Brand new sportster s issues
5th Gear
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 9
Likes: 2
From: Redondo Beach, CA
So odd, cause this happened to someone that got theirs from the same dealer as me Southern Cali, the land of Communists and ....... Ill leave it here. LOL HAHahHAhAHA and if i remember correctly, HD is doing above and beyond since this is their new engine and dont want any "bad" PR going out, so they literally replaced the entire engine for him and sent the one with issues to HD so they can see what happened and if this is something they need to look or do a recall on.
Man that sucks.... i always try to go with the best dealer and not just for price and this is one of the reasons. Good luck man....damn im even getting worked up writing this.
Man that sucks.... i always try to go with the best dealer and not just for price and this is one of the reasons. Good luck man....damn im even getting worked up writing this.
Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 10
Likes: 4
From: AZ
So I got an update from Harley after the bike has been with the dealer for 3 weeks, apparently their "shop foreman" is the one working on it and he "forgot" when you pull a cylinder head you replace the head gasket and head bolds so those didn't get ordered until Saturday. Now I'm being told another 7-10 days to get the head bolts then they will put it back together 🤦🏻♂️
This has been the biggest clusterf**k I've every dealt with regarding a motorcycle manufacturer and it seems nobody knows what's going on or interesting in actually helping unfortunately
This has been the biggest clusterf**k I've every dealt with regarding a motorcycle manufacturer and it seems nobody knows what's going on or interesting in actually helping unfortunately
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 266
Likes: 123
From: South Texas, USA
Damn dude, that really blows. This is why I refuse to make payments on a toy. I'd much rather pay cash outright just for times like this, I'm not giving money away for nothing. Hope it gets sorted out for ya bud!
I took one for a test ride yesterday. Is it common for them, that first time you press starter button, the starter motor kind of tries and gives up, and then starts on second attempt?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 12,218
Likes: 4,930
From: England
apparently their "shop foreman" is the one working on it and he "forgot" when you pull a cylinder head you replace the head gasket
I hope you get to ride your bike soon.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 118
Likes: 46
From: Las Vegas, NV
"I took one for a test ride yesterday. Is it common for them, that first time you press starter button, the starter motor kind of tries and gives up, and then starts on second attempt?"
Yes, this is normal. And, documented with Pan America. There is now new software that is supposed to help with that. The new software was released about a month ago and I haven't had that happen since.
Yes, this is normal. And, documented with Pan America. There is now new software that is supposed to help with that. The new software was released about a month ago and I haven't had that happen since.
Last edited by tmichelena; Feb 20, 2022 at 10:13 AM.
Novice
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 17
Likes: 15
From: NY
As a quick note, I have a 22 that got delivered end of Jan. It did make that noise like the battery was dying. I'm not sure what software version it is as I had to take it back to the dealer about a few weeks later so they can activate the heated grips (which they forgot to do when I bought it). They did say they made sure the software was up to date and have not had that problem since.
And to the OP, good luck and I feel your frustration. Keep us updated.
And to the OP, good luck and I feel your frustration. Keep us updated.
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1st Gear
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 5
Likes: 9
From: AZ
Hello all and good morning from beautiful Arizona, I'm new to the harley world but have been riding sport bikes for 10+ years. This is my first harley and unfortunately it's been nothing but problematic, just wondering if I'm alone on this one or if this is common practice in the world of harley davidson
I have a brand new sporster s, it's already been at the dealership for weeks due to after a couple hundred miles the cylinder head started leaking alot of oil due to poor casting of the head itself so the motor is already coming out of a new bike. I'm also getting error messages on the display screen stating it's unable to switch between ride modes and last but not least the heated grips are inop (very minor in az but still)
I've attempted to contact Harley corporate, they have been less than helpful and the dealership is somehow even less helpful. Maybe I got a bad dealership? I don't really know how to compare them as I've been to countless Yamaha and Suzuki dealers over the years and never had a single issue with the dealers or issues with any of those bikes.
At this point I'm at a lose, I'm making payments on a brand new bike that's gonna be down for months I'm told.. I realize I'm kinda SOL on this but it makes me nervous about keeping it long-term once I get it back. Thoughts/recommendations? Thanks!
I have a brand new sporster s, it's already been at the dealership for weeks due to after a couple hundred miles the cylinder head started leaking alot of oil due to poor casting of the head itself so the motor is already coming out of a new bike. I'm also getting error messages on the display screen stating it's unable to switch between ride modes and last but not least the heated grips are inop (very minor in az but still)
I've attempted to contact Harley corporate, they have been less than helpful and the dealership is somehow even less helpful. Maybe I got a bad dealership? I don't really know how to compare them as I've been to countless Yamaha and Suzuki dealers over the years and never had a single issue with the dealers or issues with any of those bikes.
At this point I'm at a lose, I'm making payments on a brand new bike that's gonna be down for months I'm told.. I realize I'm kinda SOL on this but it makes me nervous about keeping it long-term once I get it back. Thoughts/recommendations? Thanks!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,415
Likes: 6,366
From: Honah Lee
+1 Hope the dealer gets it right. Sadly, since Rev Max engines are so new and very few of the new engines have been serviced, even long time master techs have a steep learning curve on the engine. And just like problems with a new car, protocol has to be followed. Fix, fix, fix, fix, then deem it's a lemon and replace. Sucks you have to be paying on a bike you can't ride. You live where it's rideable too this time of year.
Yesterday I was at my local dealer getting some upgrades on my bagger, and the service writer had to dig deep in their service manual (not user manual) to answer my simple question of "how many holes for an oil change?" The answer is 1 for the crank case/primary/tranny. Nice to see Harley has realized a shared sump like Polaris built bikes makes sense.
But these have coolant too.
Good luck, keep the thread updated please.
Yesterday I was at my local dealer getting some upgrades on my bagger, and the service writer had to dig deep in their service manual (not user manual) to answer my simple question of "how many holes for an oil change?" The answer is 1 for the crank case/primary/tranny. Nice to see Harley has realized a shared sump like Polaris built bikes makes sense.
But these have coolant too.
Good luck, keep the thread updated please.
Most states don't consider a 2 wheel bike so it falls under a lemon law.
The Federal side does but applies to safety type applications mostly. And they have three tries to fix it before it comes into effect. That's how I understand it.
My guess is most of the times (in good times), Harley just works with a dealer and they give the buyer another new bike Then they fix the original and sell it as a used demo. There's enough profit probably to cover it anyway.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Feb 21, 2022 at 03:02 AM.