Motorcyclists are known to be particularly vulnerable in crashes, owing to the comparative lack of shielding and other protection that a bike provides to its rider.

A less common factor in motorcycle accidents is something intrinsic to the motorcycle itself, but that is exactly what underlies a current concern of Harley-Davidson Inc. executives and the company's recent decision to issue a product recall involving more than 300,000 of its bikes.

The problem relates to a brake light switch on certain models that can suffer excessive heat exposure from the vehicle's exhaust system. That in turn can result in brake lights failing or, much more ominously, rear brakes themselves giving out.

Harley was first made aware of the problem -- which potentially affects more than a quarter million of its bikes ridden in the United States -- in the middle of last year, with reports of a Harley motorcycle losing partial brake power. Shortly thereafter, the company began investigating an accident that occurred in Louisiana in which a rider was injured. A Harley spokesperson says that the company does not know of any other accidents or injuries that are related to the recall problem.

The recall involves motorcycles that were built between June 2008 and September of last year. The company states that it will notify all affected parties and remedy the problem free of charge.

Estimates for the cost of the recall range from $10 to $12 million.

Source: Associated Press, "Harley to recall more than 308,000 motorcycles" Oct. 24, 2011