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Hello, my name is Chris. Thanks for taking the time to read my thread. I recently purchased a 2013 Ultra Limited anniversary edition with 14000 miles from the original owner. Bike is mostly stock except for some cosmetic items, SE mufflers and air cleaner. Previous owner believes stage 1 download was performed at the dealer but unless they did it free of charge I dont see any documentation supporting that. I plan on leaving the engine stock until it needs work, which hopefully wont be in the near future. I think I will be looking to get rid of the converter to reduce heat, probably by gutting the stock pipe. I would like to stay away from a tuner at this time, but the vieds seem like a viable option for me to riches up the fuel mixture in hopes of reducing engine temperatures and increasing longevity. Do you guys agree or disagree with this plan?
One thing that came up when researching this model was high incidences of ABS valve body failure causing loss of brakes or brakes locking up. Neither of these are things I wish to experience. I plan on thoroughly flushing the brake fluid. Should I be concerned after that, or is the failure rate low and I just stumbled down a rabbit hole of BS on the internet?
Welcome. It looks like a well taken care of machine l liked the Root Beer color..I have a gutted header pipe on my 012 Ultra and a K & N air filter and that's about it for mods. The local dealer put it on their diagnostic tool and it ran fine. The heat on your right leg is vastly reduced. I removed the heat deflectors from the frame and open the lower vents to let more air circulate. Bike runs great. Ride it and enjoy it.
If the bike has anti-lock brakes, then the MOCO recommends flushing and bleeding the brakes every 2 years, and when doing so, they use tech 2 to cycle the anti-lock valve.
If you bleed the brakes yourself, it gets most of the fluid out, but not all and that is what I understand leads to brake problems you read about.
I agree with having a dealer (or better yet, a good indy) changed the brake fluid every two years. ABS shouldn't be a problem.
I also agree with your plan to de-cat and use the vieds.
Thanks for the replies. Im an auto mechanic so I can successfully exchange the brake fluid, but I dont have the electronics to activate the ABS pump/valves. I was thinking of sucking all the old fluid out of the master cylinders, refilling with new fluid, then using a vacuum pump to pull fluid through the calipers until it comes out clean. Then drive the bike for a while and do it again. Maybe if Im brave enough I would engage the ABS at slow speeds so it cycles the valves and expels the old fluid from the valve body/pump.
Harley issued a safety recall for 2008-11 models equipped with ABS brakes and that doesn't happen unless there have been documented instances of trouble with the system. In a number of cases the HCU failed; unfortunately for the riders involved this caused loss of braking ability, not just loss of ABS.
Bikes covered under the recall had their brake systems flushed and refilled with an updated fluid which Harley claims is more resistant to corrosion. Again unfortunately this procedure caused HCU failure on some bikes (!) and Harley would not cover the cost of replacement. So no, the things you read about trouble with Harley's ABS system were not just "internet BS".
Dynamik, that is my main concern with the bike. My google searching found the NHTSA website where there were 14 complaints about the 2013 FLHTK, mostly all were due to ABS malfunction. My bike has seen very little use over the last few years and I want to ensure it will be safe for my wife and I. If that requires purchasing a new ABS pump, then I will go that route. I asked my dealer about the issue but not surprisingly the response was never seen a problem besides one that had a broken wire.
Dynamik, that is my main concern with the bike. My google searching found the NHTSA website where there were 14 complaints about the 2013 FLHTK, mostly all were due to ABS malfunction. My bike has seen very little use over the last few years and I want to ensure it will be safe for my wife and I. If that requires purchasing a new ABS pump, then I will go that route. I asked my dealer about the issue but not surprisingly the response was never seen a problem besides one that had a broken wire.
I wouldn't obsess over the issue, I owned a 2013 Road King with ABS and didn't have any trouble with the system. Best thing you can do to avoid problems is keep up with the fluid changes and in the case of your bike, as you know, a flush and fill should be done ASAP. The condition of the old brake fluid should give you some idea whether the system has been maintained well.
Hope you enjoy many trouble-free kms with your new-to-you bike.
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Questions about a new to me 2013 Ultra
