Harley-Davidson SPORSTER
Real ownership data from 81 UK SPORSTER motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common SPORSTER problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 15.3% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 6.7% |
| Other | major | 6.1% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 2.8% |
| Suspension | major | 1.3% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 1.2% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 0.9% |
| Electrical | fail | 0.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is exhaust and emissions.
SPORSTER 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6 | 24,596 mi | 1,251 | 93.06% |
| 1991 | 6 | 32,490 mi | 484 | 76.47% |
| 1990 | 9 | 17,035 mi | 185 | 82.35% |
SPORSTER questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson SPORSTER?
Across 81 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (15.3% of all recorded faults), brakes (6.7% of all recorded faults), other (6.1% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson SPORSTER?
The median Harley-Davidson SPORSTER in the UK has covered 15,037 miles, and typically rides about 369 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,036 and 26,482 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson SPORSTER reliable?
83.71% of Harley-Davidson SPORSTER MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.81 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 81 Harley-Davidson SPORSTER motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.