B5 tank badge misalignment

[gremlin]

I think this is a factory defect that should be covered under warranty.
 
opinions ?

[motorat]

at least they spelled it right.

[mattsz]

Gremlin-

Going back into "the archives", we find a thread I started which included (among many other things) a complaint about my right-side tank badge.

The thread is: http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,15139.0.html

My badge:




I've decided that I'm not bothered by mine.  But yours is worse than mine - if yours bothers you, I think you should pursue a warranty replacement of that tank.  Here's part of a reply posted in that thread, directly from Kevin, in response to my photo:

I looked at the badge and it is further out of whack than I would accept.

Based on that statement, I would think that if a warranty repair request for yours crossed Kevin's desk, he would approve it.  I would give it a try...

[Royalista]

 
And this is how it should like:

http://royalenfield.com/images/data/Gallery_Images/big/bullet-500-efi-black-right-side-motorcycle.jpg

from the official website
Wonder how this could pass the quality control especially assigned to exports.
I can't imagine how this could not be set right under warranty.
Crossing my fingers for you.

[boggy]

gremlin,
that stinks! i would pursue a replacement. nothing like paying for a brand new thing that isn't perfect.  drives me bat sh!t insane.

100% agree with you, and don't think it's the least bit unreasonable.
boggy

[drbvac]

You want to get really freaked out == compare anything on one side of the bike with the other - nothin lines up 

[gremlin]

.....I've decided that I'm not bothered by mine.  But yours is worse than mine ........

It looks like yours is the same as mine, however, your pinstriping is not as high up the tank.
I think the mounting holes are level in the tank but not in the badge - perhaps these tanks were built for a different badge ?   

either way, I think it unfair to lay this on the acceptance of the machine.  How many people are able to identify all the flaws in a major purchase while being distracted by delivery chatter (up-selling of accessories and the service talk)  and final paperwork.  By the time one is finished with the delivery processes .....  it's naptime.

[drbvac]

As most of the striping is done freehand its probably the stripes that are not surrounding the mounted badge properly and throwing the perspective off - the metal looks fairly even on the badge but the stripes are off ??

[mattsz]

That is one of life's big mysteries - why is it only the right side of the tank that has the problem?  It's the same with some of the stick-on lettered tanks that have occasionally cropped up.  On my bike, the left side badge is a good 1/2 inch or more further forward than the right side badge - not just in relation to the stripes, but in relation to the front tank supports.  But then again, the tank is offset, presumably due to the fuel pump requirements, so I don't know what to think. 

I do know that before I bought my bike, enough people here assured me that there would be flaws in the fit and finish that I was expecting something like this - or at least not surprised by it.  So I don't know who should be the more shocked.  I've already owned, and sold, what many people say was, in it's day, the highest quality in motorcycles - I'm happier now.

Not that we should be footing the bill for this, but... NFG sells what looks like a replacement badge - minus the red reflective tape stripes.  It appears to have pre-drilled holes.  Hitchcocks has the same badge, but it appears to have the reflective tape stripes - and they may or may not be covering pre-drilled holes.  Maybe I could get a $12 replacement and drill different holes to line things up?

[Royalista]

I've been eyeballing to and fro between Gremlin's picture and the model. Unless I need new glasses and eye surgery I'd say it's not just the brass that is slanted and misaligned but the striping is offset too and uneven (look at the underside where the stripes widen out). I'd say the tank needs a full make-over.
One must admit the curves of the tank make this work incredibly difficult; the more I looked the more grew my admiration for those who mastered the art.

It reminds me of that story of a painter. Famous for his fine work with acute attention to detail, he would blew it by adding his signature broad stroked, paint dripping, across the canvas.
He was aging, this might have been an apprentice.

[mattsz]

This is old news by now, but I never get tired of watching this guy hand-painting the stripes... no wonder they aren't all exactly the same!  But I wonder who applies the guidelines he's following...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng

[JVS]

gremlin,

Just get a new tank under warranty, and same with the wings. Mine are thankfully in the correct position, not a striking difference between the two if you have a look at them in flesh -

[mattsz]

But now we have to consider warranty work - on the one hand, I understand how everyone has to cover their own ass, but I have to take my bike 4 hours to the nearest dealer I would even think about using.  If I could get a new and properly fitted out tank, I could easily replace it myself - but I was also assured by Kevin that warranty replacement parts are dealer-only.  Adds a certain sting to a decent warranty...

[Ducati Scotty]

Pursue warranty with your dealer.  If they're unresponsive contact CMW directly.  If that fails or if you're the DIY type like me, some double sided auto tape for mounting emblems and the like could sort this out in five minutes and put the emblem exactly where you want it.

Scott

[Jack Leis]

+1 Scotty