RoadVitals

2005 Harley-Davidson XL1200C Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest May 9, 2022
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Apr 22, 2009

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Harley-Davidson XL1200C. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

Tires & wheels
Filed May 9, 2022

As I was stopped at a signal, a gentleman pulled up beside me that had been following me or approximately the last mile or two. He told me that my rear tire appeared to be wobbling. Upon further investigation I found there to be a defect in my tire. 2/3 of the tire are normal width but the other third is noticeably narrower. I haven't ever seen an issue such as this, but it makes me wonder about the safety riding on a tire such as this. The tire I am speaking of is on my Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 custom and the tire is a Michelin Commander 2 size 180/ 65 B16. I believe that this has to be a manufacturer defect because I have never seen an issue or heard of an issue like this before. I will upload photos to back my story.

NHTSA ID
11463964
Incident
May 9, 2022
Engine
Filed Jun 28, 2013

FAULTY ENGINE. NEEDS COMPLETE REBUILD. BIKE WAS VERY WELL MAINTAINED. HARLEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE FAULTY ENGINES BUT IGNORED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10522284
Incident
Apr 15, 2013
Mileage
25,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 19, 2010

REAR BRAKE FAILURE ON A 2005 HARLEY DAVIDSON XLC 1200. TECH'S COULD DISCOVER NO LEAKAGE IN THE BRAKE LINE. HD TECH'S COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM. NOTED THAT THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY WAS UNSAFE AND TOTAL REPLACEMENT NEEDED. MOTORCYCLE MILEAGE WAS UNDER 9,000 MI. AND ALL SERVICES PERFORMED ON TIME. HD REFUSED FREE REPLACEMENT, DENIED RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10361311
Incident
Aug 24, 2010
Mileage
7,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Apr 22, 2009

TYPICAL MOTORCYCLE RIDING UNKNOWN FREQUENCY REPLACED CKP SENSOR I HAVE A 2005 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C MOTORCYCLE. ABOUT A WEEK AGO ,AFTER THE BIKE WAS WARMED UP,IT WOULD STALL AT INTERSECTIONS AND BACKFIRE AND OFTEN DIE AS YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE OUT OF THE INTERSECTION WHILE TURNING. THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THE BIKE RUNNING IS TO REV IT TO A HIGH LEVEL,WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS ,PARTICULARLY WHILE TURNING. WASN'T INJURED BUT CAME VERY CLOSE TO GETTING RUN OFF SEVERAL TIMES ON THE WAY HOME. I HAD TO JOIN A MOTORCYCLE FORUM TO ACTUALLY DISCOVER WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. AS IT TURNS OUT,2004,2005 AND 2006 XL1200C SPORTSTERS HAVE ALL BEEN AFFLECTED WITH THE RANDOM PART FAILURE AND I KNOW ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED BY THE SUDDEN FAILURE OF THIS FAULTY PART. MANY MEMBERS ON THE FORUM HAVE CHANGED THIS PART ONLY TO HAVE THE NEW REPLACEMENT FAIL IN 2000 MILES OR SO. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN ITS GOING TO FAIL AND THERE ARE NO SIGNS THAT A FAILURE IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I FEEL LIKE HARLEY DAVIDSON NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10266432
Incident
Apr 8, 2009
Mileage
9,500 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .