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Not quite dieselgate but a warning shot for the bike industry

‘Illegal’ super tuners cost Harley-Davidson $15 million

Written by Ben Purvis , Date 3:50 PM

It’s news that’s likely to have plenty of manufacturers quaking in their boots. Harley-Davidson has been fined $12 million for selling electronic ‘super tuners’ that result in increased air pollution.

The firm will also have to pay an addition $3 million on environmental projects to mitigate the pollution thought to have been caused.

The penalty comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency. It’s reached a settlement with Harley after investigating the firm’s ‘Super Tuner’ electronic control units. These can be programmed to alter the air-fuel mixture in its fuel-injected bikes, allowing parameters that result in illegally high emissions.

As well as paying the penalties Harley has agreed to stop selling the devices and to buy back existing stocks from dealers. These will then be destroyed.

super tuner

The super tuners look similar to this street-legal version

Harley is claimed to have sold 340,000 of the devices since 2008. The EPA also says Harley made and sold 12,000 motorcycles that were not covered by an EPA certification that ensures a vehicle meets federal clean air standards.

Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, explained the case.

She said: “This settlement immediately stops the sale of illegal aftermarket defeat devices used on public roads that threaten the air we breathe. Harley-Davidson is taking important steps to buy back the ‘super tuners’ from their dealers and destroy them, while funding projects to mitigate the pollution they caused.”

While Harley has been targeted so far, there’s a clear warning to the rest of the bike industry in America.

Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden is head of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. He said: “Anyone else who manufactures, sells, or installs these types of illegal products should take heed of Harley-Davidson’s corrective actions and immediately stop violating the law.”

In future Harley will have to obtain California Air Research Board certification for any tuners that it sells in the USA. This will ensure that bikes fitted with the tuners remain within legal limits.

The ruling will be a concern to many companies that currently sell parts that aren’t intended for use on the road. It suggests that the responsibility for whether ‘race only’ parts end up being illegally used on the road is shifting from the consumer to the manufacturer.

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