2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHX Engine Problems

WHILE RIDING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE BIKE WENT INTO A 'LIMP' MODE ALL OF A SUDDEN AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 15-20 MPH. HAD TO CUT ACROSS TRAFFIC WITHOUT GETTING HIT TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TURNED OFF BIKE AND IT RESET WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. RESEARCHED PROBLEM ON LINE AND HAVE SEEMS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS YEAR AND IT'S BEING TRACED BAD PINS USED IN SOME OF THE CONNECTORS DURING THIS TIME.

RIDING MY FLHX THE OTHER DAY AND BIKE STARTED MAKING NOISE FROM MY PRIMARY AND I PULLED OVER AND CHECKED NOISE AND COMFIRMED IT WAS COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE(PRIMARY). MADE IT HOME SAFE; WASN'T FAR FROM HOME. TOOK OFF THE PRIMARY COVER AND CHECKED OVER THE INNER PRIMARY COMPONENTS. THE COMPENSATOR AND ADJUSTER WERE BAD. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THE AUTO-ADJUSTED CHAIN TENSIONER TIGHTENS SO BAD OVER TIME THAT IT RATCHETS ALL THE SPROKET PARTS DOWN SO BAD THAT IT STARTES TO CREATE WEAR ON COMPONENTS SO BAD THAT PARTS CAN BREAK LOOSE, LOCK UP, AND THE COMPONENTS IN MY YEAR FLHX ARE SEVERLY UNDER RATED. THIS COMPENSATOR WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR ANYTHING BIGGER THAN AN 80 CUBIC INCH MOTOR; MY BIKE CAME STOCK WITH A 96 CUBIC INCH MOTOR. FLHX IS PAST ANY WARRANTY, BUT THIS IS AN INCREASING PROBLEM THAT HARLEY SHOULD BE...

I HAVE ACTUALLY 2 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ENGINE I BOUGHT A 103 KIT IN MY HARLEY FROM THE FACTORY ... IN THE PAST YEAR I'VE NOTICED SOME ISSUES WITH STARTING ON TAKING IT INTO A MECHANIC I WAS TOLD THE ISSUE WAS INHERENT WITH THE 103 ENGINE THAT WAS LATER ADDRESSED WHICH THEY ADDED COMPRESSION RELEASE TO THE HEADS ... I AM OUT OF WARRANTY SO I WENT AHEAD WITH THIS FROM MY MECHANIC ... HOWEVER IN DOING SO HE HAD IT APART AND TOOK A LOOK AT THE COMPENSATOR AND PRIMARY BEARING ... BOTH OF WHICH WERE BAD ... I LOOK ON THE FORUMS AND IT APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE ... WHY WAS THIS NOT ADDRESSED AND RECALLED? BOTH ISSUES ARE PREVALENT FOR MY YEAR / MODEL ... OR ANY MODEL FOR THAT YEAR AND THAT ENGINE ... *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY AT AROUND 60 MPH I WENT TO PASS A CAR AND WHILE IN THE OTHER LANE PASSING I LOST ALL THROTTLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AND VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE BEEN RIDING MOTORCYCLES FOR 40+ YEARS AND CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO AN INEXPERIENCED RIDER. I CAN NOT TO THIS DAY GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM DEALER'S OR MECHANICS. I GUESS THIS IS ALL INCLUDED IN THE $22,000 I DISHED OUT.VERY VERY DANGEROUS. THERE ARE DEFINITE ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (FLY BY WIRE). *TR