Cracking rear fender trim piece

[West Coast Struttin]

Anyone get this crack on the fender piece that contains the lower tail light? I know its hard to see here, wish i could draw an arrow to point it out. I repaired it on the backside using JB Weld and a strip of plastic. Should keep it from spreading. The material is so thin there , just handling it off the bike could snap it.

 

[TomA]

There is a couple of threads on here about this happening. Most have just replaced this piece and some under warranty from what I recall.

 

[Tbird]

Yes, I noted exactly the same over the winter. This trim, or fascia as HD call it, is secured by three nuts either side but is a push fit at the base into a bracket under the fender. After using Loctite glue to repair the crack, I packed out the base fitting and secured the nuts to eliminate any movement. With hindsight, I do remember watching that rear light unit wobble when the bike was ticking over on its side stand but thought it was just another Harley quirk. Basically, it's down to poor design and factory assembly.

 

[West Coast Struttin]

I agree, should be twice as thick at that spot.

 

[Jimrogers74]

Just ordered my 3rd one because they keep breaking. I’d like to devise a good method to shore up the strength. I’ve had those little bolt forks [3 per side] break, and now the whole bottom part broke off and was swinging yesterday. You can’t just unplug it and throw it in the saddle bag, or the taillights are gone.
The engineers….

 

[Emily Smith]

You are not the only one on that score. The same crack caught my eye on mine, and I couldn’t believe how weak that part is when out of the fender. The back there is made of thinner plastic than it is supposed to be, and so ordinary vibration and bumps only serve to wear at it over a period.

Your JB Weld repair is just the thing many of us have been experimenting with, anything that prevents the flow assists. I could recall how the entire light unit was trembling on the side stand and how I assumed that it was one of the minor quirks of Harley, but it was actually a weak design.

Other guys just swap the trim, and some have had it covered by warranty when the bike was new. It appears to prolong the life of the replacements to pack out the bottom bracket and tighten things down.

I concur with all here that the place ought to have been made twice as thick in the factory. Until Harley alters it, stiffening it is as well as we can do.

Thanks for posting the photo and the fix, practical hints such as that of the real world are what make this forum so valuable.