Harley-Davidson is recalling certain 2023 CVO Street Glide (FLHXSE) motorcycles built between May 10, 2023, and October 6, 2023, due to the potential for loss of control when encountering “…more than expected…” “…road and environmental inputs (examples: road irregularity, wind gust) when operated at speeds exceeding 100 mph.”
Harley-Davidson’s Part 573 Safety Recall Reports to NHTSA
Harley-Davidson’s Part 573 Safety Recall Reports to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say that 1,464 CVO Street Glide (FLHXSE) are affected. The population includes 2023 FLHXSE models manufactured up to 10/06/2023. Motorcycles produced after this date received an updated calibration. Interestingly, Harley issued two separate and somewhat different reports to NHTSA for the same problem.
In its report, Harley specifically says:
“Certain Model Year 2023 CVO Street Glide (FLHXSE) motorcycles built between 05/10/23 and 10/06/23 may respond more than expected to road and environmental inputs (examples: road irregularity, wind gust) when operated at speeds exceeding 100 mph.”
Describing the safety risk, Harley-Davidson says:
“If an increased vehicle response occurs and the operator does not follow the guidance outlined in the owner’s manual (i.e., to reduce speed and guide the motorcycle with a relaxed grip to a controlled condition), there may be an increased risk of a crash.”
Description of the Cause
In both its Part 573 Safety Recall Reports, the MoCo described the cause of the recall as follows:
On certain Model Year 2023 CVO Street Glide (FLHXSE) motorcycles, the overall combination of front end mass, stiffness, and inertia does not enable the desired vehicle performance at speeds greater than 100 mph.”
Two Different Part 573 Safety Reports
Interestingly, Harley-Davidson issued two different Part 573 Safety Reports to NHTSA for this potential controllability problem. In its first report dated December 8, 2023, Harley stated the recall fix would require added ballast, a strap, and the recalibration of the engine control module (ECM). Specifically, it said:
“The recall kit will include a Ballast (p/n 45800162) and a Strap (p/n 45800163) to be assembled to the front of the motorcycle in addition to a new Engine Control Module (ECM) calibration.”
“The remedy will involve a new Engine Control Module (ECM) calibration.”
Only ECM Calibration Necessary?
Obviously, a loss of control is a serious condition. How re-flashing the bike’s ECM remedies a potential loss of control issue at high speeds is unclear. One answer may be that the bike’s engine is detuned to prevent its full power from being transmitted to the bike’s chassis and the road. Or perhaps the engine automatically reduces power when a certain speed is reached. Whatever the reason, we have reached out to Harley-Davidson for additional information and will update this page if we receive a pertinent response.
Motorcycle affected
The motorcycle affected by this recall is as follows:
| MAKE | MODEL | MODEL YEAR |
| Harley-Davidson | CVO Street Glide | 2023 |
Unfortunately, Harley did not release the range of VIN numbers for affected motorcycles, so you will have to check with your dealer or Harley-Davidson to determine whether your bike was produced during the dates Harley provided.
Harley-Davidson’s repair plan
Harley-Davidson says it will ask owners to take their vehicles to an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer who will recalibrate the ECM free of charge.
Notification schedule
In its report to NHTSA, Harley-Davidson said it had originally notified its dealers on December 14, 2023, and planned a second notification of the revised recall fix by December 21, 2023. Letters to owners were planned to be mailed between December 22, 2023, and January 3, 2024.
Contacts
For more information,contact Harley-Davidson at 1-414-343-4056 and cite recall 0185. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), citing recall 23V-836, or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
