NHTSA Complaint #11121180 — 2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XG750

WHILE RIDING AT LOW SPEED ON CITY STREETS, THE STEERING FELT UNUSUALLY TIGHT. UPON ARRIVING HOME, I LIFTED THE FRONT WHEEL OFF OF THE GROUND AND CONFIRMED THAT SOMETHING WAS BINDING IN THE STEERING HEAD, CAUSING INCREASED STEERING EFFORT AND A "NOTCHY" FEELING. I DEEMED THE MOTORCYCLE UNSAFE TO RIDE. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, I DISASSEMBLED THE STEERING HEAD ASSEMBLY TO INSPECT THE BEARINGS AND FOUND EVIDENCE OF WATER INTRUSION. I FOUND THE UPPER BEARING SLIGHTLY RUSTED AND THE LOWER BEARING SUBSTANTIALLY RUSTED, AND DETERMINED THE RUSTED BEARINGS TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE BINDING. WHILE DISASSEMBLING THE MOTORCYCLE, I DISCOVERED THAT ONE FRONT WHEEL BEARING FELT ROUGH. UPON REMOVING AND DISASSEMBLING THE DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARING, I FOUND IT TO BE RUSTED INTERNALLY. THIS MOTORCYCLE IS THREE YEARS OLD AND HAS ONLY 2,356 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND IT REQUIRES NEW STEERING HEAD BEARINGS AND FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS.