Ain't nobody gonna stop our flags

[Payman]

Dumbass has enough flags on the back of his bike to effectively make it a parachute. Harley Davison denies the warranty claim on his busted transmission, but somehow HD is stomping on his patriotic rights. 





A hog-riding former lawmaker from Wisconsin claims that Harley-Davidson voided his motorcycle's repair warranty because of the patriotic flags he let fly from the back of his chopper.

However, Harley-Davidson says the warranty is still in effect and just his warranty claim has been denied.

David Zien, who served in the State Senate from 1993 to 2006, said he was told by the motorcycle behemoth it would not honor the warranty after the clutch and transmission failed on a recent ride to Dallas, claiming that that the American flag-- as well as other banners-- caused unneeded wind resistance, according to the Journal Sentinel of Milwaukee.

"All they said was, because I fly flags on the bike, there's no warranty on the powertrain," Zien told the newspaper.

Harley-Davidson told the paper Zien's warranty is still valid, but the claim he filed had to be denied because the bike was not made to handle wind resistance from multiple flags at highway speeds.

"The issue isn't that the flags are heavy," Harley spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim told the Journal-Sentinel, "but they provide terrific drag on the engine and the transmission, especially when the bike is at highway speeds."

She added that the flag mounts that Zien used were not Harley products.

"When you alter a motorcycle with non-compliant products, that does impact your ability to make a warranty claim," she said.

Zien is an avid biker who has been riding since the 1970s and has always done so with multiple flags on his bike. His 1991 Harley is on display at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in South Dakota.

He currently has seven flags flying from his bike including the Stars and Stripes as well as an NRA flag.

"Ain't nobody gonna stop our flags, not even Harley-Davidson corporate," Zien told the paper.

Click here for more from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

[12,000 RPM]

This dude is an idiot but I call shenanigans on HD. Are these flags a bigger load than a pillion? Riding into a head wind? Etc etc.

[Payman]

This dude is an idiot but I call shenanigans on HD. Are these flags a bigger load than a pillion? Riding into a head wind? Etc etc.

Those huge flags at highway speed create as much drag as a small parachute, and would put a lot of strain on the engine and transmission.

[MX793]

Based on the sounds they make when changing gears, I don't put a lot of faith in H-D transmissions anyway.  One article I recently read likened the sound generated when engaging first gear on a Harley to that of a minor car collision, and that's pretty apt from my experience.

[12,000 RPM]

I would think a flag going parallel to wind would have much less drag than a flag going perpendicular to it

And yea I don't have much faith in HD design or build quality

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Harley's have been able to(for years) put up with the drag created by the massive heads of it's average rider.

On a more serious note, that is a HUGE amount of resistance. Frankly they denied the warranty on a factual and relevant basis. As stated, his warranty is still valid. It's just the claim that has been denied. So him going around spouting off nonsense that harley is voiding the warranty(which they aren't) because he has flags on his bike is just him being a douchebag(surprise, he is a harley man afterall). Plus this guy was a politician, so I wouldn't believe a single word out of his mouth. He might have blown the transmission doing a 4 speed burnout for all I know.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I would think a flag going parallel to wind would have much less drag than a flag going perpendicular to it

And yea I don't have much faith in HD design or build quality

Take one of those bigger flags he has there and stand in a pickup truck and try to hold it up at freeway speeds. You'll get a pretty good idea of why harley(rightfully) denied his claim. All those flags could be as much as 200 lbs of force being exerted on the bike at speeds of 60-70MPH. Multiply that over thousands of miles and it's amazing the bike didn't break sooner. As MX stated, they aren't exactly built well.

[12,000 RPM]

200lbs is about the average weight of a Harley pillion. Plus Harleys rarely see 60 MPH. I still don't see the problem.

[MX793]

200lbs is about the average weight of a Harley pillion. Plus Harleys rarely see 60 MPH. I still don't see the problem.

A 200 lb pillion doesn't create 200 lbs of drag.

[Soup DeVille]

So, why's the guy giving a princess wave to an empty street anyways?

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I'm sure his douchebag buddy(He's a politician, so i'm sure he knows a bunch of lawyers) thought it would be a great picture to drum up some support from other dummies.

[Soup DeVille]

By the way, those flags look pretty ripped up. He should burn them properly.

[Raza]

I hope this gets Harley enough negative publicity that they go out of business and I don't have to listen to  BWUBWUBWUBBRRRRRAAAAAABWUBWUBWUBWUB so loud it hurts my ears while just sitting in traffic.   

[CALL_911]

I hope this gets Harley enough negative publicity that they go out of business and I don't have to listen to  BWUBWUBWUBBRRRRRAAAAAABWUBWUBWUBWUB so loud it hurts my ears while just sitting in traffic.

Same

[Rupert]

Yeah.

[280Z Turbo]

Harley Davidson will go out of business when the baby boomers get too old to ride.

[Rupert]

But first they will sell more trikes.

[280Z Turbo]

I'd like to see some calculations. I guess the idea is that the clutch was slipping at highway speeds due to this mystery amount of drag. I call bullshit.

[MX793]

Harley Davidson will go out of business when the baby boomers get too old to ride.

There's quite a lot of younger/new riders buying H-Ds.

[12,000 RPM]

I'd like to see some calculations. I guess the idea is that the clutch was slipping at highway speeds due to this mystery amount of drag. I call bullshit.

Im thinking the same

[MX793]

I'd like to see some calculations. I guess the idea is that the clutch was slipping at highway speeds due to this mystery amount of drag. I call bullshit.

I likewise doubt that the drag would have caused the clutch to slip at cruising speeds without him noticing it.  I also kind of doubt he was riding at highway speeds with all of those flags flying (maybe some of the smaller ones, but not the bigger ones).  At speed, those larger flags will pull you all over the road if you experience even the lightest cross-winds.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Is this the bike that is in the picture?

It looks like it's over 15 years old, that can't be the bike he had the warranty issue over.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I'd like to see some calculations. I guess the idea is that the clutch was slipping at highway speeds due to this mystery amount of drag. I call bullshit.

There are alot of 1/2 ton truck owners that towed loads well under the rated maximum and still suffered transmission failures. Any amount of towing requires at least the installation of a transmission cooler. Increased load is increased strain on the drivetrain. Even 20 lbs will mathematically increases the load(albeit by a miniscule amount).

Are harleys rated to tow anything at all? I know some guys have little trailers they pull, is the bike rated for that.

To me it's like towing something with a compact car that is not rated to tow anything. So you throw a hitch on it and tow a little trailer all over hell with it. When the tranny blows out the manufacturer wouldn't honor that claim either.

[Soup DeVille]

Is this the bike that is in the picture?

It looks like it's over 15 years old, that can't be the bike he had the warranty issue over.

No, that's an earlier bike. The pic is one he has posted on his website

[Minpin]

Harley Davidson will go out of business when the baby boomers get too old to ride.

I see people my age riding HD quite often. Especially here in the city, very popular with the hipster crowd.

[MrH]

I see people my age riding HD quite often. Especially here in the city, very popular with the hipster crowd.

Really?  I thought something like a Triumph would be more fitting.  Those chicago hipsters, so unpredictable!

[280Z Turbo]

There's quite a lot of younger/new riders buying H-Ds.

That's unfortunate.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I see people my age riding HD quite often. Especially here in the city, very popular with the hipster crowd.

Same here in Cleveland! One of the guys I ride with sold hie CBR and got a Street Glide! At bike night each year I see more custom HB than Any other bikes.

[Madman]

A hog-riding former lawmaker from Wisconsin claims that Harley-Davidson voided his motorcycle's repair warranty because of the patriotic flags he let fly from the back of his chopper.

That's not a chopper.