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Gas Cap

16-Special

16-Special

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Nov 3, 2015
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Hey guys, I was curious and searched on here but found nothing...
Have any on you had problems with the gas cap being extremely hard to turn on or off the tank? I am having trouble with mine and so is a buddy. Both 2016 SGS.. When I first bought it back in November it was fine but here recently it has been hard to twist.
 
i've got a 2016 and i have no problem taking it off, however putting it on..............feels like i'm cross threading it.
 
Myself, and another buddy have '16 Street Glide Specials, and another has a '16 Road Glide Special. We all three experience the trouble in removing and putting back in the gas cap - and that feeling like we're almost cross threading it.

Our other friend has a '15 Street Glide Special, and his gas cap screws in and comes off like it's coated in butter! My other two buddies tried his cap and it threaded into their tanks easier, but it still felt forced screwing into mine - so we're not quite sure whether its the '16 caps, or the thread in the '16 tanks.

What I've started doing, is after filling up with gas, I tap the tip of the gas nozzle on the threads of the gas cap, getting a couple drops of gas on the threads. This acts as lubrication, and makes threading the cap back in much easier. Although, of course, by the time it's time to fill up the tank again, the threads of the gas cap have dried and it again provides resistance when trying to remove it.
 
Not sure if the 2016's are the same as the 2015's, but our local dealer has a tool that actually enlarges the threads on the tank. I think they have had issues with some being too tight in the past. You may want to check at your dealer and see if they can "ream" the tank threads.
 
YES I have noticed on the last (2) fill ups it feels tight like it was cross threaded. 2016 SGS
 
fishin1789 said:
Not sure if the 2016's are the same as the 2015's, but our local dealer has a tool that actually enlarges the threads on the tank. I think they have had issues with some being too tight in the past. You may want to check at your dealer and see if they can "ream" the tank threads.
Click to expand...

Any chance there's a technical bulletin on this? The dealers in my area suck. I called all the local dealerships just now, and they all claim they've never heard of anything like this, and want me to make service appointments for them to check it out. I really don't want to have to drag my bike down to the dealer just for them to play it off like this is totally normal simply because they've never encountered this before.
 
Update: I found one dealer nearby that actually says they've encountered this before and the solution is a gas cap replacement under warranty... I might actually ride out to this dealer since they're at least acknowledging people are having issues.

Will any dealer honor the warranty? Or do you think they'll tell me I have to get it taken care of at the dealer I bought the bike from?
 
Update 2 - Electric Boogaloo!: I went ahead and took my bike down to the dealership that mentioned they heard of this issue and that a warranty gas cap replacement should do the trick... They took down my bike's info, played with my existing gas cap to verify it was a pain in the ass to remove and screw back in, then went to their parts department and got me a new gas cap under warranty, and that was that! In and out in 10 minutes, and the new gas cap screws in and out with no resistance at all (as it should have in the first place)!

The guy at the service desk, when he came out to check out my gas cap before grabbing a new one, was amazed that I put up with it as long as I had, he admitted it was 'horrible'!

I'm a happy biker now... If you are having this issue, take your bike to the dealer and get a new cap under warranty. It may or may not help to call around and find a dealer that's actually encountered this before (like I did), to save from potentially being hassled.
 
I had been scratching my head wondering why I could not get the cap on without several minutes of contortions. PITA.
 
Thanks guys, good to know I'm not the only one.. hate it for all of us. Guess I will be making a trip to the dealer this weekend for a replacement.
 
I feel like enough of us are affected that this should be a sticky... Maybe a mod will find there way over to this thread and do that.

No man should be forced to live with a ill-fitting gas cap! Especially if the dealerships will replace it under warranty!
 
I would like to thank 16-Special for starting this thread because if he didn't I would not have known that this was a cap problem and not me. Good job Prospect!:cool::cool::cool:
I went to H.D. today and got it fixed
 
1biker said:
I would like to thank 16-Special for starting this thread because if he didn't I would not have known that this was a cap problem and not me. Good job Prospect!:cool::cool::cool:
I went to H.D. today and got it fixed
Click to expand...

Thanks brother! I feel better knowing it's not just me lol
 
Update- so I went to Smokin Harley in Winston-Salem NC this morning and explained what was going on, whom I have bought my last two motorcycles from. The new guy in the service department told me he didn't have time for me, that all the techs were busy and that he could fit me in tomorrow. With it being a 30 minute ride from the house I said, but it wont take but just a minute. He looked down and said I can get you in this afternoon, can you come back? I wound up leaving and riding to Cox's in Ashboro NC. When I got there and explained what was going on the tech stopped what he was doing and went out to look at the bike. He said that they had a tool to run down in the tank to clean the threads that sometimes the paint would make it hard to turn the gas cap. He said if that didn't work then it had to be the gas cap. Well, it didn't work, he grabbed a new gas cap, installed under warranty code and I was literally ready to ride in 7 minutes. It just blew my mind how my "home town dealer" treated me over such a simple fix. After this day Cox's may have just gained my business. Rant over... ride easy brothers and sisters.
 
Wow, I can't believe HD couldn't quality control a freak'n gas cap. Is it just the 16s ?
 
It's not just the 16's. I first heard about the problem in May of last year while my 2015 was getting a new tranny!
 
I have the same problem, it is so bad I have to wear my gloves to get enough grip on the cap. It feels like the top of the cap is going to break off.

I will have them put in a replacement when I get my 1000 mile service.
 
Took my bike to the dealer for some other work, mentioned the issue - first they had ever heard of it, said they would "take a look at it while it was there"
 
16-Special said:
... The new guy in the service department told me he didn't have time for me, that all the techs were busy and that he could fit me in tomorrow. With it being a 30 minute ride from the house I said, but it wont take but just a minute. He looked down and said I can get you in this afternoon, can you come back? I wound up leaving and riding to Cox's in Ashboro NC. ...
Click to expand...

This is the attitude of most of my local dealers, which is exactly why I called around first. I can't believe the gall of most of them to insist on making a full-on service appointment rather than simply take the 6 steps from behind the counter to the bike outside and try to turn the gas cap. The one I finally found that actually agreed to take the 10 seconds to walk out to my bike and see the gas cap was ridiculously difficult to thread in and out of the tank without me having to make a service appointment, had me in and out of the dealership in under 10 minutes, just as you experienced.

(For those in Southern CA, this was the Fullerton, CA dealership - which is incidentally named Los Angeles Harley Davidson of Anaheim in Fullerton, because while they provide great service, they apparently aren't real sure of what city they are in.)
 
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