2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Flhtcu

WHEN CITY DRIVING AT 25 MPH ON DRY PAVEMENT, AS YOU ARE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND APPLYING THE REAR BRAKES IF YOU HIT A SMALL BUMP, THE ABS SYSTEM RESTRICTS YOUR BRAKING ABILITY AND THE MOTORCYCLE WILL ROLL INTO THE INTERSECTION BEFORE STOPPING. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED THIS BIKE.

REAR BRAKE LINE WAS WORN THRU AND LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND USE OF REAR BRAKE. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE CLUTCH CABLE IN CONTACT WITH THE REAR BRAKE LINE. THE VEHICLE HAD 64,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE FAILURE WAS WHEN APPROACHING A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AND I WAS TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THE STOP WAS MADE USING THE FRONT BRAKE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE FOOT BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE FRONT BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WAS NO BRAKE FLUID VISIBLE ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WERE AIR BUBBLES IN THE BRAKE LINES. THE MECHANIC BLED THE FOOT BRAKE LINES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,102.

MY FRONT BRAKE LEVER LOCKED UP! NO FRONT BRAKES!! ABSOLUTELY NO MOVEMENT AT ALL WHEN APPLYING FRONT BRAKE, WITH OR WITHOUT BIKE BEING STARTED! NO ABS LIGHT ON. THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT (AFTER REVIEWS OF MANY OF THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKE DOING SAME AS MINE, ON MANY DIFFERENT FORUMS), IT'S DUE TO A DEFECTIVE ABS VALVE MODULE, THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. AGAIN, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, THE ABS VALVE MODULE IS SUPPOSED TO GO INTO MANUAL MODE AND I WOULD STILL HAVE AT LEAST SOME FRONT BRAKES! I HAVE NOTHING, NONE! NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON, AND ABS LIGHT OPERATED NORMALLY! BEING A MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER, I'VE GOT TO BELIEVE SOMEONE THERE REALIZES THAT THE FRONT BRAKE IS 70% OF A BIKE'S STOPPING POWER.. ARE THEY WAITING FOR A DEATH TOLL SIMILAR TO FIRESTONE/EXPLORER ROLLOVERS, TO BE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING TO PREVENT THE CERTAIN ACCIDENTS THAT WILL CERTAINLY BE CAUSED DO TO THIS?!? THIS OCCURRED YESTERDAY, WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO TAKE THE BIKE OUT OF THE GARAGE. THANK GOD, FROM DRIVING TRACTOR TRAILERS FOR 25 YRS, I'M ANAL ABOUT MY "PRE-TRIP" INSPECTION, AND I DISCOVERED IT THEN, RATHER THAN ON THE ROAD WHEN IT WAS NEEDED!!

08 ULTRA CLASSIC ANNIVERSARY ISSUE. SAME ABS LOCKUP ON FRONT BRAKES, AS IT WAS MOVED TO OTHER SIDE OF BASEMENT, WHEN I NOTICED THAT I ONLY HAD ABOUT HALF INCH OF MOVEMENT. 3 WEEKS LATER, I GET READY TO RIDE AND THE FRONT BRAKE HAD NO MOVEMENT. TRACED BACK TO ABS MOD. THESE VALVES IN THE MODULE SHOULD NOT LOCK OUT ON A MECHANICAL FAIL, THE SPRINGS SHOULD FORCE THE VALVE SPOOLS INTO OPEN POSITION, PISS POOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING THAT WILL GET SOMEONE KILLED IF NOT ALREADY HAPPENED. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO LEVER TESTS IN THAT 3 WEEKS, I RAN THE MOTOR FOR 10MINS FOR BATTERY CHARGE AFTER I MOVED IT. I DID START IT UP AFTER, THE LOCKED BRAKE, BUT NO CHANGE. I'M LUCKY I CHECKED BEFORE LEAVING HOME BECAUSE MY HOUSE IS ON A HILL. NOW AFTER SEEING HOW DANGEROUS THIS SITUATION COULD BE, I'M THINKING ABOUT HAVING THE ABS SYSTEM BYPASSED, UNTIL THEY MECHANICALLY RE-ENGINEERED THAT DANGEROUS VALVE MODULE. BESIDES, AFTER RIDING FOR 44YRS BEFORE THIS BEAUTY OF A BEAST, I'VE HATED THE ABS SYSTEM FROM THE BEGINNING. THIS IS FROM THE HARLEY FORUM - "THESE "LOCKED PEDAL OR LEVER" ABS MALFUNCTIONS RESULTING IN NO BRAKE ARE GETTING FAR TOO COMMON. PLEASE FILE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE NTSB. THESE ABS MODULES NEED TO BE REDESIGNED AND RETROFITTED AT NO COST BEFORE PEOPLE START GETTING KILLED."

WHILE COMING TO A SLOW STOP USING BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES THE FOOT PEDAL FOR THE REAR BRAKES FELT SOFT AND WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR BOARD. UPON STOPPING THE MOTORCYCLE I NOTICED BRAKE FLUID DRIPPING FROM UNDER THE MOTOR. DURING EXAMINATION I SAW THAT THE REAR BRAKE LINE WAS LEAKING AT THE POINT WHERE THE CLUTCH CABLE CROSSES BETWEEN THE MOTOR AND THE LINE. THE VIBRATION OF THE MOTOR APPARENTLY CAUSED THE CLUTCH CABLE TO WEAR A HOLE IN THE REAR BRAKE LINE DUE TO THE ROUTING OF THE TWO PARTS. *TR

WHILE RIDING MY 2008 FLHTCU AT LOW SPEEDS MY FRONT BREAK LEVER BECAME FROZEN IN PLACE, THE LEVER WOULD NOT ENGAGE THE BRAKES AT ALL. THE BIKE DID NOT DISPLAY ANY FAULT CODES. I TOOK THE BIKE TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY VERIFIED MY ABS MODULE HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACED. MY COMPLAINT IS, THE BIKE WAS IN GOOD MECHANICAL CONDITION AND WITH OUT WARNING I HAD A CATASTROPHIC BREAK FAILURE. I BELIEVE THIS WARRANTS AN INVESTIGATION BECAUSE OF THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE BREAKS ARE TO RIDING A MOTORCYCLE AND HOW MANY DEATHS ARE DUE TO OR FUTURE ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS. I HAVE SEEN ONLINE OTHER OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE AND EXITING ON THE OFF RAMP, I EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FRONT BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED BY A MALFUNCTIONING ABS MODULE. THE FRONT BRAKE COULD NOT BE APPLIED. THE BRAKE LEVER WAS FROZEN AS IF IT WERE WELDED IN PLACE.. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING PRIOR TO THIS TIME. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE BIKE USING THE BACK BRAKE ONLY AND NOT BY A LARGE MARGIN! AFTER THE INCIDENT THE BRAKE LEVER REMAINED FROZEN AND I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE PROBLEM YET. AFTER A LOT OF HEAD SCRATCHING I WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE ABS MODULE IS NOT ALLOWING ANY BRAKE FLUID TO PASS THROUGH. THIS CAUSES THE BRAKE LEVER TO FREEZE. *TR