NHTSA Complaint #11104271 — 2017 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLRT

THE VEHICLE HAD APPROX 1200 MILES ON ODOMETER. I TOOK IT TO DEALER FOR 1K MILE SERVICE. THEY CALLED BACK AND ADVISED ME OF A PROBLEM, I ASKED WHAT KIND, THEY ADVISED TEETH MISSING OFF OF DRIVE BELT, I ASKED HOW MANY , THEY REPLIED MORE THAN 20.. I HAD PREVIOUSLY NOTICED SLIGHT JERKING WHEN RELEASING CLUTCH AND GETTING UNDERWAY, BUT BLAMED IT ON OPERATOR ERROR.. THE AMOUNT OF TEETH MISSING COULD HAVE LED TO A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF POWER. DON'T KNOW IF THE DRIVE BELT WAS DEFECTIVE, IT IS BEING REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. POSSIBLE CAUSE COULD BE RELATED TO THE REAR PULLEY. UPON EXAMINATION IT SHOWED SIGNS OF EXTREME WEAR FOR 1200 MILES, INCLUDING GOUGES ON THE TIP OF EVERY TOOTH ACROSS THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF PULLEY. ALSO NOTICED THERE WAS DEFORMATION AND REDISTRIBUTION OF THE METAL TEETH RESULTING IN SOME SHARP EDGES BEING CREATED. THE FRONT (TRANSMISSION) PULLEY DID NOT SEEM TO BE AFFECTED, BUT DUE TO IT'S SMALLER SIZE THE LARGE SECTION OF MISSING TEETH WOULD BE ENOUGH TO ENCIRCLE IT, WHICH COULD HAVE LED TO A POSSIBLE LOSS OF POWER.