Don,
That same issue would be true of the O2 sensors if you just completed the circuit with a bit of wire, you would get DTC's and a check engine light. The ECM has to see the right resistance values to make it believe the parts are there. I'm just wondering if the same is true of the ACR's, or if it's a little more complicated. 
I can't believe the way this system was designed, whereby a wiring failure or even just a loose connection could get you killed when the engine quits out on the road. I can see H-D protecting themselves on the warranty front by making sure the engine wouldn't crank if the ACR's were inoperative, but no engineer in his right mind would set it up so it would shut down an already running engine. I'm going to have to quit reading all this stuff, or I'll never feel like walking into a dealership again. 
Jerry
Jerry,
I can atest that the engine will crank, run and not throw any codes if the ACR, at least the rear, is disconnected.
I was riding a couple of weekends ago and thought the motor was cranking a bit slower than normal so I started looking around when I got home. The rear ACR plug was disconnected. When I had it in for questionable ACR operation, evidently the tech did not connect the plug, or did so without properly engaging the locking tab. Short story was that the plug halves were not connected together and the only evidence of a problem was a slower crank.
The situation may be totally different with a short, but an open is tolerated without fault, in my case. Having someone else verify this would be nice.
