Harmon/Kardon or Harley Davidson Failure?

I own an Electra-Glide Classic which has failed in every way imaginable. This summer my sound system failed as well, no sound output to the speakers. Of course this had to happen while I was on a long trip out West, but it gave me the peace and quiet I needed to reflect on how bad Harley-Davidson Quality really is and here is my story.

Upon stopping in Kalispell, MT I checked to see if the dealer could identify the problem on my system, they basically told me there is no way to do internal diagnostics on the radio, you have to replace it. When they told me that a new system would cost $1,200 dollars I almost choked! Yes, they will sell you a remanufactured unit for $600 dollars, but like the new unit you only get a 90 day warranty. None of these prices included the cost of labor.

Of course they were booked in the service department (common theme at all dealers you might visit) so I decided to search elsewhere for a solution. Since Harley has proprietary rights to Harmon/Kardon sound systems you will find very few places that offer any repair service. I did find a Website based in New Jersey http://www.ironcrossaudio.com/contact.html that will fix the radio for about $175, you pay the shipping, but they warned me that the problem isn't the radio, it is Harley's design of the supports holding the radio in place. I called the dealer and they denied this claim but did acknowledge that HD sent out a recall on the radio / faring supports because they were supposedly breaking. I never know who to believe, so I took my radio to a local repair shop to find that the Audio Output IC was fried.

They estimated the cost to replace this chip at $100. Unfortunately they were unable to buy the chip because it was obsoleted in 2009 (my bike is a 2006), but a replacement was available if I was willing to buy a minimum order of 400 chips! I told them I would search the web to find a supplier of this chip, and I did, and it cost me $5 for the part and $8 dollars shipping from Singapore. Total cost for the repair was around $80 dollars but the lost sound from my system on my vacation was....well...priceless.

I have a lot of friends that have Harmon/Kardon sound systems in their bikes that are not working. They just can't bear to pay what Harley is asking for a new system, and I can't blame them one bit. As for the recall on my bike, I probably should pay the money to have it done. You reach a point in life where you just give up on throwing good money down the drain, or better said, into the pockets of the CEO and President who in 2010 had a combined compensation package of just under $9 million dollars. Kind of makes me sick just thinking about it.

In talking with other riders this summer it became crystal clear to me that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are all about looks and nothing about quality.

If you like to look at your bike parked in the driveway then you might be the perfect owner of a Harley, however if you like to ride serious miles you might want to look at another brand of motorcycle. You will be spending all your vacation time in the repair shop, or on the side of the road wondering what happened to American Made Quality!

Badride06