2019 Hellcat from familygokarts fails 2nd inspection.

[scoot newb]

I took the Hellcat for another inspection. It failed. I was told the bearings in the headset were problematic. With the front wheel off the ground you could feel some resistance when turning the bars. I said to the guy, I don't ride with the front wheel off the ground.


This shop that does the inspections is kind of boutique. Kind of high end and backhandedly talked shit about my bike. I get it. It is what it is. But I thought he was being too douchey at this point. I left without paying and went to a Harley oriented shop that gave me a sticker.

I'm not sure why I posted this. Maybe I just wanted some feedback. Sure the headset bearings may be flat in some areas but shops charging a grand over MSRP should be closed on site.

[RedCrowRides]

It's their job to inspect the bike, not give their opinion of it , or on it. Sounds like they don't need to be doing state inspections if that is how they operate .That said , I had to disassemble the triple tree on my Vader and regrease the steering stem bearings when i assembled mine, there was next to no grease at all in there ( if you can even call the stuff China put in there grease ) and the long ocean trip in a shipping container had let the salt air cause some surface rust and that , along with the very small amount of grease made it feel " notchy ".I cleaned out what i could, packed it with good grease and it was perfect , super smooth no more catching or notchiness.


At some point i think i'm actually going to go back and drill / tap / add a zerk fitting to the steering neck ,there's plenty of room to do so .


Anyways I'm glad you got it stickered in the end and can put some miles on her without having to worry about the Cops lol.

[JerryHawk250]

Glad to see you got it stickered. A place like that would get any kind of business from me.
RedCrowRiders brings up a good point about greasing up the head set bearing. I installed a grease zerk in the steering column and pumped it full of grease and did the same for the swing arm.

[2LZ]

I do have to admit, with all the BS we put up with here in CA, inspections aren't required. Once a bike is CARB approved, done deal.
I'm glad the HD-type shop took care of you. They're usually pretty laid back. The one I frequented used to give you DOT stickers for the back of your brain buckets.

[cbrfxr67]

I'm with JHawk on that one,...I wouldn't give them any business. f them. Glad you got it legal. My vader has started feeling a tiny sticky in the steering. I'm guessing I need to do that next lol

[scoot newb]

Thanks all.

Imm'a try to add grease this weekend.

[kirbo7106]

Originally Posted by RedCrowRides

At some point i think i'm actually going to go back and drill / tap / add a zerk fitting to the steering neck ,there's plenty of room to do it.

JerryHawk250 did that on his Hawk. The holes were already there. He plugged the lower one and tapped the other one for a grease fitting. I did the same and it works great!

[scoot newb]

Originally Posted by kirbo7106

JerryHawk250 did that on his Hawk. The holes were already there. He plugged the lower one and tapped the other one for a grease fitting. I did the same and it works great!

That sounds a little advanced for me. I barely made it through the fender delete.

[Hellkitty]

My Hellcat turns smooth but I want to upgrade the bearings because I'm sure they are not the best quality. I use mine primarly for trail riding so I want to avoid any potential issues. I'm not sure if Grom bearings will fit, does anyone know?

[FamilyGoKarts]

Hey scoot newb, just a quick note to let you know I posted over on kirbo7106's thread about his damaged Hellcat in case you don't notice it.

Basically, just wanted to let you know I'm around in case I can be of any assistance.

FamilyGoKarts doesn't get mentioned often on here, but when we do I try to pop in and say Hi and help where I can.

Brad

[scoot newb]

I saw it and replied. I think it would be better if you responded to us directly instead of trying to do damage control on a public forum. I am 2 weeks in and familygokarts hasn't taken any action to address the damaged merchandise or attempt to get the bike up to DOT or State standards. Instead I get a reply from Jeff every few days asking me to reiterate the problems with the bike and making excuses. Replacement parts haven't been sent and if I didn't spend money out of pocket, it wouldn't even be running.

[FamilyGoKarts]

I will check into it for you. I don't handle support issues, but I'm happy to escalate your ticket.

Please understand, I'm just trying to help. Being uncooperative just gums up the works.

[scoot newb]

Originally Posted by FamilyGoKarts

I will check into it for you. I don't handle support issues, but I'm happy to escalate your ticket.

Please understand, I'm just trying to help. Being uncooperative just gums up the works.

I hope you're not implying I'm being uncooperative. I've taken many photos and have gone over in detail each problem more than once with Jeff. I don't understand why my (and other members problems) weren't escalated in the first place. If you can help great, but all I see is damage control at this point.

[wlfpck]

Not sure where you're located, but I took mine into a car shop. For motorcycles, they just check to see if you have headlight, tail light, etc.

$7 for the inspection and I'm on my way. May have convinced a couple guys there to pick up an Ice Bear Fuerza. lol.

You could always upgrade the triple tree. Lots of chinese companies have replacements that include front forks as well.

[scoot newb]

Originally Posted by wlfpck

Not sure where you're located, but I took mine into a car shop. For motorcycles, they just check to see if you have headlight, tail light, etc.

$7 for the inspection and I'm on my way. May have convinced a couple guys there to pick up an Ice Bear Fuerza. lol.

You could always upgrade the triple tree. Lots of chinese companies have replacements that include front forks as well.

I ended up getting it inspected at a Harley shop. It passed.