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Harley-Davidson Street 500 recalled

Harley Street 500 beginner
Harley Street 500

Harley-Davidson Australia has voluntarily recalled the Street 500 over a fuel issue as the popular learner-approved motorbike soars towards the top of the sales charts.

It is part of a global recall notice and is yet another example of the local distributor getting in first to be on the front foot over recall issues, unlike some other manufacturers that “hide” their recalls in routine service inspections. International recalls are expected to follow in coming days.

Spokesman Adam Wright says they want to reassure their customers.

“It’s important to be transparent,” he says. “All manufacturers have recalls and we apologise for the issue which is an inconvenience. We’re riders too and we share in your frustration.

“But, at the end of the day, it’s about ensuring our product is number one in quality and customer safety.”

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission recall notice refers to the XG500 and XG750 Street models, although we only get the XG500 in Australia.

The notice says: “These motorcycles may have poor a poor seal at the fuel pump inlet. This could allow an interruption to the fuel supply under acceleration at low fuel levels, possibly before the low fuel light indicator has illuminated.

“If this condition remains undetected, under acceleration with the fuel level below 3.2 litres, the motorcycle may briefly hesitate and then restore power abruptly, possibly leading to a loss of control.”

There have been no reported incidents in Australia. Harley recommends riding no further than 160km on a full the tank. The repair kits start arriving on September 14.

Harley will contact owners by letter and advise them to head to their nearest authorised dealer for an inspection to confirm whether their motorcycle is affected. Bikes needing the new kit will be repaired for free.Harley Street 500

Adam says the 1591 bikes affected in Australia, were built between January 20, 2014, and July 15, 2015.

“Those not yet delivered will be fixed before being offered for sale. It will slow down sales a bit, but it’s the right thing to do.”

We tipped the Street 500 to be one of the top three motorcycles sold in Australia this year and at the end of the first half of the year, it had climbed to fourth position with 745 sales after just four months on the showroom floor.

Surprisingly, the $9995 (rideaway) bike is beaten by the Harley Breakout at $29,495 (rideaway), helping Harley beat Honda as the top-selling road bike company in the country for the first time.

The top-selling bikes in Australia are the Honda postie bike and the Kawasaki Ninja 300, but at the rate it is selling we now believe the Street 500 could even top those.

street 500

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS ON RECALLS

Recall notices are issued by the manufacturer through a voluntary industry code under the ACCC.

Despite hundreds of recalls by various automotive manufacturers, none has ever been mandatory. All have been issued by the manufacturer.

While any recall is not good news for the manufacturer, it shows that they are largely diligent in fixing problems.

If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.

To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:

  1. Mentioned the recall to my Harley dealer a day before I paid for the bike ,I was fobbed off and told not to read forums , next day I payed and picked up the bike that afternoon received a phone call to say that the bike has been recalled.
    Now I have a 4-6 week wait with no bike that is fully paid for.
    My first Harley my mistake?

  2. I brought my Street 500 to a dealer that had the recall kit yesterday (today is 25th) and today on my way home from work, the bike started decelerating and the throttle was revving the engine, but it was as if the bike was in neutral. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I was stuck in a very unsafe condition on a 65mph speed limit highway.

  3. I bought a 2015 Harley XG500 trainer bike about 9 weeks ago. I was out riding earlier this week and the bike just died while driving 55 mph. I pulled to the shoulder of the road and coasted until the bike came to a complete stop . I tried restarting several times. After letting it sit for 15 to 20 minutes the bike started back up, I took off again and merged onto the interstate got up to 65 miles an hour and a bike died on me again. I had to pull over again and get someone to come and pick me up. We had to load it up In the back of my truck. Once I got to the house and tried to start it back up and it started . I called the dealership the next day and talked with them about the situation. I asked about a warranty. I was told I did NOT have a warranty. I was offered an “extended” warranty when I purchased the bike, but I did not take it. I thought they were offering me an extended warranty(to extend my warranty for the bike when purchased). I declined it being under the impression the bike had a warranty. I didn’t wish to extend. I am first time buyer of a Harley Davidson. Keep in mind this bike was a trainer Bike that had 1300 miles, and had never left the parking lot. I did some research and ordered a new fuel pump. When I pulled the old fuel pump out and I found a tie wrap holding the fuel filter on. I was the first title holder of the bike. If this is the kind of work Harley Davidson produces I will never let a Harley Davidson dealership work on my bike.

    1. Hi Nolan,
      Which country are you in?
      Harleys come with a 12-month warranty from new.
      Was it a new bike, second-hand or a demonstrator?
      Also, this recall notice, which appears to be the cause of your problem, should be repaired for free, whether the bike is new or second-hand.
      I think you need to advise your dealer that they are not being totally truthful!
      Cheers,
      Mark

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