2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Flhtcu

WHILE RIDING AT 60MPH, THE ENGINE SLOWED THE BIKE DOWN TO 25MPH. I WAS LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT IN TRAFFIC WHERE A SURPRISE SLOW DOWN WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. I WAS ABLE TO RIDE THE BIKE ON THE SHOULDER AT 25MPH, AND LET TRAFFIC GO AROUND ME UNTIL THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAFELY GET OFF OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND WAITED 4 TO 5 MINUTES. I THEN RESTARTED THE ENGINE, THE ENGINE RESPONDED NORMALLY, AND I RODE HOME WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS. THE LAST TIME WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS FOR ME AS I WAS IN 55MPH, ALMOST BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. I WAS LUCKY THAT THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY TO EXIT THE ROAD WHERE I GOT OFF AND FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO STOP. *TR

I WAS OPERATING MY 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCU WHEN I APPLIED MY REAR BREAKS ONLY TO FIND I HAD NO REAR BREAKS. I STILL HAD MY FRONT BREAKS THAT WORKED VERY WELL. I HAVE 9,600 MILES ON THE MOTROCYCLE. I TOOK MY MOTORCYCLE TO THE HARLEY DEALER AND ASKED THE SERVICE WRITER TO CHECK MY REAR BREAKS AS I TOLD HIM THERE WERE NO BREAKS. THE SERVICE WRITER WALKED OUT TO MY MOTORCYCLE BENT DOWN ON ONE KNEE UNDER THE RUNNING BOARD ON THE RIGHT SIDE, PUSHED DOWN ON THE BREAK AND SAID YOU HAVE A PIN HOLE IN YOUR BREAK LINE CAUSED BY THE CLUTCH CABLE RUBBING ON THE BREAK LINE. I HAD CONCERNED THAT HE KNEW EXACLTY WHERE TO LOOK AND I ASKED IF THIS WAS SOMETHING HE HAD SEEN BEFORE, HE ANSWERED YES I HAVE SEEN IT A FEW TIMES AND AS A MATTER OF FACT HE JUST HAD ANOTHER ONE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, IT WAS A 2003 AND HE WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THE PART AND ASKED THAT I BRING IT BACK THE FOLLOWING THURSDAY. HAVING BEEN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR FOR MANY YEARS AS A MOTOR POLICE OFFICER. I SENT AN E-MAIL TO HARLEY CUSTOMER CARE AND GOT A PHONE CALL BACK AND I TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM, THE REPRESENATIVE THERE HAD NOT HEARD OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE AND I STATED I THOUGHT THEY HAD A PROBLEM WHEN THE DEALER SERVICE WRITER GOES TO THE EXACT PLACE WHERE THE PIN HOLE WAS. I TOLD HIM I WAS CONCERNED IF THIS HAD HAPPEND AT LEAST THREE TIMES AT THE SAME DEALER IT HAD TO BE MORE OF A PROBLEM AND HE SHOULD CHECK TO SEE HOW MANY BREAKLINES HAD BEEN ORDERED FOR THE SAME MODEL. HIS STATEMENT TO ME WAS THEY RECEIVE INFORMATION FROM DEALERS ALL OVER AND IF IT WAS A PROBLEM THEY WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT. I TOLD HIM NOT IF THEY ARE GETTING VARIED REASONS FOR THE DEALERSHIP AND MY CONCER WAS NO PERSON GET INJURED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND MAYBE A SERVICE NOTICE SHOULD BE PUT OUT TO CHECK THESE LINES. HE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE VERY CONCERNED AND THIS IS WHY I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOU. LINE REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. I DID NO KEEP OLD PART. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 HARLEY ULTRA CLASSIC THE BIKE BEGAN TO SKID AND VIBRATE AT 50 MPH. THOUGHT I WAS GOING DOWN THEN BEGAN TO FREE UP, AND I STOPPED. CALLED FOR PICKUP AND TRANSFERRED TO HARLEY SHOP IN TYLER, TX I ASK TO CK COMPENSATOR SPROCKET AS WAS TOLD SAME DAY WHEN GETTING NEW TIRES AT ANOTHER SHOP THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET WAS GOING OUT. HAVE NOT RECEIVED BIKE FROM HARLEY SHOP BUT THEY HAVE CONFIRMED THAT COMPENSATOR SPROCKET ORDERED AND UPGRADED FROM EXISTING SPROCKET. I AM AWARE OF OTHER COMPENSATOR SPROCKETS GOING OUT ON 08 MODELS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS AND HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT HARLEY NO LONGER SUPPLIES THE STOCK COMPENSATORS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS. *KB

I WAS RIDING AT ABOUT 60 MPH WHEN MY FRONT WHEEL BEARING STARTED TO FAIL (NOISE ONLY, NOT CATASTROPHIC). I WAS NEXT TO AN INDEPENDENT HARLEY SHOP AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE BEARING REPLACED. DURING A CONVERSATION WITH THE OWNER, I LEANED THAT HARLEY CHANGED WHEEL BEARING WITH 2007 MODELS. HE HAD NEVER REPLACED A WHEEL BEARING, EXCEPT ON BIKES WITH VERY HIGH MILEAGE, PRIOR TO THE 2007 MODEL. HE HAS CHANGED AN ALARMING NUMBER ON 2007 AND NEWER MODELS WITH AROUND 20000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I PICKED UP A JULY '11 THUNDER PRESS MOTORCYCLE NEWSPAPER LATER AT MY LOCAL HD DEALER. THERE WAS A LETTER TO THE EDITOR ABOUT FAILED WHEEL BEARING ON 2008 HARLEY'S AND WHEEL BEARING MADE IN MEXICO. I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCH FAILURES ON MOTORCYCLES, BUT THERE SHOULD BE ONE. IN THE MEAN TIME, IT APPEARS THAT HD HAS A VERY HAZARDOUS WHEEL BEARING PROBLEM. I HOPE HD HAS LEARNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND MADE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS, AS THEY DID A MAJOR OVERHAUL ON MANY MODELS IN 2009. THANK YOU.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCU MOTORCYCLE, WITH DUNLOP D402 TIRES, LINE SIZE MU85B16 M/C77H, DOT NUMBER: 301823DAF4M18M. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH, WHEN THE REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. THE VEHICLE SKIDDED ACROSS THE HIGHWAY, AND LANDED FLAT AS THE CONTACT AND PASSENGER WERE THROWN 100 FEET FROM THE VEHICLE. BOTH THE CONTACT AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE TO THE CONTACT. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,000. UPDATED 8/29/11 *CN UPDATED 09/26/11

I OWN A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCUI. I HAVE HAD IT IN THE SHOP THREE TIMES BECAUSE OF THIS SAME PROBLEM. IT HAS AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. IT WILL ONLY IDLE. RIGHT NOW. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 3 WEEKS AND THE DEALER CLAIMS THEY CANNOT GET THE NEEDED PART FOR ANOTHER 3 WEEKS. IT IS AN UPGRADED PART. I FEEL A RECALL IS WARRANTED. IT DID THIS WHEN I WAS GOING DOWN THE ROAD. *TR

STOCK COMPENSATOR ON 2008 ULTRA CLASSIC FAILED AND NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT TO PUT THE UPGRADED ONE IN. LUCKY I WAS NOT TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. HARLEY IS AWARE THERE IS A PROBLEM AND REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE STOCK COMPENSATOR IS INFERIOR TO THE UPGRADE AND HARLEY NOW PUTS THE UPGRADE STOCK ON THE 2011 BIKES. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE REPLACED AT NOT COST SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THIS WAS THE SECOND SET OF TIRES THAT DELAMINATED. THERE WERE ALSO LARGE PIECES OF THE TIRE SEPARATING ON SEVEN DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE TIRE; ALTHOUGH, THERE WAS 95% OF THE TREAD DEPTH THAT WAS STILL ON THE TIRES. THE TIRE BRAND NAME, METZLER ME880 MARATHON, SIZE MU85B/16, DOT# XE13J7032609 AND SERIAL #E375R0023664.

2007/08/09/10 HARLEYDAVIDSON MOTORCYCLES WITH THE 96IN/103IN MOTORS THE STOCK COMPENSATOR ASSEMBLY WEARS OUT PREMATURE BECAUSE IT AS MADE FOR THERE 88IN ENGINE AND AFTER A WHILE YOUR ENGINE WONT START IF IT DOES IT BACK FIRES THREW THE AIR CLEANER AND COULD CATCH ON FIRE THE COMPANY KNOWS ABOUT THIS AND HAS REPLACED IT WITH A SCREAMIN EAGLE COMPENSATOR ASSEMBLY PART ON ALL 2011 MODELS THE NEW PART COST 300 DOLLARS TO REPLACE AND HARLEY WONT PAY FOR IT BECAUSE THE ENGINE DOESNT SHOW A CODE FOR THIS THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND FORCE THEM TO REPLACE THESE WITH THE NEW ONES YOU CAN CONTACT AMERICAN IRON MAG IN THERE TECK DEPT ASK THEM THEY CAN EXPLAIN IT TO YOU BETTER PLEASE HELP IT STARTS TAKING PLACE ABOUT 17K TO 18K MILES ON YOUR CYCLE. *TR