My 2010 Ultra Classic while with only 21000 miles on it busted an oil pump on the way back form strugis in August of 2010. Well the rear cylinder shut off and I lost power. But because I was in the middle of no were in at 3AM I continued to push on. Well then I regain power and continued home. On the checks by the local shop computers it showed my bike was ok. After insistiing on futher test I was discovered the back cylinder was worn too much on that search it lead to finding a broken oil pump and damaged cams and loads of problems. The engine was covered under warranty. But 5000 miles later the bikes started leaking oil from the base gaskets on the removel it was found the rear rod was seiging on the crank. The damage was probably done when the oil pump was broken. There seems to be a pinion shaft problem causein these bikes to break. Harley is aware of the problem but has not made it public

 

You can't blame anyone but yourself.When you lose oil pressure you can't keep running it.

 

I would be of the opinion of post #2....if oil pressure drops and the bike operated differently then stopping is the only way to prevent damages....Who knows what happened other that what has reared it's ugly head up to now???? Time will tell...

 

You say classic engine problem but this is the first I have heard of this particular problem with the newer bikes, I will have to do a search and find more on this.

 

I would think a replacement engine under warranty is due .. Is true as stated, when you drop oil pressure suddenly, Stop the Bike ... Even if in the middle of nowhere at 3AM Not pleasant, but things that cause a sudden drop oil pressure usually end up in a seriously damaged engine..

Have not heard about the pinion shaft problem before although suppose it's possible ..

 

Hope you didn't tell them that you rode for whatever amount of miles with no oil pressure.

 

If that motor would have seized up completely when you were riding it you would have had your hands full. As others have said, when the oil pressure dropped you should have parked it.

 

Does this mean the engine can keep running when no oil pressure is detected? Why have sophisticated OBD codes that are automatically reset and become useless after 'N' occurrences? It can be dangerous to stop the engine without prior warning but we could perhaps have the warning lights come on to know we have a problem and acknowledge the alarm by turning them off. I don't keep my attention on the oil gage and while driving against direct sunlight since I have the black gages and I can't easily read the instruments. This is why I bought the cruise control

 

Most manufacturers will sacrifice the hardware to protect the customer. They'll continue to let the engine run to allow you to get to someplace safe, even if it means they're replacing an engine under warranty.

 

The engine must be left running until the driver finds a 'sweet spot' to stop safely along the way. 35 years ago I took part in a destructive test where a little Simca-Chrysler 4 cyl engine ran one day at idle without any oil. The engine had to be over revved at closing time to destroy the babbitt lining of one connecting rod and could still be repaired. So we have a bit of a margin