I have a 2011 Heritage softail classic, it has always been serviced at a Harley dealership, and I have only worked on the bike once, it was in an accident the first year I had it and it was totally repaired, and it now only has about 21000 miles on it... About 3 month ago I noticed a small oil leak and so I changed the seal on the drain plug for the transmission.... took it in to the dealership and had them check it, they said it was still leaking and that it looked like my primary oil pump so I had them order a new expensive oil pump... didn't ride the bike except home.... 2 weeks later they got the new oil pump in, and I took the bike in to have the work done.... after waiting an hour I was called into the shop and shown that no it wasn't my oil pump but that I would need a new transmission....

A bike with only 21000 miles needing a new transmission has blown my mind... 3 k to have this done is even worse since I am still paying on the bike... with the information I sat down and wrote each of the board members and heads of each department at Harley telling them about the problem and that the dealership even said they had not seen a problem this bad before.... well at this point 2 to 3 months later I have yet to hear a thing from Harley except someone from customer service contacted me to ask me some questions about the problem... 3 weeks ago.... that's all I have heard, its like I bought the bike.... and my connection to Harley is done unless they want to sell me something else....


I guess I am so frustrated by the whole thing because this was a present I bought myself for retiring from the military.... 21 year active duty I earned it.... I mention that because all I see is how Harley boasts about how it believes in the military, thanks but I believe its just a bunch of lip service... even if I had not retired from the military I would think the company would respect their customers more then this...

 

Sounds like a pickle for sure. what kind of accident was the bike in ? Why do you need a new transmission? ive never seen a transmission leak mean you need a whole new transmission unless there is catastrophic damage like a hole in the case or something ? your leaving out details that could be important......

 

was the bike totaled and rebuilt? if it was in an accident who made all the repairs ? what fluid have you been running in the transmission?

 

the bike being in an accident changes everything. something in the trans could have been weakened an it finally went.

 

I don't follow this whole diagnosis....!?!?

You have an oil leak... You thought it was the transmission oil plug, but the dealer said the leak was a "primary oil pump"!? ..... Then while about to change the "primary oil pump", the dealer discovers it is actually the transmission that is causing the leak..... They now have to replace the entire transmission....?

You left out a bunch of info...

How bad was your leak, & where was it dripping from?.... What is a "primary oil pump"...? ... You have a twin cam, the oil pump is in the cam chest..... how did the oil pump cause a leak? Did they explain that to you?... What about the transmission is leaking? Is the case cracked/broken? .. did they show you where/how it was leaking?..... How the hell do they confuse a broken transmission with a "primary oil pump"?! .... How bad was the crash and what was damaged/replaced?

I'd have to have the answers to these questions before I would let those people sell me, and install, a new transmission....

Please report back if you learn/know any more info on this leak and why the trans needs replacing... I'm puzzled and very curious...


As far as who is to pay..... you're not gonna like this, but the fix is on your dime... as it should be...

The bike is out of warranty with the MoCo... way out of warranty. They have absolutely no responsibility to repair or replace anything. I think you're wrong to believe they should.... unless of course you have some kind of extended warranty plan you didn't mention...

Your bike was in an accident... you say it was fixed, but things are missed all the time.... could have something to do with the leak.... just another reason why the MoCo has no responsibility to pay for a fix...

You have my gratitude for your service, people can support & respect your service without giving you special warranty privileges.... absolutely not fair to call-out the MoCo on their support for the military because they won't pay for a fix on a bike that has been out of warranty for what, four years!? That's a cheap shot...

Good luck with the fix...