2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Fltru

THROTTLE BY WIRE (TBW) SAFETY . I PURCHASED THE BIKE IN JUNE OF 2012. THE FIRST ISSUE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE BIKE. TO DATE I HAVE HAD 7 INCIDENCES WITH THE TBW, EITHER GOING FULL THROTTLE OR NO THROTTLE. HAVE HAD THE BIKE BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR REPAIRS. AT THE MOMENT I DON' ??T THINK I CAN SAFELY RIDE THE ROAD GLIDE. WILL IT RESPOND THE WAY I WANT IT TOO WHEN I PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC, CRUISING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, NEGOTIATING AN INTERSECTION, MERGING OR PASSING A VEHICLE? JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF HARLEY DAVIDSON TBW ISSUES. I DO NOT WANT MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED, DUE TO THE LACK OF THROTTLE CONTROL. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT RIDER SAFETY AND DO NOT FEEL THAT TBW TECHNOLOGY, AT LEAST FOR MOTORCYCLES, HAS BEEN PERFECTED ENOUGH TO BE SAFE. IF YOU GOGGLE THE PROBLEM YOU WILL FIND THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS INCIDENTS CONCERNING THIS ISSUE ON ALL HARLEY DAVIDSON. TOURING MODELS EQUIPPED WITH TBW. *TR

I WAS RIDING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AROUND 60MPH AND I TOOK MY HANDS OFF THE HANDLEBARS TO READJUST SOMETHING, AND THE HANDLEBARS STARTED TO VIBRATE SLIGHTLY, AND MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE, AND THEN VERY VIOLENTLY. I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE BIKE UNTIL I GRIPPED THE HANDLEBARS AGAIN. I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE A LOW TIRE, I PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE AIR PRESSURE AND TIRES, ALL LOOKED OK. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS JUST THE ROAD I WAS ON AT THE TIME, SO I TRIED IT AGAIN ON A DIFFERENT ROAD AT THE SAME SPEED, SAME RESULTS. I TRIED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS, AND IT HAPPENED AT 45MPH ALSO. I TOOK IT TO THE HARLEY DEALER, BECAUSE THE BIKE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THE SPOKES ON MY WIRE WHEELS ARE COMING LOOSE, AND THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT, WILL NOT WARRANTY THE WHEELS. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY COULD TRY TO "TIGHTEN" UP THE SPKES FOR AROUND $200 DOLLARS, BUT HE SAID THEY WILL LOOSEN UP AFTER A WHILE! I HAVE BEEN FORCED FOR MY OWN SAFETY TO REMOVE THESE DEFECTIVE SPOKE WHEELS AND PUT DIFFERENT ONES ON THE BIKE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND I AM AFRAID A LESS EXPERIENCED RIDER UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS WILL NOT SURVIVE IF THEY EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING I DID. DOES IT TAKE SOME ONE DYEING FOR HARLEY TO REPAIR A KNOWN DEFECT? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE ULTRA MOTORCYCLE (N.A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,200. UPDATED 10/24/12*LJ UPDATED 10/31/2012 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON FL TRUSE (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXHAUST PIPE HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE THAT BURNT HIS LEG THROUGH HIS PANTS. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES, BUT THERE WAS REDNESS OF THE SKIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LONGER HE DROVE THE MOTORCYCLE, THE HOTTER IT WOULD BECOME. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WAS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. THE CONTACT USED A HANDHELD INFRARED SCANNER AND DETERMINED THAT THE EXHAUST PIPE HEATED UP TO APPROXIMATELY 300 TO 320 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THIS TEST WAS CONDUCTED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLED AT 2,000 RPM FOR ABOUT THREE MINUTES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,550 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 9,000. UPDATED 08/23/12*LJ UPDATED 09/24/2012 *JS

I WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH A STOP SIGN AND BEGAN DECELERATING. AT ABOUT 40MPH, I MOMENTARILY TOOK MY HANDS OFF THE HANDLEBARS TO ZIP UP MY JACKET AND THE STEERING FORKS BEGAN TO SHAKE BACK AND FORTH. THE SHAKING GREW MORE VIOLENT IN JUST A SECOND OR TWO. I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY HANDS BACK ON THE HANDLEBARS AND THE SHAKING STOPPED AND OPERATION WAS NORMAL. I DID NOT LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE BUT FELT THAT IF I HAD NOT REGAINED CONTROL I WOULD HAVE CRASHED. *TT

AS THE MOTORCYCLE DECELERATES BETWEEN 40 AND 36 MPH, THE HANDLE BARS BEGIN TO WOBBLE AND SHAKE IF HAND PRESSURE IS REDUCED OR REMOVED FROM THE HANDLEBARS. IF YOU DON' T GRIP THE HANDLEBARS TIGHTLY, THE STEERING WOBBLE INTENSIFIES VIOLENTLY TO THE POINT WHERE YOU WOULD LOSE CONTROL. THIS STARTED THE DAY I PICKED UP THE BIKE (BRAND NEW). AT THE 1000 MILE CHECK-UP, THEY CLAIM TO HAVE ADJUSTED THE STEERING HEAD BEARING, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. AFTER FURTHER COMPLAINTS, THEIR RESPONSE RANGES FROM "IT DOESN'T DO IT FOR US" TO "THERE'S IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT". I HAVE NOTICED HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER RIDERS ON VARIOUS H-D OWNER FORUMS, BUT THE COMPANY IS IN DENIAL. *TR

2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE ULTRA (FLTRU) FRONT END SHAKE WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS BETWEEN 37-42 MPH. AIR PRESSURE FOR TIRES AT RECOMMENDED VALUE FROM OWNERS MANUAL. THIS IS HAPPENING FROM NEW, VERY UNSAFE TO RIDE IN THAT MPH RANGE. HARLEY HAS DENIED THE PROBLEM AND WILL NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. DEALER ADMITS THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO FIX. *TR

I WAS ON A ROAD TRIP TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON 5/4//2011 & HAD STOP FOR FUEL & WAS LOOKING OVER MY 2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLTRX MOTORCYCLE & NOTIFIED WHAT TO BE A SMALL CRACK IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRES. I WAS ABOUT 50 MILES FROM THE CLOSEST HD DEALERSHIP. I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY HAD NO TIRES IN STOCK & WOULD BE AT LEAST 1 WEEK. THEY CALLED AHEAD TO THE NEXT CLOSEST DEALERSHIP. THEY NOTED THAT THE TIRE WAS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES ON THE SIDEWALLS. I WAS ABLE TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT THAT TIME. I TRAVEL TO THE NEXT DEALERSHIP & THEY INSPECTED THE TIRE & REPLACED IT TO ME AT NO CHARGE BECAUSE TIRE WAS DEFECTED. THE BIKE WAS BOUGHT NEW IN OCT 2010 & HAD APX. 3,800 MILES WHEN I SPOTTED THE CRACKS. & 3919 WHEN IT WAS REPLACED. I KEPT THE PROPER AIR IN TIRES. THE TIRE SIZE IS D408F 130/70B18 BW I DIDN'T SEE 130 IN TIRE SIZE & ALSO MY BIKE MODEL SO I USED ON SIMILAR MINE IS FLTRX THANKS YOU *TR

WHEN SLOWING DOWN THE FRONT STEERING MECHANISM WILL RADICALLY SWERVE LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT AND SO FORTH WHEN YOU CROSS 42 MPH. IF CRUISING AT 55 AND YOU ENTER A TOWN AND LET GO OF THE HANDLE BAR TO ADJUST YOUR HAT AS THE BIKE CROSSES 42 MPH THE STEERING HEAD WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND ONLY QUICK REFLEXES TO GRAB THE BAR WILL SAVE YOU FROM A CRASH. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PEOPLE ON THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR OF BIKE. THE PROBLEM IS THE STEERING HEAD BEARINGS ARE MAL-ADJUSTED FROM THE FACTORY. YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT THIS HERE: HTTP://WWW.ROADGLIDE.ORG/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=3582