NHTSA Complaint #10400369 — 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCUTG

THE MOTORCYCLE HAS RUN VERY HOT FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT IT 5/10/2011. EVERY TIME I HAD SERVICE, I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE HEAT FROM THE PIPES. I STOPPED AT A HD DEALER IN ALEXANDRIA, LA ON 9/17/2010, AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE BIKE. I WAS TOLD AT INSTALLATION THE PIPES HAD BEEN INSTALLED WITH NO REMAP OR HIGH FLOW FILTER. I WAS CHARGED $413.57 TO INSTALL THE NEEDED FILTER AND DOWNLOADED A NEW REMAP. I LEFT ABOUT 5:30 P.M. TO RETURN TO MADISON, MS. THE ONLY STOPS WERE AT GAS STATIONS TO FILL UP. THE VENTS ON THE FAIRINGS WERE WIDE OPEN. I RODE WITH MY LEGS UP FROM THE PEDALS BUT COULD FEEL MY RIGHT LEG GETTING UNCOMFORTABLY HOT. WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION, I PULLED UP MY PANT LEG. I SAW MY RIGHT CALF WAS BLISTERED FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE PIPES. (I HAVE A PICTURE OF MY BLISTERED LEG.) I CALLED HD HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A DEALER FOR SERVICE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT COOPERATIVE WHEN I CALLED TO TALK TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SAID THE TRIKES RUN HOT . APRIL 2011, I WENT TO WILDCAT HD IN LONDON, KY BECAUSE THEY HAVE A TRIKE DYNAMOMETER. THEY TESTED THE BIKE AND IT SHOWED IT RAN A FEW DEGREES ABOVE ACCEPTABLE LIMITS. HD HEADQUARTERS REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE BIKE. IT COST ME $1470 TO INSTALL POWER DUAL HEADPIPES AND A SUPER TUNER AS WELL AS THE COST OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE DYNAMOMETER. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE I BOUGHT THE TRIKE THAT IT HAS BEEN A COMFORTABLE RIDE WITHOUT EXCESSIVE HEAT COMING FROM THE PIPES. IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY YET, HARLEY DAVIDSON DOESN'T CONSIDER THIS TO BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I HAVE LOOKED AT THE WEB PAGES AT HDFORUMS.COM AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH OTHER TRIKE OWNERS. THEY HAVE RECEIVED NO HELP FROM HD HEADQUARTERS. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON NEEDS TO ADDRESS AND FIX.