If your bike is liquid cooled, be aware you might face availability problems on your trips
The unfamous and unreliable Coolant Pump 26600012 is marked as “obsolete” in the HD parts database, the availability at dealership is very scarse and no alternatives are available at this moment on the market.
Despite it looks like many automotive liquid pumps like the Bosch ones, in reality it is “built to fit” only HD, so no commercial replacement is available at this time.
In preparation for my summer road trip i asked yesterday my friend to buy one in the Philly area, the dealer had one, THE LAST, and told my friend he was lucky because there are few available around and no immediate alternative from HD is foreseen at this moment. The pump cost was 459$
The risk is that if it fail on a road trip and no pumps are around your area to face the following choices:
Any of them is an expensive option......
In light of the fact that the pump soon or later will fail, I decided to invest in peace of mind and I will take this spare pump in the bag just in case. It is possible that my’19 will present a different pump that could be retrofitted in the old models, but it is just my assumption. In the meanwhile, the riding season is now, I’m going to North Cape - Norway and I do not want to remain stranded up there for an obsolete part.
Just to bring the thing to your attention for the proper considerations if you are planning a big summer trip
The unfamous and unreliable Coolant Pump 26600012 is marked as “obsolete” in the HD parts database, the availability at dealership is very scarse and no alternatives are available at this moment on the market.
Despite it looks like many automotive liquid pumps like the Bosch ones, in reality it is “built to fit” only HD, so no commercial replacement is available at this time.
In preparation for my summer road trip i asked yesterday my friend to buy one in the Philly area, the dealer had one, THE LAST, and told my friend he was lucky because there are few available around and no immediate alternative from HD is foreseen at this moment. The pump cost was 459$
The risk is that if it fail on a road trip and no pumps are around your area to face the following choices:
- being stranded for days waiting for a spare to arrive
- Stop the trip and tow the bike home
- Rent a car or bike to carry on the trip and recover the bike later on
- Continuing riding with no pump risking of damaging the heads (water cool down mostly the exhaust valves)
Any of them is an expensive option......
In light of the fact that the pump soon or later will fail, I decided to invest in peace of mind and I will take this spare pump in the bag just in case. It is possible that my’19 will present a different pump that could be retrofitted in the old models, but it is just my assumption. In the meanwhile, the riding season is now, I’m going to North Cape - Norway and I do not want to remain stranded up there for an obsolete part.
Just to bring the thing to your attention for the proper considerations if you are planning a big summer trip