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Victory Cross Country Recall

42K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  ZinZen 
#1 ·
Victory Cross Country Recall. A recent recall announcement filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include reports of flawed motorcycle handlebar assemblies on certain Victory Cross Country motorcycles from the 2011 model year that could cause riders to suddenly lose control. Problem comes from improperly machined handlebar clamps or risers, and as a result the clamps could allow the bars to move or slip unexpectedly with such a sudden movement of the handlebars possibly leading to a crash. The recall affects 840 bikes built from Jan. 1 through April 11 of this year. Polaris says its dealers will replace defective riser and clamp assemblies free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Victory at 888-704-5290.
 
#2 ·
Thanks for the heads up. thumb up
I just called the # you posted and Polaris told me that my bike was manufactured on 3/14/11 and that my bikes vin # is not part of the recall even though it was manufactured inside the specified time frame. I'm getting ready to leave on a 1K trip so I hope the info. given me is correct.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Could someone please publish the VIN range on this board for us. That is what we do on the car forums and it helps keep the number of calls to Victory lower since it may only affect a few of these bikes.

I'd also like to know WHY someones bike that was within the time period was "not part of the recall"? Was it due to the defect only being applicable to bikes that came out of a specific run or plant? The Ness bikes has different handlebars but I don't even know what a "riser" is so I assume the recall could also impact these bikes, right?

Here's the NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V305000
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/results.cfm
There were no list of VIN affected on that site.
 
#6 ·
Say if your scared why not give your bars a good health tug.
If it doesn't move or fall a part you should be good to go. Or swing by the dealer and have him give it a once over.
 
#7 ·
Is it just the XC or is the XR affected too?
 
#8 ·
Just spoke with Victory customer service at the number included above. The agent stated that although my bike was produced 1/7/11, it did not have a bulletin listed against it...at this time.

I did prod for more details on the recall such as a VIN range but was told that unless he could find a bike that had a bulletin listed, he had no additional information (like VIN ranges or production locations) that might have contributed to the recall.

So for me for now, it appears to be a non-issue. Hope it is the same for all of you as well but if someone does learn that their bike is affected, see if they will share those additional details that might help others who wander into this thread.
 
#9 ·
I called the number yesterday too and gave her my VIN. Same answer, no information showing this XC is included in any recall. I asked her what the build date for my XC was and she couldn't find it (I already knew).

She asked me to contact my dealer for more "up to date" information concerning this issue. Not at all impressed with this Polaris representative. :mad:

More to follow.....
 
#10 ·
Everyone here may want to hold off a bit. According to another Victory forum, this is not yet "official" which is why they don't have anyone's VIN #'s associated with the bulletin. Basically, it appears that the "bulletin" has not yet been posted on Victory's internal database so calling them at this point won't get us anywhere (as we have seen).
 
#11 ·
Good point. New to Victory's and have not even had time to really ride ours since purchased so this was the last thing I wanted to read about. However, before hitting the panic button and calling my dealer, I read your post and sometimes patience is the best avenue.
 
#13 ·
Had a message on the answering machine from the dealer requesting mine be brought in as the manuf date fell in the range. Worked good for me as I was already scheduled for the 500 mile first service yesterday.

I watched thru the shop bay door and two mech's hooked scales (kind'a like a fish scale) to the handle bars, one on each side. They marked the bars near the riser clamps and both lifted upward on the scales until both scales read 50lbs each. The bars didn't move, one guy gave me a thumbs up as the other checked the throttle (main part I DID NOT like was it being hooked to my throttle/tube) to make sure it was not in a bind. They gave me a copy of the paperwork and said goodbye.

I was a little confused by the pounds of force used as I swear the first service guy said the service recall said 50lbs of force total (25 per side right?). So I am thinking about it correct, right, they pulled both scales to 50lbs EACH, that makes 100lbs of force they put on the bars......right? Oh well, eitherway they did not movethumb up
 
#14 ·
... So I am thinking about it correct, right, they pulled both scales to 50lbs EACH, that makes 100lbs of force they put on the bars......right? Oh well, eitherway they did not movethumb up
You are correct. Two applications of 50 pounds each result in a total applied force of 100 pounds. They might be applying more force than what the minimum is in order to make sure you're well over the minimum requirement. Safety first! cheers
 
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#16 ·
Same here. Third paragraph in the recall letter states:

What Victory and your dealer will do:
Victory has issued Safety Recall Bulletin V-11-01 to all Victory dealers, with instructions required to test and replace defective riser/clamp assemblies that provide insufficient clamping force. Repairs will be made by any authorized Victory motorcycle dealer at no cost to you. If handlebar riser/clamp replacement is required, the actual repair should take under 2 hours to perform; however, it may take longer due to service scheduling requirements.

Calling my shop later today.
 
#17 ·
Got my letter yesterday. I went out per the letter and pulled up on the bars...seems pretty solid but i will take it in at some point.
 
#18 ·
Here's is what I was told....

I took my XC in for the recall (as Victory said it was on their list). The tech checked it and said they were good. I asked what the recall was in reference to and he stated the following:

There were a few bikes that had problems with the bushings that the handlebar risers mounted in to. These are rubber bushings that have steel outer and inner sleeves. They are pressed into the triple tree with 8,000lbs+ of force. The "test" for failure is to pull up and pull down on the bars with 50lbs of force. So far, they have not had any bikes that required repair.

This sounded a bit strange, but the issue seems to be that the bushing could be defective and would allow to riser to rattle around and/or slip.

So, as one other post stated, you can give the bars a strong pull and if they don't move -- you are probably good.
 
#20 ·
Are there any other recalls recently on 2012 XTC. Can a Canadian bike get the recall done in the USA???wac
 
#21 ·
Yes of course mine was affected..

My new 2014 High Ball was on the list and was one of the ones affected. The dealer ordered the shim kit and has repaired it. I am supposed to pick it up on Friday. Am I worried??? More like a bit nervous. Perhaps it will make me a safer rider while I break in the bike. At this point it only has 30 miles on it.

On the good news, my S.O. got me the Guard Dawg keyless remote start, alarm and GPS tracker for my birthday! Woo Hoo! I dropped it at the dealer last night so it could be installed before I pick up the bike!

:D
 
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