Harley-Davidson Threatened to Cancel Warranties Over Aftermarket Parts

 The company faces two class-action lawsuits from owners who were told their warranties would be voided unless they used factory parts and dealer service only.

I'm not a motorcycle rider, but if I was I would want to be able to take my bike where I wanted to for repair. And not have to fight for warranty coverage.

When I was working, part of my job was to sell chemicals for boilers to help keep them clean and corrosion free. I remember that I lost several customers due to a similar warranty exclusion. The customer would buy a clayton steam generator. The clayton company would tell the purchaser that in order for the warranty to be valid, the customer could only use the boiler chemicals that clayton would sell to them. Faced with this dilemma, of course the customer would quit using my products and use the clayton chemicals instead. I lost 3 very good customers that way. 

So I can see why harley davidson customers would be upset by the warranty language and exclusions.

This may be similar to what some of the farm tractor manufacturers are doing with having dealer only software. And thus not allowing the customer to be able to repair their own equipment.