Probably just need the two double banjo bolts. Use them to connect the two front and two rear lines off the ABS unit.

 

Hallelujah...can we now stop the multitude of blither about how HD went with ABS I as a design solution in what, 2004 on Police bikes and kept building with it through 2012. You don't want it? Fix it. There is your part list. Come back and tell us how it went.

 

Clearly you are jaded against HD. Go back and read my post on PAGE 10.
Forget the hysteria and read my post, forget the what ifs and what ifs ... which is the hysteria. I am loyal to no brand of bike.

HD is no different then ANY other motorcycle maker, brake fluid flush EVERY two years.

Oh wait, Im wrong, some Yamaha models also require complete master cylinder rebuilds every two years, oh, calipers too, oh, brake lines too.
When I lost the rear brakes in the Smoky Mountains on my Yamaha Vstar 1300 coming down a huge mountain praying and hoping I would get myself but more important, my wife on the back to the bottom of the mountain alive, only then was I made aware of REQUIRED TWO YEAR BRAKE FLUID CHANGES ON MY YAMAHA VSTAR 1300 (im not yelling *L*) Except YAMAHA BURIES IT IN THE "NOTE" SECTION OF THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE AND WHY I WAS NOT AWARE OF IT. AT LEAST HARLEY HAS IT RIGHT IN THE SCHEDULE ITSELF.

Gosh, Im not defending anyone and if you care, go back to page 10 and reread my post. But we tend to trash companies when they fail to protect ourselves and our own negligence from our own selves ..,easy to blame others,
Its a machine and a dangerous one, take proper care of it.

and NO I have no relationship with ANYONE at Harely. ) Im just a guy who doesnt blame others for my negligence.
It was clear in every Harley ABS case the fluid was not changed as required.

 

I've read your posts and lots of others in the same vein. And I agree, negligence can be fatal. If everyone throughly read all maintainee instructions including the fine print there would be a tremendous savings in pain, death, time and money.

But that still doesn't answer the core question here.

Why don't Harley Davidson ABS brakes failsafe to standard brakes as the industry standard indicates and HD advertised they would?

 

Doug won’t answer that question.

 

Technically they do. Unplug your ECU and hit the brakes, they'll work but have no ABS just normal braking, same thing if a sensor fails or the fuse pops. Introduce a mechanical failure to any car, truck or motorcycle and you have a problem and not all problems can be overcome with a specific failure mode which is why planes crash and disasters happen. Im not sure its a mechanical failure or if its sludge blocking a passage? If its a matter of sludge buildup blocking a passage then that is (as much as it sucks for us) a maintenance issue and flushing the fluid every two years will prevent that just like changing your engine oil will extend the life of your engine....and Im sure there are cases of fatal crashes when an engine fails. Annually changing it would be even better when it comes to brake fluid. No I don't work for Harley. Whats the failure mode for a master cylinder? No brakes is the mode but we accept that. I don't think anyone in this thread has proved what the problem is thats causing brake failure.

Is it corrosion, sludge or a mechanically stuck valve blocking fluid flow?

I looked on ebay to buy an HCU to take it apart but the 2013 down HCU's are expensive and the 2014 up can be had for pocket change. Based on looking at them I can't see how the 2014 is any less susceptible to this problem because they both have the same number of spool valves. Aside from the 5th line the HCU blocks are the same.

 

You could do it that way and plug off 2 of the HCU ports. Several different options and methods that would work.

 

Thinking about how the systems works on any vehicle, a spool valve must block and unblock the passage rapidly to pulse the brakes - we know this but now think about normal riding and an ABS system thats inactive. Without an abs event the valves would be in the open position at all times and the valves wont move otherwise as they are held open by spring pressure and closed magnetically (thats a failure mode right there - normally open). So without an event and someone notices brake pedal or hand brake effort increases all of a sudden to me that says sludge blockage not a mechanical issue with the HCU itself. If the problem was occurring consistently right after an abs activation (which I haven't heard once), the pedal or lever went hard then the valve is stuck (for whatever reason, design flaw, mechanical failure or lack of maintenance). This is why in my opinion HD is free of blame after an investigation followed by a fluid flush recall.

 

 

Alarmdoug

I really hope you do not take this with any inflection other than am very interested in learning more about your failure.

What year was your V-Star
Did it have ABS
What exactly failed in the brakes

The reason I ask is that if the ABS failed, as in froze up, then any other motorcycle can have the same concern as the Harley owners. A system did not fail in a safe manner. I would like to see the inside of the V-Star design.

If something failed other than the ABS module due to moisture in the brake fluid, should all of us start inspection other parts of the brake system on any bike. The diagnosis would help everyone.

I kind of learned a different way about moisture in brake fluid. I mountain bike and the hydraulic disk brakes use DOT 4. The second year I owned the bike, first ride of the season, the front brake system started dragging on a long ride and eventually would not release. I did not realize that you have to bleed the brakes and replace the fluid every spring. These brake systems are very small, having only a few CCs of fluid and no reservoir, just a plunger pushing the fluid. Moisture expanded the fluid over the winter and the heat generated while braking expanded the fluid, clamping down on the rotor.