Thanks for the replies guys. Now I'm not looking to make any excuses, but just wanted to state a few things.
1. I have the same bike and we both purchased them together. Both were built in early 2014 Jan & Feb.
2. We were aware of the clutch issue and stated our concern during our purchase. We were told and shown that our bikes were not part of the clutch recall.
3. We both had our 1000mile check up 1 month prior to this incident
4. There was no indication of any clutch problems of any kind until that morning to work. Our thoughts was maybe a clutch adjustment in the primary.
5. HD tech didn't express any concerns once he was told the problem, outside maybe a bubble in the line.

Now again, no excuse. He should of just parked it or shut it down in the yard instead of entering the garage. But who would of raised any immediate red flags? I'll keep you all posted. Again, thanks for the comments.

 

He truly had an angel on his shoulder. Could have been a stop light with semi trucks for cross traffic and pedestrians in front of him.

 

More and more, I'm glad that my RK has the regular ol' clutch on it.

 

I understand but:

• If your cable breaks, you've pretty much the same situation. That happened to me in my old Honda.
• Hydraulic actuated motorcycle clutches aren't new, they have been out for a long time.

I'm not sure what the problem was/is with HD's hydraulic actuated clutch system is, but it is not the technology. I have one on my '96 Suzuki & haven't had a lick of trouble during the 18 years I've owned it.

 

I find it hard to blame the rider, I've been riding too many years and have felt weird things and kept on riding my bike believing that I could get it home safely. The clutch being grabby or inconsistent was a constant problem on my 09 (non hydraulic) clutch but I never felt like I was in danger.

Glad he didn't get hurt and I hope insurance settles for him.

 

Well it appears his bike was not part of the Clutch recall.. if it were then Harley done it's part of sending notices and calls out. That being said neither the rider or the dealer without looking at it had no idea it would lead to a catastrophic failure. If a part on a bike or vehicle fails and leads to damages would the manufacture of the part , Dealer or insurance be responsible for covering it? I don’t know that answer.. a Lawyer or the Insurance company would.

 

The HD service dept. discovered a total hydraulic master cylinder failure for the clutch. A new unit is to be installed, and all damages to the bike caused by the accident, will be replaced free of charge from Harley. Should have the bike back early next week.
This is "two thumbs up" for Harley Davidson. Glad there's still companies that make it right.

 

What about the collateral damage to the garage?
jt

 

I can understand hd covering it as there were known master cylinder issues and that one may have been missed. What I don't understand is how cabinets, work bench and front of bike totalled and brakes not killing engine. I go into garage at a crawl speed and really doubt if I grab front brake hard the engine will keep pushing me forward, regardless of the antilock. which I don't think works at low speed anyway.

 

Couple of possible scenarios, First Engine RPM drops to a certain point and the idle control system bumps the RPM up, second the "OH CRAP" causes all kinds of unintended reactions. Talking just a few seconds here.