2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Flhtk

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTK ELECTRA GLIDE. WHILE RIDING 70 MPH, THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WAS DEPRESSED, BUT FAILED TO OPERATE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT BRAKE ACTUATOR PISTON BOOTH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,600. ...UPDATED 10/12/16 *BF *CN THEN CONSUMER STATED THE MOTORCYCLE ABS AND MASTER CYLINDER HAS BEEN REPAIRED.*TR

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY STEEP DRIVEWAY AND MY FRONT BRAKE SUDDENLY BECAME VERY HARD TO PULL, BORDERING ON IMPOSSIBLE, AND BASICALLY HAD NO STOPPING POWER. AS THIS IS THE ONLY BRAKE I COULD USE WHILE WALKING/BACKING MY BIKE DOWN MY SLOPED THE DRIVEWAY THE BIKE PICKED UP SPEED AND CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL AND THE BIKE FELL OVER. SINCE THEN I HAVE TRIED TO BLEED THE BRAKES 3 TIME WITH NO CHANGE. BRAKE LEVER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PULL. I THEN REPLACED MY MASTER CYLINDER AND FLUID,BUT COULD STILL NOT BLEED THE FLUID TO GET PROPER LEVER PULL AN BRAKE ACTUATION. I HAVE NOW TROUBLESHOT THIS ISSUE AND NARROWED IT DOWN TO THE ABS MODULATOR, AS I AM GETTING FLUID FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER THROUGH THE LINE TO THE MODULATOR, BUT FLUID IS NOT PASSING THROUGH AND GETTING TO THE CALIPERS. FRONT BRAKES ONLY ARE AFFECTED, AS REAR SEEMS TO BE OK. VERY UNSAFE SITUATION TO HAVE AN ABS SYSTEM THAT DOES NOT HAVE A FAILSAFE BUILT IN TO POSSIBLY BYPASS THE SOLENOIDS IN THE MODULATOR IF THE MODULATOR FAILS. I HAVE READ ON INTERNET FORUMS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE, SO HOPEFULLY IT CAN BE ADDRESSED.

I WAS DRIVING MY MOTORCYCLE ON US 18/20 NEAR SHERIDAN, WY. I NOTICED FOR SEVERAL MILES THAT THERE WAS A VIBRATION/SHUTTER IN THE FRONT END OF THE MOTORCYCLE. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THAT A WHEEL WEIGHT FRONT FROM THE FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF CAUSING A TIRE IMBALANCE. AFTER ABOUT 5 MILES THE SHUTTER BECAME MORE VIOLENT AND I PULLED MY MOTORCYCLE OF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE RIGHT SIDE, FRONT WHEEL BEARING RETAINER BECAME SEPERATED FROM THE WHEEL BEARING AND SEVERAL OF THE BALL BEARINGS CAME OUT AND THAT THE FRONT WHEE BEARING HAD FAILED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED TO BLACK HILLS HARLEY DAVIDSON IN RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FOR REPAIRS ON 8/5/2015. BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WERE REPLACED AT A COST TO ME OF $170.60. TOWING OF $880.00 WAS COVERED BY MY INSURANCE THROUGH THE HARELY OWNERS GROUP/ROAD AMERICA. WHILE BEARING FAILURES ARE SOMEWHAT COMMON IN AN AUTOMOBILE, THEY CAN BE CATASTROPHIC ON A MOTORYCYCLE SHOULD THE FRONT WHEEL LOCK UP AND SIEZE. HARLEY SHOULD TAKE THE TIME TO DETERMINE IF THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER FAILURES OF SIMILAR PARTS WITHIN A SIMILAR VIN/LOT/VINTAGE OF MY MOTORCYCLE TO DETERMINE IF THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS IN THEIR MOTORCYCLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA GLIDE LIMITED (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET ATTACHED TO THE CRANKSHAFT RATTLED AND VIBRATED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A LOOSE BOLT FROM THE SPROCKET. THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET WAS REPLACED BUT, APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED A THIRD TIME APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES LATER, WHICH DAMAGED THE CRANKSHAFT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE INITIAL FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

I WAS ON A COUNTRY ROAD GOING INTO A CORNER. I HIT THE REAR BRAKE TO FIND I DID NOT HAVE ANY REAR BRAKES. AFTER THE ACCIDENT WHEN I GOT THE BIKE HOME AND HAD TIME TO INSPECT IT I FOUND THAT THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAD BLOW OUT CAUSING THE BACK BRAKES TO FAIL. I CALLED HARLEY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DID NOT GET ANY ANSWERS OR EVEN A PHONE BACK AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT THEY MAY HAVE A PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL. I THEN CALLED MY DEALER. THEY ARE TRYING TO HELP BUT ARE NOT SURE WHAT THEY CAN DO EITHER. THE END RESULT IS THIS, I HAVE THE SERVICED ON A REGULAR BASIS. IT IS WELL MAINTAINED AND GARAGE KEPT. I BOUGHT IT NEW AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BEFORE THIS FAILURE. IT JUST HAD A MAJOR SERVICE DONE AT 30000 MILES. I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON THIS BIKE. THE BIKE WAS PURCHASED AROUND SEPTEMBER 2011 AND WENT TO THE DEALER IT WAS PURCHASED FROM FOR A 1000 MILES SERVICE WITH IN 2 MONTHS AFTER IT WAS BOUGHT. I AM NOT LOOKING CAUSE A LOT OF GRIEF BUT IF HARLEY HAS PROBLEM I WOULD THINK THAT THEY WOULD WANT FIGURE WHAT HAPPENED AND TRY TO MAKE THIS CUSTOMER HAPPY. *TR

THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS STARTED MAKING METAL TO METAL NOISES OFF AND ON WHILE THE HANDLE BARS WOULD VIBRATE. IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON CHANGED TO A SMALLER WHEEL BEARING AND THEY COME FROM SOUTH KOREA AND DELHI, INDIA. THERE IS NO SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON THIS EVER AND THEY SHOULD NOT GO BAD AT 11,000 MILES. THE BEARINGS RUINED THE WHEEL AND WILL COST $550 TO REPLACE IT AND A TOTAL OF $909 TO COMPLETE THE REPAIR. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT THE FRONT WHEEL COULD HAVE LOCKED UP AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES AND OR DEATH TO THE RIDER. IN THE PROCESS OF HARLEY DAVIDSON MAKING AN "OUT OF WARRANTY CONSIDERATION" ABOUT WHOSE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS. I'M EXPECTING THERE WILL BE A RECALL DOWN THE ROAD BEFORE IT BECOMES A CLASS ACTION SUIT AFTER SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED. IT APPEARS FROM THE INTERNET THAT THE REAL WHEEL BEARINGS ARE ALSO BECOMING A ISSUE. SINCE THERE IS NO MAINTENANCE ON WHEEL BEARINGS ONE WOULD EXPECT TO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THEM GO OUT EVERY 10K MILES AT A POSSIBLE COST OF UP TO $900 PER WHEEL.

I RECEIVED A LETTER ON NOV 9 MY DEALER ONLY GETS 8 OF 10 RECALL PARTS A WEEK IF THERE LUCKY. I CALL MAIN OFFICE OF HARLEY. THERE EXCUSE IS THEY CANT MAKE THEM FAST ENOUGH. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH BRAKES ON MY BIKE YOU THINK THEY BE GETTING OUT MORE PARTS THEN WHAT THERE GIVING. THERE EXCUSES IS THERE GLOBAL. SO MAKE MORE PARTS .IF YOU DON'T CAMP OUT AT YOUR DEALER TO GET IT FIXED YOU'LL NEVER GET IT FIXED. THIS LETTER CAME OUT NOV 9 BUT IT WAS IN THE PAPERS A MONTH BEFORE AND STILL HASN'T BEEN RESOLVED .CANE YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE THEY CANT MEET THERE RESPONSIBILITY .. I HAVE A CASE [XXX] WITH MAIN OFFICE OF HARLEY [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA-GLIDE ULTRA-LIMITED (103CU), BOUGHT NEW JUNE 2011. REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP THAT, THE FRONT END SHAKES VIOLENTLY WITH HANDS REMOVED FROM HANDLEBARS AT AROUND 30 TO 35 MPH. THE VIBRATION FROM THE FRONT END CAUSES THE HANDLEBARS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND WITHOUT IMMEDIATE HANDS BACK ON THE BARS THE VIBRATION INCREASES TO THE POINT OF POSSIBLE ?LOSS OF CONTROL? OF THE MOTORCYCLE; THIS ISSUE WILL CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO RIDER AND PASSENGER. DEALERSHIP CHECKED ALL SPECIFICATIONS FOR FRONT END AND REPORTED NO ISSUES OUT OF TOLERANCE, BUT DID SAY THAT THE FRONT TIRE WAS SLIGHTLY LOW IN AIR PRESSURE, OTHER THAN THE AIR PRESSURE DIFFERENCE THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES FOUND. THE FRONT TIRE WAS NOT REPLACED OR REPORTED AS FAULTY AND THE VIBRATION CONTINUES TO THIS DATE, THE MOTORCYCLE ONLY HAS 3500 MILES SINCE NEW JUNE 2011. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE INTERNET AND HAVE SEEN THAT MANY WITH THE SAME VIBRATION ISSUE HAVE REPLACED THEIR FRONT TIRES AND THE ISSUE SUBSIDED. HOW CAN US THE PUBLIC FORCE HARLEY DAVIDSON TO RELEASE A EMERGENCY SERVICE LETTER/RECALL NOTICE TO ALL 2011 TOURING MODEL HARLEY MOTORCYCLE OWNERS, FOR A REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT TIRE WITH A KNOWN GOOD TIRE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. *TR

AT ALTITUDE - APPROXIMATELY 3700FT ABOVE SEA LEVEL - ONCE THE 2011 ELECTRA GLIDE ULTRA CLASSIC LIMITED HEATS UP, THE MOTOR KNOCKS AND PINGS SO BAD IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MOTOR IS GOING TO FALL APART. IF I TAKE BIKE TO SEA LEVEL, THE DETONATION ISSUE CLEARS UP. THE MOTORCYCLE IS UN-RIDEABLE IN THIS CONDITION. THE HARLEY DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM/TIMING MAPPING AND THAT HARLEY MOTOR COMPANY WAS 'LOOKING INTO IT', BUT NO FIX IS FORTHCOMING.