My HD experience - 2007 Sportster

Hi. I found your webpage today and wanted to relate what happened to me. I bought a new 2007 HD 883 sportster(the standard model). After riding it for around 4 months, I really wanted more power. As I was told when I bought it, there is a HD factory 1200 kit, and that was installed by an HD dealer(I already had HD SE mufflers on the bike). I was also told that the HD warranty would continue on the bike as it was all factory. What I am going to show you here is the letter I sent to HD after the bike had been gone for 4 months in a 8 month period. I did post this letter onto a few HD specific sites on the web in the hopes of warning other folks what can, and indeed did happen to me. In those posts I said that YMMV, obviously this does not happen to all people, sorry if I ruffled some feathers by posting, etc. Obviously some folks called this a 'troll' and that the entire episode was either fabricated by me, mishandled by me (could be that one, I have never had to deal with this before with any vehicle, so how am I supposed to know the 'correct' things to do), etc. In any event it happened as the letter I sent to HD states, and is entirely accurate. I just wanted you to know what I had done up to now, so that if you choose to post this story, you are not surprised(and I do hope you will share this). Here is the letter:

Harley Davidson Customer Service
3700 W. Juneau Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208
414-343-4056

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter in reference to 2007 883 Sportster VIN: 1HD4CN2137K423311 which is in your database for problems related to a factory conversion to 1200 spec. I want to tell your company about the complete lack of concern for the problem that this bike has had since it's conversion in late March. As your records show, I brought this bike into Barnett HD in Las Cruces New Mexico in late March of 2008 for a factory 883 to 1200 conversion using the HD complete conversion kit(the bike already had SE SP mufflers on it). The bike was done in around 4 days and I picked it up a week later. Upon first starting it at the dealership, it poured smoke, and I thought it was just the lube from assembly, so I went on my way for a trip to Roswell NM a few hours away. After being on the road for an hour or so, I saw lots of oil coming from the rear head onto the outside of the rear pipe and the oil tank. As I was near Roswell, I went into the HD dealer there. They thought it was a pinched rocker cover gasket, and I paid them to replace it, as I thought this was just a little problem. I went to my hotel in Roswell, and the bike was not operated for 2 days. When I started it 2 days later, it poured smoke(white, choking smoke), and the rear rocker cover again was leaking a lot of oil, so I rode it to the HD dealer where the work was done (Las Cruces) and even thought it was a Sunday, they replaced the rear rocker cover gasket, test rode it, and saw it leaking again. This started the hell with this conversion. That bike stayed at that dealer for 2 months, got a new set of chrome rocker covers (which DID fix the rocker cover leak for good) and a new rear head which was supposed to fix the smoke issue. It did not, after sitting for 3 days it again poured smoke when started, and the dealer picked up the bike to fix it, and it came back a week later. I was instructed to ride it and let it break in, and then see if the problem had gone away. At this time I started a log (copies included) to make sure what was going on with the oil issue. The first check of how much oil it used(as an 883 it NEVER used any oil), showed 767mi per quart, and as this was just a prelim measurement I decided to change the oil for new HD regular(not Syn3) oil, new filter, ride the bike after changing to get all the bubbles out, then put the oil level at the middle of the oil dip stick(I put a hash mark on it) so that it was not over full and blowing oil out the breathers. I ALWAYS measured the oil in my driveway after the bike was fully warm, ALWAYS put in a little oil, rode a few miles, etc. until it was back at the hash mark again...very consistent measuring, and I used a graduated beaker to measure the oil going in. The bike NEVER leaked oil, and I constantly checked for any leaks. Also, after sitting for a few days, it still smoked a lot, and had bursts of smoke at around 3500rpm. All this after the bike was gone for over 2 months, was in the shop 3 times including the initial conversion, and I had called your company to see what could be done. I next contacted Barnett HD in Las Cruces NM on 8-22-2008, and said I was going to drop it off on 9-27-2008 for a month while I was on vacation for them to finally fix the smoke issue and fix the bike to factory spec(less than 1 quart of oil usage per 1,000mi riding). I also had them re-gear the primary drive to 1200 spec(it already had a 30 tooth countershaft sprocket). When I called the dealer on 10-24-2008 at 0910hrs I was told the almost incredible news: 1. The bike was ready, 2. there was no problem, and 3. I was to ride it and have THEM add oil to show there was nothing wrong with it(they did not believe me as to the oil issue, even though they had my mileage book, nice people). I arrived at 0900hrs 10-25-2008 to pick-up and ride the bike home(I live 55mi away), started it in their parking lot outside the service bay, and it poured white smoke. So I shut it off, went inside, brought out the service manager for that day, and started it again to 'prove' to him that it does indeed pour smoke. His comment?? 'That's obviously where the oil is going, from the front cylinder'. The bike had sat for a few weeks before I started it. I left the bike, called your company to discuss what was going on here(total time the bike had been gone in the last 71/2 months: 3 months 21/2 weeks!). I was called back by YOUR people, who said that the dealer had it well in hand. I was called by the dealer on 11-14-2008 and told that they had 'torn down the rear cylinder, and re-aligned the oil control ring'. He also stated that in riding it around 50mi total, a few miles every day, it did not smoke and that the smoke I saw was the enrichment from the FI when the bike was cold. Well...as I observed and told your company (I called you guys again on 11-14-2008 to say that the bike really needed to go back to the factory to be looked at, or SOMEWHERE to be fixed, a really nice lady said that I could take it somewhere, but that YOU would not be helping me...really nice for a bike under warranty), riding it everyday does not produce much smoke...letting it SIT for a few days produces lots. The oil control ring being the problem is pure rubbish! If the bike is smoking after sitting for 3 days or so, and smoking a lot, then the oil HAS to be dripping down into the chamber -- I.E. from leaking seals, or guides, or somewhere ABOVE the chamber....last I looked, oil cannot travel UP against gravity through this oil control ring, flood the chamber, and produce smoke. I picked the bike up as it was now up to 'factory' spec per Las Cruces HD, rode it to Barnett El Paso HD, and sold it to the dealer there(owned by the same company) for the rousing sum of $4000. The bike smoked when revved around 3500rpm as it always had, and when the sales manager rode the bike around to the service bay, he goosed it in the lower gears, and guess what? A BIG puff of white smoke from this 'in spec' bike. This bike spend FOUR months out of the eight since it's conversion in YOUR dealers service bay. You did NOTHING to help with this, they did NOTHING to fix it, and I assume if you answer this letter you will blame the whole thing on me. By the way, I did check the New Mexico lemon laws, and because the bike was 'Modified'(the 1200 conversion) I had no remedy under the law. Allowed your company to weasel out of fixing the issue. Nice. Well this is what I am going to do: I am sending this letter via FedEx so you can't say you never got it, I will wait 2 weeks for a letter from you(good luck with that...unless it's a 'you should of...etc. letter), then I am going to post this letter everywhere on the internet that I can, blogs, etc. My friend all ride, three of them are getting new bikes this Christmas, NONE of them are buying HD because of this. And since I am out of a bike, I am not riding anymore, and I hope to tell everyone who will listen about this. So it looks like we both lose. And I wanted to spend my money with an AMERICAN company.

Sincerely,
David J. xxxxx

The forgoing letter is exactly as sent, except for the 'x' in places(again, a few have said I left out much of the story, or made it up). I WAS asked an intelligent question: why did I sell it to the same company that made so much grief for me? Well, in a word, conscience. The dealer stated the bike was within spec, and I did NOT want to sell it to someone in that condition. Obviously I do NOT think it is within spec(indeed there are internal HD memos floating on the net saying the mo-co is supposed to fix any sporty that is using more than 1qt of oil in 1,000mi, plus the smoking issue). I did not, and indeed do not think there is anyone out there who would fix it, and HD stated that if I had anyone other than them try to fix it, they would void the warranty(not that it was anything good, as stated above). I wanted at least some money back from the bike rather than a doorstop, and all I was doing was putting good money after bad if I went this alone. Anyway, everyone has there own opinion, but I did not make up any of this, or damage this bike in any fashion. Thanks for looking at my letter and story, and I do hope you will post it. Please contact me if you need any other info, etc.

David Crist
Deming, NM