. 12000+ miles & no sign of any problem.. yet.

I would definitely check into it with any dealer to see if the bearing has been replaced with the upgraded one. It's a matter of record for them and they can bring it up in their computer using your VIN.

Try entering your VIN here and see what it returns.


https://www.harley-davidson.com/EX/M...bmLocale=en_US

 

[Pixs]

That's a fact but only in the early dyna line (early06) . They discontinued that when they replaced the bearing with a better quality bearing later on. The owners of the bikes signed an agreement when the bike was purchased to bring it back for the bearing replacement at 15K.

Your dealer should be able to use the VIN number and check on the status of your bike and the bearing if it had been done or needs to be done.


Try entering your VIN here.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/EX/M...bmLocale=en_US

The Bearing in question is the inner primary bearing. Some later 06 Dynas have the problem as well. Mine has had the inner primary bearing replaced 3 times, the last time, also had to rebuild the transmission and replace the inner primary case as well as the transmission case. This has occurred to other 06 dynas as well and not limited to early production. The real fix came with the 07 model getting steel pins to correctly locate the inner primary case on the transmission.

Please note: not all 06 Dynas have the problem. Also the bearing is usually noticeably noisy at about 7,000 miles or less. Most Dynas are cured by the upgraded bearing, your bike has 12,000 miles on it; I suspect that it has been replaced or already has the new bearing from the factory. As was mentioned, any dealer can check, through the computer system they have, to see if it has been replaced.

Symptom: howling noise that goes away when the clutch lever is pulled in. Solution: see a HD dealer and follow his advice (usually replace the bearing, free). The more extreme cases will get really bad after the replacement in about 600 miles. Good luck, don't worry about it, the worst case is rare.

Best to all,

Pixs :cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers

 

[porkchop]

The Bearing in question is the inner primary bearing. Some later 06 Dynas have the problem as well. Mine has had the inner primary bearing replaced 3 times, the last time, also had to rebuild the transmission and replace the inner primary case as well as the transmission case. This has occurred to other 06 dynas as well and not limited to early production. The real fix came with the 07 model getting steel pins to correctly locate the inner primary case on the transmission.

Please note: not all 06 Dynas have the problem. Also the bearing is usually noticeably noisy at about 7,000 miles or less. Most Dynas are cured by the upgraded bearing, your bike has 12,000 miles on it; I suspect that it has been replaced or already has the new bearing from the factory. As was mentioned, any dealer can check, through the computer system they have, to see if it has been replaced.

Symptom: howling noise that goes away when the clutch lever is pulled in. Solution: see a HD dealer and follow his advice (usually replace the bearing, free). The more extreme cases will get really bad after the replacement in about 600 miles. Good luck, don't worry about it, the worst case is rare.

Best to all,

Pixs :cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers

My bearing went out at 12500 the service guy said the new bearing had a different part # than the original one but the race # was the same

 

[kemo]

Why would Harley market a bike with such a known flaw that they make you sign an agreement to bring it back in for inspection of the bearing. How do they get away with this balony and are we such fools for putting up with this kind of engineering. I won't even mention the other problems we all know about.

 

[glider]

Why would Harley market a bike with such a known flaw that they make you sign an agreement to bring it back in for inspection of the bearing. How do they get away with this balony and are we such fools for putting up with this kind of engineering. I won't even mention the other problems we all know about.

I agree with you 100% on this and other issues in regards to the harleys and the problems that they have as far as design flaws brought about by cheap parts or manufacturing processes.

Look back at years past and see all the bike lines that had chrome pieces installed and now it's turned into a piece of black plastic. Why? Because they know most of us will run into the dealership and buy that replacement part that is all chromed up to replace that plastic part with.
I feel they do a good marketing job and they have us all brainwashed to buy a harley even though they take the cheap way out on a lot of things to keep the stockholders prices up. If any other company tried this on the customer, they would suffer economic loses and be looking for aid from the government but Harley has us all brainwashed into believing that a harley is simply the best bike on the market which could be true if they would put quality parts into it and not cheap out to keep their bottom line as high as possible.
When I buy a vehicle whether it's a bike or a car, I'm interested in quality and low repair rates as well as frequency of repairs and problems associated with that product. I have owned many bikes and cars usually replacing them every two years or so but to be honest I simply will NOT buy another Harley for many reasons. Nothing to do with a Harley in the dealerships is priced decent, it's always inflated and for junk that is made in Taiwan and china that could be purchased from the aftermarket for a much better price. What kind of fools are we to put up with this sort of thing being overcharged for junk just because it says Harley on it?
I'm so disgusted with the way that the MOCO treats it's loyal customers and other reasons that I sold my RKC and will not even consider the purchase of another Harley. They have no control or at least they want us to believe that over the dealers when it comes to bad service which I have seen more than my share of and when a problem arises they take the easy/cheap way out instead of making the consumer think that the company cares about them. WE pay for their mistakes! We're treated like second class citizens by the MOCO and it's only going to get worse as time goes on with more junk pushed on us at a high price and we accept it because we're "loyal", not this sheep!
I'm only one of many but if we would all voice our displeasure with the company, maybe things would change a bit.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Pixs]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kemo
Why would Harley market a bike with such a known flaw that they make you sign an agreement to bring it back in for inspection of the bearing.

Think about it: Bike looks good under testing and it takes a while for the defect to show up, about 7,000 miles, and maybe not recognized until a failure, 3,000 miles later. Sounds about the right time frame to me for the new bearing to show up as a replacement. Also, they are worried that it is not going to be a permanent fix, so they ask that it be replaced every 15K miles on their dime. Sounds like they are trying. 2007 model year saw major changes to correct this permanently.

How do they get away with this balony and are we such fools for putting up with this kind of engineering.

Engineers have errasers on their pencils for a reason, sometimes the marketing dept. steals them. They thought they had a way of keeping production cost down and it looked good in test but not in the real world. This is not about screwing anyone it is about efficient assembly.

I won't even mention the other problems we all know about.

Now that's a first, LOL. Go a head knock yourself out.

I agree with you 100% on this and other issues in regards to the harleys and the problems that they have as far as design flaws brought about by cheap parts or manufacturing processes.

I hear what you are saying, could it be that they got snookered by a marketing driven supplier? It's about efficient assembly and getting the job done with unskilled labor as opposed to highly skilled labor; in short, money. Harley is suffering for their mistakes and short sighted changes. Hopefully, we will see less of market based engineering.

Look back at years past and see all the bike lines that had chrome pieces installed and now it's turned into a piece of black plastic. Why? Because they know most of us will run into the dealership and buy that replacement part that is all chromed up to replace that plastic part with.

You better believe that you were paying for that chrome in days of old. Plastic is not the cheep crap it used to be and is very appropiate when used correctly. I also think you are wrong about the why part too; again, it was to keep production cost down. The only chrome I added to my FXDI was a id strip on the battery cover and on the electrical panel. IIRC about $35.00 each. No one said you had to be a "chrome whore" on someone elses dime. Yes, the MOCO is a "chrome pimp".

I feel they do a good marketing job and they have us all brainwashed to buy a harley even though they take the cheap way out on a lot of things to keep the stockholders prices up.

I think you mean dividends, shareholder's profits?

If any other company tried this on the customer, they would suffer economic loses and be looking for aid from the government but Harley has us all brainwashed into believing that a harley is simply the best bike on the market which could be true if they would put quality parts into it and not cheap out to keep their bottom line as high as possible.

Indian whent out of business because they made junk motorcycles! They were (edited) compaired to a HD or any of the Euro-cycles of the day. Brain washed yes but not the best bike, nastalga, look at the sales figures for the softtail ( an ill handling slug of a bike that looks just like the ones we couldn't afford when we were wet behind the ears). Okay, price all the things that should be used on a Harley, factor in the added assembly cost and see if you could afford to buy the beastie.

When I buy a vehicle whether it's a bike or a car, I'm interested in quality and low repair rates as well as frequency of repairs and problems associated with that product. I have owned many bikes and cars usually replacing them every two years or so but to be honest I simply will NOT buy another Harley for many reasons.

Who knows what tomarrow will bring, never say never, LOL. I get rid of a vehicle when the cost of maintaining it is higher than replacing it; except when it is just too much fun to get rid of, like my Mustang convertable or my 1200S Sportster (wan't race?).

Nothing to do with a Harley in the dealerships is priced decent, it's always inflated and for junk that is made in Taiwan and china that could be purchased from the aftermarket for a much better price.

You're right, what can I say, except, I don't care what the price of junk is, I don't want it.

What kind of fools are we to put up with this sort of thing being overcharged for junk just because it says Harley on it?

Right again! They are starting to see the error of their ways, I hope it is not too late.

I'm so disgusted with the way that the MOCO treats it's loyal customers and other reasons that I sold my RKC and will not even consider the purchase of another Harley.

Hmmm, hope you like what you get in the future for a bike, I wouldn't own a RK, they remind me of garbage trucks. About the treatment from the MOCO: They did almost $900.00 worth of repairs on my Dyna, No charge except for a $7.50 gasket because it was not a stock gasket. This was after the warrenty was up, the area rep. approved the work with out a moments hesitation due to the history of the bike and my being a loyal customer.

They have no control or at least they want us to believe that over the dealers when it comes to bad service which I have seen more than my share of and when a problem arises they take the easy/cheap way out instead of making the consumer think that the company cares about them. WE pay for their mistakes! We're treated like second class citizens by the MOCO and it's only going to get worse as time goes on with more junk pushed on us at a high price and we accept it because we're "loyal", not this sheep!


I thought that you weren't going to buy any more Harleys? LOL, Sorry, I couldn't resist. The MOCO has to deal with legle issues when pressuring independant buisinessmen as to how they opperate. They do make strong suggestions to dealers as to handling of customers and the compentency of their employees. In short they really can't do much but they are starting to find ways to make changes that are more in line with a quality image they want the end user to preceive. They appear to be working on it quietly behind the seans.

I'm only one of many but if we would all voice our displeasure with the company, maybe things would change a bit.

I get the impression that you are (edited) off; never seek satisfaction while in that state. Try a calm pleasent, understanding approach but be clear that you intend to have satisfaction. I don't care what breaks on my bike under warrenty as long as the MOCO/Dealer make it good, so fare, that has been my experience.

Thanks for listening.

I can say the same thing, thanks for listning. I wish this was a perfect world too but it is not. Please don't take the comments as personal, you're just one voice in a choris of many who feel the same way. Totally frustrated with problems, you are not alone by a long shot.

Best to all,

Pixs :cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers:cheers

 

[Rusty0]

i agree with glider Harleys are cheep junk and mine is for sale .2001 FLHTCI. it is allway needs some thing even though I keep good care of in .