Harley is being a lot stricter with their dealers with the new bikes regardless of what your dealer says.

 

I bought a $28K bike. I'll do whatever the hell I want to it. If HD won't fix it if it breaks, I'll understand; they warned me. I'll just fix it myself and move on.

I've never understood why some people buy high-dollar toys but fret about warranty when it comes to modding. SMH

To quote Shia LaBeouf: "Just...DO IT!!"

 

I think it's because some guys are on their third or fourth engine, for a design defect they had no part in bringing about. It'd be a pretty bitter pill to swallow if your engine sumped, your cylinders got scored, your pistons and rings were damaged, and it's a $6,000 repair bill, but the MoCo gets let entirely off the hook because you just had to have an extra three horsepower from the PowerVision tune...

The other reason warranty talk is so prevalent is because the rules have changed. Things that people have historically done without a care or a thought, are now warranty voiders, and a whole lot of people are unknowingly voiding their warranties. So some folks are just making them aware of the consequences of their decisions, just so they have the full set of facts before proceeding.

 

The truth is HD dealers were looking the other way for years because aftermarket parts are a huge profit center for them. HD Corporate was complicit in this passive stance, and the EPA rightfully stomped them. So your statement is true for HD, yes. I've been modding brand-new Camaros and Mustangs for a long time, and those automakers have had a long-standing policy of voiding warranties where tuning is involved. To me it's old hat.

I've always gone by the motto: Never mod what you can't afford to push off a cliff. It should be reasonable to expect that once you alter a factory vehicle, you own the risk thereafter. I accept that risk and I'm not a rich man, either. I can, however, fix and mod anything in my own garage. If I had to pay someone to do it, I might think twice about it.

 

Totally agreed. HD was complicit in building this mindset of modifications, and they got stomped. But now people are doing what they've always done, and taking a real hit because of it, and they don't even know they're taking a hit. How many threads have we seen where someone writes "I just picked up my M8, love it, I've got some V&H short shots and an FP3 on the way." Do they know they're throwing their whole warranty out the window? Probably not. If they do, and they're making a conscious choice, then hey, more power to 'em.

I just don't want someone to get utterly screwed because nobody told 'em.

This I totally agree with. But - do you think that that's how most people think? It sure doesn't seem like it, if the constant questions on this forum are a way to judge... There are some things that should be glaringly obvious to everyone, like -- if the product is advertised as "not legal for street use", that it's "not legal" and therefore it will in fact void your warranty... but try to find an exhaust system anywhere that DOESN'T say it's not legal for street use, they're rare. So are all those products illegal and will they void your warranty? Actually, yes, yes they are, and yes, yes they will. But do you think most riders know that, or think that way? I think they're more like "How can this be? It makes no sense, how can so many illegal products be offered for sale, and EVERY Harley rider mods their exhaust, so I know it must be okay."

Anyway -- I know, and I agree with you, and I am choosing to keep the warranty intact because I generally don't trust first-year products and my M8 Softail is a first-year product. I'm modding it in many ways, but doing so in ways that will not affect the powertrain warranty. I know what will void the warranty -- but I think most people have no clue, and they would be shocked to find that the culture they've grown up in ("put some pipes on that thing and get some sound!") is actually illegal (per EPA regulations) and very likely will void their warranty.

 

 

PC-V/piggybacks?...

 

My bike runs so much stronger than any previous bike I have owned that I don't need more to be very happy and enjoy it.

I have done tuners, full exhaust and intakes. They make a difference but not enough in my opinion to consider voiding the warranty.

Like said above, mod your bike if you want to, the way you want to and if it breaks make sure you can live with that and afford the repairs.

Trying to cheat the manufacturer (or anyone) is wrong.

Ride safe.

 

Most dealers are not going to tell you that most stage kits(pipes and aftermarket tuners) will void the warranty in fear of not making a sale. Some are catching on and telling people that only the screaming eagle products can be used without voiding warranties but they feel you out first to see if you are a performance guy or a casual rider. Most people that have payments on these things would be livid if the motor was blown and had no warranty and that wouldnt be good for business for the MOCO

 

I have trouble believing that this late in the game. Our Service Manager said it's very clear, they are not allowed and under no circumstances will they tune a bike with an aftermarket tuner unless it already comes to them that way. The MOCO will levy HUGE fines per incident, and if they are reckless enough to continue it gets much uglier.