2008 Harley-Davidson Flhrc Owner Complaints

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO WARN DRIVERS ATTEMPTING TO CUT ME OFF, OR JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY BY THEIR DRIVING HABITS, I HAVE HONKED THE HORN ON MY MOTORCYCLE WITH LITTLE OR NO REACTION. SIMPLY PUT, THE HORN ON THIS MOTORCYCLE IS ABOUT AS LOUD AS A FART IN A RAINSTORM! I HAVE TALKED WITH NUMEROUS OTHER ROADKING OWNERS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THE HORN IS TOO WEAK TO NOTIFY OTHER DRIVERS OF IMPENDING DISASTER! THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL. NOTE: HARLEY DAVIDSON OFFERS A LOUDER HORN REPLACEMENT FOR THE STOCK HORN HOWEVER IT IT A $50.00 UPGRADE! THAT TELLS ME THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE INFERIOR STOCK HORNS ON THESE MOTORCYCLES, HOWEVER THEY WANT ME TO "FOOT THE BILL" FOR LOUDERS REPLACEMENT UNITS. NOTE: ALL NEWER HARLEY-DAVIDSONS ARE NOW EQUIPPED WITH THIS UPGRADED HORN.

NHTSA ID

11372530

Incident

Oct 28, 2020

Mileage

38,587 mi

REAR BRAKE SWITCH WIRING MELTED. BRAKE SWITCH BEGAN LEAKING PROFUSELY. DEALER SAYS BRAKE FLUID EXCHANGE RECALLED FOR YEAR. THE SWITCH WAS NOT. HOWEVER, FORUMS SAY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO EXCESSIVE EXHAUST HEADER HEAT. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE SWITCH HAS BEEN REDESIGNED. I HAVE ONE ORDERED. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED SPONTANEOUSLY AND COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC.*DT VIN PROVIDED HAS NO DISPLAYABLE RECORDS. UPDATED 10/2/18*JB

NHTSA ID

11124446

Incident

Sep 2, 2018

Mileage

12,500 mi

WHILE STARTING TO EXIT AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND ENTERING THE RADIUSED EXIT RAMP, I APPLIED BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES ON MY MOTORCYCLE IN ORDER TO SLOW FROM 65 MPH TO A SAFE EXIT SPEED. WHILE ENTERING THE TURN, THE BRAKE PEDAL FOR THE REAR BRAKES, WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN. I LOST ALL REAR BRAKING ABILITY ON THE EXIT RAMP. I WAS UNABLE TO SAFELY SLOW TO THE POSTED EXIT SPEED. THIS MOTORCYCLE IS EQUIPPED WITH ABS BRAKING. I RETURNED HOME USING FRONT BRAKES ONLY. THE REAR BRAKE RESERVOIR DID NOT LOSE ANY BRAKE FLUID. THE FAILURE WAS NOT CAUSED BY A LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. I HAVE NOT RIDDEN THE MOTORCYCLE SINCE.

NHTSA ID

11047371

Incident

Nov 1, 2017

Mileage

25,400 mi

2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROADKING CLASSIC WITH 23,748 MILES STARTED HAVING EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND THE STARTER MADE A LOUD "BANG" DURING HOT STARTS...ALSO NOTICED A LOUD CLUNK SOUND FROM THE PRIMARY CHAIN CASE WHEN SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF. THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE A WORN COMPENSATOR AND SPROCKET. APPARENTLY THESE COMPONENTS ARE HAVING A HIGH RATE OF PRE--MATURE FAILURE ON 2007 THRU 2010 HARLEY MOTORCYCLES. THIS PROBLEM COULD LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND POSSIBLE DEATH IF NOT PROPERLY DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED. CURRENTLY THERE IS NO RECALL BEING OFFERED BY HARLEY-DAVIDSON FOR THIS COMPONENT. THEY DO HOWEVER OFFER AN UPGRADED VERSION SE COMPENSATOR AT A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE TO THE OWNER. I OPTED FOR THE UPGRADED SE COMPENSATOR REPLACEMENT AND NOW ALL PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS ARE GONE!

NHTSA ID

10783832

Incident

Sep 26, 2015

Mileage

23,748 mi

THE GEAR SHIFT AND HEAL-TOE SHIFT LEVERS FELL OFF THE MOTORCYCLE WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 75 MPH, LEAVING NO MECHANISM FOR CHANGING GEARS. I HAVE RECEIVED ANECDOTAL INFORMATION FROM MANY OTHER RIDERS OF HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLES THAT THE LOSS OF THE HEAL-TOE SHIFT LEVERS IS A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE, AND THEY ARE FORCED TO REPLACE THE SHIFT LEVERS WITH ACCESSORIES FROM INDEPENDENT PARTS MANUFACTURERS. I HAVE WITNESSED MANY SUCH AFTER-MARKET MODIFICATIONS DURING MY TRAVELS.

NHTSA ID

10690884

Incident

Aug 22, 2013

Mileage

30,345 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 60 MPH, I ENCOUNTERED A HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I APPLIED MY FOOT OPERATED REAR BRAKE FIRST AND FOUND THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. ONLY AFTER I APPLIED MY FRONT HAND BRAKE COULD I GET THE CRUISE CONTROL TO DISENGAGE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE LEAD TO SERIOUS RIDER/PASSENGER INJURY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10526088

Incident

Jul 21, 2013

Mileage

17,749 mi

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE BELTWAY AT 60 MILES AN HOUR MY MOTORCYCLE WENT INTO A LIMP MODE. SPEED DROPPED TO 15 MILES AN HOUR QUICKLY AND WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 15 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES. RECENTLY TOOK THE BIKE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED A SENSOR IN THE HANDLE BAR. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, HAVE TO TAKE THE BIKE BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN DUE TO THE SAME RECURRING PROBLEM. WHEN THIS OCCURS IT IS VERY SCARY. NOT SURE IF ANYONE HAS BEEN INJURED OR DIED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM (WHAT I EXPERIENCED IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME). THERE ARE (MANY) PAGES OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED ON THE INTERNET. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY HARLEY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10509345

Incident

Apr 23, 2013

Mileage

5,000 mi

2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROADKING TAKEN TO THE SHOP FOR EXCESSIVE VIBRATION. AT 10,000 MILES, THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET ON THIS MOTORCYCLE DISINTEGRATED AND REPLACED BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY.. THIS SPROCKET IS CONNECTED TO THE MAIN SHAFT THIS INCIDENT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A LOOSE ENGINE MOUNT AT FIRST. THE DEALER TIGHTENED IT, BUT IT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY CLAIMED IT WAS THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET. REPLACED IT AND VIBRATION WAS NOT CORRECTED. THEY TORE IT BACK DOWN AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE RUNOUT ON THE PRIMARY CRANK (AROUND .015) MY RESEARCH SEEMS TO LEAN TOWARD HARLEY-DAVIDSON INCREASING THEIR RUNOUT SPEC IN RECENT HISTORY. THIS TYPE OF PLAY AND VIBRATION ON THE PRIMARY CRANKSHAFT OF A MOTORCYCLE COULD LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE, LOCKUP, FIRE ETC. WHICH COULD CAUSE THE RIDER TO GO DOWN AND POSSIBLY BE FATALLY INJURED. THE SHOP IS REBUILDING THE MOTOR UNDER WARRANTY (ONLY 25K ON THE MOTOR). HOWEVER, I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH 2008 AND EARLY 2009 MODELS FROM POSTINGS ON THE WEB WITH SIMILAR STORIES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10361532

Incident

Sep 24, 2010

Mileage

25,000 mi

OUR 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING CLASSIC WITH CRUISE CONTROL AND ABS PULLS TO THE LEFT IF CONSTANT PRESSURE IS NOT APPLIED TO THE HANDLEBARS. IF YOU TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE BARS IT WILL PROMPTLY CROSS THE CENTER LINE AND WOULD BE HEADING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WE MADE THE DEALER AWARE OF THIS SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO POINT IT OUT TO THEM AND HAVE QUESTIONED THE SAFETY OF THE MACHINE. WE WERE ASSURED THAT ALL OF THEIR BIKES WILL GO A LITTLE TO THE LEFT OR A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT, IT IS NORMAL. "THAT IS JUST HOW THEY ARE MADE". WE HAD A HANDLING ISSUE WHICH CAUSED THE BIKE TO CROSS THE CENTER LINE ON A CURVY ROAD. THE BIKE THEN TRAVELED ACROSS THE OPPOSITE LANE. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. THERE WAS A VERY SMALL AND SOFT SHOULDER ON THIS ROAD. THE FRONT TIRE ENTERED THE SHOULDER AND WAS "SUCKED" IN, CAUSING THE BIKE TO GO INTO THE SOFT, MUDDY, SHALLOW DITCH. THERE WAS COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE FENDER, CRASH BAR, HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY, AND, FORK TIN. THE BIKE WAS CHECKED OUT BY THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND NO MAJOR DAMAGE. AFTER REPLACING THE PARTS THE BIKE NOW PULLS EVEN HARDER TO THE LEFT. WE HAVE HAD THE DEALER CHECK IT OUT. THEY HAVE TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THEY CLAIM THAT THE BIKE IS SAFE AND THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO RIDE IT. WE HAVE YET ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH THEM TO HAVE OUR BIKE FOR A FEW DAYS SO THEY CAN TRY ONCE AGAIN TO FIX IT. THEY HAVE ADMITTED THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I KNOW THAT ALL BIKES ARE NOT MADE PULLING LEFT OR RIGHT. OUR BIKE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT PROVES THAT. HARLEY WILL NOT EVEN CONSIDER THAT THERE IS SOMETHING "WRONG" WITH THIS BIKE. IT IS AFTER ALL A HARLEY. A $25,000 TOURING BIKE SHOULD BE SAFE AND GO STRAIGHT. A BIKE THAT PULLS LEFT OR RIGHT IS NOT SAFE, IT IS DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10343268

Incident

Jun 14, 2009

MY HARLEY DAVIDSON 2008 ROAD KING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND HARLEY DAVIDSON CAN'T SEEN TO OFFER A SOLUTION. THE ERROR CODE IS PO577 AND HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. I'VE HAD IT IN 3 TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULTS. NO FIXES. IN TO THE DEALER TWICE UNDER WARRANTY ONE TIME AFTER THAT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10339675

Incident

Jun 16, 2010

Mileage

6,545 mi

MY 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING CLASSIC WITH CRUISE CONTROL PULLS TO THE LEFT WHEN HANDS ARE TAKEN OFF THE HANDLE BARS. THE BIKE ONLY HAS 3400 MILES ON IT AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THE FIRST MONTH I HAD IT FOR THIS PROBLEM. NO FIX FOUND AND NOW THEY HAVE HAD IT FOR 6 WEEKS WITH NO FIX. IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE BARS FOR A SECOND TO ADJUST YOUR HELMET, GLASSES OR REMOVE A BUG THAT GETS IN YOUR EYE THE BIKE STARTS TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND YOU HAVE TO LEAN VERY FAR TO THE RIGHT TO KEEP IT GOING STRAIGHT. THIS IS A VERY LETHAL PROBLEM AS YOU CAN BE FORCED INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC OR A BAD ROAD SURFACE WHILE TRYING TO FIX YOUR SHORT DURATION PROBLEM THE DEALER BOTH TIMES SAY THEY EITHER NEVER HEARD OF THIS OR THEY HEARD OF IT A FEW TIMES. THEY CLAIM ALL THINGS ARE WITHIN FACTORY SPECS AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HARLEY IS ONLY GOING TO PAY THE DEALER SO MUCH TO FIX IT AND IF THEY CAN NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND THE DEALER DECIDES THE PROBLEM IS TOO MUCH TROUBLE TO FIGURE OUT, THEY TELL YOU IT IS NOW NORMAL. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO SOLVE THE HAZARD IS TAKE THE FRONT STEERING, REAR WHEEL AND SWING ARMS APART AND CHECK FOR ALIGNMENT AND POSSIBLY CHECK THE FRAME AND DETERMINE IF THERE IS A PROBLEM THERE. A TOURING BIKE SHOULD NOT PULL TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT, THESE BIKES ARE AND SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR SAFE ENJOYABLE STRAIGHT RIDING. THE PUBLIC THAT SPENDS ($30,000.00 ON A TOURING BIKE SHOULD FEEL SAFE AND NOT HAVE TO LEAN TO ONE SIDE TO CORRECT A STEERING-TRACKING PROBLEM). THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10339611

Incident

Aug 31, 2008

Mileage

500 mi

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM HARLEY DAVIDSON THE END OF JULY 08 AND AS OF NOW OCT, I AM STILL UNABLE TO HAVE THE RECALL CORRECTED. I LEFT MY NAME AND TELEPHONE AT THE SHOP IN TACOMA, WA TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT AS SOON AS PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AND AM STILL WAITING. THE RECALL SAYS THE ENGINE STALL COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH. INSTEAD OF HAVING LEGAL DISCLAIMERS, CORRECTIVE ACTION IS NEEDED TO LIMIT FURTHER LOSS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10244352

Incident

Jul 31, 2008

Mileage

150 mi