SEE & BE SEEN with Harley-Davidson® LED Headlamps
Service Tips to Improve Your Touring Experience
If you want to properly prepare for a long trip it is imperative you check your mileage and review the back of your owner’s manual (can be found online for select models) to determine what maintenance interval your ride is at. It is always better to go on a long trip with fresh fluids and a complete check over like you would get at the 5,000 and 10,000 mile intervals. If you chose to purchase Gateway H-D’s Prepaid Maintenance Agreement your bike would get a quick service at 2,500 and 7,500 mile intervals which also gets you ready for a trip. If all of your services are up to date it is still a good idea to check your tire pressure, tire tread depth (for a trip less than 5/32 is less than 50% tread and time to replace) and oil level. Tire pressure can fluctuate with temperatures unless you have nitrogen in the tires and it is not unusual to have to add oil between services. If you don’t have a tread depth gauge you can pick one up at the auto parts store for a few bucks or better yet run your bike by Gateway Harley-Davidson and we will check it for you.
Have a Great Trip and be sure to stop by and tell those of us at the shop, who try and make sure your ride gets you there and back, all about your adventure. See you on the next dealership ride!
New Product: Magnetic Tool Storage Trays
This is an all new tool storage solution from Harley-Davidson®. Store your wrenches, hex keys and sockets in these magnetic storage trays. These convenient trays keep your tools organized and close at hand. The powerful magnet holds the tools in the tray and secures the tray to a smooth metal toolbox or service lift for grab-and-go convenience. They also have a low profile, laydown design that allows you to store the loaded trays in a toolbox drawer while the softtouch surface protects the tools. All of the tools are sold separately which makes this a low-cost option to help store the tools you already have!
Magnetic Wrench Storage Tray: $19.95
Magnetic Hex Key Storage Tray: $14.95
Magnetic Socket Storage Tray: $19.95
Kat Explains the New Look of Surface Care Products
2012 is off to a great start with a fresh, new look for Harley-Davidson® Surface Care product packaging. Products are now color coded by category to make it easier to pick out products to fit your cleaning, or quick detailing needs:
Clean = Orange
Protect = Black
Detail = Silver
Complementary products are also referenced on the back of packaging to easily identify which products work well together. Viscous products are now packaged in inverted bottles and jars for easier use. A couple product names have been changed to more clearly explain their use. Majority of packages now are recyclable as well!
Harley-Davidson® Spray Cleaner & Polish is safe for use on windshields, plastic, painted, and metal surfaces. It also reduces static attraction to dust and leaves a great shine on the surface and UV protection. This cleaner is perfect for those that only like to wash their bike when it rains- no water or soap needed- just spray, wipe and go.
Want your chrome looking its best? H-D® Chrome Clean & Shine can be used on chrome or brushed aluminum/stainless steel surfaces. The non-abrasive, professional strength cleaner is formulated to ensure maximum shine. It can be buffed to a bright, long-lasting finish, and is detergent-resistant.
The new Seat, Saddlebag & Trim Cleaner is a one step treatment for all your leather, vinyl and plastic surfaces. Unlike other leather cleaners it brightens and refreshes without leaving a greasy residue. (Also, you won’t slide out of your saddle like you would if you used Armor All on it- yes, I’ve made that mistake before….) It is also ideal for use on inner farings, dash panels, and saddlebags.
For those that like to hose down and suds up their entire bike (you over-achievers!)- H-D® Sunwash Bike Soap is a perfect fit, and can be used on all vehicle surfaces (including denim paint). Most bike wash products have limitations on ideal temperatures to wash your bike, or have to be used in the shade. Not this one! Harley® has formulated this biodegradable soap for use in the sun! It also has a unique formulated sheeting action to minimize water spots, and rinse clean on the hottest of days.
Got Scuffs? Tar? Harley® has come out with a gel formulated to break down rubber marks, road tar, baked on bugs, and even melted plastic bags! Just apply to soiled area on chrome exhaust (when exhaust is cool), wait for gel to loosen things up, then scrub and wipe away residue.
Want to keep your paint and chrome looking its best? Want to remove fine scratches and minor blemishes in your clear coat? Want to remove tar, tree sap, or stains from your paint without stripping it? Try Harley® Glaze Poly Sealant- it can meet all these needs- basically three products in one bottle. Glaze Poly Sealant is easy to apply and hand buff for a deep, reflective finish. Shine it up with this durable, breathable, clear poly sealant with UV protection that protects against fading and oxidizing. (Don’t use on non glossy surfaces like denim, wrinkle, or semi-gloss surfaces, or brake discs)
Need a cleaner that is better than the aerosol but not as involved at the Sun Wash? Try out the Quick Wash! This cleaner is tough on dirt, oil, and bugs, but gentle enough to use on all surfaces. Does not strip wax, corrode fasteners or spokes, or stain leather and vinyl seats or saddlebags. Don’t feel like scrubbing? No problem! Quick Wash gets into hard-to-reach spaces, and scrubs for you (Imagine all those scrubbing bubble critters from the spray on bathroom cleaner, all over your bike- its kinda like that.) Spray on, hose off. Thats all she wrote.
What products have you found that work the best?
Protect Your Bike From Corrosion
You made a large investment on a motorcycle. There are many things that you can do to protect your bike from corrosion. Joe, one of our knowledgeable Parts Specialists, wanted to share a few tips and tricks with you.
As we all know snow salt is one of the most corrosive chemicals on the road. And it is all over the roads right now. Riding in it is fine as long as you know how to clean all of that junk off your bike when you get back to your garage.
Harley® Preserve is a very effective bare aluminum protectant that comes in little wipes. It’s great for protecting the stock wheels on some bikes and some engine covers and cases. These are typically the first things to corrode on a stock Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. A pack of these retails for $14.99 and will probably last two life times.
Harley-Davidson® also offers travel care kits that are pretty handy. They include concentrated sunwash, polish and sealant, gloss, wheel and tire cleaner, and bug remover. All neatly packed together in mini spray bottles, this is a perfect pack to toss in a saddle bag and bring with you on any length of trip. Even a short trip across town, this will help keep your bike looking and running great. These travel kits from for about $24.99.
S100 carries a lot of good products as well. The Total Cycle Cleaner seems to be the most popular. It is a spray and wash type cleaner. S100 also sells a corrosion protectant that is just sprayed on and rubbed to a shine. Since it is safe on plastics and rubber it is one of the easiest ways to maintain the look of your bike.
Basically there is a cleaner, gloss, protectant, or polish available for every type of surface on your motorcycle and it is important to keep those surfaces clean.
What types of protectants do you use on your motorcycle?
Affordable First Upgrades to Any Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle
So you buy a brand new Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. What is the first thing you do? Learn to ride it properly (but that’s another story entirely). What’s next? You probably want to customize it and make it truly unique and truly you. Some will put little bits of chrome here and there. Others will put a new exhaust or practical features like a windshield or saddlebags. One of the most affordable upgrades you can make to your brand new bike is to give your motorcycle a voice with Rush Mufflers.
Rush mufflers are performance mufflers that can be put on any model of bike. They come in a variety of styles. They can be worked into just about any performance package you want or can be added to your motorcycle all by themselves. They give you a little extra “umph” in the horsepower department without expensive and in-depth tuning of your engine. At the same time, they also give you a truly customized sound without completely annoying everyone within a 50 block radius.
With just 30 minutes of labor with a certified H-D® technician, your bike can be in and out of our shop in about an hour. But the real key to this upgrade is the fact that it is affordable. A variety of styles for just about any model, installed for under $500. This is just another thing to add on to the list of parts and accessories to customize, but with the affordability offered by these mufflers… maybe this might be inch it’s way a little higher up on the priority list.
Interested in more? Let one of our associates give you a free quote.
What are some other upgrades you might make to your brand new Harley-Davidson® motorcycle?
Super Premium Oil Filters – 98.5 Reasons to Consider
Harley-Davidson® engines are some of the most demanding engines out there. They take a lot of tender loving care. And no oil filter gives them more TLC than the Harley-Davidson® Super Premium Oil Filter.
First, these oil filters were designed by people that know your motorcycle better than anyone else, because they actually designed the bike. They are built using the highest quality components to provide high performance.
The Super Premium Oil Filter is 100% synthetic and has an efficient capture of at least 98.5% of contaminants as small as 5 microns. What is a “micron“? Basically, it is one-millionth of a meter. So we are talking small. Real small.
Have you ever tried cold-starting your bike and the juices just didn’t seem to want to start flowing? Bet you never thought your oil filter might have something to do with that. A higher quality oil filter allows oil to flow better and improves cold starts.
Another thing you probably didn’t consider was that Harley-Davidson® engines have low oil film thickness in their working parts. That is how they were designed. Because of that, they require finer filtration than what most competitive branded oil filters can provide.
So when it comes to that machine of yours, sitting in the garage… You know. The one that you insist on putting Premium Gas in? What oil filter do you currently have? Is it the one that will protect your engine the best?
Harley-Davidson® Batteries – A Decision that Won’t Leave You Stranded
When it comes to buying Motorcycle batteries, or any batteries, most people make a terrible mistake by choosing the least expensive option that is available and save the extra cash. However, buying cheaper batteries that are available in the market today will eat up all your savings in the way of maintenance. Moreover, people always have a misconception that all the batteries are the same and they don’t even check the specifications of the batteries.
So, what makes Harley-Davidson® motorcycle batteries better than all the rest?
- Designed by the Motor Co. – For starters, the Harley-Davidson® Motor Co. designs and manufactures all of their own batteries right there inMilwaukee, so why not buy your battery from the same company who engineered and manufactured the motorcycle it is used in.
- Absorbed Glass Mats – Harley-Davidson® batteries are an AGM type maintenance free battery. This is a newer type of sealed, non-spillable, maintenance-free, valve-regulated battery that uses “Absorbed Glass Mats”, or AGM separators between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat.
- Acid Containment – In AGM sealed batteries, the acid is absorbed between the plates and immobilized by a very fine fiberglass mat. No silica gel is necessary. This glass mat absorbs and immobilizes the acid while still keeping the acid available to the plates. This allows a fast reaction between acid and plate material.
- Leak Protection – These type of batteries have all the advantages of they typical gelled batteries on the market, but can take much more abuse. These are also called “starved electrolyte.” Basically, just like the Gel batteries, the AGM Battery will not leak acid if broken, which protects you, your bike, and the environment.
- Charging Systems – The Harley-Davidson® AGM battery has an extremely low internal electrical resistance. This, combined with faster acid migration, allows the AGM batteries to deliver and absorb higher rates of amperage than other sealed batteries during discharging and charging. In addition, AGM technology batteries can be charged at normal lead-acid regulated charging voltages, therefore, it is not necessary to recalibrate charging systems.
- Better Performance – H-D® AGM batteries contains an exclusive oxide formula that enhances the battery’s performance for more Cold Cranking Amps, faster starting power, and longer cycle life keeping you on the road. Low discharge rates extend battery life during periods of non-use and lasts from season to season, avoiding yearly battery replacement seen by a lot of the competitor’s batteries. I have personally seen 5 to 8 years usage from an H-D® battery and have thrown away countless amounts of “aftermarket” batteries that customers told me they just purchased 8 to 12 months ago.
These are just a few of the many thought-out improvements that Harley-Davidson® put into their batteries. So the next time you are in need of a new battery for your Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, don’t let the price be a deciding factor. It may be a decision that could leave you stranded.
Custom Wheels to Fit a Custom Attitude
If you are looking to spice up the style of your motorcycle, upgrading your wheels is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your motorcycle look a little less stock and a little more you. Harley-Davidson offers two dozen custom wheel options, and an unparrelled selection of surface finishes to add visual depth and make your bike look stunning. Here’s a look at the most common H-D wheel finishes:
Black Ice: Brand, spankin’ new for 2011! To be honest, it looks like black chrome. Just as shiny, but easy to maintain. This is for those riders that love the Dark Custom look of the Street Bob®, the Fat Bob®, the Blackline®, or the latest Sportster® editions, but still want a little shine to their bike.
Cut Back Gloss Black: These wheels are powder-coated black but have a glossy look to them. They also have aluminum highlights machined into the surface that give the wheel a little extra pop.
Textured Black: These wheels have a combination of satin aluminum spokes and textured black powder coat. This is a perfect balance between dark and light.
Textured Chrome: Like the textured black wheels, these wheels are dramatic, but more so because we have layered chrome on chrome.
Mirror Chrome: These puppies have been polished up to give a super smooth surface and a really awesome mirror effect. If you are going the way of the chrome, this is the way to get the most shine.
Contrast Chrome: What do you get when you mix chrome with gloss black powder coating? Yep. This is it. Visually striking and lots to choose from.
What type of wheel finish fits your bike’spersonality?
5 Accessories You’ve Never Heard Of
There are so many off-the-wall yet useful accessories hiding in the nooks and crannies of our dealership. Some fix common problems while riding. Some fix common problems with storing your ride. We’ve found some good solutions to life’s little problems.
5. You ever been riding with a passenger, or been a passenger yourself, and tried to communicate to your other rider that they were going the wrong way? What do you do? Tap their shoulder? Hit the top of their helmet? Scream the right directions over the sound of the wind? The best intercom systems in the business right now is the ScalaRider intercom systems made by Cardo Systems. They fit virtually any helmet, have noise cancelling microphones, sync with most cell phones, connect to your MP3 player, and last all day. We’d go into the full details but we have 4 other items to tell you about. So check out this interactive tutorial.
4. Leather and textile riding gear are designed to keep you warm and dry. Saddlebags are designed to keep your belongings safe from the elements. But maybe you want an extra layer of waterproof protection. Motorex Protex Spray has a long-lasting formula desinged to protect your gear from water and oils that could harm it. Best part is that it still allows for the materails to breathe naturally. Check out this demo.
3. Hate fumbling in your pocket for your garage door opener? Worry about stashing it in a tank bag or handlebar bag? Compatible with most brands of automatic openers, install the Remote Control Garage Door Opener Kit, and you’ll be opening your door by simply cycling your bike’s high-beam switch. Completely secure, this little gadget makes that simple task of opening your garage, that much simpler. See how it works.
2. Protect your investment with Harley-Davidson® Security Chains and Shackle Lock. Protects your motorcycle from being stolen and from being scratched by the lock’s surface. A nylon dust cover protects the lock from being comprised by weather and the key lights up for night time locking. The lock includes the “Key Safe” program that allows you to re-order keys if you lose them, and offers optional Anti-Theft Protection that will pay you up to $1,000 if your bike is stolen. Can you get that kind of protection from a lock you buy at the corner hardware store?
1. Boot scuffs. How many times have you put boot scuff marks on your freshly washed bike. Here is an item to prevent boot scuffs from cramping your style. Transparent Saddlebag Lid Paint Guard Kit. This is a transparent skin you apply to the top of your saddlebag lids, to protect from boot scuffs, road debris, keys, and jacket zippers.
What are some tricky little accessories you have found that have made your riding life a little easier?
