Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

[Retiredin1993]

http://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article88392322.html

 

FILE - This Monday, July 16, 2012, photo, shows a sign for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles at the Harley-Davidsonstore in Glendale, Calif. The U.S. government is investigating complaints from Harley-Davidson riders who say their motorcycle brakes failed without warning, Friday, July 8, 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the investigation covers 430,000 motorcycles with model years between 2008 and 2011.

 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article88392322.html#storylink=cpy

[JRP]

only 43 complaints out of 430,000 bikes, doesn't sound like a very widespread issue. Never had any brake problems on my '09 Ultra w/ ABS. I do my own maint & only changed the brake fluid once in those 7 yrs. Not sure what magic component in the brake fluid that Harley thinks will wear out every 2 yrs. Like many of their service recommendations, they seem more profit based than logic based.

But it sure would be devastating to suddenly find 0 brakes approaching a sharp corner.

[Retiredin1993]

I bet 43 of those 430,000 think it is an issue though.

[TXiceman]

I bet 43 of those 430,000 think it is an issue though.

My thoughts as well. Personally, I would not have a HD.

 

Ken

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

Jim, brake fluid doesn't wear out, but it does like to absorb water. That is the reason we are told to change and flush brake fluid on a periodic basis.

[Kirk W]

We just saw one of the Zero DSR bikes here in the state park and thought of all of our biker friends. Now that might be a bike that even RV could approve of? Reading the site it looks like a pretty poor range for more than commuting. What caught my attention was how quiet it was. Of course, no Harley rider would like that feature.

[skp51443]

The brake fluid issue is really not apparent in normal operation, brake fluid can absorb a lot of water and still work just fine. Where you see issues is in the internal components corroding from the moisture, which usually causes a non catastrophic failure or under prolonged hard braking, where the water boils and gives you spongy to completely failed brakes as the steam bubbles compress and expand preventing the brakes from being applied.

[RV_]

Ron,

Thanks for posting. There may be many more than stated.

 

Jim the problem with bikes and sudden brake failure is that bike accidents are fatal much more often than four wheeler and other vehicles. And Harley riders with their minimal helmets if required or none might not have been able to tell anyone that they tried to stop, but the brakes failed.

 

We had fewer than 33 deaths due to the Ignition switches dropping keys out and disabling power steering and brakes. I was going to say 30 but double checked my facts and found that what initially was thought to be 33 deaths, and was know to both the NHTSA and GM for years turns out to be more than ten times that many: http://hotair.com/archives/2014/03/15/how-many-people-have-died-from-gm-ignition-switch-defect/

 

Kirk,

My Harley was a 1996 Electra Glide classic in States Blue that I bought while stationed in Germany during a Harley military appreciation sale. Which model did you have? I have owned one and put some miles on it in Germany on the Autobahn and then back in the US in the San Antonio/Lackland AFB area where I did my one year retirement tour following 7 years in Europe. I sold it a year later and went back to my favorites, Hondas. I've owned three Goldwings, a 900cc first model, a 1000cc one 1100cc, and one 500cc Silverwing full dressed back in the day as well as several of their 125cc-150cc scooters and one Helix named Felix the Helix. These were after my Allstate by Vespa, my 125 Motoguzzi, my Kawasaki triple threat 2 stroke screamer, my two matched 1975 Norton 850 Commandos one bored out, dressed, and with the Interstate package, my 1969 Triumph 500 Daytona, my first water cooled bike, a Suzuki 500 "Water Buffalo," a 1980 Yamaha 750 three cylinder, and even way back a Honda 305 Dream. But at least I have owned one and put some miles on it in Germany on the Autobahn and then back in the US in the San Antonio/Lackland AFB area where I did my one year retirement tour following 7 years in Europe. The only bike I craved that I did not get was a Ducati road bike 750 and above. I passed on the BMWs. I didn't see them, I rode them hard as daily drivers and usually full dressed or like the Helix with a trunk area for rain gear. I had a Harley Ultra glide trunk on my Honda Elite 150 scooter. White with decals mounted to the rear carrier rack.

 

I like motorcycles especially the unique ones. Luckily I kept pics from my first at 14 to today as well as the cars, trucks, VW Buses, Westphalia campers (7) 30 or so Hot VWs beetles (one convertible Beetle), Ghias (one a convertible,) and a "Thing" as well as a VW fastback and VW notchback, and vans I refurb'd and/or customized, all gas or diesel. I have a deposit of $100 for an Elio gas powered and it looks like they will go into production. I only did a couple of Hi8 videos of my Electra Glide, in uniform with the orange required then (1997) safety vest that we had to wear driving bikes on base.

Here is the Honda Davidson:

 

Here's Felix the Helix:

 

I started on scooters because I was going to carry them on a scooter rack on the back of my fiver, then that fiver was totaled.

 

I even had a Felix the Cat on the back of the trunk area:

[RV_]

Here's the matched set of Norton Commandos we had. They were within 100 of each other in serial numbers. The Silver one is the one with the full dress but in this pic had just come back from a fresh paint job and the Full fairing and saddlebags were off. But behind it you see our Canary yellow AMC Pacer X. Racing stripes and all. That was in our driveway at the Air Force academy in 1979. They were both 1975 models, the last made, and also the first with the shifter and the brake reversed to American standards. The Red White and Blue "Captain America" paint was optional that year. Her full dresser was painted silver and black to match the Vetter fairing and bags.

 

Here's my Triumph Daytona 500 in 1971 parked in front of my barracks in the motorcycle area. Daytona indicated one carb, Tigers had two carbs.