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Downlaodable Harley Service Manuals

57K views 71 replies 29 participants last post by  eddienelson 
#1 ·
I came across this site where you can download all the service, owners and parts manuals for your HD bike. My 2015 touring manual was $9

I am not sure how many members here know about this.

Harley-Davidson service manuals for download
 
#5 ·
Yeah, about that...

As @eddienelson stated

Holly Shit I remember that thread!!! Got a little ugly if I remember right... My personal opinion on the subject is "let your conscience be your guide."
nobody said they did, but the fact that the MOCO doesn't, is what ended up becoming the topic of discussion with the previous thread, same subject.

So to answer your original question, some of us know about it, (maybe not your exact link, but electronic sources for cheap manuals). We also know what went down because of it.
 
#8 ·
I personally love my electronic version of my Raodglide service manual. I had one for my Heritage as well. I like the fact that I can go to the section I need, check out whats needed I then do it. I'm in the process of breaking mine down into sections and saving those sections to my Google Drive account. This way I can open it on my tablet when in the garage working. When I buy a new bike, the first thing I will do is search for another electronic copy & buy it.
 
#16 ·

I’m not going to disagree with you....it’s bullchit. Also not going to argue the legality of download sales as I just don’t care. Just want to point out though that, as Bbally stated, you’re not getting a service manual no matter how much you spend...unless of course you negotiate that into a deal. When we purchase a Mack garbage truck with a McNeilus body for north of $250K we don’t get a service manual...unless we pay for one. It’s just part of the game. I’m guessing the last time any of you guys purchased a new $50K+ car or truck they didn’t give you a service manual. You didn’t even think about. So what makes this situation any different? Not a post to be a dick. Just want to open some eyes to the fact that service manuals are made of paper, they’re large, they cost money...and they’re not going to throw one in the saddlebag or glove box of a car or truck just in case the owner wants to work on their own vehicle. If y’all wanted a free service manual you should have told the salesman to throw one in or I’m going somewhere that will.
 
#14 ·
Best price I’ve been able to find them is $90. I paid $50 for what was supposed to be a used one but it ended up being a copy someone made at a kinko’s or something. Pissed me off.
 
#15 · (Edited)
After I got my 2016 Road Glide I ordered an electronic copy of the service manual from somewhere before I knew Harley did not do that. Turns up it works great, but I’m missing a couple of sections. Got to see the humor in that........ I need a manual and will prob order from Harley. Like several have said, the electronic version (copy!?����) is very convenient. Harley should make available upfront.
 
#20 ·
I have purchased the service manuals for both my 03 RK and my 15 RGS for about $60.00 each. Now my dealer wants $100.00 for the manual to my 17 RGS. I realize the M8 is a totally new engine but what constitutes the increase in price. It can't be printing costs because that is a very competitive business, my cousin owns a printing company and production cost are cheaper since the use of desktop computerized printing systems. My brother owns a 91 Ultra Classic and he had asked me to pick up a service manual for his Evolution engine bike. There was no difference in the price for his manual and my 03 Twin Cam manual. So, it just pisses me off that they are ripping us off, IMO, for the new engine manuals and after the annual increases in the price of our bikes they could afford to hold the price the same as previous manuals.
BTW, that Evolution manual for my brothers bike was so much more detailed than my Twin Cam manual.
 
#24 ·
I wish the MOCO would get with the times and release a digital copy of the manual. I have had the hard copy in the past and it was not nearly as convenient to use as a digital copy. With a digital copy, I can have it opened on my laptop right next to my bike and not even have to put down a tool to follow along with the manual. That's a little harder to do with a text book. Not to mention, it's easier to search a digital copy. I bet the majority of the people who purchased the bootleg copy from the Turkish Republic of Cyprus would gladly have gone to HD.com and paid 5 times as much for a legal copy if that were an option.
 
#25 ·
I bet the majority of the people who purchased the bootleg copy from the Turkish Republic of Cyprus would gladly have gone to HD.com and paid 5 times as much for a legal copy if that were an option.
I'll bet that you're about right with that observation. My thoughts on this are simple minded.

Who remembers;

35mm film
reel to reel tape decks
vcrs
tube televisions
Xerox???
256mb hard drives
64mb memory dimms
writing a letter using a pen and paper
floppy disks

Come on, it's 2018
 
#32 ·
Well I guess if we are trying to one up each other in how far back our jurassic tech goes, I got 2 more to toss into the fire.

My first computer: TI99 with the expansion box.

First computer used: H-P 2000 in Jr High School. The computer "lab" had 8 terminals.

First "high tech" mainframe: H-P 3000 in High School. Security was lax, hack was successful.

Next


Mike
 
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#41 ·
Well if he liked Natty Ice, it would probably have a missing or out of sequence page here and there. LOL


Mike
 
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#54 ·
H.I.B.,
The point of my 4-2-18 post on this thread was pretty clear. I am not happy about a $40 increase in the cost of the service manual for the M8s. Does that mean I will purchase a pirated digital copy? No, I would not because I am concerned about the accuracy of the copy, especially if copied in a foreign country. Now if Harley were to come out with a digital copy of they're own, I would gladly pay $100 for the convenience of having a format that I can have on my laptop or my tablet in front of me while wrenching. Just the ability to enlarge an illustration for better detail makes it worth it. The digital format potentially can last forever without the concern of ripping a paper page or getting dirty finger prints on the pages. It is strictly the price increase in the book copy that bugs me.

Instead of quibbling over the legality and morality of buying pirated digital manuals, it would serve us all better if we were to impress upon HD the need to offer a digital manual. It may have taken some time for Harley to incorporate all of the great owners suggestions for improvements that were added or changed on the Rushmore models, but it finally happened. I am not one to start a petition but someone with better knowledge of doing that and how to get it to the right people in HD could get the ball rolling. I'll sign it.
 
#56 ·
Ok, my 0.02. You don't have to go the route of a pirated service manual if you want one. You can just click on over to Clymer.com and rent one for a year for your specific year and model bike for around 29.95. Now I'm not sure whether or not Harley has authorized them but, I'm sure if they didn't both Clymer and Haynes,( who make service manuals for almost anything mechanical), Would have been sued out of existence by now. I think this is probably the way HD either should or will eventually go. If they would provide, say, electronic access for the duration of your warranty, then an annual "rental" fee for any remaining access you may desire, they would not only satisfy their client base, but also make bank on those of us who actually wrench on our bikes.

The problem I see with the current bean counters running the show is that they don't want us wrenching on our bikes, they want the service cash themselves. If they were to open up, say a 10 bay garage at each dealership, with a selection of special tools and parts available, that we could rent by the hour, they,( the dealerships) wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand for space from the public. I know in the military, at each army base there is an auto craft shop where you can take you car for any repair you want to do yourself, that you can rent for a nominal fee. How I wished HD would incorporate this practice.

Anyway, back to the original post. There are authorized electronic manuals out there, you just have to search.
 
#59 ·
Can you search and find keywords in the PDF?
 
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