Harley fined for emissions violations

[baldman]

http://fortune.com/2016/08/18/harley-davidson-motorcycle-emissions/

"The settlement resolves government allegations that Harley sold roughly 340,000 “super tuners” enabling motorcycles since 2008 to pollute the air at levels greater than what the Milwaukee-based company certified to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."

Apparently selling a tuner as "off road only", but offering to install it on street bikes is not exactly legal. Huh.

 

[Mojo]

http://fortune.com/2016/08/18/harley-davidson-motorcycle-emissions/

"The settlement resolves government allegations that Harley sold roughly 340,000 “super tuners” enabling motorcycles since 2008 to pollute the air at levels greater than what the Milwaukee-based company certified to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."

Apparently selling a tuner as "off road only", but offering to install it on street bikes is not exactly legal. Huh.

Yeah, you see if their is no paved road underneath your tires then you can't possibly pollute the air. Makes perfect sense huh?

 

[BlkDragon]

Government is not getting enough from the pie so they have to find ways to get deeper into someone's pocket......I get it, all of us can't have guns, performance vehicles, and who knows what else....but those that don't follow rules can have everything....like politicians & the BG's......hummmm!!!!

 

[Gunrunner72]

So, in layman's terms, what does this mean for Harley dealerships going forward as far as tuning, etc? Are they not even going to want to perform these upgrades or just steer buyers to other tuners?

 

[BluesBelly]

So, in layman's terms, what does this mean for Harley dealerships going forward as far as tuning, etc? Are they not even going to want to perform these upgrades or just steer buyers to other tuners?

The NEW Harley Mil-8 engine ECM has been changed from a mapped (command) system to torque-based (rider throttle position is interpreted as a call for a specific torque level, not a specific throttle angle) so tuning as we have come to know it will change. Maybe the new system, which includes a larger 55mm throttle body, will be more friendly to modification. Don't know.

Blues

 

[hulkss]

So, in layman's terms, what does this mean for Harley dealerships going forward as far as tuning, etc? Are they not even going to want to perform these upgrades or just steer buyers to other tuners?

It's no problem for HD. They will offer emission certified upgrades. They already have them in the online catalog.

 

[hulkss]

The NEW Harley Mil-8 engine ECM has been changed from a mapped (command) system to torque-based (rider throttle position is interpreted as a call for a specific torque level, not a specific throttle angle) so tuning as we have come to know it will change. Maybe the new system, which includes a larger 55mm throttle body, will be more friendly to modification. Don't know.

Blues

No real difference here. The existing system has adjustable throttle position tables. The rider just twists the grip to get the desired acceleration anyway.

 

[BlkDragon]

Yea, I am seeing that HD is coming out with bigger motor(HP) so they may just shy away from tuning all together and let 3rd party companies deal with tuners. They will just sell upgrade parts like cam/cylinder heads kits/etc.....and of course people have to pay out of their nose to have HD tune their bikes so win win situation for HD. What they have just paid out as fine they will make up 10 times or more going this route, they have already figured this out.

 

[Gunrunner72]

Yea, I am seeing that HD is coming out with bigger motor(HP) so they may just shy away from tuning all together and let 3rd party companies deal with tuners. They will just sell upgrade parts like cam/cylinder heads kits/etc.....and of course people have to pay out of their nose to have HD tune their bikes so win win situation for HD. What they have just paid out as fine they will make up 10 times or more going this route, they have already figured this out.

I'm kinda thinking they will go the route of just letting 3rd parties handle it in the aftermarket too while continuing to sell "upgraded" stock performance in the form of the CVO's etc. Much like Ford does with the SVT line and such.

 

[hulkss]

Now that's funny.............

epa-reverses-itself-on-harley-davidson

 

[BlkDragon]

"It turns out that the EPA didn't realize that virtually all Harley-Davidson highway miles are trailer miles. The engines aren't even running, so there's no motorcycle pollution at all."

I am blown away by this comment.......wow, any truth to that folks?

 

[TomA]

That is very funny

 

[azglocker]

Wtf what a joke. Someone made a deal otherwise the epa wouldn't /shouldn't care if the vehicle is mostly trailered or not. What if every chevy spark (Toyota yaris or other economy car) was modded via tuners to have more hp, would the epa overlook this by saying they are fuel efficient enough to allow for the added emissions?

What about carbureted vehicles? Jets and needles can be bought anywhere yet you never see warnings saying it's for race only, back then it was just called tuning! Isn't holley and edelbrock responsible for far more emissions than any computer based tuner on a 40mpg vehicle? Some things just don't make sense.

Either way I just hope the tuning market doesn't get beheaded by the epa. If they really want to get rid of tuners like this, there needs to be an unbiased study of the actual Co and co2 emissions change of efi tuners that shows a marked effect. But this is the epa they're chasing everything from water heaters to power plants. They decided years ago that global warming is real and they think they can stop it.

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[bugdewde]

........ "Considering how many lives are saved by loud pipes, there'd be carnage if motorcyclists were limited to EPA-approved exhausts."......

Now that right there, is funny, too.

Hey, I read it on the internet. It must be true.

 

[RuknRole]

Harley Davidson's consolidated yearly revenue is 6 billion a year so i don't think the fine was a big deal. I think the decision was reverted because of the impact it would have on the US motorcycle industry. It's all about the money. Government don't really care about the environment.

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