Harley Davidson
Reviews and Complaints

I bought a new FatBob 2018 model in Jan 2018, which I use as my primary means of transport. I really enjoyed the bike, but a month ago the battery light came on and I took the bike to the HD Johannesburg branch in Sandton. They told me the voltage regulator broke and that it would take roughly 20 days to get a new one. It's now roughly a month later and when I called back they told me there is a shortage and that the part will only ship from Brussels end of July or August. That means 4 months without my primary means of transport! That is unacceptable service in my opinion. I now have to pay double on Uber costs than I pay for the bike and I have to pay for the bike still. Thay won't even give me a loan bike in the meantime. This is really not the level of service I expect from a company and brand such as Harley Davidson.

At a minimum, I would expect Harley to provide me with a loan bike while they resolving the issue or pay for my Uber or other transport fees. Ship the part via airfreight or something. We pay a premium when buying a Harley and we expect that premium to support Harley drives. If this is the level of support I get from Harley, this will be my last one.

During 5k Maintenance on my 2017 Hertiage Softail Classic, it was discovered that the back tire had abnormal Wear with only 2/8 thread left at only 4600 miles on the bike. Service department said that it is not a warranty issue and I need to purchase new tire. I called Lone Wolf H-D, where I purchased the bike. Their service department said that can be claimed as a warranty issue. So they called Orlando HD and told them and got into a argument over the issue. Orlando HD said they called HD and was told no on the warranty. Lone then called HD and was told their was no record of Orlando HD calling them about this issue. So Lone Wolf is now working with a different HD Shop (Clermount FL) who is taking care of the issue. Please let Orlando HD know that their service is horrible and if you need to contact Lone Wolf Service Dept they will let you know how bad Orlando HD is.

my bike is burning about 2 quarts of oil in 5000 miles and now has bent a valve at 27000 miles and your esp warranty i purchased wont cover the cost of repairs due to oil consumption i was told at the time of purchase every moving part of the engine was covered by this esp warranty i have a digital dipstick and check the oil every time i ride the bike and have never run it low and have been very strict with the maintenance of my bike only using the very best products available at this point i am very very angry and if this is not resolved i will never buy a harley davidson again sincerely ADG MC Jack TAUTFEST

On september 25, 2017 we had two motorcycles that hd put tires on both motorcycles and between september 25, 2017 and today's day we rode the bikes only three times on short runs. I noticed after checking the tires that they were 15 pounds below the normal weight and there was also a brake chamber bolt missing on the back of one motorcycle. I contacted the harley davidson store in bowling green kentucky and got no response or returned call and also was hung up on and that's not the first time that we have had them worked on at the bowling green facility and been disappointed with poor customer service and missing parts. I contacted the harley davidson store in bowling green kentucky and got no response or returned call and also was allegedly hung up on and that's not the first time that we have had them worked on at the bowling green facility and been disappointed.in the past we have purchased three motorcycles from this dealership and have not had good service but since it is close to our residence that is where we go and we would like to be contacted back about the service we have received in the past in order to continue service in the future. My phone number is [protected] and my name is scottie ford. If this particular motorcycle had been rode at a long distance or high speed it could have caused a wreck and it could have caused a for fatality.

Front brake switch
Switch is not operating brake light. Dealer says 2014 Harley went to new electronic switch . I've seen on web other owners with same issue, but no recall. This seems like a safety issue to me ( I don't know how long I was driving bike with this issue) our state yearly safety check caught problem. I've only got 10, 900 miles on bike and this repair to me seems out of the ordinary and pricey repair. The switch alone looks to be around 200$ and that's not the labor? I'm taking into dealer hear in Roanoke, Va 24019 July 3, 2018 I believe this is a safety bad part issue and should be addressed, any help would be appreciated.
Brian Daniel
5825 Plantation Rd
Roanoke, Va 24019 phone [protected]) [protected]@aol.com

I recently purchased a 2018 Road King. Shortly after I noticed excessive tappet noise so I brought it back to the dealer. I was told the noise was normal because HD rebuild the engine and made some changes to the 107 which is the cause and they received many complaints about the same thing. They also told me they could quiet the noise but it would cost me about $550 to $600 dollars. So if I understand this correctly, HD is selling bikes with engines they know have excessive tappet noise only to make you pay $550 to fix it. Why wasn't the engine build using the products they use to fix it? Is it even legal to produce a product knowing it does not function properly only to demand money to fix it? I already paid over $18000 for the bike, I shouldn't have to put out $550 to fix a known problem. This has taken the joy out of riding for me as I get very irritated hearing the noise when I ride, I hardly ride it anymore, it just sits in my garage. I feel Harley Davidson should fix the problem under warranty and I shouldn't have to pay to have it done. Would Harley Davidson fix this for me so I can start enjoying riding again? This bike was to be my retirement entertainment and being on a fixed income I cannot afford $550 to get it fixed. I hope HD is willing to make me a happy customer.

I have been a customer for many years. Purchasing clothing, Boots, Books and accessories from the Harley Davidson stores. But with this last purchase of Boots the sipper broke and the boots are new just worn a few times. I went to try and get a credit refund but since I couldn't find my receipt they wouldn't take them back. Even though they were defective. You can see were the teeth of the zipper broke. I am truly disappointed that they would not help me with this purchase. I bought these as a gift and i feel ripped off.

Hello, I have to start by saying that up until last year I have always disliked Harley-Davidson motorcycles but on seeing the new 2018 softails I was quite pleasantly surprised.
I purchased a new 2018 Street Bob in January from my local uk dealership, Guildford Harley Davidson and had the machine fitted with a stage 1 tune and Screaming eagle slip ons. All seemed fine until the weather allowed me to actually ride the bike.
Having completed only 100 miles the bike began leaking oil from both cylinders. It has been returned to the dealership for assessment and repair.
I find this totally unacceptable for a bike of this cost and with so little mileage which is under 6 months old.
I am now beginning to wish that I had maintained my original opinion of Harley-Davidson and not bought one, uk customer support were useless when I called them, hence my email to you.
I look forward to hearing your thought about this.
This example of poor manufacture/ engineering will only set a bad example for the Harley-Davidson brand.
Thank you in anticipation
David Smith

We purchased a Harley Softail 1600 from Bikers in Jersey Channel Islands. This bike was purchased new from the show room.

On riding it in France in June 2017 in temperatures of approximately 38c, I was caught in a traffic jam for a few minutes before I reached the paege.

On getting onto the motorway I reached a speed of 130 kilometres an hour and there was a sudden bang from the engine and engine failure.

After being collected by a breakdown service I eventually managed to get the bike home where I had a mechanic look at it. I was advised that the engine is beyond rebuilding as the heat has caused major damage.

I am now left with a bike that I bought brand new just over 10 years ago which is beyond repair and needs a new engine. I am obviously very upset as it is my pride and joy and cost me alot of my hard earned money to purchase and now it is left sitting in my garage as there is no way I can afford the £4, 000 to £5, 000 I have been quoted for a new engine.

The bike had only done just over 10, 000 miles and was looked after and garaged.

I have since been told that there was a problem with the 2007 Softail with overheating, but I was never advised of this problem and the bike wasn't recalled, please can you advise me if this is correct and let me know how I can proceed with rectifying the situation with my bike.

Thank you.

I just bought me a 2018 sport Glide and I cannot believe the cheap Muffler that you guys put on that and that I can't get a better sounding muffler for my bike. Seems odd that Harley would have a muffler that sounds like a Honda or Yamaha. When will I be able to get new Mufflers that look and sound good? It's a new style bike I get it why wouldn't you have extra stuff all ready to be sold with it?

I bought my 09' FLHTCU used from a Harley Dealership in Bossier City, La. in Sept 2014. I have owned a few older Harleys. None that use this POS Dot4 fluid. Besides the dealership not inspecting anything on the MC when I bought it, and had to take it back 2 days later for repairs, I was never given an owners manual nor was I ever informed about issues with this Dot4 fluid and needing to flush my brake system every 2 yrs.. So now my brakes have failed and I am being told that I will most likely have to replace my entire abs system. If I have to spend the money to replace a system that has gone bad due to Harleys design, then I am done with Harley! I Plan on selling this piece of crap after I pay to have it running safely. I have owned and been riding Harleys for 30 years now and have finally come to the conclusion that Harley doesn't care about bikers anymore, only the almighty dollar!

Purchased a maintenance agreement for $1588 on August 28, 2004 from the Harley Davidson dealership in Naples FL (3645 Gateway lane). My agreement states "12 services as recommended by HD, no expire date".

I had one oil change (perhaps two) remaining on this agreement when I was told by the 6 Bends HD dealership in Fort Myers ( 9501 Thunder rd) the agreement would not be honored as new owners took over for the Naples dealership.

I have been a loyal customer for 14 years and unless this issue is resolved I will no longer set foot in a HD dealership, and will urge my club and other riders to take their business elsewhere!

I own a 2017 Ultra Limited Low and purchased a Oil Level and Temperature Dipstick with Lighted LCD Readout, part # [protected]. I also had one on my 2014 Road King. I just returned from a road trip to Myrtle Beach, during this trip the dipstick failed and is non functional with condensation in the viewing window. The specifications on this product claims it is waterproof. It was not dropped or hit. I have owned several of these and never found any issues. I will be happy to send this one back to your department so your technicians can determine how this manufactor defect occured. At $150 it should not have failed with normal use. Since I purchased this from Rawhide HD in Kansas City late in the fall after purchasing my new 2017 the limited 1 yr warranty has expired. I have owned Harley Davidson motorcycles since 1983 and have always found their parts and accessories to be of the highest quality, pricy but the best product for the money. I am supprised and disappointed in the failure of this product in a short period of time. Please let me know the address I can ship this to for you technicians to take a look at it and eliminate this defect in the future for other Harley owners.
Thankyou.
David Bialas
[protected]
5814 W 131st Ter
Overland Park, KS 66209
[protected]@gmail.com
HOG # US0668043

Brought bike in April 23rd for brake fluid recall. Dealership called that afternoon said abs module bad new one would be in April 30th. I called May 1st and service said May 3rd abs module would be delivered. Did not hear form dealership. I called May 10th and they said bike was finished. They told me they would deliver bike to my house May 11th. I told service to make sure to air up rear of (air ride) so it would not scrape fender when loading on trailer. Delivery guy called May 10th and said he could deliver bike evening of May 10th instead of May 11th. He came to my house and when I walked up he said "hey man do you have an air ride on your bike" I told him yes. When I looked at bike in trailer you could see rear fender paint was scratched off about a half inch up form tip of fender. I spoke to service guy and he said they where taking bike to repaint fender and bike would be ready May 18th. I stopped at Harley dealership May 22 and they said bike not ready maybe at end of week.

Recently purchased spark plugs for 05 ultra, thinking that the plug stripped out the hole because it wouldn't torque ordered new head. Mechanic notice defective plug, thought you would want to know. Aside from time, and cost of new plug and diagnostics I was at least not out a lot more financially . More worried about the quality of plugs that Champion is putting out for the factory because most of the riders i hang with stick to factory parts.

I recently bought my first Harley motorcycle and opted to call Harley insurance. I was originally quoted 68 dollars a month. I was ok with it and accepted it it seemed like a good deal. I was then notified that I did not qualify for a certain discount and was told the new rate would be 88 a month. I then in turn told them to cancel the insurance because that was not the rate I agreed to in the first place. I had spoke to a gentleman the very first day that I got the policy and he told me to wait and he would try to get the discount approved . The rep told me he would call back that eve or the next. He di not call back for 2 days so I called harley insurance and was told the discount was not approved. I said ok well since the rate is not the rate I agreed to please cancel my policy for I will get another company at the rate that was suitable to me. So I was told to send an email stating why I wanted to cancel. I received a phone call today stating that I now owe 4 dollars and change that they were taking my first payment of 69 dollars as cancellation fee. This is not right I never agreed to the policy change of 88 dollars and was missing quoted from day 1 and tried to cancel the very first day this is false business and I wish to speak to someone higher than just a rep that refuses to refund my initial payment. I will reach to whatever outlets I have to to get this issue resolved.

Due to your companies policy of buying foot wear from China, I have had 3 pairs of boots the souls of which have disintegrated(literally coming apart). The latest I would like to mail back to Harley to examine, so that who ever you bought these boots from in China, will never be used again. I don't expect compensation, only that your company acknowledge that it has purchased defective products from China. So, while Americans need work you need to re think your marketing program . I just bought my 2nd Harley motorcycle from your company, but never will I buy another pair of Harley boots

Robert Holder

2230 Hearthstone Ct, Powhatan, VA, 23139

The quality and timely service is below standard! I have bought 2 bikes from them and when I've taken them in for service, I get my motorcycle home with more issues than when I took it there for. On my old bike I had an issue with the voltage regular and they said couldn't duplicate problem so nothing was done. I left dealer with bike and voltage dropped before I even got a mike away. My 2nd bike is 2016 FLHTK and I took it in for 5000 mike service and got it back. It now leaks oil from air cleaner and it's still stock item! I have to go back again. Also they had bike for two weeks and when I went to get it, it wasn't ready even though they called to tell me I could pick it up at my convenience! I would like some sort of compensation for my inconvenience numerous times. I believe at this point in time, if I wasn't under vip warranty, I would be servicing bike elsewhere! I would also not recommend this dealers service dept.

Although I ride and love my Harley Davidson Limited 30, 000km/yr and although my dealership has treated me and my bike very well. I am very disappointed in my Harley Davidson branded helmet purchased just over a year ago. I wish I could post a picture to you, but the leatherette on the helmet "Y" strap which is over the ears has deteriorated and is flaking off leaving an unsightly under material. I will be however posting pictures on social media today.
My main complaint is the warranty period which is only 1 year. My friend and I both bought the same helmet at the same time however hers was branded as a Bell Helmet and it also started flaking in the same manner but her warranty period was 5 years and the helmet was replaced immediately. My Helmet, the HD branded helmet (which obviously cost more) was not eligible to be covered by warranty,

I am now about to purchase some other biking apparel like boots and rain gear, but I'm thinking hard about continuing to support the HD brand. I would like for you to reconsider the warranty period, as I am still wearing the deteriorating helmet and answering the questions of my riding friends as to whats going on with my helmet.

To whom it may concern,

I recently discovered that your employee, specifically Luiji Lardizabal, made a deal with me and secretly cheated me out of 24, 000 peso. I was promised, in the deal that I made with Luiji, that I would receive a free footboard kit as part of the deal. I was also promised a 24, 000 peso credit to my account for goods and service at the store.

I recently attempted to retrieve said account for some parts and was told that the account was empty. I was then told that without my knowledge and without my approval, my account was secretly emptied as part of the deal. I would not have approved the deal, had I known about that trickery.

I will attach parts of the conversation that will explain how they tried to cover up their treachery, as well as the verbiage they used to trick me into buying the bike under false pretense. I am extremely angry, hurt and I feel betrayed by Luiji, as well as the staff who were involved in cheating me and betraying my trust.

Here is the verbiage Luiji used to explain how Manila Harley-Davidson tricks its customers:
"as rightly quoted in our conversation (negotiation summary) thread, the foot board, valued at Php24, 500 claimed and installed by you was for free, as agreed. Internally, we refer to such freebie as 'Store Credit' availed I apologize if this gave you the impression that an 'additional amount' was to be credited to you. Hope this clarifies the issue" (verbatim)

Please rectify this situation by crediting my account, as promised as part of your promotion, with 24, 000 peso and I will consider this matter completed. I would hope that you would be interested in maintaining the reputation of the great Harley-Davidson name.

I can be reached at [protected], if you would like to render a personal apology. Thank you and good day.

John R Kingsley
(Msgt Retired)