T-Sport: First Two Years

Warranty

I did have one warranty claim, and it was a particularly annoying one at that. Shortly after taking possession, and on my first long trip, I got my first indication of the problem. I was cruising along on a busy two lane highway when I needed to pass a slow moving car. A perfect opportunity to show off all that expensive horsepower I thought. I blasted past the car in the wink of an eye as planned, but as soon as I was in front the engine started to sputter and almost died. Pumping the throttle, I managed to keep it running, but was forced to make an embarrassing stop on the gravel shoulder. Once stopped, I killed the engine and watched the slow car pass and disappear into the distance. I waited a few moments wondering if I had broken something, and how I would get the bike back home. Then I pushed the starter and the engine roared back to life. Strange, I thought, everything seemed to be back to normal. I continued on with my trip, but that nagging uncertainty of the cause of the malfunction persisted with me the rest of the way.

Over the next few weeks, the problem resurfaced occasionally under similar conditions. Finally I took it in to the shop, and after a frustrating search the gremlin was discovered. A crystalline growth within the float bowl was obstructing the main jet. The mechanics told me they had never seen anything like it (a declaration I would hear more

Bike on lift from Costco; tank sent to Harley under warranty.

than once in the future). A thorough cleaning was all it took, and I was back in business. That is until the same thing would happen again a short time later. This time it was a collection of rust in the float bowl causing the obstruction. Eventually, I got used to cleaning the bowl every few weeks to ensure my thirsty motor was getting its fill. I theorized that I had picked up some sludge during a fill-up and would have the tank cleaned out at the end of the short riding season.

As I expected, when I drained the tank in the fall it was filled with rust. The petcock screen was so caked with debris that I was amazed any fuel managed to strain its way to the carburetor. What wasn't expected was that the tank was the source of that rust. With all the tank associated parts stripped off, I was able to have a look inside and see a peeling layer of what I assumed to be sealant, exposing a rusty seam underneath. This was not good. At first the dealership didn't think I could get the tank replaced under warranty since rust was not a warranty covered item. Something to do with so many bikes on the coasts being exposed to the salty ocean air I was told. But in the end they managed to get the ok from Harley and my original tank was sent off, a requirement by the factory before they would paint up a new one.

I was extremely happy that I would be getting a new tank, not only because I was tired of cleaning float bowls, but because there had been a dent in my tank when I originally took possession. My T-Sport was once more cherry, and thankfully no other warranty issues have materialized since.

Postscript: Although the tank was replaced under warranty through the dealership, I had removed and later re-installed the tank in my garage. The following spring I learned a valuable lesson when I discovered rust once more polluting my carburetor. I may have eliminated the source of contamination with the new tank, but I had neglected to replace the delivery component downstream of it. The fuel line was caked with rust that had dried over the winter, only to break apart with vibration and fresh fuel running through it. Large chunks of debris had once again lodged themselves over my main jet. A new fuel line was installed, and I was finally rid of the problem once and for all.