The 2022 Motorcycle Adventure

Despite 188 miles on my trip meter, I finished the day only 37 miles (and $350 poorer) from where I started.

- 138433 odometer: Warhawk HD in Monroe, LA, changes my belt and pulley. I pick the bike up with the truck/trailer on Wednesday, 28 Sep.

- 138803 (<370 miles later): The first day I ride after the belt change, Sunday, 2 Oct, I discover a slow/small leak in outer primary cover. I can't call Monroe until they open Tuesday, 4 Oct.

- Tuesday, 4 Oct, I begin another leg of my trip. When I speak to Monroe, they say the leak can wait until my next service.

- 139750 (1,317 miles after belt change): Wednesday, 5 Oct, Legacy HD in Odessa, TX, fixes the leak in the primary cover. They notice a lot of black oil slung underneath and dripping off the bike. Despite the noticeable leak being that fresh oil clear gold color, they don't delve any deeper than the outer primary. They do the five-mile test ride; no leak. They clean the bike and I'm off. Monroe pays $150 to fix the leak.

- 141588 (1,838 miles after Odessa work): Sunday, 9 Oct, I notice a lot of black oil slung underneath and dripping off the bike, exactly the same as before. I can't call Odessa until they open Tuesday, 11 Oct.

- Wednesday, 12 Oct, I ride the 400+ miles to Odessa.

- 142049: Thursday, 13 Oct, Odessa pulls the primary apart again. The leak is from the INNER primary, specifically the main shaft seal. According to the tech, Don--who wanted to go into the inner primary the first time he worked on it, but Ty said not to--the seal shows damage from installation, which would have happened when Monroe changed the belt. Don fixes it, rides it 15 miles, and says it's good to go.

Odessa management claims the bike left clean without a leak and that the leak is new because the bike is so old and because I rode so many miles since they worked on it. Monroe says they didn't touch the main shaft seal, but after speaking to another Odessa tech, Monroe admits they had to in order to change the belt. Despite that admission, Monroe refuses to admit they damaged it during the repair. Only because they tore it apart before, Odessa agrees to halve the hours (from 4 to 2 @ $100/hr), leaving me with the $350 bill.

To top it all off, 50 miles after I leave Odessa, I stop at a gas station specifically to check under the primary...and find fresh fluid. I ride 50 miles back to Odessa. Don rechecks everything, thoroughly cleans it, does another 15-mile ride, and swears it's not leaking.

My ass hurts.

So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

Today's mileage: 188.0 [not all me though] (total 26039.6 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
HD Dealerships: 0 (total 420)Read more