NHTSA Complaint #10171284 — 2000 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHRCI

REAR BRAKE FAILURE, RIDING IN HIGH ALTITUDES. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AFTER RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE 500+ MILES A DAY, AND TRAVELING THROUGH MOUNTAINS, THE REAR BRAKE WILL SUDDENLY NOT WORK, THE PEDAL JUST DROPS TO THE FLOORBOARD. AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT 2 MIN. BRAKE OPERATION RETURNS TO NORMAL. I RETURNED THE BIKE TO 2 DIFFERENT HARLEY DEALERS IN MI. WHERE I LIVE. BOTH COULD NOT VERIFY THE PROBLEM AND NOTHING WAS DONE. I WROTE A LETTER TO HARLEY EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AND THE DEALERS LACK OF CONCERN. ( I AM A PROFESSIONAL MECHANIC IN A CHRYSLER, JEEP, DODGE DEALER AND I ASSURED THEM SUCH A COMPLAINT WOULD NOT BE TREATED SO LIGHTLY BY US) I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM SOMEONE IN HARLEY DAVIDSON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED "OFF THE RECORD" HARLEY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS NO FIX FOR IT,THE NEW BIKES SWITCHED FROM DOT5 BRAKE FLUID TO DOT4, BUT MY BIKE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH DOT4, SO I WAS ADVISED I SHOULD BUY A NEW BIKE. ON SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 2006 MY REAR BRAKE FAILED IN KNOXVILLE TENN. AND I REAR ENDED A TRUCK WITH MY BIKE. GOOGLE ACTUALLY HAS A WEB FORUM ABOUT HARLEY REAR BRAKE FAILURES. HTTP://GROUPS.GOOGLE.COM/GROUP/REC.MOTORCYCLES.HARLEY/BROWSE_THREAD/THREAD/9BBBD0EEB1692582/C17370B426F02402%23C17370B426F02402 DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I AM SERIOUSLY INJURED TO GET MY BIKE FIXED RIGHT? *NM *JS *TR