[nomadsmg]

This last Thursday night dropped my 2012 Cross Country with just over 45k miles of at the Dealership to get my Rear Tire replaced again. They it turns out have had the best prices in my area and so they are the only ones to have my rear wheel off.

Got a call the next morning advising me that when the Tech removed the axle nut to remove the rear tire, my right side Swing Arm just fell apart. Posting the picture they sent me of my swing arm and another picture of a complete undamaged one for referance.

Appears the axle nut was the only thing holding it together and I was lucky it didn’t separate while climbing or descending any of the severe grades I routinely travel.

Of course my extended Polaris warranty ran out this last December (12/2014), but the Dealership is planning to contact Polaris and see if they will give me Good Will Coverage for this $1,200.00 repair.

Has anyone else seen anything like this before?

 

[red_bagger]

This Victory is my first one but I have never seen that on the Vog before. Do you have it lowered were maybe you bottomed out hard.

 

[AndyNorth]

I bet the axle was torqued off center.

 

[nomadsmg]

Stock Suspension, NOT Lowered.

Love the Handling and it's already low enough that i can sit with my feet flat on the ground. Wouldn't want to do anything to negatively impact the amount the Cross Country can lean when I'm chasing Sport Bikes up Palomar mountain or the Ortega
Highway.

Far as I know, have not bottomed out.

 

[vision_nut]

did you loose a sprocket bolt. That would take out the swing arm.
look to see the sprocket bolts look new or does one look new.
There some good used cheap ones on ebay

 

[ammo_umb]

Clean metal on the broken end seems suspicious. It looks like it happened recently enough that it was never ridden like that.

 

[rwilly]

That is crazy!

I have never heard of that happening. It does look like a recent brake.
Polaris will undoubtedly step up for this one I believe, it is a very, very serious manufacturing defect, or the bike was terribly mishandled.

You are lucky that it didn't separate when you were riding.

That is the side with the pulley, so the torque would've been keeping the pieces together, but had the pulley been on the other side it would've came apart upon acceleration.

I wonder how this will play out.

 

[primethious]

I wonder if the tech had the 165lb tq impact wrench on tighten instead of loosen, or whacked it with a dead blow hammer. That cracked piece has no dirt in it, and looks brand new.

 

[Flyboy]

Wow that is a scary break, please keep us advised as it seems to be an isolated incident thus far and I hope it remains so. I presume that are cast aluminum...

 

[nomadsmg]

Swung by the Dealership and took some pictures myself. They are planning on submitting the Claim Monday, said on average Polaris Warranty responds with 48 hours. Have to see what they say.

 

[bikerdeano]

Their eagerness to file a claim, despite your warranty having expired, might be a clue as to who broke it.

 

[K1ll3m@LL]

I agree they seem to be in CYA mode

 

[Geoff_C]

wow how lucky you were that it was discovered while changing the tyre,this could have been much worse. I am not expert but it looks like a clean break I would be asking if it is a metal defect issue or a matter of the wheel nut being over tighten?
I am sure Polaris will come through with a warranty claim as your warranty only just ran out and most times even car manufactures cover warranties that are just out of the time frame. Best of luck please keep us up to date.
Cheers
Geoff

 

[unbidden]

Just a thought; if MA Vic doesn't good will the needed work you may be able to get the repair covered via your insurance company by claiming it was pothole damage. Minus the deductible that should make the cost much more palatable.

 

[rwilly]

Break not brake.

I dropped out of skool don't ya know.

 

[bikendad]

That break looks Very clean and new. If you had been riding it "cracked" there should be road grime and oxidation where that nice shiney new break is......

 

[DirtyTwin]

Something stinks on this deal!
I doubt that you could ever wail on an axle bolt enough to create enough compression to fracture the swing arm!, I have had aluminum swingarms on dirt bikes that people have brought to me to fix, that they gorilla'd the axle bolt so bad they crushed the wheel spacers!
and even still rode long enough to wallow the wheel bearings and/or hub, and have taken way bigger "pot hole" hits than you are ever going to find on the Ortega Highway!
Nope, this has "tech" did something stupid written all over it! (maybe not this tech, but a tech before him!), and my money is on the last tech that changed your tires, I am guessing he was wailing on the axle when he was putting it back IN, and fractured the swing arm, as far as it falling apart when you are riding, I doubt it, the slotted axle keeper on the pulley side would still have purchase on the part of the swing arm that is attached to the bike, the worst that could happen is that the axle could slide to the back, (away from the engine) which would tighten the belt, sure the slotted axle keeper would be carrying all the force, which is exactly how it's designed, but from your pictures it looks to have still had about 50 percent of the bearing surface intact, and I don't see any scoring by the axle keeper sliding front to back on either piece of what is left of your swingarm.
While not "optimum" in it's current configuration, I doubt, as ice road truckers loves to state it would be, "catastrophic failure and certain death!"
Good news is, you are getting a new swing arm, I am guessing your mechanic, not Polaris is picking up the cost, I am also guessing you are about to begin a pissing match with your dealer, when he discovers he is buying you a new swing arm.
Just out of interest, was your new tire installed on the rim?

 

[catwrench59]

Only way I can see that breaking in the manner it did. Is for the axle bolt to have been at full torque while over tightening the adjuster bolt to make a final adjustment perhaps. If it was broke while riding I dought that the piece would have stayed put for 1 and as stated the break wouldn't be clean. I hope this works out to your satisfaction.

 

[rwilly]

In your 2nd pic, you can see all the "filings" or aluminum dust on the sprocket and around the break, maybe it isn't so fresh after all?

 

[BMC55]

As I read this thread panic immediately set in. Realizing the possibilities with this kind of failure is sobering to say the least. Hopefully Polaris will step up.