NHTSA Complaint #11604357 — 2022 HARLEY-DAVIDSON RA1250

The coolant hose on the lower right side of the radiator is positioned very closely to the front cylinder exhaust pipe. Installation guidance is 7mm clearance prior to any hose bulge due to temperatures associated with engine cooling. This resulted in the coolant hose being exposed to very high temperatures, causing it to melt to the point of coolant exiting the system. The spray of coolant is positioned in such a way that it sprays onto the rider, the right side of the rear tire and the road, posing significant hazard to the rider and the vehicle if operated at anything greater than approximately 10 mph. The manufacturer is aware of the issue as they corrected it in the 2023 model year with an updated radiator featuring a clamp to ensure separation, though no correction or recall has been offered to earlier model years where this flaw exists. The problem has not yet been inspected or reproduced. No visual signals were present prior to the melting of the coolant pipe, and due to the low clearance between this coolant pipe and the exhaust pipe, the problem was not detected prior to the temperatures melting through the coolant pipe, resulting in coolant spray onto the exposed exhaust pipe.