One reason why I will NEVER buy a new Harley again...too much crapola that can & will go wrong. And of course, we all know of the MoCos WONDERFUL customer service & satisfaction record!

 

I feel you going half way thru that intersection. There was a post earlier today on laying a bike down, most replied rubber/breaks stop quicker than metal and asphalt sliding, but in this case, maybe it didn't. I agree with some, that fluid may have been older than what you've owned the bike, but now that's behind. Good info for everyone to change that fluid out before the 2 years.

 

They measure the moisture content with one of these. I have one for just this reason, and others.

 

Few things..
* Thats sucks! Glad you're ok!
* Please correct me if I am wrong but ABS failure, you still should have brakes
* Bad fluid diminishes stopping power, it shouldnt cause a complete failure
* Your dealer is an idiot
* Seriously - file a NTSB complaint. This is how recalls get started.

Be well, ride safe!

 

Hope you can get this sorted out to your satisfaction...I gotta tell ya', my '03 RK just keeps gettin' better every year.

 

I've never trusted Harley ABS. Now I don't even more.

 

Glad you and the wife are safe. Thanks for the information. I don’t believe that this is a fluid issue. I have a ‘15 with ABS and never had a problem. The rear pads don’t last very long not sure why. I would do some research since this seems to be an isolated incident at least as far as the forums are concerned.

if the ABS unit went you should still have been able to stop the bike. I think I would also contact the NTSB and see if they’ve received any other reports. Just my 2˘’s

found this doing a Goggle search as you can see this is a recall from 2008-2011 bikes. So should not have effected your bike, but it seems it’s an ongoing issue.

Harley-Davidson is recalling about 250,000 of its motorcycles due to a problem with the brakes that can cause them to fail without warning.

The problem can be fixed with a flushing of the brake fluid, according to Harley-Davidson, which it will do without cost to the owners. A recall filing by the company said it appears that the problem could be caused by owners who don't comply with the recommendation to replace the fluid every two years, but that a recall was issuedbecause "the consequent sudden and complete loss of brakes, without warning, is a concern."



There have been 43 complaints, three accidents and two injuries reported on the motorcycles associated with the braking problems.


The motorcycles involved are model year 2008 to 2011 Touring, CVO Touring and VRSC models which have anti-lock braking systems. About 175,000 of the 250,000 bikes covered by the recall are in the United States.

 

I’m curious how they can say total brake failure on 10 month old bike wouldn’t be covered by warranty, thats either a big set of brass ***** or being a total idiot on the service writers part.

 

As a general update, plus the answers to some of the questions you guys have posted..

First off.. yeah, Ive literally had NOTHING but problems with HD since I bought the first one.. this is my 3rd bike in 2 years. 2 of them "brand new." I would absolutely LOVE to get rid of it, but thanks to some shitty bikes, my credit is shot. Im stuck with this for at least a couple more years.

Moving on from that..

I said the EXACT same thing... "why wasnt there some kind of warning that they were going to fail?" He refused to answer. I mean literally. "I wont answer that" was their exact words. He DID stutter something about a general recall issued. But Im not entirely sure what the deal on that is. I plan on finding out ALOT more when I pick this piece of **** up on Friday the 25th.

The dealer also sputtered about how the bike was made in 2017.. (another user posted this above.) Which begs the question, WHY wasnt this addressed when I BOUGHT the god damn bike, or at the 1k, 3k, or 5k services?

Also, I might have caused some confusion here... but I'll try and clarify.

The Brake system completely failed, and THEN the ABS system wouldnt release the front brake when fully pulled with all of my strength. I found it odd, originally thought it was an ABS Failure. Im being told it wasnt. The problem was water in the brake lines.

To answer the question of "How the **** does that happen?" the answer is "Condensation." ANY heat will cause the lines to sweat, and then the oil apparently absorbs the water from INSIDE the lines, where the condensation is forming. This is why it doesnt matter where the bike is stored... just riding it WILL cause this issue.

No matter what, if you have the newer bike, I would DEFINITELY be calling them and demanding to know if your system has been switched to the platinum dot4, and if they go "we dont know." DEMAND they perform the service.

Thank you for the NTSB tip.. Im going to do what I need to do to contact them on Monday.

 

There is a section in the back of your owner's manual telling you to contact the NHTSA if your experience a situation where something (brakes,ABS) fails that could have caused death or serious injury. If I read your post correctly your took possession of your bike 10 months ago. Maybe the dealership should check the brake fluids or at a minimum bleed/flush all the "old" DOT 4 fluid and replace with the new and improved DOT fluid. Don't let the dealership or MOCO sweep this under the rug.