Harley-Davidson Softail Street Bob And Low Rider Recall: How To Know If You're Affected

Harley-Davidson and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced yet another recall for Harley's. While the most recent recall was fairly straightforward, this most recent recall is a little outside the unfortunate norm of recalls. Instead of covering a specific part that may prematurely fail or otherwise malfunction, this recall covers a sticker that details the appropriate front tire pressure. Reportedly, the tire pressure ratings printed on the sticker are wrong. 12,929 bikes are covered by the recall and cover the 2018 and 2019 Harley-Davidson Softail Street Bob and Harley-Davidson Softail Low Rider. 

While a tire pressure sticker may seem too trivial to necessitate a recall, the NHTSA notes: "The front tire inflation pressure on the VIN label may be less than the stated front gross axle weight rating (GAWRs)" and "Incorrect tire pressure information may result in overloading the front tire, increasing the risk of a crash." Here's how to know if your bike is on the Harley-Davidson recall list.

As with all safety-related recalls, the fix is free, and in this case it's a relatively simple procedure. Harley-Davidson plans to notify riders of the recall by mail, but if you want to get ahead of the game and check for yourself, the NHTSA's online tool is where to look. All you need is your bike's VIN. Additionally, Harley-Davidson has its own tool available. 

Given the nature of the recall, Harley-Davidson is giving the affected riders two options to get their bike sorted out: you can either wait for the correct sticker to get mailed to you, or you can get it applied at a Harley dealership. If you go the dealership route, the fix is still free, but it may behoove you to schedule the fix beforehand to ensure that your dealership actually has the revised information, and you don't go without your bike for too long. This advice also applies to all recalls that necessitate a trip to the dealership.