I have a new to me 2018 street glide special and have been reading about the ABS issues in the past that when issues occur it doesn't just fail back to regular brakes but makes the bike have no brakes. Is this an issue thats been taken care of? I know Harley says to take the bike in and flush the whole system while activating the ABS system with their software but i don't know the last time it was done to this bike and if its an issue. The brake fluid in there now is clean and clear but i didn't test the moisture content.

 

Issue has been taken care of. IIRC the bulletin was 2008-2012 models. Make sure to change fluid and have the ABS module properly cycled every two years. I’d have your bike changed just to be sure you know the 2yr interval moving forward.

 

Problem is that all brake fluid will collect water out of the humidity in the air, with the water content in the brake fluid bad enough from not changing the fluid every 2 years, the water in the fluid will corrode the ABS valves to seize them. Worst yet, since ABS unit has to be cycled to get the old fluid out of them, until units where available to the end user to cycle the pumps during a brake power flush, such was really only a dealer option at cost to the owner, that many put off isntead.

Since the valves in the ABS are sealed/not serviceable with there assembly hoods peen sealed to the abs body, very hard to get the corrosion out, must less un-seize them.

So short bus, if you are going to do your own brake fluid power flushing on the abs bike every two years, then need to pony up the money for abs device that will cycle the unit when you are power flushing the brakes.

 

Second what @Dano523 said.

A good thing with the dealerships is they will have records of the service if any Harley dealership worked on the bike. So you should be able to simply visit a dealership and find out from the service manager if it's due.

Let's presume it is. Go get it done. Yep, it could cause the ABS unit to fail and need replacement. That sucks, but it's better to have it happen there than out on the road. Odds are strongly that nothing bad will happen.

For whatever reason, Harley ABS is maintenance sensitive. Unlike many cars, that can go decades without maintenance and still have perfectly good working ABS.

 

Just to add......Many car manufacturers now ALSO call for brake fluid flush and fills on a scheduled basis. Perhaps not for the exact same reason as the HD ABS issue, but for getting rid of the collected moisture in the brake fluid. Moisture will always collect in the brake fluid....its the nature of the fluid itself because it's "hydroscopic"

 

Changing the brake fluid is not a new concept or a new recommendation... This is from my 1996 VW Jetta owner's manual. They clearly suggest 2 year change intervals.

 

Harley never has ‘ABS issues’. Harley owners had/have ‘maintenance issues’. They’ve been told, it’s listed everywhere change you brake fluid every two years. I laugh they will drop $80-$90 on a couple of shirts but won’t take their bike in on the bi-annual $99 brake fluid flush special through the service dept.

 

I would disagree with the notion that Harley never had ABS issues. Harley has had several varieties of ABS over the years, with various reports of problems with them. Wish I could find clear documentation of the history and changes of Harley ABS, but I can't.

Long ago with an early versions riders reported actuation of the ABS resulted in the brake lever or pedal dropping, with total release of brake pressure eventually as the master cylinder bottomed out. That certainly sounds like it sucked.

Then there was the problem with a later version of ABS where ABS actuation resulted in a blocked master cylinder and no braking power. That too certainly sounds like it sucked.

Harley used to sell repair kits for ABS actuators, but eliminated it/them. That also sucks.

My hearsay understanding as to why some Harley ABS actuators rusted and failed so quickly (when the vast majority of them on other vehicles do not) is low quality oem brake fluid and or low quality metal in the actuators. True? Don't know. Do know Harley ABS is remarkably touchy, maintenance intensive and failure prone when compared to virtually all other ABS systems on all other vehicles throughout the world. I still deliberately chose ABS for my latest Harley, and will live with the maintenance schedule. It's really not hard to abide by.

 

My 2010’s FLHTK ABS module failed. The only way I knew was I tested dragging the rear wheel in the driveway after receiving the bulletin. Sure enough, the rear wheel would lock up with heavy braking.
I had no indication that it was bad - no light - no braking issues (under normal conditions), etc. I don’t even know how long it was bad.
I had been changing fluid regularly - but not exercising the abs module…
Got the module replaced free under extended service, and got 2 free fluid changes based on the bulletin.

 

How many times do y’all recall reading about someone reporting their brake lever/pedal being hard and not activating their brakes on ABS bikes manufactured after the 2008-2011 model years that were subject to the recall? I can’t recall reading anyone posting about 2014 and later models having this issue, which have different HCUs than prior year models. Also, why didn’t the recall cover 2012 and 2013 models, which had the same HCU as the 2008-2011 models?

I highly suspect there haven’t been reports because the brake fluid formula was changed before the 2012 model year. I can’t find the document right now, but this document specifically mentions that Dow, who provided the H-D brake fluid used in the recalled bikes, failed to formulate the brake fluid to specifications H-D required. It doesn’t specifically mention what the issue was, and you can call me a conspiracy theorist, but I suspect it was because the fluid was lacking anti-corrosive additives. I believe the lack of anti-corrosive additives is primarily what led to the corrosion in the 2008-2011 ABS HCUs, not the lack of owner preventive brake fluid maintenance.

Yes, I do believe, since the recall, that more owners are flushing their brake fluid than ever before, but I’m sure there are still many who aren’t. Yet, there have been few, if any, reports of ABS brake failures that I have found since the 2008-2011 recall.