1996 Harley-Davidson 1200 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1996 Harley-Davidson 1200, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE 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. THE CONTACT WAS THROWN FROM THE VEHICLE AND SUSTAINED INJURIES SUCH AS ROAD RASH ON BOTH ARMS, BRUISES ON HIS RIGHT HIP, MUSCLE SPASMS (FOR THREE DAYS AFTER), AND PAIN IN HIS LEFT HEEL. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CALLED, BUT THERE WAS NO CORRESPONDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE TURNING THE ISSUE OVER TO THE PRODUCT LIABILITY DEPARTMENT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 12,254. UPDATED 11-24-08 *BF AS THE LIGHT STARTED TO TURN GREEN, THE CONSUMER ACCELERATED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND THE FRONT WHEEL LOCKED UP AND TURNED TO THE LEFT CAUSING THE BIKE TO HIT THE GROUND ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE CONSUMER WAS THROWN FROM THE BIKE. UPDATED 11/25/08. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .