The next step was to determine how to fix the issue. Initially we found information on the net that allowed us to break up the inner lining and flush it out. This initial step did not work. The tank lining continued to break apart when it became in contact with fuel.

The second time we made an attempt, we dropped screws, chains and all sorts of other items inside one side of the tank (two sided tank). We shook the tank for close to a continuous hour with all those items in there. We then removed the items and flushed the tank with warm water until our hot water heater ran out of hot water.  We then ran an air hose inside the tank to dry it out and break up any leftover lining.  We then took a Snap On Camera and peered inside the tank. The tank lining was minimized, but not gone by any means. We then purchased a product from Sherwin Williams that breaks down Epoxy. Sherwin Williams actually called their paint engineers to assist in this. They believed that this special product would eat the epoxy lining. However, sadly, it did not break up the epoxy anymore than the chains and screws had jiggling them around.  It was powerful stuff however, it filled the whole service bay with fumes. 

We called several dealerships and asked if they had run into this issue. Not many had. Some dealers recommended a product called Kreme that would allow you to seal the inside of the tank. We purchased some of that, but after reading the directions, it indicated that Kreme is for sealing a tank when the lining is completely gone.  In addition, it indicated that it did have some limitations. We also heard that there was some other products out there that would seal this tank.  We decided as a group that if the inner wall of the tank was not completely bare, any sealant would eventually fall apart.

As a dealership with 62 years of good customer service, we decided to purchase a set of tanks. Harley-Davidson no longer paints 1999 tanks themselves. They have a great third party company painting them called Caliber. We asked them to rush the paint job.  They did a good job.  The cost of the paint and new tanks was approximately $2300.00. 

In an effort to help others, what have you seen and how did you fix it?

In case you are not familiar with the Bad Santa Campaign, go ahead and visit youtube.com and type in Bad Santa Commercial. This is essentially a commercial for Harley-Davidson during the Christmas season. A darker version of Santa Claus arrives in a sleigh in front of a person’s house with a bunch of Harley-Davidson’s replacing the classic reindeer. Bad Santa enters the house, drops some exhaust on the floor under the tree, and throws a poor cowering doberman a bone with some remnants of meat still on it.

The Bad Santa has a dark laugh and leaves on his sleigh with a track of fire.
In any event, we have heard from customers who both loved the idea of it and also hated it. This past 2008 Christmas, Harley-Davidson sent dealers a free cardboard cutout of Bad Santa. Over 6 feet tall. This was not required to be displayed. Some customers understood it was a tongue-in-cheek, grab your attention campaign, while others felt it was bad for the kids.

Our understanding is that Harley-Davidson is done with the Bad Santa Campaign. We would like to hear from customers on what they think of the Bad Santa Campaign and whether Harley-Davidson should get rid of it.

What do you think?

This is always a controversial topic and one that we have not been able to find any real technical data on.  Is it an urban myth or do you really get blown to the side in a cross wind when riding a Fatboy with solid wheels? 

Some people are being told that when you ride a Fatboy with stock solid wheels that the cross wind will often throw you side to side.  From our perspective, we do not believe this is true.  Most of the people we asked that own or ride a Fatboy commented that they get pushed to the side in a big gust of wind whether they are riding a Harley-Davidson with a solid wheel or a spoke wheel.  We know of several sales where customers choose not to purchase a Fatboy because their friend told them that they would get thrown to the side riding a Fatboy with solid wheels.   We believe this is one reason in 2007 Harley-Davidson decided to add holes in their OEM wheels.   

Additionally, some of the customers we spoke to consider it to be a sin when you remove the solid wheels from a Fatboy!

What are your thoughts?  Comments on both sides are welcome.

However, we thought we would comment about Harley-Davidson’s newest extremely creative promotion.   HD is creating quite a stir with its up and coming promotion called Ride Free Guarantee.  Basically there are two aspects of it and they are fairly simple to understand.  The first is that the day after Christmas, HD is going to unveil a deal where you can buy a new untitled Sportster, ride it for a year, and within one year from the purchase date, you can trade it in on a new Big Twin (V-Rod included) and get MSRP back, not just the normal NADA or Blue Book.  Caution…Sales Pitch…we are one of the few MSRP dealers in the area, so we are excited about this prospect.  We don’t add on those nasty hidden fees either….Okay…back to our program. 

The second parts of this promotion is that you can trade in a used 2007, 2008, or 2009 Sportster between Dec 26 and the end of March 2009 and get MSRP on trade-in towards a big twin (including V-Rods). 

There are a couple issues we are seeing and the devil is in the details.  One is that the motorcycle has to be in absolutely perfect condition when traded in. It is entirely up to that particular dealer if the motorcycle meets the condition requirement.   Secondly, there is a very short window of opportunity. 

We think there is going to be some hesitation initially as our customers may see this as a gimmick.  Truthfully, it’s no gimmick, just a quick way to get customers onto bigger motorcycles in a time when most dealerships (certainly in the North East) are slower.

One person we spoke with asked if there was any issue of him trading in his 2008 Sportster even though he purchased it outright from a private buyer.  We told him ”no, there is no issue.”  He said “well I paid less than MSRP for it since it was a private sale.”  We told him it doesn’t matter as long as it’s in excellent shape.  He assured us it was and said we would see him right after Christmas.  We hope we do… 

Tell us what your opinion is on this promotion HD is offering.