2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XG750

WHEN THE FULL TANK GETS LOW WHERE THE FUEL LIGHT COMES ON. (NORMAL FOR A MOTORCYCLE). YOU STOP AND WHEN YOU GO TO START, THE ENGINE SURGES AND STALLS VIOLENTLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS COULD CAUSE A CRASH. IT SEEMS THE MOTOR STARVES FOR FUEL AND STALLS AND WHEN IT STALLS THE FUEL THEN FEEDS PROPERLY AND CAUSES A FIERCE ACCELERATION, AGAIN, UNEXPECTEDLY. THERE ARE REPORTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET OF THIS WITH THIS NEW MODEL AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SAFETY CONCERN AND RECALL IT.

THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE AS FOUND IN INVESTIGATION PE15015. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EXPERIENCED ENGINE STUMBLE (STALL), COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS LAG AND LEAP. THIS OCCURRED WHEN I HAD A LOW FUEL LEVEL IN MY TANK, (TANK WAS FILLED 10 MILES LATER WITH 3.1 GALLONS INTO A 3.5 GALLON TANK). WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP INTO A RIGHT HAND TURN I EXPERIENCED A NEAR-STALLING OF MY ENGINE. I DID NOT ADJUST THROTTLE AND VERY QUICKLY AFTER THAT STALL A SURGE IN ENGINE RPM OCCURRED WITH BRISK ACCELERATION, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER NEAR-STALLING AND ANOTHER SURGE. A THIRD LESS NOTICEABLE EPISODE OCCURRED AFTER THAT. I DID NOT ADJUST THROTTLE POSITION THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE. THE TIMESPAN OVER WHICH THIS TOOK PLACE WAS PROBABLY 2-3 SECONDS. I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE COMPLAINTS WHICH HAVE BEEN AROUND THIS ISSUE AND SO WAS CONFIDENT THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE EPISODE WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL OF THE BIKE. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER AND AFTER ANOTHER STOP WITH VERY SLOW ACCELERATION FROM IT, DURING WHICH THE STALL AND SURGE DID NOT OCCUR, I DECIDED TO TEST WHETHER IT WOULD HAPPEN IN 2ND GEAR ON A STRAIGHT TRAJECTORY. AT ABOUT 20 MPH I ACCELERATED IN 2ND GEAR AND AGAIN 3 CYCLES OF STALL AND SURGE OR LAG-AND-LEAP DID OCCUR, WITH THE 2ND ONE BEING MOST NOTICEABLE AND THE THIRD BEING VERY MINIMAL. I WAS HAPPY I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ACROSS TWO LANES OF ROAD TO GET INTO THE GAS STATION, WITHOUT IT OCCURRING AGAIN. I DROVE ANOTHER 40 MILES AFTER FILLING MY GAS TANK WITHOUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN. I HAD PREVIOUSLY FILLED MY TANK WITH 3.4 GALLONS DURING A RIDE WHEN MY MOTORCYCLE HAD 1000 MILES ON IT, WITHOUT THIS PHENOMENON OCCURRING.

WHEN I TOOK OFF FROM A LIGHT IN TRAFFIC, TAKING OFF IN FIRST GEAR, AFTER I LET THE CLUTCH OUT FULLY, IT HESITATED AS IF IT WERE OUT OF FUEL. I WAS LUNGED FORWARD FROM THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. AFTER THAT, BEFORE I COULD REDUCE THE THROTTLE POSITION, THE BIKE LUNGED FORWARD ALMOST THROWING ME OFF THE BACK. THIS CYCLE CONTINUED A FEW TIMES LIKE A BUCKING BRONCO. THE PEOPLE AROUND MUST HAVE THOUGHT I WAS AN EXPERIENCED RIDER, HOWEVER THIS IS NOT THE CASE, I HAVE RIDDEN FOR MANY YEARS. IT WAS AS IF IT WAS STARVING FOR FUEL WHEN I TOOK OFF, THEN SUDDENLY THE FUEL FLOW WAS RETURNED. MY LOW FUEL LIGHT WAS NOT ON, AND MY TRIP METER SINCE MY INITIAL FILL-UP WAS AT 90 MILES. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO FILL IT UP WITH FUEL. ONCE IT WAS FULL, THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY. HOWEVER, THE WEEK MY TRIP METER HIT 90 MILES AGAIN. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS BEFORE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE BEEN NEARLY THROWN OFF OF THE BIKE. EACH TIME A TRIP TO THE STATION TO GET ABOUT 2.6 GALLONS OF FUEL FILLS IT UP, AND IT IS FINE FOR ANOTHER 90 MILES. I'M NOT SURE WHY THERE IS A LOW FUEL LIGHT, I COULD NEVER RIDE IT UNTIL THAT COMES ON. AND, I WOULD EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO RANGE MORE THAN 90 MILES WITH 3.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT I FEEL IS DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY FOR INEXPERIENCED RIDERS.

"WITH ROUGHLY .9 GALLONS OF FUEL IN TANK, WHEN LEAVING A FULL STOP, VEHICLE PAUSES HARD ON ACCELERATION. PROBABLE CAUSE IS FUEL STARVATION CAUSED BY FUEL FLOWING BACK IN THE TANK, AWAY FROM THE FRONT-LOCATED FUEL PUMP, STARVING EFI SYSTEM OF GASOLINE. AS FUEL MOVES FORWARD AFTER A BRIEF PAUSE IN FORWARD MOMENTUM, THE PUMP HAS ACCESS TO THE FUEL AND THE BIKE SUDDENLY LURCHES FORWARD. THIS HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES AS THE FUEL IN TANK TRAVELS FORWARD AND AFT. EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITION AT LOW SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY AT INTERSECTIONS WHEN THIS IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR."

STARTING WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS MY WIFE DROVE HER BRAND NEW XG750 FOR APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES. THE FIRST ISSUE OCCURED WHEN SHE WAS TAKING OFF FROM AN INTERSECTION, THE BIKE STALLED OUT, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. WITH HER BEING A NEW RIDER, SHE ATTRIBUTED IT TO HER DOING SOMETHING WRONG. AT THE VERY NEXT INTERSECTION THE ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN, EXCEPT THE BIKE LUNGED FORWARD AFTER THE STALL THIS TIME. SHE THEN PROMPTLY HONKED HER HORN TO LET ME KNOW THERE WAS AN ISSUE. WE PULLED OVER, I GOT ON THE XG750 TO SEE WHAT THE DEAL WAS. AS I TOOK OFF, THE BIKE STUTTERED BUT DID NOT STALL. I RODE IT DOWN ONE BLOCK AND THEN TURNED AROUND. AS I STARTED THE TURN THE BIKE STUTTERED AGAIN AND ALMOST STALLED. THE IDLE OF THE BIKE WAS VERY ERRATIC, STUTTERING UP AND DOWN. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE GETTING WORSE THE MORE THE BIKE WAS DRIVEN. MY WIFE GOT BACK ON THE XG750 AND WE DECIDED TO HEAD BACK TO THE HOUSE, AS THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER XG750. WE MADE IT ABOUT 5 MORE MILES WHEN HER XG750 STALLED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. SHE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND TRIED TO START THE BIKE 2 OR 3 TIMES UNTIL I ARRIVED. MIND YOU, THE "LOW FUEL" LIGHT WAS NOT ON, NOR DID IT EVER COME ONE. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS SINCE BEEN TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. FOR A BIKE THAT IS MARKETED AS A "BEGINNER" BIKE, THIS IS A MALFUNCTION THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR CAUSING FATALITIES, AS THE ISSUE HAPPENS ON CURVES, OR UNDER SITUATIONS WHERE THE RIDER NEEDS TO ACCELERATE, BUT CANT DUE TO THE FUEL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONING. I WILL BE EXPLORING THE OPTION OF RETURNING THE BIKE TO THE DEALER, AS I DON'T WANT MY WIFE RIDING A "BEGINNER" MOTORCYCLE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE HER TO CRASH OR WORSE, KILL HER.

WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON THERE IS .9 GALLON GAS LEFT IN TANK. THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON WHEN APPROXIMATELY 2.8 GALLONS OF GAS HAS BEEN USED. WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE THROTTLE IS APPLIED THE ENGINE STALLS UNTIL THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED. WHEN THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED THE ENGINE GOES BACK TO IDLE. WHEN THE THROTTLE IS REAPPLIED THE ENGINE STALLS UNTIL THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED. IF THE THROTTLE IS GENTLY APPLIED THE ENGINE MAY PICKUP SPEED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON DOZENS OF OCCASIONS IN VARIOUS SCENARIOS: A.) THE WORST SITUATIONS HAVE BEEN WHEN PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENGINE STALLS IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BEING PASSED. B.) THE SECOND WORST SITUATION IS WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENGINE STALLS WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION - ESPECIALLY A FOUR-WAY STOP. C.) THE THIRD WORST SITUATION IS WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT LIGHT COMES ON WHEN TURNING A CORNER. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE LOOSE FORWARD MOMENTUM AND TO FALL OVER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TURN - OR IT SURGES AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO "HIGH-SIDE" OVER ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE TURN. I MENTIONED THIS TO THE HD DEALER DURING THE FIRST DEALER CHECK UP (1000 MILE). THEY CLAIMED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IF YOU REVIEW YOUR RECORDS I BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND SEVERAL OTHER SAME TYPE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS VEHICLE. IN SOME CASES THE DEALERS HAVE REPLACED FUEL PUMP, SOCK... IN OTHER CASES THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURE DENIES THIS PROBLEM EXIST. THERE IS A HD XG750/500 FORUM THAT HAS DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS.

MOTORCYCLE LURCHES AND CHOKES WHEN IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR LEAVING A STOP LIGHT. TANK WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF FULL. FILLED UP TANK AND IT STOPPED THE ISSUE. GAS TANK IS NOT EMPTY ENOUGH TO CAUSE LOW GAS INDICATOR TO COME ON SO UNAWARE WHEN THE LURCHING WILL HAPPEN. I HAVE NOT NOTIFIED HARLEY YET BECAUSE IT IS SUNDAY AND I WILL HAVE TO WAIT TIL TUESDAY TO CONTACT THE DEALER. *TR

INTERMITTENT LAG-AND-LEAP/SURGE-AND-BUCK ISSUES. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN ONTO A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, LOST POWER TO THE ENGINE, AND UPON GIVING A SMALL AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL THROTTLE, POWER CAME BACK FULL FORCE, AND FRONT TIRE LOST CONTACT WITH THE GROUND BRIEFLY. HAVING ATTRIBUTED THE ISSUE TO BEING A NEW RIDER, PRACTICE WAS ENGAGED THE SAME EVENING. EXTREME ISSUES FOLLOWED, INCLUDING STALLING THREE TIMES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION, AND AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE RIDE HOME FOLLOWED, LUCKILY WITHOUT MAJOR INCIDENT. MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED INTO THE SHOP THE FOLLOWING DAY AT 90 MILES, AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. ISSUES HAVE NOT RAISED THEMSELVES AGAIN SINCE THE REPAIR, HOWEVER, AS SOME HAVE STATED THEY CAME BACK, AND HD OTHERWISE HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL, I ADD MY COMPLAINT TO THE LIST IN THE HOPES THAT OTHERS WILL NOT BE PUT INTO DANGER BY THIS POTENTIALLY VERY UNSAFE CONDITION. *TR