NHTSA Complaint #11021581 — 2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCUL

DRIVING MY BIKE WHICH I PURCHASED NEW IN FEBRUARY 2015 AND CURRENTLY HAVE 18,000 MILES ON IT I LOST CONTROL OF SHIFTING GEARS. TURNS OUT TO BE THE SHIFTER SHAFT AND CONTROL LEVER WERE STRIPPED. THE GEARS WERE WORN DOWN SO BAD THAT THE SHIFTER WAS NOT ACTIVATING THE CHANGE OF GEARS. I WAS IN MILWAUKEE AND HAD TO LIMP THE BIKE OUT OF BUSY TRAFFIC TO DIAGNOISE THE PROBLEM. THEN I HAD TO DRIVE IN SECOND GEAR FOR OVER 8 MILES AT 25 MPH ON ROADS THAT WERE 45 MPH. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND NOTHING I COULD DO. SIMPLE FIX, REPLACE SHAFT AND SHIFT LEVER. HD KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND IN TALKING WITH MILWAUKEE HD SERVICE ADVISOR HE SAYS THEY HAVE PLENTY OF THE SHAFTS IN STOCK BECAUSE OF THIS VERY ISSUE. THE SHAFT IS FAULTY AND COULD HAVE BEEN A REAL PROBLEM FOR ME. I LOST ALL CONTROL OF SHIFTING. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE, WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS NEEDS TO BE SERIOUSLY LOOKED AT! I KNOW I AM NOT THE FIRST, AND WILL NOT BE THE LAST. THE PARTS ARE CHEAP TO PURCHASE, BUT THE POINT IS SOMETHING THIS SERIOUS SHOULD NOT BE WEARING CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE BIKE. I HAVE OWNED NUMEROUS BIKES PRIOR TO THIS ONE, AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS FAILURE UNTIL THIS MODEL YEAR. *TR