4 recalls across 2 model years
The Buell S1 Lightning has 4 recalls covering the 1996-1997 production run, with the most serious being a 1997 front brake rotor defect where drive pins can shift out of position and contact the brake caliper, locking the front wheel and causing a sudden crash without warning.
The 1996 model year carries three of the four recalls. On the electrical side, the side stand switch can fail, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while riding. Separately, the negative battery cable on 1996 models can break, which also cuts engine power without warning and carries the same crash risk. Both of these electrical faults leave the rider without power at speed, with no advance indication the problem is coming. Rounding out the 1996 issues is a lighting compliance recall: if one or more turn signals fail, the dashboard indicator does not change its flash rate to alert the rider, leaving the turn signal malfunction undetected.
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