2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Fltru

NOTICED A GRINDING AND JERKING MOTION IN THE FRONT WHEEL PULLED OVER TO INSPECT. DIDN'T NOTICE THE BEARING AT THE TIME. BRAKE PADS WERE A LITTLE THIN SO THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THEM. ROAD THE BIKE HOME AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION NOTICED THAT THE SEALED BEARING ON THE FRONT WHEEL WAS COMING APART AND WAS MISSING SEVERAL OF THE BALL BEARINGS. GOT ON A COUPLE OF FORUMS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH 2009 AND NEWER BIKES WITH LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. THE REPLACEMENT BEARING FOR MINE ARE ONLY SOLD BY HARLEY SO I'LL BE PUTTING IN THE SAME PROBLEMATIC BEARING THAT THEY PLACED IN IT TO START WITH !!!! THIS IS A DANGEROUS THING TO HAPPEN. LUCKY NO ONE HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED YET !!! *JS

I WAS RIDING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AROUND 60MPH AND I TOOK MY HANDS OFF THE HANDLEBARS TO READJUST SOMETHING, AND THE HANDLEBARS STARTED TO VIBRATE SLIGHTLY, AND MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE, AND THEN VERY VIOLENTLY. I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE BIKE UNTIL I GRIPPED THE HANDLEBARS AGAIN. I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE A LOW TIRE, I PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE AIR PRESSURE AND TIRES, ALL LOOKED OK. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS JUST THE ROAD I WAS ON AT THE TIME, SO I TRIED IT AGAIN ON A DIFFERENT ROAD AT THE SAME SPEED, SAME RESULTS. I TRIED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS, AND IT HAPPENED AT 45MPH ALSO. I TOOK IT TO THE HARLEY DEALER, BECAUSE THE BIKE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THE SPOKES ON MY WIRE WHEELS ARE COMING LOOSE, AND THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT, WILL NOT WARRANTY THE WHEELS. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY COULD TRY TO "TIGHTEN" UP THE SPKES FOR AROUND $200 DOLLARS, BUT HE SAID THEY WILL LOOSEN UP AFTER A WHILE! I HAVE BEEN FORCED FOR MY OWN SAFETY TO REMOVE THESE DEFECTIVE SPOKE WHEELS AND PUT DIFFERENT ONES ON THE BIKE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND I AM AFRAID A LESS EXPERIENCED RIDER UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS WILL NOT SURVIVE IF THEY EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING I DID. DOES IT TAKE SOME ONE DYEING FOR HARLEY TO REPAIR A KNOWN DEFECT? *TR

I WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH A STOP SIGN AND BEGAN DECELERATING. AT ABOUT 40MPH, I MOMENTARILY TOOK MY HANDS OFF THE HANDLEBARS TO ZIP UP MY JACKET AND THE STEERING FORKS BEGAN TO SHAKE BACK AND FORTH. THE SHAKING GREW MORE VIOLENT IN JUST A SECOND OR TWO. I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY HANDS BACK ON THE HANDLEBARS AND THE SHAKING STOPPED AND OPERATION WAS NORMAL. I DID NOT LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE BUT FELT THAT IF I HAD NOT REGAINED CONTROL I WOULD HAVE CRASHED. *TT

AS THE MOTORCYCLE DECELERATES BETWEEN 40 AND 36 MPH, THE HANDLE BARS BEGIN TO WOBBLE AND SHAKE IF HAND PRESSURE IS REDUCED OR REMOVED FROM THE HANDLEBARS. IF YOU DON' T GRIP THE HANDLEBARS TIGHTLY, THE STEERING WOBBLE INTENSIFIES VIOLENTLY TO THE POINT WHERE YOU WOULD LOSE CONTROL. THIS STARTED THE DAY I PICKED UP THE BIKE (BRAND NEW). AT THE 1000 MILE CHECK-UP, THEY CLAIM TO HAVE ADJUSTED THE STEERING HEAD BEARING, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. AFTER FURTHER COMPLAINTS, THEIR RESPONSE RANGES FROM "IT DOESN'T DO IT FOR US" TO "THERE'S IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT". I HAVE NOTICED HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER RIDERS ON VARIOUS H-D OWNER FORUMS, BUT THE COMPANY IS IN DENIAL. *TR

2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE ULTRA (FLTRU) FRONT END SHAKE WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS BETWEEN 37-42 MPH. AIR PRESSURE FOR TIRES AT RECOMMENDED VALUE FROM OWNERS MANUAL. THIS IS HAPPENING FROM NEW, VERY UNSAFE TO RIDE IN THAT MPH RANGE. HARLEY HAS DENIED THE PROBLEM AND WILL NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. DEALER ADMITS THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO FIX. *TR

WHEN SLOWING DOWN THE FRONT STEERING MECHANISM WILL RADICALLY SWERVE LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT AND SO FORTH WHEN YOU CROSS 42 MPH. IF CRUISING AT 55 AND YOU ENTER A TOWN AND LET GO OF THE HANDLE BAR TO ADJUST YOUR HAT AS THE BIKE CROSSES 42 MPH THE STEERING HEAD WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND ONLY QUICK REFLEXES TO GRAB THE BAR WILL SAVE YOU FROM A CRASH. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PEOPLE ON THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR OF BIKE. THE PROBLEM IS THE STEERING HEAD BEARINGS ARE MAL-ADJUSTED FROM THE FACTORY. YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT THIS HERE: HTTP://WWW.ROADGLIDE.ORG/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=3582