57,000 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles recalled for oil-associated defect!

Award-winning biker brand Harley-Davidson are recalling 57,000 motorbikes worldwide as a result of an oil line defect!

From what we know, 57,000 motorbikes are having a recall as there’s a danger of an oil line becoming loose which could spew oil into the path of the rear tire. This could cause accidents for obvious reasons, so we want all bikers to be wary of this issue and check with Harley if they need to and make sure all bikes are safe to ride.

Harley say that a clamp on an engine oil cooler line may not have been installed correctly. This may result in loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of an accident. The defect notice lists the cause as: “missed operation by assembly line worker.”

Affected models

The recall includes some 2017 Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Police Electra Glide, Police Road King, Road King, Road King Special, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Road Glide and Road Glide Special motorbikes manufactured from 2^nd July 2016 through to 9^th May 2017.

Of the 2017 Touring models, most were sold in the U.S.

Reported problems

The manufacturer was first made aware of the fault as there were 9 reports of oil lines coming off. These problems were reported to regulators, and investigations and recalls have followed as a result.

Rectifying the issue

To rectify the issue, Harley-Davidson has asked for all dealers to inspect the clamps and fix them at no charge to customers. With most of the 2017 Touring models identified in the U.S., Harley-Davidson are urging dealers to immediately take action by scheduling appointments to check out the clamps.

Although the problem is high-risk – given the potential of causing fatalities – the fix is only expected to take 30 minutes.

It’s believed that the recalls started on 6^th June with the bulk-majority (46,000) of the motorbikes being recalled in the U.S. A spokesperson for the manufacturer said in a statement:

“…this is a voluntary recall in the interest of customer safety.”

Déjà vu?

This isn’t the first time Harley-Davidson has had to recall motorbikes. In July 2016, the manufacturer was being investigated by regulators after some owners reported their bike’s brakes failing without warning. The investigation involved 430,000 motorbikes for model years between 2008-2011.

Harley-Davidson was forced to shut down its factory in January due to “a critical malfunction of a clutch assembly” which involved 30,000 motorbikes with the clutch problem.