Was Your Harley Warranty Denied After Upgrades?
Forum members share their real experiences with Harley warranty work after installing non-EPA approved parts.
Harley owners are certainly living in a different world these days. In the old days, if you wanted to upgrade your bike, you did so without much fear of repercussions. But today, with complex electronics and emissions laws, upgrading your ride is a slippery slope. And choosing to install certain parts on your bike can void your precious Harley warranty quicker than you can turn a wrench.
But even in spite of this fact, folks still slap non-Harley upgrades on their rides. Because, well, it’s their given right. And depending on where you live and who your dealership of choice might be, your Harley warranty may or may not stand. This has been a hot topic here at Harley-Davidson Forums lately. And it had member teedoff65 wondering, just who, exactly has had their Harley warranty work denied?
“I want to know who has documented cases where warranty work was denied specifically for reason of use of non-CARB or EPA approved tuners and/or aftermarket parts like slip-ons, cams and the like.”
With all the speculation and hearsay going around, it’s a fair question. And without delay, Roadie13 chimes in with a cautionary story.
“I have personal knowledge of a bike at my dealership that was voided. Owner did a Stage 3 with a Power Vision tuner and had sumping issues before the memo was released on a very early ’17 SG. Dealer submitted to MoCo and the powertrain warranty was voided instantly. The owner was furious as the dealer had told them the aftermarket tuner wouldn’t be a show stopper. The dealer rebuilt the engine out of pocket. No cost to the customer and no paperwork to MoCo after the initial denial.”
So at least in this case, the dealership owned up to their error. But it’s clear that Harley-Davidson themselves are pretty serious about it, as you can see from Stroked16‘s experience.
“I know that when my SE Street Cannon tips turned purple, the dealer sent pictures of just the purple tips to MoCo. A week later, the dealer was instructed to send MoCo photos of the intake, full exhaust, and tips to ensure I hadn’t changed them. Fortunately, everything on my bike is under factory warranty thus far. I was not denied warranty, but MoCo definitely wanted a small degree of proof I hadn’t changed anything. And that was just for exhaust tips. I’m sure a real warranty claim would require more proof.”
And in the case of RoadRunner54, even a non-performance upgrade is enough to flag your Harley warranty.
“My warranty was flagged because I had a trailer hitch on. I was at Bikes, Blues, and Barbecue when I had an oil light issue. Called a wrecker to haul it to the local dealer. Harley rep was there, saw the hitch, and now I no longer have a powertrain warranty.”
And yet, as of this writing, that was the only firsthand account where warranty coverage was denied. And there are a total of zero reports where someone has had their Harley warranty flagged due to non-compliant performance parts. So we need your input! Have you had your powertrain warranty flagged or nullified after installing non-EPA or non-CARB approved parts? Head over here and let us know about it!
