Harley-Davidson And Its Compliance With The EPA Clean Air Act

The US Justice Department is expected to drop $3 million Harley-Davidson emissions penalty. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to announce this week it is dropping a requirement that Harley-Davidson Inc spend $3 million to reduce air pollution as part of a settlement the Obama administration announced in August, sources briefed on the matter said.

Last year, the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker agreed to pay a $12 million civil fine and stop selling illegal after-market devices that cause its vehicles to emit too much pollution as part of a federal court consent decree. It also agreed to spend about $3 million and enter into an agreement with the American Lung Association of the Northeast to retrofit or replace wood-burning appliances with cleaner stoves. The settlement resolved allegations that Harley sold roughly 340,000 “super tuners” enabling motorcycles since 2008 to pollute the air at levels greater than what the company certified. Harley did not admit liability, and said previously it disagreed with the government, arguing that the tuners were designed and sold to be used in “competition only.”

36 Responses to “Harley-Davidson And Its Compliance With The EPA Clean Air Act”


  1. 1 rebel Jul 21st, 2017 at 8:05 am

    that deal was BS to begin with, epa what a joke

  2. 2 Chris Jul 21st, 2017 at 9:27 am

    Clean water and clean air are the two primary variables the separate the Earth from all other non life supporting barren waste lands in our solar system. Why folks have a hard time conceptualizing that is beyond me.

  3. 3 X HD Rider Jul 21st, 2017 at 11:09 am

    So how many cars have tuners that are polluting the air. Is Dynojet tuner eleagel too

  4. 4 SYF Jul 21st, 2017 at 11:22 am

    Chris,
    So tuning your Harley is going to pollute our air and water?
    How many H-Ds with super tuners does it take to make us all die?
    Like rebel said, EPA is a effin’ joke and colossal waste of taxpayer money.
    They’d probably make better use of their time regulating lawn mowers.

  5. 5 Chris Jul 21st, 2017 at 12:21 pm

    Those who can recall Los Angeles in the late 60’s or have been to Mumbai or Beijing may have differing opinions on the efficacy of the EPA, that’s all I’m saying.

    I totally agree that the amount of pollution emitted by all motorcycles on a single day in the United States pales in comparison to what is done to our environment on a single day by the airline industry. That said, I don’t believe the EPA to be a joke or a waste of taxpayer money.

    Harley’s issue as I understand stemmed from a misrepresentation of material facts to a governing body rather than the simple fact of selling tuners. That ought to be punishable.

  6. 6 Opera N Iron Jul 21st, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    X HD Rider – Technically, yes. Every fuel injection tuner I have ever seen for Harleys comes with a disclaimer that it is intended for off-road and/or closed course competition use only, including H-D’s Super Tuner. The Motor Company is no more culpable then any other “racing” tuner manufacturer.

  7. 7 Roberto Jul 21st, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    Is this the same EPA that cased the Animus river to be polluted with heavy metals and refused to take responsibility or pay for the cleanup?

  8. 8 Pat h Jul 21st, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    They just force companies to stop production or move over seas or mexico where they have no regulations the pollution still makes it here but the no common sense epa thinks their saving the earth I could go on and on but I gotta go cut down a tree with my diesel chainsaw

  9. 9 NoH2Oh Jul 21st, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    More emissions from all the tree hugging, global (cooling…warming…change) fanatics private planes and giant SUV caravans in one year than all HD’s on the road. Safe bet.

  10. 10 Charles from MA Jul 22nd, 2017 at 6:59 am

    What people think of the EPA pretty much tells you who they voted for president. Trump thinks the EPA is a waste of money, and he hired a fruitcake to run it into the ground. Incidentally, I hope Trump’s golf courses get hit with a wave of toxic water pollution and they all have to close. That might force Der Fuehrer to maybe spend some time in the White House on weekends.

  11. 11 calif phil Jul 22nd, 2017 at 7:58 am

    No secret who I voted for. I am glad to see Trump take control of the overreaching EPA. I vote Republican and I like clean air and water. Who woulda thunk it?

  12. 12 Biggles Jul 22nd, 2017 at 8:02 am

    For competition use only, what a joke. Sums Harley up really ! Lol

  13. 13 Patrick Jul 22nd, 2017 at 8:56 am

    The decision to cancel the 3 million fine was taken first by the Obama administration and now executed by the current one. Trump??? Follow the money… Justice will catch him sooner or later. Laundering dirty money for Russians via real estate “transactions”? Let’s see…What did he do in 6 months? 991 tweets, failure on healthcare, immigration, no wall started, no investigation on Clinton, no major legislature passed. A complete loser. Cali phil, you are going to be tired of losing, losing, losing… By the way, Trump is not a republican, was democrat, is a money opportunist who screwed little people and companies all his life by playing on the edge of laws and justice.

  14. 14 Wayne Jul 22nd, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Looks like too many liberals are watching their 4 MSM channels. Brain washed much? Pug mahone

  15. 15 Inconvenient Truth Jul 22nd, 2017 at 11:29 am

    The EPA budget is less than .25% (that’s POINT two five per cent) of the total federal budget. Hardly a waste of money given the alternative. Anyone older than 50 or who has lived in southern Cali in the last 30 years can attest to the filth this country put up with prior to the Clean Air Act.

    The US fleet of motorcycles represent a little over 3% of total registered vehicles, 1% of total passenger miles, and 10% of total passenger vehicle pollutants.

    The average motorcycle on the road puts out 10 to 16 times more pollutants than the average automobile on the road. Sure, newer bikes are much cleaner (post 2015 – Tier 3 compliance), but even these newer bikes are 3-4 times dirtier than a new car. Emissions controls simply do not scale well on small engines. Riding an average bike two to three times per month is, pollution wise, equivalent to driving an average car every single day of the month (single passenger). In short, motorcycles are not an inconsequential segment of the total U.S. emissions profile as some seem to suggest.

    More fun facts:
    A jet aircraft with an average 70% passenger capacity produces pollution equivalent to a single person in an average automobile over a distance of about 1,000 miles. On a trip over 1,000 miles in distance the jet aircraft produces less pollution than the automobile per passenger mile.

  16. 16 Charles from MA Jul 22nd, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    calif phil – You’re in the wrong party if you are, like you say, in favor of the environment. And Wayne – Brainwashed much yourself by Faux News? I am a liberal biker. Of the Easy Rider tradition, not the Scott Walker – Sarah Palin tradition that gets their pictures taken in front of the H-D factory and uses bikers as props. News flash: A few of us have brains under those DOT helmets.

  17. 17 calif phil Jul 22nd, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    Patrick, Is he perfect no, but stock market record high, business economic outlook the best in years, Supreme court Justice pick, Keystone pipeline and coal miners back to work. Made in USA summits, EPA red tape roll back,
    food stamps at lowest level in years, border agents able to be doing their jobs finally and I could go on. I will take him over Hillary any day.

  18. 18 NewYorkMyke Jul 22nd, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    Right on Phil & don’t forget the most important of all rebuilding our military & getting rid of rules of engagement that constrained our troops & empowered the enemy & the liberals who keep accusing our warriors of war crimes for doing their best to keep us safe & destroy the lethal terrorists sworn to destroy us. I was one of those troops once & that was my first priority when campaigning for Trump, then what you correctly noted!

  19. 19 Gary Jul 22nd, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    Calif Phil. The stock market started going up in March 2009. It will collapse before 1 year when the world realize that Trump is unable to do any deal. Liberals don’t accuse soldiers of war crimes!!!. You sound like FAUX NEWS. Trump looking to pardon himself? Ha, ha, ha.

  20. 20 Gary Jul 22nd, 2017 at 7:48 pm

    Newyorkmyke. Time to realize that WW3 will be a cyber war, not a traditional military conflict. Investing money on military to gain votes, not to gain wars.

  21. 21 blu dog Jul 22nd, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    The saddest part is that, no matter which party won the election, an undeserving candidate was going to end up running the country. The best thing I can say for our president is that he hasn’t gotten around to screwing up too much in 6 months and I doubt he has the attention span or the congressional support to do too much in the next 3.5 years. Really little difference than if the the losing candidate had taken office although the stock market is prolly performing better. I still truly hope that a candidate with intellect, vision and a strong moral compass will emerge for the 2020 campaign and that the nut in North Korea doesn’t start a chain of events that ends up with nukes being lobbed around.

  22. 22 garagedog Jul 23rd, 2017 at 5:23 pm

    I wish you political pundits would all calm down.
    Please, this a motorcycle blog.
    Let’s keep our chat on the bikes.
    Many are not interested in your opinions.
    Thank You!

  23. 23 coma Jul 24th, 2017 at 6:58 am

    Even a small step away from clean air and clean water is a step into the wrong direction.

  24. 24 Tom Hone Jul 24th, 2017 at 8:03 am

    Patrick. GREAT post. Too bad there aren’t more logical, smarter people in the USA like you. Too bad indeed for our country for under this Trump disgrace it’s like bring on the crooks and watch them cheat, steal, –ck everyone into the abyss. .

  25. 25 Tom Hone Jul 24th, 2017 at 8:04 am

    blu dog, good post also.

  26. 26 Tom Hone Jul 24th, 2017 at 8:05 am

    This is the least of HD’s problems folks. Th aging baby boomers have come and gone and there is nobody to replace their extensive spending habits. Also these younger types do not accept not like HD bikes.

  27. 27 Greeko Jul 24th, 2017 at 8:08 am

    I want to read Cyril Huze, not to read about crooked Trump.

  28. 28 Batterycap Jul 24th, 2017 at 9:12 am

    I want to read about motorcycles, not random regurgitation’s from po’ed liberals looking for anyplace to puke out their democrat talking points, and their defense of a rogue agency – the EPA – which long ago left behind it’s charge to mandate a cleaner environment and went directly to being a front-line enforcer of Marxist control over people.

  29. 29 reyn Jul 24th, 2017 at 9:37 am

    Wood stoves for a company’s tuner possible violations made no sense anyway. The right to modify is what’s in question on the larger scale.

  30. 30 boston jim Jul 24th, 2017 at 9:48 am

    H-D doesn’t make a seat, Big enough for Hillary’s FAT ARSE !!! She doesn’t need a Secret Service Agent to follow her around, she needs an EPA Bean Counter, with a Fart Meter, to measure the Air, every time she lets one Go !

  31. 31 Bro Henry Jul 25th, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    Don’t trust a politician who at 70+ dyes his hair in blonde every week (at the expense of the taxpayer)

  32. 32 Jester Jul 27th, 2017 at 7:02 am

    Liar in Chief Trump is going to make HD Great Again. Of course not. Just a con artist with psychological issues.

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