2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XG500

FIRST ACCIDENT WAS AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT INTERSECTION, WITH LOW FUEL, BUT NO FUEL LIGHT YET. ACCELERATING ON SLIGHT UPHILL LEFT TURN, FROM STOP AT LIGHT. WENT FROM 1ST TO 2ND, WAS LEAVING THE CURVE WHEN I HIT A POT HOLE. THE BIKE LAGGED SLIGHTLY, THEN ACCELERATED SUDDENLY I WAS UNABLE TO AVOID HITTING THE CURB AND CRASHED. BEING A NEW RIDER I ASSUMED THAT THE POT HOLE HAD CAUSED ME TO ROLL ON THE THROTTLE, WHICH IS VERY RESPONSIVE, AND PUT THIS INCIDENT DOWN TO RIDER ERROR. IT WAS A SANCTIONED CLUB RIDE, SO REPORTS WERE FILED WITH THE DEALERSHIP. THE BIKE SPENT ABOUT 4 MONTHS AT HARLEY DAVIDSON OF BALTIMORE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, FOR WHAT WAS MOSTLY COSMETIC DAMAGE, AND I WAS PAYING CASH FOR REPAIRS, SO THERE IS NO EXPLANATION FOR WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TO REPAIR, BUT THEY ASKED ME MULTIPLE TIMES HOW, OR WHY I THOUGHT THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. THEY NEVER MENTIONED ANYTHING TO ME ABOUT THE UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION ISSUES WITH THIS BIKE, BUT IN HINDSIGHT I BELIEVE THEY KNEW FROM THE QUESTIONS THEY ASKED. THE BIKE ALSO HAD A SPEED WOBBLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT WHICH WAS WITNESSED BY OTHERS, DIRECTLY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THAT THEY SAID WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT, EVEN THOUGH I REPORTED IT TO THEM BEFORE THE RIDE, AND WAS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE THE BIKE WITH THEM AFTERWARDS TO INVESTIGATE; THIS DISAPPEARED, AFTER THE MONTHS IN SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE IT. A FEW MONTHS LATER I WENT OUT FOR A RIDE WITH A FRIEND, I WAS MAKING AN UPHILL RIGHT HAND TURN OUT OF A PARKING LOT DRIVEWAY, WITH FULL TANK OF GAS, WHEN THE BIKE HESITATED AND THEN SUDDENLY WENT TO FULL ACCELERATION, AGAIN I HIT THE CURB AND CAME OFF. THE SECOND TIME I REALIZED THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE BIKE AND BEGAN INVESTIGATING AND FOUND THAT OTHERS WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM.

I BROUGHT MY XG500 TO A HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER TO FIX A RECALL ON THE FUEL PUMP. AFTER AN ESTIMATED 100 MILES, THE BIKE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER TO THE BACK WHEEL WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 65MPH. THE THROTTLE WOULD REV UP THE ENGINE, BUT IT WASN'T MAKING ME MOVE. THIS PUT ME IN A VERY UNSAFE PREDICAMENT AND I HAD TO ROLL ACROSS LANES OF TRAFFIC WHILE DECELERATING.

I PREVIOUSLY FILED A REPORT ABOUT MY MOTORCYCLE STALLING AND SURGING ON 4/18 WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH IN WET WEATHER. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP BROUGHT MY BIKE IN AND HAD IT FOR A WEEK WHILE WAITING FOR A NEW FUEL PUMP. I AM ON MY SECOND FUEL PUMP. THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS BEFORE BUT A COMPLETELY NEW FUEL PUMP. I WAS ALMOST HIT WHILE TAKING OFF SLOWLY FROM A LIGHT WHEN THE BIKE SURGED AND THE CAR BEHIND ME EXPECTED ME TO CONTINUE MOVING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I AM FINANCIALLY TIED INTO IT AND IT IS UNSAFE TO RIDE. MY FUEL LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON AND IT ACTS AS IF THERE IS NO FUEL. IT HAS A 3.3 GALLON TANK AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PUT MORE THAN 2.5 GALLONS IN IT.

LIKE MANY OTHERS, SINCE DAY 1 MY HARLEY STREET 500 HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A "LAG AND LEAP" ISSUE. THE FIRST DAY I HAD MY BIKE I EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WHERE WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP, OR MAKING A TURN AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BIKE WOULD STALL LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS, AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATE AGAIN, ALMOST THROWING ME OFF THE BACK OF THE BIKE. I BROUGHT MY BIKE TO THE DEALER, THEY TOLD ME I WAS LOW ON GAS, FILLED ME UP AND SENT ME ALONG MY WAY. HOWEVER, THE ISSUE HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE TIME (IT IS 100% REPRODUCIBLE) THE BIKE TRAVELS FOR ROUGHLY 100 MILES AFTER FILLING (3.5 GALLON TANK WITH ADVERTISED ~60MPG). WHEN I FILL UP (THE ONLY REMEDY TO THE ISSUE), I CAN USUALLY NEVER GET MORE THAN 2 GALLONS IN. LEAVING 1.5 GALLONS OF UNUSED GAS IN THE TANK. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE WITH THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS, AND IT IS REPRODUCIBLE. SO FAR, MY DEALER HAS SAID THEY HAVE NO KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE BIKE, AND THE RESPONSE FROM HARLEY SEEMS TO BE MIXED AS TO WHAT THEY WILL DO ABOUT IT, OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE IF THERE IS AN ISSUE. NOTE: THE FUEL LIGHT ALSO NEVER COMES ON, PROBABLY BECAUSE THERE IS OVER 1 GALLON OF GAS IN THE TANK AT ALL TIMES. THIS ISSUE IS INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT ESSENTIALLY REDUCES THE RANGE OF THE BIKE BECAUSE THE ONLY FIX IS TO KEEP IT FILLED ABOVE A CERTAIN LEVEL, BUT IT IS VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME ON AT LEAST 5 SEPARATE INCIDENTS, AND USUALLY ITS WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO NOT FALL OFF THE BIKE DUE TO THE SUDDEN DECELERATION AND ACCELERATION, AND TO NOT CAUSE A MAJOR TRAFFIC ACCIDENT DUE TO COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP IN TRAFFIC. *TR

MOTORCYCLE WILL BOG DOWN AND THEN SURGE WITHOUT WARNING IF THERE IS ABOUT 1/3 OF A TANK LEFT. LOW FUEL INDICATOR NEVER COMES ON BEFORE IT HAPPENS AND IT'S WORSE WHEN DRIVING ON HILLS OR WHILE BANKING IN TURNS. LAST NIGHT WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME AS I WAS COMING UP THE HILL AND TURNING IN TO MY DRIVEWAY THE MOTORCYCLE BOGGED DOWN, AND BEFORE I COULD COMPLETELY ROLL OFF THE THROTTLE IT ACCELERATED AND PUSHED THE REAR WHEEL OUT CAUSING ME TO LAY MY BIKE DOWN. *TR

VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD UNCONTROLLABLY. THROTTLE RESPONSE IS EXTREMELY ERRATIC. THIS CAUSED INEXPERIENCED RIDER TO LOSE CONTROL AT A LOW SPEED AND WAS THROWN FROM VEHICLE AS IT WENT OUT OF CONTROL ONTO THE SIDEWALK. FUEL TANK WAS NEARLY FULL. CONTINUED RIDING EXHIBITED EXTREMELY ERRATIC THROTTLE CONTROL. VEHICLE IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 10 TO 15 MPH UP A HILL WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF GAS REMAINING IN THE TANK AS THE BIKE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. AFTER ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO, IT REGAINED POWER, ALMOST LIKE IT HAD LOST THE FUEL SOURCE AND THEN FOUND IT AGAIN. THIS MADE FOR THE BIKE TO LAUNCH FORWARD AND ALMOST CAUSE ME TO BE TOSSED FROM THE BIKE. THIS HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, WHENEVER THE FUEL LEVEL HITS A CERTAIN AMOUNT IN THE TANK. *JHS

UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP, THE 2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON STREET 500 AND 750 (XG500 AND XG750) MODELS LOSE FUEL PRESSURE WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS UNDER APPROXIMATELY 1/2 CAPACITY. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED WHEN ACCELERATING UP HILLS. UPON LOSS OF FUEL PRESSURE, THE MOTORCYCLE VIOLENTLY THRUSTS THE RIDER FORWARD, AND WHEN THE FUEL PRESSURE RECOVERS, THE RIDER IS UNEXPECTEDLY THRUST BACKWARDS, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AT BEST. IN MY CASE, MY NECK WAS STRAINED. MULTIPLE CASES ON THIS PROBLEM HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO H-D, AND THEY SAY THEY ARE INVESTIGATING. THERE IS NO SOLUTION YET, HOWEVER. *TR