Ok let me start by saying i purchased a brand new 2012 HD softail deluxe. At around 800 miles i felt a wobble in handlebars going about 55-60mph. I made appointment with dealer to fix along with 1000 mile tune up. Ok this is wher it all starts. As for the wobble i had a few spokes loose on the rear wheel. Dealer said this is normal in softails and sportsters. After mechanic took bike out for test drive he found that the bike pulls to the left. They said further diag. was needed to fix the prob. So as of this moment we know there is an issue. Dealer checked front end, fallaway adjustment and axle alignment. BIKE STILL PULLING TO LEFT. Dealer speaks to HD tech services and they suggest to replace rear wheel to rectify issue. BIKE STILL PULLING TO LEFT. Upon further inspection mechanic found slight bend in front wheel and said that could be causing the pulling, so they went ahead and replaced the front wheel as well. Guess what guys BIKE STILL PULLING TO LEFT. Heres is where it gets good. Dealer is obviously exhausted most of there options so they state the the bike pulls when your hands are of the handlebars. (This is them trying to cover there ***) The problem is evident even with a loose grip having both hands on the handlebars. Next dealer speaks to motor comp again and said that it is because of the Samson True duel exhaust. So they went ahead and put stock exhaust back on only to find out the yes, BIKE IS STILL PULLING TO THE LEFT. I testroad the bike myself and felt the pull. Now they are stating that it is only felt when hands are off the handlebars so that is what i did. I also road the bike with hands on handlebars and still feel the pull. The dealer basically stated to me that they do not get paid to look into it any deeper they are only going by what the motor comp tells them. (as we know they dont get paid to think outside the box) The sad part it that the service manager , mechanic and everyone else at dealer knows that this is beyond normal but wont admit to it because they dont know whats wrong with it. So there conclusion was that the bike doesnt pull if you havr a tight trip on handlebars.
Now lets get realistic we have all driven a car that if off alignment and if we grip the steering wheel of a car that is off alignment we can make the car go straight down the road. Correct me if i wrong but this same concept goes for a motorcycle as well. Best part is that it pulls with both hands on handlebars unless you make it go straight.
so i pickup the bike after being in service for almost a month, later that evening i rode the bike for 50-60 miles and yep you guessed no difference.
The next day i returned the bike to dealer in which they refused to take bike in because they stated that they need to be instructed by the motor comp on what to do. That day i spoke to everyone in the dealer from service manager to sales manager to mechanic to customers that were just waiting for there bikes.
The mechanic clearly knows theres a problem along with the service manager which got fired and admit to it but there excuse is the motor comp doesnt pay them to look deeper into it.
So that tells me its all about who is getting paid. About a week later dealer called me to bring bike back because tech services wanted to try something else. (I did call the motor comp and notified them about this complaint but honestly there customer service was very helpful) So the bike goes back in and they adjusted the front wheel offset and the rear wheel offset. And again BIKE IS STILL PULLING TO LEFT. While the bike was in service this time the found that the neck bearing had notches in it. Now like a stated in the beginning this bike is brand new with 800 miles on A NECK BEARING, REALLY. So they replaced the neck bearing as well.
Now it seems to me that they all know there is a problem because there are trying to fix it but when something doesnt work to default back and say "only felt when hands are off handlebars".
Round 3, Bike comes home with me dealer said they again need to hear from the motor comp so tech services decides they are going to fly up from corp to ride the bike. Well if you ask me there must be a problem with the bike. So again bike goes back into service, tech services is up in NY from corp to ride bike and take guess and what there answer is
Both hands need to be on handlebars.
Has anyone ever had this experience with the motor comp?
Please feel free to give me all your input on this.
Ask me questions?
My stomach is turned upside down over this. I purchased this bike for 25k with all upgrades all i am being treated like i just bought a Schwinn.

Please any feedback would be appreciated.....

 

I had my go around with my dealer as well and was basically told the same thing. Although our problems were different, but after contacting the President of HD my dealers tune changed as far as attitude towards me and my bike. My issue was noise from the free floating brakes and after more then a month in the shop i contacted the Prez. They told me like you it was normal and I told them that normal or not for 15 grand it shouldn't make any noise. I also told them normal or not I didn't want to hear ****. Any way here is his email address. If you need to I will give you my info in a PM and you can tell him I gave you his info. I love my bike as I'm sure all Harley owners do, but with that being said HD customer service is lacking in a lot of areas.

You can also take it to another Harley dealer for a second opinion. Here's his email addy.

matt.levatich@harley-davidson.com

 

Any lemon laws in your state?