NHTSA Complaint #11006574 — 2017 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLTRXS

ON 7/19/17, WHILE RIDING IN 85+ DEGREE HEAT, THE CLUTCH ON THE BIKE BEGAN TO OPERATE DIFFERENTLY THAN NORMAL, ENGAGING EARLIER AND EARLIER. (NORMALLY THE CLUTCH WILL NOT ENGAGE UNTIL THE LAST FEW DEGREES OF TRAVEL AT THE HAND LEVER.) AS TRAFFIC GREW AND BECAME MORE STOP AND GO, THIS BECAME WORSE AND WORSE UNTIL FINALLY, WITH THE CLUTCH LEVER PULLED ALL THE WAY BACK, THE BIKE CONTINUED TO MOVE UNDER ITS OWN POWER, EVEN WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED. ONLY SWITCHING THE ENGINE OFF KEPT ME FROM HITTING THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER I GOT THE BIKE OFF TO THE SHOULDER, I STARTED IT AGAIN. THE CLUTCH LEVER FELT A LITTLE BETTER, BUT THE FIRST TIME I STARTED TO HAVE TO SLIP IT TO CONTROL MY MOVEMENT IN TRAFFIC, IT IMMEDIATELY FAILED AGAIN. BEING CLOSE TO HOME AT THIS POINT, I MERELY RODE HOME ON THE SHOULDER IN FIRST GEAR. THE BIKE WAS PICKED UP TODAY BY THE SELLING DEALERSHIP, SO WE WILL HAVE TO SEE WHAT THEY FIND. IT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE THE TWO PREVIOUS RECALLS FOR CLUTCH ISSUES. AS A SIDE NOTE, I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, WITH OVER 200,000 MILES TO MY CREDIT, WITH NO ACCIDENTS OR ISSUES. THIS IS THE CLOSEST I HAVE EVER COME TO CRASHING A BIKE.