NHTSA Complaint #10455386 — 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHRC

AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES, MY MOTORCYCLE DID NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE INPUT. THE ENGINE RAN, BUT WENT INTO "LIMP MODE", WHICH IS A LOW RPM ONLY MODE. I COULD NOT MAINTAIN THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE BIKE ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES AND THE ISSUE CEASED. THIS SITUATION OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME LATER THAT SAME DAY BUT REQUIRED AT LEAST 5 ATTEMPTS AT TURNING THE POWER ON AND OFF BEFORE I COULD REGAIN THE FULL RANGE OF THROTTLE RESPONSE REQUIRED TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD. I TOOK THE BIKE INTO THE LOCAL HD DEALER. THEY RECOVERED AT LEAST TWO ERROR CODES FROM THE BIKE. THEY ASKED IF I HAD THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR OR THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED. THEY SAID THE "LIMP THROTTLE" ISSUE IS COMMON WITH "DRIVE BY WIRE" (NO MECHANICAL THROTTLE CABLE) HARLEYS. THEY SAID THEY WOULD FIX THE ISSUE. I CONVEYED MY CONCERN THAT THIS CONDITION IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IF IT OCCURS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED DOWN THE INTERSTATE OR IN A LANE OF TRAFFIC WHERE I COULDN'T EASILY PULL OVER AFTER LOSING THROTTLE RESPONSE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, BUT AGREES THAT ERROR CODES WERE DISPLAYED WHEN I BROUGHT THE BIKE IN FOR SERVICE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I AM HESITANT TO RIDE MY MOTORCYCLE IN TRAFFIC FOR FEAR THAT I WILL BE REAR ENDED IF THE BIKE ENTERS LIMP MODE AT SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING. IT APPEARS THIS ISSUE IS SOMEWHAT PREVALENT ON LATE MODEL DRIVE BY WIRE HARLEYS. REFERENCE MESSAGE BOARD LINK: HTTP://WWW.HARLEY-DAVIDSONFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/TOURING-GENERAL-DISCUSSIONS/10308-09-TOURING-BIKE-POSSIBLE-WIRING-HARNESS-ISSUE-3.HTML IT IS TROUBLESOME THAT THE DEALER WASN'T SURPRISED THAT THIS ISSUE AROSE. *JS