The neutral gear indicator light on my bike stopped working, so I took it into the dealer for them to have a look. As LEDs usually last a long time I figured it might be a problem with the switch and would, hopefully, be covered under warranty. On inspection, it turns out the switch is OK and the LED is faulty.

Whilst the VIN for my bike indicates it is an '07 model, it was a very late '07 model and has a number of features that were supposedly only introduced on '08 bikes. My bike, it turns out, does not have the individual LEDs foreachwarning light that would be expected on an '07. It has instead a singleunit strip of five LEDs, as is now used on '08 Sportsters. Consequently, it is not possible simply to replaceone small inexpensive LEDwith another. As they are combined in a single unit, it is necessary to replace the whole strip of LEDs. How much does this LED unit cost? About £70 (that's about $140)!! Not sure if that is including or excluding tax. Even the service managergave a sharp intake of breath when he heard how much.

H-D don'tusually warranty bulbs. This is understandable, as individual bulbs could last anything from a fewminutes to many years and failure at some point in time is almost inevitable. They probably didn't warranty the individual LEDs they used to use either. The design of the new unit does, however, suggest that failure of the LEDs is not anticipated to be a regular occurrence and that the unit is expected to last for a long time; possibly even for the life of the bike. On this basis, the service manager will try to cover replacement under warranty. If he can't, then I'll carry on without a neutral light. £70 for a feature that I've never had on any previous bike, and always managed to do perfectly well without, is a lot of money. It's nice to have, but certainly not essential.

The dealership have had to order a unit as they didn't have any in stock, which is another indication that they don't expect to have to replace them very often. Should be in some time next week. I'll make sure of the warranty situation before I have them fit it.

 

I know the warranty doesn't cover bulbs but LED's are a different animal and your case is worth fighting for if necessary. The life expectancy for an LED is on the order of 10+ years with constant use. When it could be replaced as a single "bulb" that was not a big deal, but if it is now an assembly that's a different case. If the dealer can't cover it under warranty, I would protest loudly to the MoCo.

 

Assuming moisture is not a problem, expect a lifetime of service from LEDs. Their MTBF is crazy long, on the order of 100,000 continuous-use hours. That's 11.4 years of CONTINUOUS use. If you ride your Sportster 2 hours a day, that's 136 years of service. I'd say you're A-OK on a warranty claim. *thumbs up*

LED info including expected MTBF

 

My neutral light hasn't worked for almost 4 years now... I've never felt the need to fix it or even try to diagnose the issue...

 

If your scoot is sitll under warrenty, they should replace it. If not, a call to the moco should work, or better buisness will.

 

If they don't cover it under warranty and it is mounted to a printed circuit board you may be able to buy a LED at a store like radio shack and solder it in yourself, use one of those new style instant heat soldering guns so you don't overheat the circuit board.

 

Good luck with that Simon. I would protest assertively if they argue about it being under warranty. Fingers crossed.

 

I would agree and definatley pursue.

 

If my bike wasn't under warranty, I may well not have done anything about it either.

 

Hi SimonUK! I have a similar problem with my 07.... the lights work, but some moron jabbed something through the little lenses over the LEDs! I haven't fixed it yet, or found the culprit. The cost of $140, means that it'll be a while before I can fix that little problem.