Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Recommended Troubleshooting and Repair Guide

It's inevitable that we will encounter some situations when we ride our Harleys on the road. Most of the experienced riders will have a plan to deal with it, but if you are new to the brand, or even a newbie, this article may help you. Today, I will introduce there common Harley minor problems and the measures to deal with them.

1. What to do if your Harley motorcycle tire is leaking?


On our motorcycle journey, we may encounter any road condition, maybe it is a nail, or glass sludge and sharp stones that cause it. If you are unfortunate enough to have a tire leak, don't panic, the best thing to do is of course to find the nearest repair store, and if you happen to be in the wilderness and don't have a professional repair person around.

There are generally two scenarios:

  • The first situation: if you don't have any tools with you, this is the time to look for the help of passers-by, and if no one is around and you have to drive, make sure that you reduce your speed to less than 20 kilometers per hour. Then drive to the repair point as soon as possible for repair.
  • Second scenario: you have a portable tire repair kit with adhesive strips.
    • First of all, you need to unscrew and deflate the tire, in the location of the leak, use pliers to pull out nails and other foreign objects, auger holes to clean up debris, insert the adhesive strip into the forked drill and apply glue.
    • Subsequently, turn the glue stick exactly into the tire puncture.
    • Finally, using the knife you have with you, cut off the excess glue strip, leaving a length of 2 - 3 centimeters. Finally, use a portable pump to fill the tire with air and you are done.

It should be noted that this is only a temporary repair, and can not be used for a long time, or find a professional as soon as possible for professional repair or replacement of tires.

2. What should I do if the instrument panel malfunction light is on?


When the malfunction light of the Harley comes on, we should check what caused it, there are many possibilities, maybe it is the engine, battery or ABS system malfunction, or it could be a false alarm. At this point, we can restart the check, turn off the power, leave it for a few minutes and restart it. If the fault light remains on, the problem is indeed occurring.

Here are some fault light suggestions:

  • Malfunction lights (yellow lights) that can be driven with caution, but need to be tested and repaired as soon as possible:
    • Tire malfunction light
    • ABS malfunction light
    • Engine management light
  • Malfunction lights that require immediate stopping of driving (red lights):
    • Engine malfunction lamp
    • Brake system malfunction light
    • Water temperature warning lamp
    • Oil pressure fault light

In addition, it is recommended to carry a Harley diagnostic tool with you, these tools can quickly measure the fault code and give you a fault report to make it easier for you to determine whether the problem is serious or not, etc.

In short, the malfunction light is not to be ignored, and while we can solve a small part of the problem, we still need to find a professional mechanic to fix it.

3. Throttle feels heavy and insensitive


Maybe our motorcycle has been driven for many years, the handle is aging, and there is a stuttering feeling when twisting the throttle, which may be caused by the aging of the throttle cable or lack of lubricant.

  • First of all, clean up the foreign matter, check the throttle handle, clean up the foreign matter or dust in the gap.
  • Second, carry a bottle of lubricant with the car, spray it on the throttle cable connection, turn the throttle handle so that the lubricant is evenly distributed, and then try the situation has not improved.

In short, regular inspection and good lubrication, basically can solve most of the problems, especially before long-distance travel more to do this work.
Back to blog

Leave a comment