Harley recalls nearly 46,000 motorcycles

[nvmyf6]

Just heard about the recall, something about the clutches not disengaging..

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2015/04/24/harley-davidson-recall/26306037/

[taxfree4]

As usual Harley uses the public as their R&D.
In 2014 they recalled over 66,000 bikes because of the front wheel locking up.

[Steve 0080]

Be easy...Honda recalled a couple because the frame broke !!!!

All mass produced units will have trouble...search BMW...

[shooter]

Steve is right. Very few things are perfect in this world. Harley did the right thing by recalling the bikes instead of trying to avoid the issue.

[taxfree4]

True but this has been a habitual Harley problem over the years. In just 2 years they've recalled over 100,000 bikes. I've had a Kawasaki recall years ago but they contacted me, Kawasaki didn't wait for customers to get injured to acknowledge it. Their tourers have a deceleration rattle at 30-40 mph, which they still won't acknowledge, so my buddy, after 2 years of fighting with them, took a $1000 out of his pocket to change the front tubes and it went away. A little R&D by the company, instead of the consumers, would go a long way.

In case anyone needs to know, I have had numerous Harleys, Street Glides, Road Kings and traded a 2013 Harley Road Glide Custom for my F6B and have a 2012 Harley Sportser as a second bike (that I'm looking to dump for an Indian Scout).

[Steve 0080]

My problem is simple... I don't kick another man's bike...period. the hate has to stop somewhere and I chose to have it stop with me...the best/only way to get someone's attention is with your money !!!

[FlaMike]

Back in '04, I had to have the frame on my '03 Wing re-welded in a recall.
Also had a BMW during their Final Drive issues... dodged that one.
All bike companies can/have had issues, at one time or another. It's how they handle it the matters to me.




and have a 2012 Harley Sportser as a second bike (that I'm looking to dump for an Indian Scout).

Not to hi-jack but the Indian Scout is a blast to ride!! Demo'd it 3x @ Daytona. It WILL be my next 2nd bike. That liquid cooled little motor and 6 spd tranny are smooth. It certainly won't replace my F6 but it would be a hoot for around town.
Back to your regularly scheduled thread...

[taxfree4]

My problem is simple... I don't kick another man's bike...period. the hate has to stop somewhere and I chose to have it stop with me...the best/only way to get someone's attention is with your money !!!

I speak from personal experience not hate. Hate is an emotion based on fear and lack of knowledge, just the opposite here. I have had extensive experience and as recently as 3 years ago took a Harley dealer to court, and won. No one complains about Harleys more than Harley owners and mostly out of frustration because they love the bike but hate the way they're killing the brand. One of those ways is by cranking out bikes without doing proper R&D as demonstrated by Polaris just posted a 74% increase in motorcycle sales.

[Steve 0080]

As long as you feel better when your done......

[taxfree4]

Nothing to do with feelings, my original comment, they use the public as their R&D, was based on the recall was done due to "customer complaints", accidents and injuries due to a defective clutch master cylinder. I won in court due to a throttle lag, which can get you killed if you're trying to enter a highway, or change lanes, and you have a 1-2 second lag in throttle response. Harley knew about the problem, never admitted it, sent the bike out on the market anyway. These are legitimate, serious problems that could have and would have been caught had the proper R&D been done. And as an owner I definitely will hold their feet to the fire, especially when I hear they're still pulling the same bullshit with peoples lives.

[bobbyf6b]

Nothing to do with feelings, my original comment, they use the public as their R&D, was based on the recall was done due to "customer complaints", accidents and injuries due to a defective clutch master cylinder. I won in court due to a throttle lag, which can get you killed if you're trying to enter a highway, or change lanes, and you have a 1-2 second lag in throttle response. Harley knew about the problem, never admitted it, sent the bike out on the market anyway. These are legitimate, serious problems that could have and would have been caught had the proper R&D been done. And as an owner I definitely will hold their feet to the fire, especially when I hear they're still pulling the same bullshit with peoples lives.

Like my 2007 Street Glide. The crankshaft went out of balance at 35,000 miles. Lost oil pressure and could have blown the engine. Got it fixed under warranty but luckily I was in town and didn't get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Come to find out later it was a known problem with the first year 96ci engines in the touring models. The MoCo just rolled the dice since most of their bikes never see that many miles. I read about a lot of them while mine was down for two weeks. That was the most aggravating part, being without a bike for two weeks. The warranty would cover a rental CAR but not a motorcycle. I told them I ride a motorcycle and that's what I want but I didn't win that fight. Might not sound like a big deal but I only ride a motorcycle. It was frustrating. That's why I traded it for the F6B. I don't worry about it breaking down, but even if it does my dealer has loaner bikes. How cool is that?

[srt8-in-largo]

...

That was the most aggravating part, being without a bike for two weeks.

...


I know how that feels

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iNN1GkiVTQU/UtyPXT5YIhI/AAAAAAAABrk/7l-5EM-1_mI/s800/anigif_enhanced-buzz-8231-1355940746-2.gif

[srt8-in-largo]

Recalls are tough.

Everybody thinks that Jessie James and Orange County Choppers and other custom shops are good bike builders, but me, I don't think they necessarily are. They're good ARTISTS and builders of one-off bikes, but mass production is a whole 'nother ball game.

[taxfree4]

Like my 2007 Street Glide. The crankshaft went out of balance at 35,000 miles. Lost oil pressure and could have blown the engine. Got it fixed under warranty but luckily I was in town and didn't get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Come to find out later it was a known problem with the first year 96ci engines in the touring models. The MoCo just rolled the dice since most of their bikes never see that many miles. I read about a lot of them while mine was down for two weeks. That was the most aggravating part, being without a bike for two weeks. The warranty would cover a rental CAR but not a motorcycle. I told them I ride a motorcycle and that's what I want but I didn't win that fight. Might not sound like a big deal but I only ride a motorcycle. It was frustrating. That's why I traded it for the F6B. I don't worry about it breaking down, but even if it does my dealer has loaner bikes. How cool is that?

My point exactly, it is a dollars and cents call - Do we stop production on 10s of thousands - 100s of thousands of units, rework and correct the problem or does it pay to just send it out, payoff the injury/fatality cases and then do the recall. These discussions are always done with the blessings of the commercial law attorneys as no company makes a move without them. BTW my throttle lag was on a 2010 Street Glide too. Just to show you I'm not one sided I have a bone to pick with Honda and the F6B. You had a bike with cruise (Goldwing) you took the tour pack off, sleeked it out then you go ahead and downward engineer it and take the cruise out. Two years later you put it back in, silly bullshit stuff that pisses people off and another reason why Polaris posted a 1st quarter rise of 75% in motorcycle sales, which I personally think is from the Indian Scout. I know Honda is on the forum so stop jerking the consumer around, that's Harley's job.

[chipmaker]

Nobody makes a perfect machine.

Scout recalled for faulty rear brakes last month. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM474830/RCLRPT-15V142-6887.PDF

Reading their forum, sounds like they suffer from bad paint also... http://www.indianmotorcycles.net/threads/paint-problems-only-thread.2793/

[GNW]

Be easy...Honda recalled a couple because the frame broke !!!!

All mass produced units will have trouble...search BMW...

Oh, yes, yes. I was one of the lucky ones that bought a 2004. Not only did it have a frame recall, it had other problems I don't even want to mention. I have had problems with HD's but the 04 wing out numbered all the HD's I have owned.
I heard about the frame recalls but figured that by 04 Honda would have gotten that straightened out. But no !!
2001 - 2004 had frame recalls.
F6B is my first wing since 2004.

[bobbyf6b]

Oh, yes, yes. I was one of the lucky ones that bought a 2004. Not only did it have a frame recall, it had other problems I don't even want to mention. I have had problems with HD's but the 04 wing out numbered all the HD's I have owned.
I heard about the frame recalls but figured that by 04 Honda would have gotten that straightened out. But no !!
2001 - 2004 had frame recalls.
F6B is my first wing since 2004.

Not to throw US under the bus, but weren't those produced here in the states? Were the frames made here or shipped over?

[Phantom]

Not to throw US under the bus, but weren't those produced here in the states? Were the frames made here or shipped over?

Produced in Ohio.

The problem was not created by Honda ....

The problem was in the welding rods, they were manufactured with the incorrect blend of metal/formula which left AIR bubbles within the welds and created weak welds. The air bubbles within the welds is what caused the cracks due to the welds not having sufficient metal to sustain the weight or pressures from the motorcycle. It was NOT a Honda failure .... it was a supplier's failure.

[tozco]

Honda had a failure at the QC level, Honda's fault as much as the rod supplier.

[taxfree4]

Harley must be reading the forum, I got this in the mail today, it's their way of saying they're sorry.

[Bike44]

My name is **** and I'm a recovering motorcycleholic. Owned 51 since 1960 and am now riding a 2014 HD Road King.

However I'm considering going back to my 2013 Red F6B Deluxe which I've owned twice before...3rd time's a charm? Not sure why we separated twice, maybe it was me and not her. I'll know more next week about reconciling.

If I'm going to own an Asian/ASEAN motorcycle it may as well be made there. HD's come with many outsourced parts (China primarily) yet claim USA proudly on my fuel tank.

BTW I escaped the current recall as the Road King still uses a cable clutch, unlike the up-market CVO's that have hydraulics and this recall.

[Trike lady]

Honda has been using hydraulic clutches on Wings since 1984 on the GL1200 and they don't seem to be a problem if the fluid is changed and the system flushed. How can new vehicles have a problem with technology that has been used on a motorcycle since 1984? My guess is cheap components, seals that cannot stand up to DOT4 brake fluid, poor tolerances of the internals?
:stirthepot:

[taxfree4]

Had a 2004 Road King, never had a problem with that bike and probably was my favorite of all my Harleys. I could sit on it all day, I used to call it the Road Sofa.

[Bike44]

Had a 2004 Road King, never had a problem with that bike and probably was my favorite of all my Harleys. I could sit on it all day, I used to call it the Road Sofa.

Like us they've matured, primarily due to upgrades in the frame and changes to the new Rushmore engine line (both air and water cooled models).

No more loose rear suspension wallowing their way through a turn. And with upgraded cams and ECM programming, Stage upgrades aren't really required to get average performance from the dated engine design.

Still they are what they are...a sheep in wolves clothing that mid-life Boomers feel satisfy their last wave to shore ride. They do maintain residual value. But with all the recent recalls (several on clutches and other components) the love affair may be loosing that *spark* for some, and resale value may as well.

However HD isn't immune...The recent BMW's I had all required component change outs due to infant mortality caused by outsourced components that failed. The parts bin of the World contains some crappy stuff today.

Edit: Per HD SB M-1402A simply removing the master cylinder and rinsing it in distilled water, followed by an Isopropyl alcohol flush, will neutralize the offending problem...bubbles formed in the brake fluid reducing the available clutch hydraulic system pressure.