ABS Failure!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,241
Likes: 7
From: Daytona, Fla.
Well after 12 days in the shop and a lot of anxiety i picked my bike up today. They put on a new ABS Electronic Control Modulator part# 40649-08 on. After a long discussion with the Service Manager it appears that this part can fail and leave you without brakes as mine did. One of the comments made in the shop was that the odds of this happening was probably about the same as a plane crashing (didnt care for that comparison) I test drove the bike in the parking lot for quite a while with some hard stops and starts and the brakes performed as they should. Drove it home...30 miles, no problems. As a side note i looked at the Master Cylinder closely before i left the shop and it dont appear it has been changed. It had some bug guts on the front of it!
Sorry it took so long but im glad to have her home.
Sorry it took so long but im glad to have her home.
I see there are a lot of comments about the terrible dangers the MOCO is subjecting us all to with these failure prone parts. As of now yours is the only one I've heard of, & I always figure that anything mechanical (or electronic) will eventually fail. I have a habit of testing both front & rear brakes on the way out of the driveway. Doesn't assure me that they'll work at the stop sign, but at least I know they work when I start the ride.
As for the keyboard critics that cry about not having any redundancy, you did have the front brakes.
All in all, it appears you & your dealer handled the problem pretty well. Glad to hear you got your bike back, & don't forget to check the brakes early in the ride!
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 239
Likes: 0
From: Southington, OH
TL
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 3
From: Cheltenham, UK
Thank you for your feedback on the ABS problem, and I'm happy to hear you survived the ordeal and got your ride back.
However:
First of all, I would never fly in a plane made by Harley!! Harley and electronics never did make a good match, they're still having problems with their mechanical engineering after 100+ years.
Secondly, It is really scary to think that on a critical componet, like ABS brakes, if the electronic control module failed the mechanical/hydraulic component would still work to save your a$$.
Finely, I'm confused as to why we can remove the fuse for the ABS, disabling the electronics and the brakes will work normally. Hopefully someone can answer that one for me.
However:
First of all, I would never fly in a plane made by Harley!! Harley and electronics never did make a good match, they're still having problems with their mechanical engineering after 100+ years.
Secondly, It is really scary to think that on a critical componet, like ABS brakes, if the electronic control module failed the mechanical/hydraulic component would still work to save your a$$.
Finely, I'm confused as to why we can remove the fuse for the ABS, disabling the electronics and the brakes will work normally. Hopefully someone can answer that one for me.
Unlugging the ABS (and probably the vast majority of ABS control related failures) will revert to the condition you have described above
In this case, I guess the failure made could be a feedback logic type problem. If the device believes the back wheel is always locked up it will maintain output pressure to the brake at basically zero. I am not for one minute saying this was the failure mode but merely proposing a failure mode that could lead to the symptoms experienced.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
I have a question about all of this (sorry if I missed the answer else where) but are the brakes on a 'Glide series biked linked front and rear? It sounds really scary that a ABS part failing can cause no rear brakes, will this failure cause TOTAL brake failure? This sounds like a good reason for me to NOT get ABS on my new bike when I get it.... no matter how rare the occurance is.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Florida
I have a question about all of this (sorry if I missed the answer else where) but are the brakes on a 'Glide series biked linked front and rear? It sounds really scary that a ABS part failing can cause no rear brakes, will this failure cause TOTAL brake failure? This sounds like a good reason for me to NOT get ABS on my new bike when I get it.... no matter how rare the occurance is.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 928
Likes: 0
From: Redmond, WA
Never thought I would come to the defense of the MOCO; however, the ABS is designed and built by one of the best brake manufacturers in the world, Brembo. They make most of high performance brakes for race cars and motorcycles. Other than the software revision, my ABS brakes have been fantastic. I recently rode a BMW F800ST which has Brembo ABS also and I think the brakes on my Ultra performed much better than those on the F800ST (JMHO).
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,122
Likes: 23
From: Mishawaka,Indiana
It could be as simple as a piece of debris from manufacturing got stuck in a solenoid valve. It will take time for engineering to find out what happened and if, how many and find a solution. Not possible to have a recall on a part with out even knowing what happened. Being a Master Tech for 30 years on Porsche,Audi,Vw I have seen nearly every part fail at some time, some new, some old. Mike
