Listen, as reliable and dependable as our motorcycles are, the fact remains that these things are machines, and machines break down. I’m sure pretty much all motorcyclists have experienced being stranded—with some more than others depending on the bikes they choose.
Usually, it’s as simple as ringing up a buddy with a truck and hauling the bike to the dealership and having them sort it out. Technically speaking, if any dealer knows what it’s doing, it should have the issue sorted out in a couple of days at the very most.
But what if sourcing parts doesn’t just take days, weeks, or even months? What if you had to wait a frickin’ year for a part to arrive? Well, this is exactly what Larissa Scheler, a Harley-Davidson owner based in Germany, had to go through. According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Scheler was riding her bike in Corsica in the south of France, when the bike’s engine control module gave up, causing the bike to stall. For reference, the bike was a 2007 Harley-Davidson Sportster.
Now, here’s where things get interesting.
Scheler went on an extensive treasure hunt for the new part, getting in touch with Harley dealers and parts specialists all over Europe. Heck, she even expanded her search to the US—but still no luck. Scheler even went as far as writing an email to Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz, but claims she never received a reply.
As it would turn out, there were others with the same issue, too, with unrideable bikes sitting and waiting for a single part. It seemed that searching for an ECU for a 2007 Sportster—a fairly common motorcycle in most parts of the world—was much more difficult than anyone had initially thought.
So difficult, in fact, that it took more than a year for the part to be sourced. And upon inspection, Scheler discovered that the part was produced on September 30, 2024, and was made in Mexico. So it was clear that the part was on backorder.
But the real question here is why it took Harley so long to produce the part. I mean, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re riding a clapped out 1990 Sportster or the fanciest, most decked out Road King—you’re still a Harley customer, and it’s in Harley’ best interest to ensure your needs are met. Clearly, in Scheler’s case, there was a misstep somewhere along the way. And since her bike was sitting in a Harley dealership for more than a year, clearly, the issue had to be internal to either the dealership, or the company itself.
Maybe someone in the dealership forgot to file a report or request for the new part. Or perhaps, and even worse, Harley-Davidson didn’t have the resources on hand to immediately fulfill the parts order. And given that there were several other cases like Scheler’s it’s looking like the latter is the more likely scenario.
We’ve talked a whole bunch about how Harley-Davidson, along with a number of other manufacturers, have been in some serious trouble in recent times. Now, it’s hard to speculate whether or not the lack of parts across Harley dealerships has anything to do with this. But whatever the case may be, it certainly doesn’t help them with their already difficult situation.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
