5 Ways to Ruin Your Bike

You just bought a beautiful new (or 'new-to-you') Harley-Davidson. Keeping it in good running order as well as keeping that showroom shine isn't hard, but it isn't exactly easy either. If you're not careful, you can ruin your motorcycle for trade/re-sale later on before you know it. 

Here's a look at five common ways to trash your bike, according to Chad and Kate, our Service and Parts Managers at FX Caprara Harley-Davidson.

1. You changed the Air & Exhaust, but didn't do a Tuner

You've done the research and decided to do a Stage I Kit- increase the air & exhaust for your bike's engine. Then decided, since it's basic motor parts, you could skip the tuner or recalibrating the ECM... but now your bike is running like sh*t. 

Just like you can't be expected to run a marathon without the proper training, your bike cannot run well without 'teaching it' how. It has to be programed how to handle the engine upgrade. 

2. Not Keeping the Charge

A reminder that even as your bike sits in your garage, waiting for the next ride, there's a small drain on the battery. And for your bike's system to be charged back, the bike needs to be under power (in other words you've got to be riding). 

If you find that you won't be riding for a week or two, it's a good idea to put your bike on a Smart Battery Tender to keep your battery fresh.

3. Salt

Not just for your Margarita glass, salt is used on roadways during the winter months in Northern NY. It melts the ice and snow so that we can safely drive our vehicles -you know this. The problem comes in the early Spring and late Fall -you decided to ride even though the salt is on the road.

Salt is very corrosive and your bike's motor, frame and wheels -basically the very essence of your bike- is very exposed to all corrosive loveliness when you're out and about with salt  still or already on the road. 

We all suffer from PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome), but don't compound it by allowing salt to eat away at your precious bike.  This will really bite you in the ass later -either when you're looking to sell your bike -or worse, having to repair it.

4. Not washing your bike

Some see all the dirt, grime and bug guts as a badge of honor. We at FXCHD say that's Harley neglect. Like salt, not washing your bike can destroy your bike's painted & chrome finishes. 

And please, for the love of all that is Harley, do not take your bike through a car wash!! Blasting water at all that electronics is like submerging a toaster in a bathtub full of water, and then expecting it to work right the next time you go to use it. 

For the proper way to wash your bike, visit our webpage: Smash Bugs. Wash. Repeat.

5. Neglecting routine maintenance

A Harley-Davidson Motorcycle is literally a rolling piece of art, with all its parts designed to intracally work together, bringing you the best ride possible.

However, the more miles you ride, the more things can become out of factory specifications. Look at the back of your owner's manual- things to check at 1K, 5K, 10K, etc. are listed. Things like steering head bearings, drive belt & sprocket, transmission lubricant, clutch lever and more.

It's best to have factory trained technicians at an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer perform the services for you. This is their job- it's what they do day in, day out. And if they have a question about part fitment or a particular problem, tech services at the Motor Company is just a phone call away.

Bottom line, it comes down to the "7 P's": Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. If you take care of your bike, it will take care of you.

My first 30 days in Behind Bars...

You may remember this past February I broke up... with my 2004 Dyna Super Glide. I traded her in and got my 2018 115th Anniversary Heritage from FX Caprara Harley-Davidson.

Except that it was February... Not exactly Riding Season in Northern New York. 

So I had to wait... and wait... and wait... Then finally, on Earth Day no less, we were finally together and Riding.

One month later and 738 miles are in behind bars of this beautiful bike, and it's been phenomenal! 

Even though there are quite a few differences between my new bike and my old -most notably the engine displacement (my '04 was 88 cubic inch (1450cc), new is 114ci (1868cc)... !!!) -the new still felt like my old friend: cozy & natural. 

And yet, the 114ci Milwaukee-Eight motor is smoooooth -so smooth in fact that it's very easy for me to get up to 70mph and not realize it. (I hope no police are reading this!)

The frame of the 2018 Heritage is as agile as my old bike, making it a true joy to lean into the corners, roll on the throttle and go flying down the road.

With the high-performance suspension, the bike is easily maneuverable in parking lots as well as quite comfortable on long rides. 

Then there's the torque... as in there's A LOT of it!! 

In case you didn't know, torque is the feeling you get as the power of the motor gets transferred to the pavement, sitting you back in your seat.

At first it was hard for me to know when to shift, because this bike has torque that pulls through every gear (rather than running out of power forcing the rider to up-shift). 

The power and torque that the new Softails have will truly put a smile on your face! As the MoCo puts it, "...increased lean angle, quicker turn-in, quicker acceleration and more flickability, all with easier lift-off from the side stand."

I'm here to tell you that is truth in advertising!! Beyond the specs of any bike, there is the 'fun factor' to consider when making a buying decision. And all the new Softails, with their Milwaukee-Eight engines, have a very high rate of 'smiles per mile.' 

I am very much looking forward to many more days behind bars, riding my new Heritage for many, many more miles.

If you're interested in what my 'old' bike is doing now, she's gone on to have lots of fun doing wheelies and performing stunts with Hostile Crew -check out their Facebook page and Instagram.