What would you do?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,630
Likes: 185
From: Mountain West, Big Sky Country
This is my first post here lets see how it goes. Bought my SG, 4-4-13. Traded in my Yami Roadstar................not getting the feeling that it was a good trade. When I first picked it up, it quit on me on the way home. Had to have it towed home, dealer came and got it the next morning and replaced everything in the fuel tank. They don't know to this day what exactly was wrong just wasn't getting the correct fuel pressure. It then started having this intermittent starting problem. Turn the ignition switch, wait for it to go through it's diagnostics, hit the button and nothing but a small clicking sound. Harley was nice enough to give me my 1000 mile service free for my initial problem. Told them about the starting issue, they could not find anything and of course it wouldn't do it for them. That was around the first of this month. It has done the non starting problem 3 times since. Always after work after it sat for 10 hrs covered up. The last two time I found that holding the button down and rotating the switch ever so slightly it makes contact and fires up. To me this says the problem is in the switch. Talked to Harley yesterday, unless it will do this for them they won't/can't do anything to help. They want me to leave it with them for a period of time, maybe one of there techs riding it home or so to see if it will do it for them. Don't care for the idea of having somebody riding it. I don't give a damn who they are. Besides I doubt they could get it to do it. I asked them does it need to fail me and leave me stranded somewhere in order for them to fix it. Their reply was, "well we hope it doesn't do that".
Leaving this Monday for a 1000 mile rode trip into the White Mountains of AZ. and not feeling very confident. I do like this bike, handles much better than my Roadstar but............Roadstar never left me stranded.
Leaving this Monday for a 1000 mile rode trip into the White Mountains of AZ. and not feeling very confident. I do like this bike, handles much better than my Roadstar but............Roadstar never left me stranded.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Next time it does it, wait for a few moments and then study what works on the bike, before trying to restart it. There may be a clue or two if something isn't working, then does when the bike starts. You are in a much better place to study and diagnose this than a mechanic. You need to try to out-smart the problem!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,267
Likes: 1
From: Redcar Cleveland England
If the bike is new I would use it as much as you can and when it won't start next time get the shop to take it back and keep it for a week or so. Get them to give you a loan bike. I wonder if it could be how its been uncrated, is there a loose connection. Tech guys put me wright ?.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,267
Likes: 1
From: Redcar Cleveland England
bone57
Forgot to say you need to get over the fact that a tech is riding you bike, give them a chance to fix the problem. They ride bikes all the time, it's had the oil and filter you say at 1000 miles the bike should take the speed limits. You have to put some trust in the guys who are working on the bikes. How would you feel if you were not trusted to do your job, Just saying not trying to rub you up.
Forgot to say you need to get over the fact that a tech is riding you bike, give them a chance to fix the problem. They ride bikes all the time, it's had the oil and filter you say at 1000 miles the bike should take the speed limits. You have to put some trust in the guys who are working on the bikes. How would you feel if you were not trusted to do your job, Just saying not trying to rub you up.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,059
Likes: 4
From: Florida
It isn't just Harley. My ex's second V-star wasn't 5 miles from the dealer where she just took new delivery when the oil pressure light came on. Had several intermittent problems. long story short, it took 4 trips to the dealer before someone realized that there was a wire under the dash that wasn't crimped and was causing random electrical issues. After having the service manager note there wasn't a scratch on it, I finally told him to keep it until it was fixed.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
I bought a secondhand bike a few years ago, which looked fine but had had several owners, at roughly yearly intervals. I ignored that as it looked and rode well and was what I wanted. It didn't take long to discover an intermittent electrical fault and I enlisted the help of a biking friend who is a telephone engineer and accustomed to chasing faults. It took us several hours to find a faulty connection, buried in the bowels of the bike, despite his skills. I don't think it could be found any other way than spending all that time.
A dealer isn't going to do that! They probably don't have the same skills and certainly not the spare time. I also suspect the bike had that fault from the factory (not Harley), which is why it had changed hands so often.
A dealer isn't going to do that! They probably don't have the same skills and certainly not the spare time. I also suspect the bike had that fault from the factory (not Harley), which is why it had changed hands so often.
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, Az.
All pts. well taken. Guess I'm just a little frustrated, for the cost of this bike I was thinking perfection. Silly me. I do believe that after this trip they can have it till they find it. Thanks for all the replies.
I did post this in the tech section, will continue watching.
I did post this in the tech section, will continue watching.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,267
Likes: 1
From: Redcar Cleveland England
All pts. well taken. Guess I'm just a little frustrated, for the cost of this bike I was thinking perfection. Silly me. I do believe that after this trip they can have it till they find it. Thanks for all the replies.
I did post this in the tech section, will continue watching.
I did post this in the tech section, will continue watching.
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