Harley-Davidson Nightster
Real ownership data from 406 UK Nightster motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Nightster problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | major | 20% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 9.5% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 8.4% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 7.4% |
| Tyres | fail | 4.2% |
| Suspension | fail | 1.1% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is tyres.
Nightster mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 50 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 86 | 880 mi | — | 100% |
| 2023 | 124 | 2,076 mi | — | 91.84% |
| 2022 | 83 | 2,757 mi | 910 | 95.37% |
| 2009 | 7 | 8,852 mi | 386 | 87.5% |
| 2008 | 10 | 12,048 mi | 910 | 87.23% |
Nightster questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Nightster?
Across 406 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (20% of all recorded faults), exhaust and emissions (9.5% of all recorded faults), brakes (8.4% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson Nightster?
The median Harley-Davidson Nightster in the UK has covered 2,984 miles, and typically rides about 886 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,628 and 6,192 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Nightster reliable?
90.75% of Harley-Davidson Nightster MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.23 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 406 Harley-Davidson Nightster motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.