2006 Harley-Davidson XL883 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 2006 Harley-Davidson XL883, 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
- Engine1100.0%
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
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
12/20/2005HARLEY-DAVIDSON CUSTOMER SERVICE 3700 W. JUNEAU AVENUE MILWAUKEE, WI 53208. *NM DEAR SIRS, ON 13 NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR I BOUGHT A 2006 XL883. THREE DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT THE BIKE I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A 2ND SEAT INSTALLED, AT THAT TIME I COMMENTED ON A BACKFIRING THAT WAS OCCURRING OCCASIONALLY OFF IDLE. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS COMMON ON THE 883. TWO DAYS AGO I TOOK MY BIKE IN FOR THE 1000 MILE SERVICE ( IT NOW HAS 1300 ON IT) AGAIN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BACKFIRES, AGAIN I WAS TOLD IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 883. I RIDE MY BIKE NEARLY EVERYDAY TO AND FROM WORK A MIXTURE OF CITY AND HIGHWAY RIDING, SO FAR THE RECOMMENDATIONS I HAVE GOTTEN TO FIX THIS PROBLEM ARE NEW JETS, PIPES OR MAKING IT AN 1200. I BELIEVE THIS IS NOT MY JOB. I FEEL THAT THE LITTLE STUMBLING BACKFIRE CAN BE A REAL SAFETY HAZARD FORTUNATELY MOST OF MY LIFE I HAVE RIDDEN AND DRIVEN CRAP SO I KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT; AGAIN I DO NOT FEEL THAT IS MY JOB, I FEEL IT IS YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT MY NEW BIKE PERFORMS LIKE A HARLEY SHOULD.
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 .