My brother and I road tripped from (East Coast) to (West Coast). I rode my 2016 Street 750 and he followed me in his 2010 Ford Raptor F150. It took us about 5 days to get there.

We didn't go straight across America.. we went through coastal states like GA, SC, FL, etc..

When we entered San Antonio, TX.. I noticed something strange about my bike. I would roll on the throttle and my bike was not responding. It was rattling and vibrating horribly and I knew my bike was ******!

This is when I signaled my brother to pull over because something was wrong and then suddenly my bike CUT OUT and this was quite scary because it caught me off guard.

So when we pulled over we were trying to see what was wrong because now my bike wouldn't even turn on.

The oil lamp was lit so thats when I came to the conclusion that my bike was overheated because we were in the Desert. It was nearly 100 degrees in Texas.

We had to load it up on the bed of my brothers truck and drive the rest of the way to California. When we arrived in California we stopped at a Harley Davidson dealership to buy new oil & oil filter in hopes that maybe it would fix my bike..

Well.. it didn't. The engine on my bike sounds horrible like its scratching and scraping and vibrating. So there is definitely engine damage and I might've blown my motor..

What do I do now?

I'll be honest.. I am pretty intimidated when it comes to talking to the dealership because it's my first time and I have been reading all these articles on the internet like
"My $36,499 Harley broke down, why won't Harley honor the warrenty?"
"Harley-Davidson denies warranty claim for man who’s ridden 2.5 million miles"
I am rather disappointed that my Harley couldn't hold out for a road trip across America.
When I asked the dealership in California what might be wrong with my bike.. he explained to me that my bike wasn't meant to be ridden like that.

Do I have warranty? Do you have advice? I'd like to hear from the forums..

Thank you in advance.

edit: I did my 1,000 oil change myself with all proper tools & instructions. (Owners Manual) My bike now has around 3,400 miles on it.

There is nothing in my owners manual to state that I must only ride my Street in urban areas. That the motorcycle is designed to best perform in an urban environment I would not dispute, but it should also be used on distance trips.

I will be following this thread closely to read what Harley-Davidson will do in this case.

Make sure you hang onto the receipts for the 1,000 mile "Oil Change" that you performed yourself. Those might be critical to prove that the oil change was done!

Good Luck

You probably didn't overheat. We've ridden other Harleys in those temps and they're not liquid cooled.

I'm afraid your 1000 mile oil change may be called into question, especially since HD recommends you come in at 1000 miles for a check up on your new bike...jmo

@Jacob Lopez,


"When I asked the dealership in California what might be wrong with my bike.. he explained to me that my bike wasn't meant to be ridden like that."


Like what? How should it be ridden? It would seem to me that a equal amount of stop-and-go miles on hot urban streets would be much harder on an engine than just sailing in the wind, albeit 100 degrees. Your bike is warrantied for two (2) years-unlimited miles and if the situation that you describe happened within those parameters they must fix it-pure and simple!

"Do I have warranty? Do you have advice? I'd like to hear from the forums.."

How do you buy a bike and not know if you have a warranty? I recall vividly in excruciating detail the time spent in the finance managers cubicle going over my warranty options. I'm not trying to be mean, just seems like that's something you should have paid attention to.

That said, you have (as has been stated already) a two year unlimited mile warranty. https://www.harley-davidson.com/app-...T/file-11.html

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Oh, and San Antonio isn't a desert, it's a subtropical climate.

"The oil lamp was lit" and "the bike wouldn't turn over" .................Hmmm, did you check the oil after riding a bit, since you said you changed it yourself? Did you use the correct "viscosity"? (Did you use "HD 20W50"??)

If you were riding it any distance with the oil lamp illuminated (and you might not have seen it "on" in the desert sunlight) my guess is that the engine is now seized.

And that's why I take mine to the dealership for ALL service and maintenance. I might pay a little bit more, but I know it's done right.

Once again ............sorry for your loss

Did you do ANY mod's to the bike? "Speedmerchant Slipon Exhaust, Vance & Hines Fuelpak Tuner to remap???" That alone might have just VOIDED your warranty.

thats really scary story,


I am driving my bike same way you done, i am working professional so only get time on weekend, but when i get time, i drove like ****,
mine ODO is 3200kms+ & still didnt face any issue yet except heating up in local traffic.

My local HD dealer give me 2+2 extended warranty with unlimited kms,
I wish to change my muffler(V&H) but stop it just because warranty void issue,

Following thread to get updates

I am pondering the purchase of 3 750's as gifts for family members. My XG500 is our learner bike that we all enjoy.

I'm keeping an eye on this one.