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Harley Announces Recall of 13,400 Bikes
AP (Absolute Prevarication) ^ | 11/23/2005 | Staff

Posted on 11/23/2005 12:31:34 PM PST by Red Badger

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Harley-Davidson Inc. issued a voluntary safety recall on 2006 model Dyna series motorcycles built between June 9 and Oct. 19 due to a transmission defect.

The company said late Tuesday the recall affects some 13,400 motorcycles and is expected to cost less than $5 million, which it will make reservations for in the fourth quarter.

Harley-Davidson also said it expects to meet its previously announced wholesale shipment target of 329,000 motorcycles for 2005.

The Milwaukee-based company said it will provide owners with free pickup and delivery and will make recall kits, which include three redesigned transmission components, available at dealerships starting the week of Dec. 12.

The defect may allow the motorcycles to go into a false neutral position even though the neutral indicator light is illuminated, it said.

"If that happens, the transmission could engage into first or second gear unexpectedly," Harley-Davidson spokesman Bob Klein said Wednesday.

Two accidents related to the problem were reported, but none resulted in injury, Klein said.

The defect resulted from a design flaw in the six-speed transmission, which replaced the five-speed on the Dyna to make for a smoother ride at highway speeds and increase fuel efficiency, Klein said.

The redesign also resulted in a change to the front forks, chassis and a wider rear tire.

Shipments of the 2006 Dyna had been delayed but resumed after a change to production, he said.

Harley-Davidson shares rose $1.20, or 2.2 percent, to $55.67 in Wednesday afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, amid a general gain in market prices on optimism over consumer spending this holiday season.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: gearhead; harley; motorcycle; motorcycles; recall
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To: -YYZ-
The Italian company Moto Guzzi actually did start out making farm machinery.

And Maserati originally made machine tools (lathes & mills), Lamborgini made farm machinery as well. Like great presidents, great machinery is prone to humble beginnings.

BTW, the large alloy drum brakes on '67 to '72 HD's, both the Sporty and Electra-Glide, were Italian designed. HD did a lot with the Italians in the 60's including the consideration of collaborating on a four cyl. like the Honda Four years before Honda. What a lot of Harley greatness was flushed down the AMF toilet. The CEO's at GM should be reading Harley history right now. It just might save their butt?

361 posted on 11/25/2005 2:04:04 PM PST by elbucko
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To: Salamander

I just put the Big Radius on my Nighttrain a few weeks ago. Sounds so much better than stock. I seriously considered powdercoating them but glad I didn't. Just the right amount of chrome.


362 posted on 11/25/2005 2:04:40 PM PST by billbears (Deo Vindice)
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To: billbears

The Night Train is a wicked work of art.

Hubby thinks I'm insane but I want the bare minimum of chrome on my trike.

He's going to get that Alsa Corp "black chrome" coating and put it on everything.

[forks, wheels...even the new spiffy chrome battery box he just bought me...poor guy]...LOL!

I love polished stainless steel and aluminum but chrome just doesn't do me.

The Vance & HInes reference was about their current V-Twin speed records.

They make great pipes.

Hubby is nuts for Thunderheaders and he's busy refitting my Sporty for a setup like his.


363 posted on 11/25/2005 2:36:32 PM PST by Salamander (Cursed With Second Sight)
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To: billbears

Oh...and you have to post pictures of your NT now, ya know.

No fair teasing....:)


364 posted on 11/25/2005 2:37:26 PM PST by Salamander (Cursed With Second Sight)
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To: HOTTIEBOY

I have a much taller sissy bar.


365 posted on 11/25/2005 2:41:58 PM PST by Melas (What!? Read or learn something? Why would anyone do that, when they can just go on being stupid)
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To: Crooked Constituent

The punchline is actually "On a Hoover, the dirtbag is on the inside."


366 posted on 11/25/2005 2:42:07 PM PST by Salamander (Cursed With Second Sight)
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To: HOTTIEBOY

I sure hope your Honda doesn't fit like your clothes. By some that fit. LOL.


367 posted on 11/25/2005 2:52:47 PM PST by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

I'll be so glad when the "I'm wearing my fat uncle's hand-me-downs" look goes out of style....:)


368 posted on 11/25/2005 3:01:42 PM PST by Salamander (Cursed With Second Sight)
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To: Salamander

Don't think I've got any pics since I put the pipes on. Will take one when I take it out tomorrow.


369 posted on 11/25/2005 3:23:00 PM PST by billbears (Deo Vindice)
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To: billbears

Cool.

Ping me....:)


370 posted on 11/25/2005 3:27:34 PM PST by Salamander (Cursed With Second Sight)
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To: blarney
Nope definitely not the first recall, though Harley has done a good job of making them as minor as possible.

Must have been after I had to give them up – what was it for, the sound of laughter coming from the pipes every time a Harley passed by a broke down rice burner on the side of the road?
371 posted on 11/25/2005 3:30:41 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: blarney

Lucas - and some really bad lube systems.


372 posted on 11/25/2005 3:31:21 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: R. Scott

Oh it actually depends on the bike. The last one I remember was needing to change the gasket on the clutch inspection cover. They got rid of the leaking o-ring and went with an actual gasket. For the most part they have all been minor like this.


373 posted on 11/25/2005 3:32:12 PM PST by blarney
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To: blarney

Ooooh! A leak! How terrible!


374 posted on 11/25/2005 3:36:14 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: R. Scott

I hate leaks. I have fired a few mechanics for trying the old "it's a harley, it's supposed to leak" line. Thats a rule in my shop is "no leaks".

I am getting all irritable thinking about that now.


375 posted on 11/25/2005 3:54:39 PM PST by blarney
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To: blarney
"it's a harley, it's supposed to leak"

I’ve owned and ridden 4 Harleys. None leaked – but I did have friends who rode Harleys that wanted to mark their territory.
376 posted on 11/25/2005 3:57:48 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: -YYZ-
The Italian company Moto Guzzi actually did start out making farm machinery. Their trademark 90-degree v-twin with a longitudinal crank was originally designed to power some sort 3-wheeled vehicle, I think.

Nope. Guzzi started out in 1921 building motorcycle - beating BMW by two years - making them Europe's oldest bike builder.

The 3-wheel vehicle was a prototype built for the Italian military and never went into production. The v-twin motor it had shared little with the v-twins that showed up in bikes in '65.

I know whence I speak.

377 posted on 11/25/2005 4:06:36 PM PST by uglybiker (nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh BAT MAN!!)
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To: R. Scott

Those are usually just a checkball needing replacement. I hate it, it doesn't take much to replace the checkball. The old total evac motors were the only ones designed to leak, the fat bobs(going from a lot of memory now since I haven't worked on one in over 25years) were actually designed as one half being gas and the other half being oil. They would empty out at about the same pace due to how they pumped according to rpm's.


378 posted on 11/25/2005 4:16:58 PM PST by blarney
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To: blarney

"Why can't you rice bike riders be nicer to your second gear??? I would say almost half of all rice racer type bikes I have gotten in all have 2nd gear problems. you guys are so rough on that gear."

I'd guess part of the problem is design - at higher rpms it can be difficult to make a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd with the large relative differnce in gear speeds. And, of course, on the way from 1st to 2nd you have to prod the lever through the neutral detent. And if you blow it at high rpm and torque, it can get pretty violent in there. Actually, the heel shifter many cruisers have is probably conducive to good positive engagement of the 2nd gear dogs on the 1-2 shift.

Oh, shim under bucket means (typically) that the cam lobe acts directly on a bucket, or tappet, which is what it sounds like, an inverted bucket shaped piece, which sits on top of the shim and over the spring retainer and spring, the shim in turn sitting on top of the valve stem/spring retainer. The advantage is that is the most direct system with the least reciprocating mass, allowing more agressive cam profiles and/or high rpms. Also done to prevent the possibility of the shim spitting out if the valves float.


379 posted on 11/25/2005 4:49:06 PM PST by -YYZ-
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To: uglybiker

OK, thanks for the correction. I'm no expert on the history of Italian (or Japanese or whatever, for that matter) motorcycles, for sure.


380 posted on 11/25/2005 4:52:08 PM PST by -YYZ-
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