Brake switch recall...NO REAR BRAKES!

[1550vt]

Old.....as you get older....NOTHING works. But....as long as you think you smell good, that's all that counts.

 

[M.A.T.]

Touch base with your dealer about getting it done.

Thanks msocko3, 10-4.
Rob

 

[greyfang]

had the recall done today, the original part number as well as the replacement number were both on the paperwork that was given back to me. not similar at all. does anyone know how the new switch differs from the original?

 

[MontgomeryLittle]

Just got the recall notice today from the MOCo for my wifes 2011 Tri Glide. What the heck, from reading here I knew of the issue. Just wondering why it took so long to recieve the official notice? The recall said the issue was due to heat. Which we have taken care of. Now I hear they don't bleed the brakes. Wow unbelievable....

 

[Gorilla]

Just got the recall notice today from the MOCo for my wifes 2011 Tri Glide. What the heck, from reading here I knew of the issue. Just wondering why it took so long to recieve the official notice? The recall said the issue was due to heat. Which we have taken care of. Now I hear they don't bleed the brakes. Wow unbelievable....

Cover yourself and get the recall done anyway.

 

[msocko3]

I got my recall letter yesterday, the repair has been done for a good 3 weeks.

 

[1550vt]

If I had a TG (which I don't) and it had a banjo-bolt that connects the main brake line to the tee (which I don't know), I would replace that banjo bolt with a brake light banjo bolt, which will accept the switch. Then, you can move the switch completely out of harms way by plugging the 1/8 NPT hole where the switch is now located. You probably have enough slack in the switch wiring to re-route it close enough to the tee connection.

I know I am just guessing here and I have only done this on conversions, but it appears all the MOCO is doing is replacing the switch with one that won't melt-down. You still have the blow-torch on the switch, but I suppose the Harley way is not to move the switch away from the blow-torch....but put one on that doesn't melt. I suppose you do have the warranty thing to consider, but I would move it away from the hot exhaust components anyway. The switch does not care where it is as long as it is in the circuit somewhere. Seems like many of you are having to bleed the brakes anyhow.

 

[DakotaTG]

Got my recall notice in the mail yesterday as well. My TG is already in storage up at the HD dealer but the service manager has already told me they would probably replace the switch sometime while it is in storage. he said they had about 35 to 40 switches on hand and would do them as they were brought in or while they were in storage. As long as it is ready for me come March or April of 2012 when our ND winter ends.

 

[M.A.T.]

I'm not sure if any of this helps anyone or not but......., was at the dealer this past weekend and the service tech showed me the bad switch they are replacing. It is a pressed fit switch and basically, is two parts. He showed me how the terminal half spins freely from the threaded half. And explained how with vibrations it's possible (and has become obvious from experienceto MOCO) that you can loose electrical contact inside the switch between the two halves and/or fluid will begin to leak, or the wire half will twist and could possible pull the wires off at the terminals. He said it was simply a poor design. He went on to say that the replacement is the 4th design of it. The replacement he showed me does not spin freely. He did say that it would only take like 45 minutes, and also, that they hook it up to a computer and they don't have to bleed the brakes. Of course when I asked about checking the brakes after the work he reassured me (and this has always been my experience with this dealer) that as in the past, as is their policy, they would never give me back the Trike without a test drive by one of the service managers, for not only this service but for any service. So, I consider myself lucky on two points, no brake failures and my dealer is and has always been to me, trustworthy and honest.

Now of course, on a side note, I have inquired about purchasing a H-D alarm for the Trike and have told me that they must do the install. I am of course questioning this fact but to be honest, it's not worth the $36 they want to charge for labor (when the parts are already like $460 something) to possibly degrade the relationship we have, or my time.

Rob

 

[1550vt]

That was a very good and detailed explanation there M.A.T. You would think that after installing some....hundreds-of-thousands of brake switches on scooters for this long, MOCO should have found one by now that was of not a "poor design". I bet this switch of "poor design" cost 2-cents less than one of a better design they had been using for the past 20-years before this problem surfaced. They just took another short-cut that bit them in the butt.

 

[DanDolfn]

I said ride it before you give it back.

I took my bike in for the recall, on the way to have the conversion done. When they were done, they took it for a test ride. When I asked about it, they said they always take it for a test ride when they've worked on anything that is safety related.

A tip of the hat to Lakeland (FL) Harley.

 

[M.A.T.]

Thanks 1550vt, I have my moments, I guess .

And I agree with you on the whole penny pinching thing. Unless in utter disbelief in regards to the explanation about a blatant error, I completely shut out the part where they service manager said that the switch is the same one they have always used but the heat of the new engines is melting the glue between the two parts.

To which I have to say, Bull-Doody! But hey, I am no NASA engineer either, I don't build em' I only ride em'........so maybe to mix things up a bit in-house and have a little fun they moved the switch closer to the more extreme heated parts of the engine not knowing the glue inside the switch would melt??????

Rob

 

[DanDolfn]

After reading the result's on this and other forum's that some owner's are having after the switch replacement, I think I'll wait a while before having it done.

And the upside of waiting would be....?

The risk of having your brakes go out would seem to be a pretty significant downside.

Just make sure they test the brakes after they do the work and before you ride it yourself.

 

[1550vt]

Heat.....cheap switch.....doesn't matter. It's just another case like the wrong rear cam bearing installed in the initial runs of the Twin Cam. I had a District Manager tell me all those troubles could be traced to the bearing manufacturer....which was pure BS once we all found out they substituted a ball bearing where a roller bearing should have been. No way could they have tested the TC for as long and as many miles as they claimed and not had multiple bearing failures. The true story of that early fiasco may never be known and this one may not either.

Hey....I had to fix a Honda this past weekend. It seems just so unusual to see a Honda guy lying on the ground under his bike. I just had to stop and give him a hand. His shifter had fell apart due to some loose screws and he did not have the tools to fix it....imagine that!

 

[M.A.T.]

Heat.....cheap switch.....doesn't matter.

Exactly, I am with ya! "I don't care who got it wrong or what was/is broke, it's too late to point fingers, let's just resolve the situation before someone dies!!!" And obviously they are, which is cool. It would be nice though and a lot cooler if they could also include say a $400 credit voucher or Visa check card for our troubles. Then I could forget all this easier.

From MoCo,
"Hey, we screwed up big time and could have killed ya but if you are reading this recall notice luckily we didn't. Whew, dodged that bullet, (obligatory) ha ha ha, and by the way, here is a little something to help you calm down while you contemplate all of this.........."

Yea right, I still can't believe that on a $33k Trike they make you buy a $50 wiring harness to convert the tour pack running lights to turn signals/brake lights. This should be a standard feature and the wiring harness to make them just running lights should come with the bike in the event you'd rather not be safety conscious. Ridicules.

Rob

 

[msocko3]

Yea right, I still can't believe that on a $33k Trike they make you buy a $50 wiring harness to convert the tour pack running lights to turn signals/brake lights. This should be a standard feature and the wiring harness to make them just running lights should come with the bike in the event you'd rather not be safety conscious. Ridicules.

Rob

One thing I learned a long time ago is with a Harley your buying a kit with some assembly and optional parts required to make it right.

 

[greyfang]

One thing I learned a long time ago is with a Harley your buying a kit with some assembly and optional parts required to make it right.

well said Mike!

 

[10rhrk]

After reading the result's on this and other forum's that some owner's are having after the switch replacement, I think I'll wait a while before having it done.

And the upside of waiting would be....?

The risk of having your brakes go out would seem to be a pretty significant downside.

Just make sure they test the brakes after they do the work and before you ride it yourself.

The upside of waiting is I haven't had problems with my rear brakes. It is a separate system and you still have the front brakes. Plus I removed my cat over a year ago. I have a good Dealer near me with a top notch service dept. When I get my notice, I'll call them and have it done. Has anybody on here had the switch fail? I think it's been blown out of proportion. If it had been that serious and brakes were failing that bad, the MoCo would have put out a warning stating not to ride the bike anymore until you get the brake switch replaced. I don't know anybody who's had the switch actually fail.

I don't care how good a Service dept is, if I have my bike or anything else worked on, I will not ride it or drive it anywhere until I know the works been done right.

 

[msocko3]

The upside of waiting is I haven't had problems with my rear brakes. It is a separate system and you still have the front brakes. Plus I removed my cat over a year ago. I have a good Dealer near me with a top notch service dept. When I get my notice, I'll call them and have it done. Has anybody on here had the switch fail? I think it's been blown out of proportion. If it had been that serious and brakes were failing that bad, the MoCo would have put out a warning stating not to ride the bike anymore until you get the brake switch replaced. I don't know anybody who's had the switch actually fail.

I don't care how good a Service dept is, if I have my bike or anything else worked on, I will not ride it or drive it anywhere until I know the works been done right.

I only put 2,500 miles on my 2010 with the cat on, since then I have a Fulemoto jackpot head pipe. A month ago while taking mine off the lift to go for a ride I went from having rear brakes to having no rear brakes. The tech at the dealer tried to tell me I lost my rear brakes because they needed adjusted, he didn't have an explanation for why I had normal brakes while coming off the lift then lost them after a couple applications of them. He also didn't get the rear brakes to come back until the switch was replaced and the system bled.

 

[JohnC]

Is it possible to order the switch separately so I can install it myself? My dealer told me it's going to be a month or more until they get switches in and in the meantime I've been added to a "list" of folks requesting to have the switch replaced. They also told me that if my name comes up on the list and I choose not to come in at that time (regardless of reason), then I drop to the bottom of the list again. It's getting cold here and I have no intentions of riding the trike to the dealer if there is snow and ice on the ground.

I have a fuelmoto header along with the Kuryakyn tranny cover so my switch is definitely not being exposed to any heat.

Suggestions?

 

[10rhrk]

I only put 2,500 miles on my 2010 with the cat on, since then I have a Fulemoto jackpot head pipe. A month ago while taking mine off the lift to go for a ride I went from having rear brakes to having no rear brakes. The tech at the dealer tried to tell me I lost my rear brakes because they needed adjusted, he didn't have an explanation for why I had normal brakes while coming off the lift then lost them after a couple applications of them. He also didn't get the rear brakes to come back until the switch was replaced and the system bled.

In the above post, I was referring to my 2010 Road King. I don't know yet what we are going to do with my wife's 2012 Triglide. I've talked To Wizard about maybe going with the Fulsac X-pipe and TTS. How do you like the FuelMoto Header?

I know there are a lot of bad Dealer's around who try to tell owner's BS.
I had a bad experience with one with the front tire fiasco 2 1/2 yrs ago on my 09 EGC. He didn't want to replace it after knowing it was cupping and making a howling noise in turns. Said I had too many miles on it, even though I had half the tread left.

I called customer service and was treated well. They gave me a reference number and ask if I wanted to go back to the same Dealer, said they would call and setup the appointment for me. I chose another Dealer and it turned out good. He not only replaced my front Dunlop 407F, he also replaced the back tire under warranty as well. Said it was cupping too. Since then I've had a great relationship with this Dealer even though I do all my service and tire changes now on both bikes.

I just ordered some Baffle wrapping material from Jamie at FuelMoto. I have his PowerTube muffler on a 2into1 header on my RK. It's starting to get too loud for me. They don't make a quiet baffle for the PowerTube.

Have a great Thanksgiving 3

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Is it possible to order the switch separately so I can install it myself? My dealer told me it's going to be a month or more until they get switches in and in the meantime I've been added to a "list" of folks requesting to have the switch replaced. They also told me that if my name comes up on the list and I choose not to come in at that time (regardless of reason), then I drop to the bottom of the list again. It's getting cold here and I have no intentions of riding the trike to the dealer if there is snow and ice on the ground.

I have a fuelmoto header along with the Kuryakyn tranny cover so my switch is definitely not being exposed to any heat.

Suggestions?

John.. anything is possible but there is a recall to be concerned about. Brakes are a safety item. Future failures could result in a Bozo-no-no.

If we say wait until all the hoopla calms down and the next time you get on the HD something bad happens... well, we would all feel bad that you got bad advice.

Doing it yourself could result in letting them off the hook if the new switch goes bad and something happens... HD lawyers would have a field day with that.

I guess patience is the key or find another dealer what will help with the scheduling and wants your future business.

ThumbUp

 

[msocko3]

John.. anything is possible but there is a recall to be concerned about. Brakes are a safety item. Future failures could result in a Bozo-no-no.

If we say wait until all the hoopla calms down and the next time you get on the HD something bad happens... well, we would all feel bad that you got bad advice.

Doing it yourself could result in letting them off the hook if the new switch goes bad and something happens... HD lawyers would have a field day with that.

I guess patience is the key or find another dealer what will help with the scheduling and wants your future business.

ThumbUp

:Agree: Great advice, as much as I don't like to take it to the dealer I'm not going to give them an excuse to point the finger at me if or when something went wrong.

 

[Oldmsocko]

I don't like taking mine to a dealer either but I sure don't want to give them any extra leverage if something goes South.

 

[Hoghead]

The upside of waiting is I haven't had problems with my rear brakes. It is a separate system and you still have the front brakes. Plus I removed my cat over a year ago. I have a good Dealer near me with a top notch service dept. When I get my notice, I'll call them and have it done. Has anybody on here had the switch fail? I think it's been blown out of proportion. If it had been that serious and brakes were failing that bad, the MoCo would have put out a warning stating not to ride the bike anymore until you get the brake switch replaced. I don't know anybody who's had the switch actually fail.

I don't care how good a Service dept is, if I have my bike or anything else worked on, I will not ride it or drive it anywhere until I know the works been done right.

I have a 2010 Electra Glide Classic and had a problem with no brake lights. Took it in for service and they said the fuse was blown and charged me 1/2 hour to fix. As of now the brake lights are still working but have it scheduled for service soon. I forgot the bike was still in warranty but no refund as of yet. Took my 2012 Tri Glide in and has brake light switch replaced last Thursday....

 

[TAZZ5161]

thanks for the heads i am taking my trike in for the recall it's good to know what to look for

 

[rwhgme]

Wow! I never would have expected my original post to have gotten this many visits! If I have accomplished one thing, it's to have saved some terrifying seconds of Trike riding and maybe a life or two. Also, I have done the 32-30 swap but have not had a chance to test it as I have come down with Strep throat! I will try to get out tomorrow as we will be around 70 degrees. Also, I will be singing Handel's Messiah in NYC next Sunday, if I get over this annoying illness. Please say a prayer for this unworthy sinner, or singer!