TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE BRAKE LEVER WAS LOOSE. THE BRAKES WERE BLED; HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE DEALER THEN REPLACED THE BRAKE LEVER AND REBUILT MASTER CYLINDER. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,800. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,200. UPDATED 7/16/10 *CN UPDATED 07/22/10*JB
2006 Harley-Davidson XL883R
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Master Cylinder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883R. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TYPE OF FUEL HE USED CAUSED THE SMOKE. THE ENGINE SIZE, PURCHASE DATE, AND # OF CYLINDERS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 1,600.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE COMING TO A STOP AND ALSO WHILE IDLING, THE VEHICLE BACK FIRED. THE DEALER DETERMINED THIS WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE.
IN MAY OF 2006 I PURCHASED A NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON 883R SPORTSTER. SINCE THE FIRST DAY THE VEHICLE HAS HAD AN ONGOING BACK FIRE THAT THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT OR IS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT. THE BACK FIRING ISSUE OCCURS WHEN THROTTLING OFF OF IDLE. ON OCCASION, THE BACK FIRE WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL AND STOP RUNNING. THIS HAS OCCURRED REGULARLY AND IN ONE INSTANCE THE DEAD ENGINE CAUSED ME TO BE STOPPED AT A BUSY TRAFFIC LIGHT CONTROLLED INTERSECTION WITH TRAFFIC BEARING DOWN ON ME AND MY STOPPED VEHICLE. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE THE WIT TO ENGAGE THE STARTER, START THE VEHICLE AND AVOID A REAR END COLLISION WHICH SURELY WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURY OR DEATH. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD "THEY ALL DO IT". IF THIS IS THE CASE, THE LONGER THE MANUFACTURER, HARLEY DAVIDSON, IGNORES THE PROBLEM THE OUTCOME OF SUCH AN EVENT WILL SURELY BE BODILY INJURY TO SOME DEGREE. *JB
4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2006Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.