Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CPSC: HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE SADDLE BAGS, SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO MY MOTORCYCLE, AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS; I RODE OVER A POT HOLE ON THE HIGHWAY ON THE FIRST INCIDENT, AND AN EXPANSION JOINT ON THE HIGHWAY ON THE SECOND INCIDENT. THE SUSPENSION COMPRESSED, THE LEFT SADDLEBAG BRACKET CAUGHT BENEATH THE UPPER BELT GUARD AND BENT THE UPPER BELT GUARD INTO THE PRIMARY DRIVE BELT AND PULLEY. *BF
WHILE DRIVING MY MOTORCYCLE DURING A MULTI BIKE RIDE I WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT ON MY MOTORCYCLE WAS STAYING BRIGHTLY LIT, AS THOUGH I WAS BRAKING, FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. I HAVE COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE LIGHT WAS STAYING LIT AFTER I HAD RELEASED PRESSURE ON THE MASTER CYLINDER LEVER, ON A SPORADIC BASIS. I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT, ON HARLEY DAVIDSON OWNER FORUMS, THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM THAT CAN SOMETIMES BE FIXED ON A TEMPORARY BASIS BY SPRAYING LUBRICANT ON THE BRAKE PISTON THAT CONTACTS THE BRAKE LEVER. THE UNIT CAN BE REBUILT WHICH IS ALSO A TEMPORARY FIX SINCE THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT THE PISTON RETURN SPRING IS MARGINALLY TOO WEAK. THIS CAUSES THE PISTON NOT TO RETURN THE LEVER FAR ENOUGH FORWARD TO RELEASE PRESSURE ON THE MECHANICAL STOPLIGHT SWITCH. I SUBMIT THAT THIS WEAK RETURN SPRING IS A WIDESPREAD DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT ALLOWS THE BRAKE LIGHT TO CONTINUE TO STAY ON AND, THEN, WHEN THE RIDER DOES GRAB THE LEVER TO STOP, THERE IS NO INDICATION OF A CHANGE IN THE STOPLIGHT INTENSITY WHICH ENDANGERS THE RIDER FROM A POSSIBLE REAR END COLLISION. DEALERS, KNOWING THAT THE SPRING IS A PROBLEM, HAVE STRETCHED THE RETURN SPRING WHEN REBUILDING THE MASTER CYLINDER TO TRY TO PREVENT THIS BUT THAT IS NOT A SATISFACTORY LONG TERM RESOLUTION. THE RETURN SPRINGS NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH A STRONGER SPRING, NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, TO ENSURE THAT THE LEVER IS RETURNED FAR ENOUGH FORWARD TO TURN OFF THE STOPLIGHT SWITCH. I WONDER HOW MANY HD BIKES HAVE B
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.