RoadVitals

NHTSA safety recall

Recall 81V011000: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO. · Reported to NHTSA Jan 26, 1981

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
Units potentially affectedThe manufacturer's own estimate of how many vehicles or items of equipment may contain the defect. It is not a count of failures, and not every unit in the range is necessarily affected.
1,884
Model years coveredModel years in our database that NHTSA matched to this campaign. Whether an individual vehicle is covered still depends on its VIN.
1
Models covered
1
Grouped from the model years above
Reported to NHTSA
Jan 26, 1981
Production Jul 1, 1980 – Jan 1, 1981

What this recall covers

NHTSA's campaign record, quoted as published

The defect

IF THE REAR SHOCK ABSORBER SHOULD "OVER-TRAVEL" WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS OPERATED OVER ROUGH TERRAIN, THE CURRENT POSITION OF THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER COULD CAUSE THE REAR BRAKE LINE TO CONTACT THE RIGHT SADDLE BAG CARRIER. THIS COULD CAUSE A DEFORMATION IN THE REAR BRAKE LINE.

The remedy

ALL INVOLVED VEHICLES WILL BE INSPECTED AND THE REAR BRAKE TORQUE ARM WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE OF A NEW DESIGN. THE RIGHT SADDLE BAG CARRIER WILL BE MODIFIED, IF NECESSARY.

Notes

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES EQUIPPED WITH SADDLE BAGS.SYSTEM: SERVICE BRAKES; REAR BRAKE CALIPER.CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECT: PARTIAL OR TOTAL LOSS OF THE REAR BRAKES AND ANACCIDENT COULD RESULT.NOTE: OWNERS ARE ADVISED NOT TO OPERATE MOTORCYCLE UNTIL DEALER HAS INSPECTEDVEHICLE.

A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.

Campaign details

Identifiers and dates as filed with NHTSA

Manufacturer
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.
Manufacturer's campaign number
Not recorded
NHTSA campaign number
81V011000
Units potentially affected
1,884
Report received
Jan 26, 1981
Production range
Jul 1, 1980 – Jan 1, 1981
Campaign type
Vehicle
Federal safety standard (FMVSS)
Not recorded

Vehicles covered

1 model year across 1 model

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.