2007harleydavidsonroadking12

First I have to thank all of ya'll folk that have sent me testimonials, links to better information and advise. I started this campaign in relative ignorance and have learned more than I could have ever thought. The more I do learn, I realize that I still have much more to discover. The predominant issue of excessive heat is a very complicated subject. There are so many factors contributing to this problem and just as many potential solutions.

This problem is not just common to the 2007 Harley-Davidson's. It has been noticed in previous year models to some extent. The 2006's that are equipped with fuel injection have had the same complaint but due to fewer sales of these bikes it has not been discussed in public forums enough to be noticed by the masses. Also, this overheating is not exclusive to the H-D brand. I have found owners of metric bikes that are complaining of the same issue. Here is a quote from a popular aftermarket manufacturer of fuel management systems.

"Due to stringent emissions requirements, most modern day motorcycles arrive from the factory with lean air/fuel settings. Once a rider installs an aftermarket exhaust system or air filter, the engine flows more air, potentially leaning out the mixture even more than the stock settings. This can lead to conditions such as overheating, backfiring on deceleration, hesitation on acceleration, or an uneven idle."

The first stop in placing blame for the overheating issue is our own government. The E.P.A. has placed such ridiculous restrictions on motorcycle emissions that the manufacturers have had to map all of their bikes to run very lean. The result of this lean condition is a substantial amount of heat building up in the heads of the newer bikes. Some seem to suffer from this syndrome more than others and Harley seems to be the one with the most complaints. In fact many folks are experiencing heat that is more than just a little uncomfortable. It is downright dangerous. The sad part of all of this is that Harley and most of their dealers will not admit to this being a problem. Your salesperson is not going to mention it before the sale even if he/she knows about it.

The next but most relevant blame goes to the MoCo themselves. Harley-Davidson has to keep the G-men happy but at the same time they want to sell motorcycles. To decrease emissions for a particular engine displacement there is a tendency to lose horsepower in the process. The 2006 twincam 88's produces from 80 to 85 horsepower according to each engines particular state of tuning. If you read closely H-D claims the new 96" engine makes more horsepower throughout the power range but never actually puts a number on it. You can check out their site or the press releases they have given to the mainstream motorcycle magazines. They will put actual numbers on torque but not horsepower. According to dynamometer runs by independent wrenches the new 96" bikes are putting out between 61 and 68 horsepower. That is a basically a 10% increase in displacement and a 10% decrease in base horsepower. Ask your salesperson about those numbers!

The newer Harley-Davidsons have a much greater number of cooling fins on both the cylinders and the heads. These allow the engines to dissipate heat much quicker. Combine this with the fact that the bikes are generating much more heat than in the past and the rider takes the punishment. For some this heat is tolerable and others, especially the owners of late model baggers, this syndrome is intolerable. Some bikes are running so hot that their owners are having to dismount the bike at traffic signals and other short stops.

I believe that this excessive amount of heat should have been addressed by the MoCo before these new E.F.I. bikes were released to the consumer. There has to be something the engineers can do to correct the problem and keep the bikes within E.P.A. specifications. I also feel that the dealers should be honest about these issues both before and after the sale.

There are many ways to correct these issues other than the way we approached it. Our use of H-D brand aftermarket parts that were installed by the dealer is what we felt was the best fix for us. We had spent the extra cash on the 7 year warranty and did not want to jeopardize that with non H-D approved parts. There are so many different aftermarket fuel management modules for use in customizing your particular bikes E.F.I. mapping that it is up to the end user as to which way they want to go.

The bottom line is that you can expect to have to remap your new 2007 bike as it is delivered from Harley-Davidson. You have a couple of choices in modules from H-D and many choices from the aftermarket vendors. If you plan on changing your air cleaner or mufflers make sure and do this in conjunction with the remap. Unless you really like tinkering you probably won't want to do this twice. A proper map that is tailored to you bike and its individual setup will address multiple issues, especially the overheating and surging.

If you are anywhere in the Georgia area and are planning on remapping your bike then I have been told by the best independent wrench in the Southeast that there is only one dealer that knows how to tune a EFI system properly. He says that Killer Creek in Roswell is the only factory authorized dealership he knows of that understands how to properly implement the H-D race tuner. If you really want it done right and ain't scared of an independent wrench then try Hartman's Top Fuel Cycles in Canton. Kraut and Shane will fix you right up. Phone number 770-479-8254.

The transmission noise issue seems to vary from bike to bike. While a few riders say they don't really hear anything in 5th gear, many others are complaining that the noise is unbearable. I have heard it described as everything from a whine to a coffee can full of rocks. Some people complain about the useable powerband being too narrow in 5th also. Our bagger makes a noticeable racket in 5th but it is tolerable (or at least we have learned to tolerate it). Our dealer just keeps telling us the same thing that all of the others are saying. "The 5th gear noise is normal for these bikes." This noise does not exist with any other Harleys I have ever heard of from three speed light weights to 4 speed big twins and even late model 5 speed twin cam bikes. Why is it normal now?

If this noise is normal and not an issue as the MoCo says then why is Baker making a kit to fix it? Follow this link to see what Baker has to offer.

The other problems we have encountered with ours and that others have suffered from don't seem to be consistent enough to say they apply to the entire line of 2007's. The electrical shorts seem to be rare and easily fixed. Other problems have been reported that seem to be flukes as well such a cracked cases, non functioning brakes, speed wobbles and many others. These seem to be one in a thousand or one in ten thousand oddball issues that could crop up with any vehicle manufacturer at any time. Everyone is going to have something occasionally slip through quality control.

Now here is an idea submitted by a reader. It takes griping to the next level. He asked me to post it so here it is. I hope that enough folks do this to really give the MoCo a migraine headache.

You should call Harley customer service and ask for a buy back. This activates a different mechanism with consumer affairs, the dealer is powerless you must contact Harley at 1-414-343-4056 or everyone else takes it in the shorts . Please publish this on your site.

My biggest issue with this entire deal is the refusal of the dealers and MoCo to be straight up about the issues with the 2007 product line. Harley riders are as loyal of a bunch as can be found. If we were told up front that the bikes would benefit from remapping and that they make a funny noise in 5th gear but it doesn't affect performance, most would go ahead and pony up the cash. They are Harleys and are supposed to have some idiosyncrasies. The total lack of honesty and many of the dealers acting like the customers are nuts when they mention these problems after the sale is in my opinion going to backfire in the long run. If you can't trust the dealer or the MoCo to tell you the truth this year where will the consumers trust be in subsequent years? In case you have missed it on the other pages my contact address is biners@crowderinc.com.