An awful lot of it is just perception. A Harley is a very mechanical piece of equipment. It's not like a Honda, where all those nasty mechanisms are encased in steel and aluminum so the rider won't know they're there. The Harley transmission, for example, is sitting right there between your feet inside a thin steel shell - no wonder you can hear the gears whirring. The primary is a chain whipping around next to your foot instead of a neat helical gear inside the engine case. The valve train has lots of parts and a ton of moving mass. The crank is heavy, the pistons are big, there's no radiator and water jacketing to absorb noise.

If you like sewing machines, get a Honda. There's nothing wrong with them, they're great pieces of engineering (in spite of their obsession with making a bike that looks like a fake Harley). If you like mechanical things, get a Harley. After you buy the Harley, though, keep in mind that you own a machine, not an appliance.

 

Problems usually show their head w/new items.As long as the dealers do their job all will be fine.Plus it gets you to buy something with all those visits.

 

As far as the overheating issues, and surging, popping etc...it is true that the EPA has put pressure in the MOCO to lean out the bike. That being said, instead of the MOCO just saying "we're gonna put a leaner map in ECM" the bike should have been redesigned so that it could run at normal temp, with a leaner condition, and not experience any of the trademark lean issues.
It is really easy to install a PCIII, as I have done, but it shouldn't have to be done to obtain normal operating conditions.

I think the 8 degree to 25 degree injectors was a service bulletin that was brought about due to this reason. Becuase of the leaner mappings, the 25 degree injecotrs were found to be an easy and inexpensive way to richen the air/fuel ratio, thus "fixing the issue"....in the programming world, this is known as a hack. Doesn't really fix the problem, just band-aids it.

As far as the radio goes...It is a cd\mp3 playing computer...I was pretty impressed with the fact that it is firmware upgradeable, but any MP3 player can do that. That being said, I'm not sure how much experience H/K has in building cd players for robust conditions such as a motorycle. I mean you have to create a cd player that is waterproof, vibration resistant, can operate in a very wide temp and humidity band, and play off a spinning disc without a hiccup...quite an engineering problem. Add the fact that it can be programmed, and I can see why there are so many bugs with the design. That being said, I would expect there to be hardware revisions along with the Firmware updates that have been popping up every here and there. This is just the mairrage of tech and machine, and it can be a shaky one, so I'm not surprised to see problems here. But I would have expected revised HW for radio by now...But I think thats H/K's fault, not HD.

As far as the speakers...well I think Harley cheaped out here for sure. Considering you can pick up a pair of HogTunes for 100$. The hogtunes have a much larger magnet that allow less distortion at louder volumes, better clarity, etc... Of course, knowing HD, who knows what kind of premium would be put onto these.

Specifically on the Roadglide, I was suprised to see that some of the black on the bottom of the Windshield rubs off due to vibration, leaving a clear streak on the shield...that is a design flaw, and the only way to get around it is go 3rd party.

Despite the little nuances on my '06 roadglide, I do love it, and wouldn't give it up. I now have it running and looking great. I would buy it all again, even after knowing about these issues. While I would warn a new buyer of these issues, I would still recommend a RG to anybody who wanted one.

 

It's very possible that the MOCO is pushing out the bikes too fast. After the AMF days, there was a real serious attempt to up the quality and Harley became famous for their turn around. As those days fade, and the employees continue to have unprecedented work periods with no layoffs anywhere in sight, I think they may start to forget the past. Not saying this is happening, just surmising that it's very plausible.

 

Todays issues dont even compare to the AMF days.Waiting months for a bike only to find out it didnt even make it off the lot.No two bikes were the same,depended on who built it.Dealers that would only shrug their shoulders

 

I know we all come from various backgrounds. I'm a military pilot and an FAA licensed mechanic and as much as I love my bike I think the quality is definitely lacking in many areas of these bikes.

 

Wishbone,I agree somewhat,but thats where the owner comes in.HDs are about individualism.Most people improve on them to their likes.

 

Agreed, but when we pay $20k for a bike, we shouldn't have to rush home and make sure all of the nuts and bolts are torqued down properly. It's called quality control and the MOCO should be on it. HD has already been resurrected from the dead (AMF) once.