ABS Modulator Service
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 14,438
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From: Pittsburgh, Pa
Might be one in there for 2013 on down (if so it won't be for long) but MoCo even managed to get all the used 48343-09 units omitted from eBay US. On the day they made that a dealer only item there were 13 available on eBay US but the next day they all had disappeared. If you log in through eBay CA (Canada) you can find them from US sellers but they clearly state they will not be shipped within the USA.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2015
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Likes: 5,320
I agree, but I was thinking that if I bought and installed the module on my bike and something happened, like the guy in Texas who has had eleven surgeries allegedly due to the module failing, they possibly could be held liable if results from the injured rider's lawsuit prove the modules to be defective. In other words, H-D is covering their collective asses.
Last edited by GalvTexGuy; Apr 12, 2018 at 02:18 PM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,191
Likes: 2,419
From: USA
Since you suspect yours of being bad, you've nothing to lose by taking it out and taking it apart. The videos above give some help, but it looks like it actually could be completely disassembled with standard hand tools, and then cleaned up and reassembled.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 81
Likes: 22
From: Orange, CA
I've also read a theory on here that Bosch makes the replacement module, but Harley kept the part number the same to keep things quiet. Seems far fetched, but exercising tight control of the HCU modules might seem to support that.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2015
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Yup, there's that, too.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,492
Likes: 610
From: USA
The Parts Finders show the same part numbers right up to the 2013 models but surprisingly the recall doesn't include 2012 & 2013 models. Some reports they changed suppliers for 2012. Very ODD that a part number didn't change. It's just one of the areas that I think the MoCo is scamming it's customers but I save that for another time.
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 319
Likes: 139
From: Seattle
It's irrelevant whether the manufacturer of the part 48343-09 was changed or not. Metallurgy and/or manufacturing processes and tolerances have nothing to do with the issue. The system was unknowingly designed to fail when the intended type of fluid is/was mishandled and not kept with in specifications. For anyone that understands chemistry and what happens when an excess of 4% moisture is added to a hygroscopic mixture of Triethylene glycol, Tetraethylene glycol, Dibutoxy tetraglycol, 3,6,9,12,15-Pentaoxaheptadecane and 1-methoxy-2-(2-methoxypropoxy)propane, which is the makeup of Dot4 Brake Fluid, and the resulting crystallization that will prohibit any o-ring equipped valve from functioning properly the answer is clear. That amount of moisture can be adsorbed from a mildly humid environment with 24hrs of having the fluid exposed to said conditions. Was each master cylinder (M/C) filled at the factory with a freshly opened bottle of Dot4 brake fluid then the M/C immediately sealed or was it pumped through a system and/or taken from a larger reservoir in 175,000 bikes? Remember, there's two M/C's (separate systems) on each bike and that's 175k x 2 which is 350,000. Even if they used big bottles to reduce the amount that's a lot of bottles to be opening!
What should be questioned is what was changed at the factory in regards to the handling of the Dot4 at the time of the initial implementation then again at the months leading up to the introduction of the 2012 models. MoCo knew about this problem and clearly changed something other than the manufacturer of the part. How many bikes prior to 2012 were delivered to the dealer with the brake fluid having an excess of 4% moisture well before the new original owner ever touched the throttle which would have been two years before the first recommended fluid change? How long did some of those bikes sit before being sold?
What should be questioned is what was changed at the factory in regards to the handling of the Dot4 at the time of the initial implementation then again at the months leading up to the introduction of the 2012 models. MoCo knew about this problem and clearly changed something other than the manufacturer of the part. How many bikes prior to 2012 were delivered to the dealer with the brake fluid having an excess of 4% moisture well before the new original owner ever touched the throttle which would have been two years before the first recommended fluid change? How long did some of those bikes sit before being sold?
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 81
Likes: 22
From: Orange, CA
It's irrelevant whether the manufacturer of the part 48343-09 was changed or not. Metallurgy and/or manufacturing processes and tolerances have nothing to do with the issue. The system was unknowingly designed to fail when the intended type of fluid is/was mishandled and not kept with in specifications. For anyone that understands chemistry and what happens when an excess of 4% moisture is added to a hygroscopic mixture of Triethylene glycol, Tetraethylene glycol, Dibutoxy tetraglycol, 3,6,9,12,15-Pentaoxaheptadecane and 1-methoxy-2-(2-methoxypropoxy)propane, which is the makeup of Dot4 Brake Fluid, and the resulting crystallization that will prohibit any o-ring equipped valve from functioning properly the answer is clear. That amount of moisture can be adsorbed from a mildly humid environment with 24hrs of having the fluid exposed to said conditions. Was each master cylinder (M/C) filled at the factory with a freshly opened bottle of Dot4 brake fluid then the M/C immediately sealed or was it pumped through a system and/or taken from a larger reservoir in 175,000 bikes? Remember, there's two M/C's (separate systems) on each bike and that's 175k x 2 which is 350,000. Even if they used big bottles to reduce the amount that's a lot of bottles to be opening!
What should be questioned is what was changed at the factory in regards to the handling of the Dot4 at the time of the initial implementation then again at the months leading up to the introduction of the 2012 models. MoCo knew about this problem and clearly changed something other than the manufacturer of the part. How many bikes prior to 2012 were delivered to the dealer with the brake fluid having an excess of 4% moisture well before the new original owner ever touched the throttle which would have been two years before the first recommended fluid change? How long did some of those bikes sit before being sold?
What should be questioned is what was changed at the factory in regards to the handling of the Dot4 at the time of the initial implementation then again at the months leading up to the introduction of the 2012 models. MoCo knew about this problem and clearly changed something other than the manufacturer of the part. How many bikes prior to 2012 were delivered to the dealer with the brake fluid having an excess of 4% moisture well before the new original owner ever touched the throttle which would have been two years before the first recommended fluid change? How long did some of those bikes sit before being sold?