Two Recall Campaigns for 2009-2011 Indian Motorcycles

Polaris issued two separate recalls for 2009-2011 Indian motorcycles, one for a problem with the headlight and another with the kickstand.

According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the kickstands on 2009-2011 Indian motorcycles may not fold up and to the rear if the motorcycle is moving forward with the stand deployed. As a result, the kickstand fails to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 571.123.

As seen in the 2011 Indian Motorcycle Dark Horse pictured above, the kickstand is angled forward when in the down position. If a rider tries to move forward with the kickstand down, it may affect the rider’s ability to control the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Polaris identified this problem during an evaluation of existing production models following the Medina, Minn., company’s purchase of Indian Motorcycles in April. Polaris conducted SAE safety tests and determined the kickstand did not meet federal standards. No field reports or injuries were made regarding this issue.

Indian Motorcycle Company dealers will replace the side stands with a component that complies with FVMSS 571.123.

The headlight issue is regarding a defect in the body control module. Indian Motorcycles discovered a potential problem when the headlight switch is slowly moved from high to low beam or vice versa. In this situation, both high and low beam headlights will, for a moment, both be on at the same time. The BCM will falsely identify this as an overload and will react by cutting voltage to the headlight circuit.

The headlight can be reactivated by simply turning the ignition key to the off position and then back to on. Of course, this can’t be done while riding.

Indian Motorcycle first discovered the issue after receiving a field report on June 15, 2011. An ensuing investigation identified the issue and a remedy was created.

Dealers will replace the BCM on affected units.

Both recall campaigns affect 699 units.

Related Reading
Polaris Acquires Indian Motorcycle

[Source: NHTSA Campaign ID# 11V344000 and 11V343000]

By Dennis Chung