AI DamageHarley-Davidson 1200: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Harley-Davidson 1200 across 5 model years: 21 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Visibility 24% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 14% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 14% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Exterior lighting 10% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- Visibility: 5 complaints (24% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (14% of all).
- Steering: 3 complaints (14% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (10% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 21 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl contact owns a 1996 harley davidson 1200 sportster. While riding 30 mph, front driver's side fork tube split in half. The caliper connection point also snapped. These failures caused the front wheel to lock up and the brake to go down.
While driving the throttle would not come down causing the bike to stay at a high speed causing accident. Ts
The person driving this vehicle is not the owner of this motorcycle and is driving this motorcycle on a suspended license. The suspended license is for excessive duis and has been using this vehicle (a friend of theirs) to go out and party.
While driving 65 mph motorcycle stalled. Tried to restart motorcycle, but was unable to do so. Consumer had the motorcycle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that there was an electrical short in the motorcycle engine. Also, a recall was issued.
Consumer received a recall notice for replacement of the circuit breaker between battery and ignition. No parts were available. Service manager dennis maas.
The vehicle leaked gas into the engine. Parts were replaced however the problem still exists. Please provide additional information.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.