2003 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHR — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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

I AM WRITING TO REPORT A PROBLEM WITH THE SWINGARM ON HARLEY DAVIDSON TOURING BIKES. THIS AFFECTS NOT ONLY MY 2003 BUT, NEWER BIKES AS WELL. THE BIKES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING WHAT IS TERMED AS THE DEATH WOBBLE AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH AND SOMETIMES LESS ESPECIALLY IN CURVES. THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN TO HD BUT, THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE ANTIQUATED DESIGN OF THEIR SWINGARMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CHANGED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. THE BIKES EXPERIENCE WEAVE OR WOBBLE DUE TO THE SWINGARM HAVING LATERAL MOVEMENT IN CURVES. THERE ARE PENDING LAWSUITS AND ENORMOUS NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS ON INTERNET FORUMS AND EVEN YOUTUBE. THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL EVEN POSTED A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE THAT IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO ON THE WOBBLE PROBLEM. THIS IS LOCATED AT HTTP://YOUTUBE/GMW6QXNEY. THE LAW FIRM WWW.2KELLER.COM IS HANDLING LAW SUITS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM AS WE SPEAK. I HAVE WRITTEN HARLEY CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY SIMPLY DON'T CARE. HARLEY DAVIDSON EVEN SELLS A $400 SWINGARM STABILIZER BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE PROBLEM EXIST BUT, WONT PAY FOR THE FIX. THEY SHOULD BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARDS AS AUTO MANUFACTURERS. PEOPLE ARE GETTING KILLED AND HURT DUE DIRECTLY TO THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR DESIGN. MY ROAD KING DID THIS ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH IN A VERY GRADUAL CURVE. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 5 SECONDS TO TRY AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE BIKE. I HAVE RIDDEN FOR 40 YEARS AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM EXCEPT ON A HARLEY. THIS IS WHY SOME POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE SWITCHING TO BMW'S. I HAD TO BUY A SWINGARM STABILIZER TO TRY AND CORRECT THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. SOMEONE NEEDS TO HOLD THIS CORPORATION ACCOUNTABLE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT. UPDATED 01/10/17 *BF

THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER INSPECTED AND DETERMINED THAT THE BULBS DIDN'T FAIL BUT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS DEFECT IN THE BULB SOCKET. THE DEALER DIDN'T HAVE THE NEWLY DESIGNED BULB SOCKET. THE DEALER BENT THE CONTACT POINT IN THE OLD SOCKETS TO MAKE A CONNECTION. *AK *CB *NLM