RoadVitals

2002 Harley-Davidson XL883 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.
2
Latest May 29, 2003
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 Dec 6, 2002

What this page shows

Our database holds 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Harley-Davidson XL883. 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 1–2 of 2

Engine
Filed May 29, 2003

2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON 883 C BOUGHT THE BIKE BRAND NEW AUG 08, 2002 (1ST HARLEY) AND IMMEDIATLEY NOTICED AFTER RIDDING HOME UPON DELIVERY THAT THE BIKE WOULD STALL 3 OUT OF 4 TIMES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. CALLED THE SELLING AGENT AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD ALL SPORSTER HAD THIS PROBLEM DUE TO HAVING TO MEET EPA STANDARDS THE BIKE CARB WAS SET AT A VERY LEAN CONDITION CAUSING THE BIKE TO STALL UNDER ACCELERATION. THE SELLING AGENT THEN AT THAT POINT SAID IT COULD BE FIXED FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF ANYWHERE BETWEEN $250.00 - $300.00 ALSO COMMONLY KNOWS AS THE "HARLEY TAX" ON MANY HARLEY CHAT SITES ON THE WEB. THE "HARLEY TAX" IS PAYING THE DEALER AND ADDITIONAL FEE TO GET THE BIKE TO RUN RIGHT LIKE IT SHOULD FROM THE FACTORY IN THE 1ST PLACE. I CONTACTED THE MOTOR COMPANY IN MILWAULKEE AND SENT A LETTER IN HOW UN HAPPY I WAS SINCE I HAD SAVED FOR THIS BIKE MANY YEARS AND NOW HAD THIS PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT DUE TO EPA STANDARDS. I WAS THEN TOLD TO TAKE THE BIKE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT. TOOK THE BIKE BACK THEY DID SOME WORK ON THE CARB BUT STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM, NOT AS BAD BUT IT IS STILL THERE, COUGHING, STALLING ETC. I TOLD THE MOTOR COMPANY IN MILWAULKEE THAT IF I GOT HIT BY A CAR BECAUSE OF THIS I WOULD TAKE LEGAL ACTION. AFTER READING THE WEB SITE "HARLEY TECH TALK" OR "SPORSTER HOME PAGE.ORG" I FOUND THAT THERE IS A WIDE PROBLEM WITH THE SPORSTER 883 / 1200 AND THE STALLING CONDITION. I WOULD LIKE THE PROBLEM REMEDIED BY THE MOTOR COMPANY WITHOUT COST TO ME OR FOR THE MOTOR COMPANY TO TAKE THE BIKE BACK AND SUPPLY ME WITH A DIFFERENT MODEL THAT DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
10020701
Incident
Aug 8, 2002
Mileage
10 mi
Fuel system
Filed Dec 6, 2002

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS AS A RESULT OF THE CARBURETOR BUT THEY CAN'T FIX IT BECAUSE OF EPA REGULATIONS/STANDARDS. *TS *TT *NLM.

NHTSA ID
8023899
Incident
Jun 15, 2002

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 .