NHTSA Complaint #11242559 — 2003 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHR

I AM WRITING AS TO A SAFETY CONCERN DEALING WITH ALL OF HARLEY DAVIDSON'S TOURING BIKES. AFTER CONTACTING HD ABOUT MY CONCERNS I REALIZED I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO CARED. THEY HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE SWINGARMS ON THESE MOTORCYCLES THAT CAUSES DANGEROUS OSCILLATIONS THAT CAUSE THE BIKE TO LOSE CONTROL AT SPEEDS FROM 60MPH TO ABOUT 70 MPH. THE BIKES TEND TO FISH TAIL THAT CAUSES THE RIDERS TO LOSE CONTROL OR MAKE THEM VERY SCARED TO RIDE THEM. HD HAS NO ENTITY TO MAKE THEM AS A CORPORATION TO FIX OR ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. THEY KNOW THE PROBLEM EXIST BUT, CLAIM IT IS THE CONSUMERS PROBLEM AND NOT THEIRS. FOR THE MOST PART HD CORPORATE DENIES THE PROBLEM AT ALL. THE INTERNET IS INUNDATED BY RIDERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT, HD REFUSES TO ADMIT THIS. I BELIEVE IT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF MANY RIDERS GETTING KILLED AND OR HURT ESPECIALLY GOING INTO CURVES ON THESE MACHINES. HD EVEN SELLS A SWINGARM STABILIZER FOR ABOUT $400 BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THEIR MACHINES ARE FAULTY. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM AT 70MPH AND IT TOOK ME ALMOST 10 SECONDS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE BIKE. AFTER TAKING THE SWINGARM APART I FOUND THE DESIGN EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE BIKE AND A PASSENGER IN PARTICULAR. THEY HAVE NO SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES TO MAKE THEM RESPONSIBLE AS DO MAJOR AUTO MANUFACTURERS. THIS NOT ONLY AFFECTS THIS MOTORCYCLE BUT ALL OF HD'S TOURING BIKES OF ALL DATES OF MANUFACTURE. *JS