2007harleydavidsonroadking03

Wednesday September 6, 2006. Our Road King still roars and does it well. So far so good. Still can't help but feeling like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop but every day brings a little more confidence. I am getting so much mail from others that are complaining about other problems with their '07's that I hope we don't have them happen to us. I do realize that in any new model of anything from toasters to tractors there are going to be some bugs to work out but this is ridiculous.

I am hearing from lots of folk that are complaining of the same issues. I mean a whole lot. I am also getting a small amount of really ugly hate mail. Apparently some of the instabikers get really peeved if someone says anything bad about H-D. The funny thing is that I have reread these pages several times and can't really get that out of it. All I see is where I have told, as honestly as I can, what our personal issues with our new '07 has been. I even say that the dealer has really tried to help and that the bike seems to be running really well right now. I ain't going to ride anything but a H-D even though we have had a few problems out of this one. Cruise the discussion boards and you will find that all bike manufacturers have issues with certain models that have to be worked through.

Running extremely hot is the most frequent complaint I am hearing. The second most frequent complaint I am hearing is about 5th gear. Apparently lots of folks are having different levels of noise coming from the gearbox while in 5th. Ours runs through all of the cogs smoothly but does have a little whine in fifth. The frequency of electrical shorts came to me from another wrench at the dealer as he fixed the short in our bike. I have no end user verification of this yet.

The service manager at another dealership said they have had three bikes with the same heating and surging issues and remapping fixed them right up. Most of the other dealers I have contacted have said they didn't know what I was talking about. They way a couple of them danced around my questions I think they maybe knew more than they were going to say over the phone.

Here are a few emails I have received about similar experiences with their new '07 H-D's.

I wish I had your info at the end of July, I bought a new 2007 Ultra in the first week of availability. I was having some motor issues with my 2001 and looked for a new bike as a way of increasing reliability for a trip through North Carolina and Tennessee. left with 500 miles on the odo and a few issues with the way the bike performed. Biggest problem that I saw was a 300 rpm fluctuation at idle. I was told by the dealer that they had difficulty diagnosing any '07 problems because the MoCo had not yet shipped them the service manuals or the diagnostic software. After a full day in the shop the dealer said "nothing is wrong" have a great trip. At 900 mile we developed an oil leak , turned out to be a poorly installed "o" ring on the Speed sensor. Lost 1-1/2 days of our vacation while the bike was being repaired. Dealer in VA also said they had not yet received the service manuals or the diagnostic software

In traffic outside of Gatlinburg, TN the bike was so hot that I had to pull off the road for close to a hour so that my leg would not get burned. Bike running hot and running a bit rough. Found 2 missing bolts on the tour pack, went to a dealer in TN on Sunday and it was repaired under warrantee. Changed the oil to Synthetic to help prevent thermal breakdown. Asked about the "hot" condition was told "they all do that" Dealer also stated that they did
not have the diagnostic software or the service manual.

Returned after a decent week of riding and had the bike serviced, bike ran well for about three days and then began to ride rough and experienced the surging again. back to the dealer and added the SE air cleaner with associated remap and they added the thermal solution. Bike ran well for close to a 1000 miles and now I am again having EFI issues, surging, and a very rough, very unsmooth ride and the bike has developed a ringing sort of whine. Bike will occasionally pop back as if the bike was started like a carbed bike without the enrichener on. I am now beginning to lose air in my rear shocks in addition to the other problems.

Bike is going back into the dealer again on Tuesday in an attempt to correct the ongoing performance issues.

I have owned quite a few bikes over 40 years of riding and this bike is the most expensive and quite possibly the worst I have ever owned. When it runs well, it is great, but there are so few great days. No new bike should have so many issues. I have fewer issues with my 30 year old Honda that I found in a junk yard.

Poor design,? quite possibly? Definitely very bad support from Harley-Davidson and definitely very poor communication with their dealers. It is sad to say that I'm glad that I am not alone with these problems but none of us should have to deal with any of this.

MS

Thanks for sharing the info on your bike experience. My '07 Electraglide gets so hot at stop signs that my wife even got leg burns as the passenger. As the driver, it is unbearably hot. I've had to pull as much wind-blocking items as I can off the bike just to ride it without burning up. This is the poorest excuse for engineering I've ever encountered. What does the remapping consist of? Is that just a new chip set? Would that really help the overheating?

Thanks,

A_ W____

We just bought an '07 Ultra. The bike is really nice, however the hot running engine and the surging was evident right from the get-go. I addressed the problem with the purchasing dealer as an apparent "too lean" situation with the EFI and asked them to check it out when it took the bike in for service after only 100 miles.

I was taking the lowers off to help with the hot running issue and noticed the black paint on the brake line feeding the right front caliper was bubbling up. On closer inspection I found brake fluid leaking from the banjo bolt. EEEK!! I checked the master cylinder fluid level, and unbelievably, the fluid was contaminated with some unidentifiable crap floating around in it. I trailered it in (a blasphemous move on my part) to the dealer and asked them to replace the entire brake system; calipers, master cylinder and lines. They did, and did it in a day. Brake problem fixed, but they did nothing about the lean issue.

The wrenches said the same thing you said about the heat and surging. All '07 Harleys, even the Sportster, are now EFI due to the EPA getting on Harley's ass about emissions. The wrench said the bikes are tuned lean from the factory - they will run HOT - VERY HOT, especially from the rear cylinder (the one right under your ass). And the same "there's nothing we can do about it" line was spoken as well.

There is a difference - my wrench didn't suggest dropping another grand or so on pipes and a different intake, instead opting for an oil cooler. They added it would be a good idea to change the oil a little more frequently to prevent damage due to thermal breakdown.

With cooler weather on the way, we're going to hold off on any mods for now and see what transpires over the winter. The bike has a two year unlimited mileage warranty, and we ride year round, which should expose any gremlins in the electrical system and what ever other workmanship/design/material quality issues may arise.

Great article on your website.

Ride safe,

C___ & L____,

Tennessee

Wish I had caught your web site a couple of weeks ago. I traded in a Road King for a ’07 Street Glide last week and I’m seeing the heat and 5^th-gear problems, and to a lesser extent, the surging issue. The bike only has 300 miles on it and I didn’t notice any of the problems until the last 100 miles. I should have known better than to buy an early release of a new product.

rick

And the same complaints start rolling in from across the pond. As much as a "Hardley" costs in Europe I would be pitching a blue eyed fit. I have been to Europe enough to know that there is no way that your not going to spend some time sitting in traffic and overheating could be a real big issue.

Hi

The same nightmare from Europe!!!

A couple of days a go I got my third HD a'07 Ultra Classic Electra Glide (I booked it in July). Yes, "she" is very nice. I was going back home as a proud owner with the new bike. Just after 30 min ride in a town I start to feel an excesive heat coming from the "rear" cylinder when I stooped at red lights. I call the dealer and they said: It's normal!!!! The bike is made to ride!!!

Next day, also riding in town in a huge traffic jam. The heat comes again when you stop. Sometimes I have to get up to avoid the excesive heating coming from the engine. It's painful!!! I arrived home with mild burns in the internal part of my legs.

Checking at the owners manual there is a reference to a recalibration to reduce the temperature in the rear cylinder. I ask about this to the dealer and they say, yes we can try this. I'm going this afternoon to the dealer.

The problem here is a "little" bit worse, because I paid 27,619 EURO for this bike (more than 35000 $).

Off course my previous bikes (both Heritage Softail Classic) were warm, but never I feel such as heat nor I got a BURN with them and I did more than 100,000 Km. Off course I won't pay any extra cent to solve this problem. These new models are really dangerous. And if the problem is not solved I want to have my money back!!!!

Thanks
J. J. S., MD, PhD
Barcelona (Spain)

MORE TESTIMONIALS

You really need to read these

I believe that H-D will get all of the bugs worked out of the new bikes but at present you need to ask questions before you commit to a purchase. We seem to have resolved most of ours but at our expense. If you have something to add, good or bad, email me at biners@crowderinc.com.