[gregamart]

🗯 just take apart the throttle handlebar control and completely drown it with WD40🗯. Idk that I want to take anything apart. Can I just hit it with some WD-40 around it? I am book smart. I am not mechanically inclined whatsoever.

 

[gregamart]

If it's just popping the housing off like the way this guy is doing, then maybe that wouldn't be too difficult. What do you think?

The rest of the video really isn't applicable, but if it's just unscrewing the top of the housing, then I might be game. I'd just spray in there with WD-40 I'm assuming.

 

[PugslyCat]

Idk that I want to take anything apart. Can I just hit it with some WD-40 around it?

I think that trying to do this without opening the clamshell will just make a mess of things and not allow the WD-40 to get into where it needs to go. My thoughts are that you want to stick the straw right up to the switches to try and direct the spray into the contacts.

If it's just popping the housing off like the way this guy is doing, then maybe that wouldn't be too difficult. What do you think?

Not having done this myself and it not being my bike it seems quite doable. You might want to message @Old git on a Harley if you want some reassurance or additional guidance.

The rest of the video really isn't applicable, but if it's just unscrewing the top of the housing, then I might be game. I'd just spray in there with WD-40 I'm assuming.

That seems to be what @Old git on a Harley says he did. You might want to get some paper towels into the lower clamshell to catch any run off. Using the straw on the nozzle should help reduce overspray.

 

[gregamart]

Thanks for the follow-up input.

I'm kind of searching around for a mechanic that help me out with this. People keep directing me to Harley itself. I feel that might get kind of pricey.

 

[PugslyCat]

This particular task is something that any motorcycle mechanic should be able to do. The guy I consider to be my independent mechanic is the Kawasaki dealer a town over, but the bulk of his business is actually used bikes. It's the kind of place that I could go and run this idea past the mechanic over a cup of coffee and he'd either point out the possible pitfalls, give me a few tips, or say "You better bring it in" only if that's his honest assessment.

I forget which city you are in right now, but Yelp has lists of motorcycle repair shops in San Antonio and Austin.

It seems that your bike has had enough problems for long time and none of the mechanics you have taken it to has made any lasting improvement. They are nickel and diming you to death. That has gotten you to the point that the bike is pretty much a paper weight right now. The best option, and long term best value, really may be to take it to the Harley dealer to at least diagnose the problems.

I called Cowboy's Alamo City Harley-Davidson in San Antonio and they do pre-buy inspections for something like $57 plus tax. It's basically the same thing they do to evaluate trade in bikes and pretty much what you would be asking them to do. Just be up front that it's a bike you already have and need some guidance. They just need to spend 0.5-1.0 hours of diagnostic time and come up with a plan on how to get the bike roadworthy again. They could read that code causing your check engine light and provide a punch list of work that needs done. I'm not saying to have them do any or all the work, but they would at least give you some guidance of what needs done and what it would cost.

There are other Harley-Davidson dealerships in San Antonio and Austin. Their prices for pre-buy inspections will vary. For example, I also called Loess Hills Harley-Davidson here in Iowa and they do a similar inspection and charge for an hour of diagnostic time, which is around $120.

In past threads you have said that it's been showing a check engine light for a long time. Those are prompted by a diagnostic code, which somebody should be able to read. That's why diagnostic codes exist. If the mechanic doesn't know what code is causing the check engine light he's just guessing. As I recall, your independent mechanics last guess was that you need to spend better than $1,000 for to replace the complete wiring harness. If he's wrong, you will have spent that money for nothing and missed the opportunity to do what really needs done to make the bike rideable again.

 

[gregamart]

I'm up here in Dallas Fort Worth for the moment still going nowhere fast.

The other night apparently I luckily got home. This happened the exact same time last year. My battery isn't even a year old.

It somehow got home on the last bit of juice idk, because now it won't even turn over and I've hopefully had it on my Jr. battery tender.

Idk what to make of it now. It went from running awesome one minute to down for the count. It's so aggravating. With the weather it was too cold to stay on top of charging my bike with the Jr. battery tender.

Thanks for all that information. The Cycle Gear guys keep pushing me to one store. They have a mechanic from an old store I used to use. There's also a brand new Harley-Davidson in Allen.

I may have to look for a mobile mechanic, but up here this time.

 

[gregamart]

If that Kawasaki mechanic is in Boerne, I may know him.

 

[gregamart]

I think that trying to do this without opening the clamshell will just make a mess of things and not allow the WD-40 to get into where it needs to go. My thoughts are that you want to stick the straw right up to the switches to try and direct the spray into the contacts.
Not having done this myself and it not being my bike it seems quite doable. You might want to message @Old git on a Harley if you want some reassurance or additional guidance.

That seems to be what @Old git on a Harley says he did. You might want to get some paper towels into the lower clamshell to catch any run off. Using the straw on the nozzle should help reduce overspray.

I am going to contact that Old Git. I've been calling around to Mobile Mechanics. They either want to do a diagnostic or though not too expensive could still be pricey for an idea that might not work.