My whinge - My 09 has 2 electrical gremlins:

The TBW will just pack up. It goes into forced idle mode, not limp home mode, so when it happens the bike has no power and you need to get off the road fast before an 18 wheeler flattens you. The code is 1511 from memory. I have been smart tuning with the SEPST when it happened, so I have the data log showing TPS feedback, twist grip position etc and you can see the point on the chart where the system goes haywire, so I can prove it is happening. When it happens if you shut down the bike it will not start again, it just cranks and cranks. You gotta do a WOW, reset the fault codes and then the bike will start.

The other gremlin is that the bike will start itself. You turn the switch on the console to on and it just fires up. I have been idling in traffic and I can hear the starter motor kicking in and out, grinding away on the ring gear. Of course it doesnt do it all the time, just once or twice a week. So I start the bike and pull the green wire off the starter so it cant happen. Its a pain, if you stall in traffic you gotta remember to reach down, plug the green wire in, kick the bike, and unplug it again.

So the bike has been with the selling dealer for 7 weeks. They have ridden it for a total of 4 hours, checked everything and cant find anything wrong. The faults have not occurred in that time and they want to give the bike back to me, get me to ride it until the fault occurs and then bring it in. They say HD australia wont pay them to ride it any more.

If the TBW problem happens then the bike is going nowhere without resetting the codes, and they dont want me to reset them, so the bike will have to be towed in. They wont pay for the towing, nor will HD aus. The bike is under warranty, but not HD roadside assistance as it only lasts for 1 year.

So thats their solution. Ride it till it breaks, then pay to get it to them, and they might be able to fix it. I dont think this is good enough but I dont have a lot of choice now do I??

 

Hey King-- That's about right as a response from the HD mob aussie wide.

If you have gone as far as you can with the selling dealer, call HD Corporate on 02 9886 0600 and ask to speak with the technical department and ensure this becomes a recorded issue.

I would be promoting this as a high level safety issue with them (and it is) to get their attention, although theS&S hot set up kit will cloud the issue even though it is likely not the root cause.
It has been my experience they will use any reason not to have to reach deep for the fix and I'm suprised they didn't tell you "they all do that".

As far as choice you could always park it out front just off their property and hold up a posterboard sign with a 'lemon' on it to get their attention.

 

I think that after installing a S&S 124 aftermarket engine kit I would be damn glad they offered to fix either problem at all, so if I was you I'd get it to them on your dime or fix it yourself.

 

I don't know how it works in Oz, but thanks to Mangussen-Moss, that wouldn't fly here (though you'd have to fight tooth and nail to get it covered).

What's weird is that it's not faulting to limp-home mode. Any chance you've got a wire somewhere in the TBW harness that's lost its insulation and it's shorting inside the bars?

 

You guys that wave Mag Moss around like a gun crack me up.

 

I have the starter issue too and the dealer here said he has seen it before and it's either a pinched wire or the swtich on the handlbars. This is a new to me dealer and they said they would replace the switch if it happens again, the previous dealer never heard of nor fixed it, this is a much bigger dealer and at least they have seen it before.

 

With all of the modifications with non Harley parts...I can't believe you have any warranty at all.

 

It helps to know the law. Here in the states, you can't be denied warranty coverage on your TBW if you've modified your engine; they're two different systems, and the larger displacement won't cause the TBW to fail.

Not really sure why understanding your rights cracks you up, but to each their own.

 

Your tech got paid to ride it 4 hours? Hell I rode a customers 5 year out of warranty bike for almost 500 miles and couldnt duplicate the customers complaint and didnt get paid a dime for it.

Are you bars internally wired? If so I would start by unplugging the switch harnesses and hooking an ohm meter up to every wire to check for grounds, shorts and switch function. Sounds like the green connector inside the bars has partially disconnected, seen that happen. Then the green wire from the started back to the start button to see if its grounded someplace. Your gonna need to pull on the wiring like crazy to see something happen since its so intermittant, it sounds like a chaffed wire someplace.

 

What we have downunder is the "Trade Practices Act" that provides similarities to M&M. By example when I picked up my 09 POS the SM told me that I must use HD lubes and filters to maintain the warranty.
I referred him to the section of the TPA that states they can only void my warranty if they provide oils and filters free of charge and I choose not to use them....the silence was deafening...

Also, the warranty is only void on a particular component if any aftermarket component caused the fault. By example, you can have major mods to a motor with a HD component in place (such as a SEPST), and if the SEPST fails through no cause of the modifications
then it is still under warranty.
What clouds the issue is the gray area trying to prove/show the component failed through no cause of the modifications. In some cases this would be clear cut but not so in others. By example-- you have major motor mods and the rear brake caliper cracks--the fault is clearly not due to motor mods.....

King-- I agree with others here, the problem posibly being a short, maybe in the handlbar switch -- take it to an autolec if the dealer doesn't want to look for it. In some cases it's not worth fighting the battle, especially if you have a long commute back and forth to the dealers....

As far as them needing to see the codes-- don't they trust you to record them and let them know?

Mate this is easy for me to say, but I would leave it at the dealers, call HD Aus and tell them you don't want the bike back until its fixed, as it si a safety issue with the TBW going south while your on the road at speed.
FFS look at the Toyota throttle issues-- same thing in reverse-- system shuts down and get run over!