No Manufacturer is Immune

tawilke46

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Another recall of a motorcycle. Seems like a lot of recalls have been happening the last several years of many motor vehicles. No one producer appears to be able to avoid recalls. Maybe the manufacturers are be becoming better at owning up to design and manufacturing errors.


Harley recalls nearly 46,000 motorcycles
Apr 24, 2015 08:18 PM
DETROIT (AP) - Harley-Davidson is recalling nearly 46,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because they could stay in gear due to clutches that won't fully disengage.

The recall covers certain Electra Glide, Ultra Limited, Police Electra Glide, Street Glide, Road Glide and Road King models from the 2014 and 2015 model years.

Harley-Davidson Motor Co. said in documents that gas bubbles can cause the clutch master cylinder to lose its ability to fully disengage the clutch, especially if the bike has been parked for a long time. This could cause a rider to lose control of the motorcycle if it's started in gear.

The problem was found through customer complaints. Harley reported 27 crashes and four minor injuries.

Dealers will flush the clutch and rebuild the master cylinder. The recall was to start April 23.
 
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RedLdr1

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Maybe the manufacturers are be becoming better at owning up to design and manufacturing errors.
I suspect manufacturers getting sued for not quickly recalling vehicles when a safety problem is found has a lot to do with it as well....;)

When my last Harley was recalled my dealer gave me a 25% off shopping spree coupon on in stock dealer installed accessories so I "would have something to do" while it was being checked. i passed on that offer but I'm sure a lot of other owners didn't. A good marketing / customer service move on the dealers part, and I'll bet they made money while doing recall warranty work instead of losing money.
 

Bear

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Harley-Davidson has some really sharp people in their organization. It is a company like no other motorcycle manufacturer. They seem to excel in every aspect.
 
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tawilke46

tawilke46

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I can imagine the shock the rider would experience when the clutch would not disengage. Could be a potentially bad experience. I guess you would have to hit the kill switch or frantically try to hit neutral.
 
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tawilke46

tawilke46

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Speaking of this reminds me of a little fopah that occurred last week on one of my Wee rides. My duh moment was not being in 1st gear at a left turn signal, I was in second gear and did not know it. Of course when the light changed I did the usual, gas, let clutch out, and then stall in the middle of the intersection with cars behind me and all around. So being the creature of habit I am I tried the same thing again. Stall again, then a light bulb went off??.:doh1:you dummy you are in second gear! Note to self remember to check you are in first gear at a stop sigh or traffic signal.
Imagine if the clutch would not disengage!
 

DirtFlier

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[...I'll bet they made money while doing recall warranty work instead of losing money...]


Losing money on recalls is something of a fallacy. It is obviously not as lucrative as selling/installing accessories but dealers still make money. Plus, if there are lots of units involved, after a week or two the techs will have figured out a bunch of new shortcuts so they'll beat the flat rate time given by the manufacturer. They get paid per job not by how long it took them.

A large part of any manufacturer fessing up more quickly these days has to do with the huge fines levied recently against Toyota, GM, and Honda for dragging their feet. BMW motorcycles has one currently that covers 15 different models from 2007-2011. All the effected models/years are detailed in the latest MCN on their Recall Page. BMW finally admitted there was a problem with the final drive.
 
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Greatbeard

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I my dealer gave me a 25% off shopping spree coupon on in stock dealer installed
I was just in for my Dodge Ram airbag recall. I was told to expect anywhere from 4 hours to all day. When I dropped it off they did their best to sell me a bunch of services. I informed them that not only was I broke, broke, broke, but that I did all my own service work. They had me in and out in 30 minutes. I appreciate their swiftness on my part, but it's obvious recalls have been turned into just another profit center by the dealers.
 
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Consider what the recall situation would look like were we still in the days of yesteryear when Lucas, Ltd. made our lives so interesting. :rolleyes:

But, truth be told, other manufacturers also had some interesting foibles. A case in point:

1971 Honda SL350 K1. This had a single fuse for all the outputs to the bike. If this fuse blew the bike would die. Lights, ignition, the works. The wiring to the tail/brake lights ran through a channel built underneath the aluminum rear fender, following its contour. Vibration would wear away the wiring insulation, causing an intermittent potential short circuit. I had this situation. It took a bit to diagnose, because in my case it was the brake light wire. If one was using the brakes at a point where the conductor grounded the fuse blew and the bike would die (along with the lights going out) right then and there. :eek1: Definitely a recall candidate today, one would think.
 

RedLdr1

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Consider what the recall situation would look like were we still in the days of yesteryear when Lucas, Ltd. made our lives so interesting.
I hauled my A-H Sprite Mk II in to the auto hobby shop and totally rewired it in an attempt to defeat the Lord of Darkness....it didn't work. I have no doubt they would still be issuing recalls on it after fifty years...:eek1:
 
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My first bike was the 1971 Honda CL175, but it had a very similar design. Learned to always carry chewing gum as the wrapper would make a temporary fix for a blown fuse. Don't know how I didn't end up torching the thing. :)
The thing that set me on the right track to determine the problem was when I picked up some wire lying on the side of the road as a substitute for my last blown fuse. Both brake light switches melted. Ah ha!
 
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