Harley-Davidsons Recalled for Sleeping Clutches

A Harley-Davidson recall that was first reported for 5,741 Harley-Davidsons sold in Canada has now extended to approximately 105,000 motorcycles sold in the United States as well.

The cause of the recall is a clutch master cylinder that can "sleep," either failing to fully disengage the clutch or releasing it measurably while the lever is still pulled fully back.

Separately, Harley says it will be contacting owners of 1,384 motorcycles made earlier this year to test for possible fuel tank leaks.

The problem stems from the primary seal on the clutch master cylinder piston.

On certain models, this seal can apparently develop a tear with the result that the hydraulic system cannot develop or maintain the pressure needed to keep the clutch disengaged.

So if you own a Harley and feel like the bike creeps while at a stop, while it is in gear with the clutch depressed, you may want to talk to your local dealer.

Harley-Davidson says dealers will rebuild affected clutch master cylinders for free. The company says it knows of 19 low-speed tip-over crashes related to the problem, with three minor injuries reported.

List of models affected

For now, we have the following Harley-Davidson models that appear to be part of the recall. They are all 2014 model year models: