US government sues Harley Davidson over emissions-defeat devices

The US federal government filed a suit against Harley Davidson, accusing the manufacturer of making, selling or installing hundreds of thousands of emissions-control defeat devices on motorbikes certified as environmentally compliant.

US government officials were specifically targeting the company’s “Screamin’ Eagle” after-market engine tuners, Bloomberg reported.

Milwaukee-based Harley Davidson sold 339,000 of those devices from 2008 to 2015, the US government alleged in its suit filed in Washington on Thursday.

Washington asked for a court injunction barring Harley Davidson from continuing with its activities plus penalties.