2000 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Harley Davidson

I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IN WRITING BY HARLEY-DAVIDSON ABOUT POSSIBLE FAILURE OF THE REAR CAM BEARING IN MY MOTORCYLE. THEY SAY THAT IT HAPPENS IN A SMALL NUMBER OF BIKES AND THAT I SHOULD NOT WORRY. HOWEVER, SHOULD THE BEARING FAIL IN A UNFAVORALBE SITUATION (65 MPH ON A PARKWAY WITH GUARD RAILS AND NO WHERE TO PULL OVER SHOULD MY BIKE SEIZE) THE EFFECT COULD BE FATAL. I TRIED TO CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON TO NO AVAIL. WHEN I CONTACTED MY DEALER THEY SHRUGGED IT OFF AND SAID IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN TO ME. I'VE ALREADY MET TWO PEOPLE WHOSE ENGINES BLEW UP DUE TO THE FAILED BEARING AND ALMOST COULD NOT GET OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT CAUSING AND ACCIDENT. THE DEALER SAYS IF I WANT TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT BEARING SO THAT I CAN HAVE PEACE OF MIND IT WON'T COST THAT MUCH. MEAN WHILE HARLEY-DAVIDSON EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR JUST THAT PART TO 5YRS/50,000 MILES. I BELIVE THEY SHOULD DO A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. THANK YOU

AS FO THE FIRST DAY I PICKED UP MY MOTORCYCLE IT HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. IKNOW BECAUSE I JUST TRADED IN A 1997 H-D ROADKING FOR THIS NEW BIKE WITH THE SO CALLED NEW IMPROVED ENGINE. IT HAS BROUGHT MY WIFE AND I NOTHING BUT HEADACHES. WE HAVE RECEIVED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM HARLEY DAVIDSON THAT IF THE PART FAILS IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS THEY WILL REPLACE IT. EXCEPT YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE OR WHEN ITS GOING TO FAIL,1 OR 1000 MILES FROM HOME. I HAVE A TOURING BIKE WHICH MEANS IT IS MEANT TO BE RIDDEN FAR. IF THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WHY WAIT UNTIL IT BREAKS, JUST FIX IT! ARE THEY WAITING UNTIL SOMEOEN GETS SERIOUSLY HURT FROM A MOTORCYCLE GOING 65 MPH TO A DEAD STOP? WHEN YOUR STUCK OUT ON THE ROAD FOR DAYS WAITING FOR A REPAIR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE PRIOR TO LEAVING ITS AN ADDED EXPENSE, TIME WASTED ON A VACATION AND THEN THE POSSIBILITY OF PEOPLE GETTING KILLED. *AK

MY BIKE IS EQUIPED WITH THE TC88 MOTOR AND I HAVE BEEN NOTIFED THAT THE REAR CAM BEARING COULD FAIL. THE BEARING DISIGN WAS CHANGED DURING THE 2000 MODEL YEAR. WHAT IF IT FAILS AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE MOTOR LOCKS UP? THIS WOULD NOT BE GOOD ON A MOTORCYCLE. I FEEL THE COMPANY SHOULD RECALL MY BIKE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS. I HAVE CONTACTED HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY AND WAS TOLD THEY WILL EXTEND MY BIKE WARRANTY ON THE CAM BEARING TO 5-YEAR/50,000 MILES. I FEEL THE CAM BEARINGS SHOULD LAST LONGER THEN 50,000 MILES. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF ANDREWS CAMS IS SAYING THAT IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE BIKES WITH THE BAD CAM BEARING, IT'S GONNA BLOW UP, IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF WHEN.*AK

HARLEY DAVIDSON HAS ADMITTED THAT CERTAIN TWIN CAM ENGINES MANUFACTURED DURING A CERTAIN DATE RANGE IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. I FIND IT INCONPREHENSIBLE THAT RECALLS EXIST FOR DISTORTED LENSES, POSSIBLE HATCH FAILURES, AND A HOST OF OTHER MANUFACTURER DEFECTS GET THE ATTENTION OF THE NHTSA, BUT THE COMPLETE AND INSTANTANEOUS FAILURE OF AN ENGINE DOES NOT WARRANT YOUR ATTENTION. WHAT COULD BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN PASSING ANOTHER VECHICLE AND EXPERIENCING AN ENGINE FAILURE?. DOES HARLEY HAVE THAT MUCH LOBBY MONEY HERE. I'M ALSO WRITTING MY CONGRESSMAN. I GUESS THIS WILL BE HANDLED LIKE THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY, REACTIVE VS. PROACTIVE.HOW LARGE A PRICE IS HARLEY WILLING TO PAY FOR THE INEVITABLE DEATH RESULTING FROM THE FAILURE OF A PRODUCT THAT THEY HAVE ADMITTED IS DEFECTIVE? ,*AK

HARLEY KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR CAMSHAFTS ON THE 2000 TC88.....WHY THE HELL DON'T THEY FIX THE PROBLEM....OR DO THEY WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE MOTOR SIEZES AND SOMEONE GETS KILLED.......WARRANTY MY ASS FIX THE PROBLEM......AND YA WONDER WHY YOU PAY $15,000 FOR A BIKE THAT THEY KNEW WAS DEFICIENT AND NOW GIVE US A SONG AND DANCE ABOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM......WANTED THAT KIND OF RELIABILITY I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A JAP IMPORT PIECE OF CRAP......MAKE THEM DO THE RIGHT THING BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!!!! *AK

MOTORCYCLE CAM BEARING MAKES IT WORSE AND MORE DANGEROUS. HARLEY KNOWS OF THE DEFECT AND HAS A FIX (BEARING REPLACEMENT WITH A BETTER DESIGN). THEY HAVE ALSO CHANGED THEIR DESIGN IN LATER MODELS. THEY SHOULD BE MANDATED TO RECALL EFFECTED ENGINES AND IMPLEMENT THIS FIX PRIOR TO IT FAILING AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT! THANKS YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!*AK

THE CAM BEARING HAS NOT YET FAILED. THERE IS A HIGH NUMBER OF FAILURES IN THIS BEARING, ON NEW ENGINE DESIGN MAMNUFACTURED PRIOR TO 12/15/1999. HARLEY DAVIDSON HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN 1097 TO DEALERS REPLACING FAILED BALL BEARING WITH ROLLER BEARING, BUT HAS NOT RECALLED BIKES WITH BALL BEARING CAM BEARINGS. BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE ENGINE SEIZURE IN TRAFFIC, ON MOUNTAIN ROADS ETC. I AM FEARFUL OF FAILURE OF THE BEARING /ENGINE NOW WHEN RIDING. *AK