Some people might think this is funny...and we did have a little laugh with it here in the neighborhood. I will say now that I don't intend this to be a H-D bashing thread.
My neighbor bought a "used" 07 Street Bob a few weeks ago. Only 450 miles on it; I have to admit, I think it's a pretty sharp-looking bike. Leaving work this evening, he pulls out of the parking lot, and his shiny chrome Vance & Hines mufflers fall off his bike and bounce down the street behind him. Obviously, they're not shiny chrome any more. The two pipes on this bike are held together with a bracket, and are only attached to the bike by the clamps where the pipes connect to the headers. Apparently, the guy who sold him the bike (and who installed the V & H pipes) didn't tighten these clamps adequately, and they rattled loose. (I introduced my neighbor to Loc-tite this evening) The pipes are covered with a heat shield that got beat-up pretty bad, and just to replace this shield cost my neighbor about $300.
Several people on here have bought used bikes lately; check all the nuts, bolts, and fasteners...you never know how the previous owner maintained the bike. This was also a reminder to me to periodically check things on my own bike more often. Like I told my neighbor, at least it wasn't an axle bolt that worked loose...
Be safe,
Will
