Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200
Real ownership data from 14,747 UK Sportster 1200 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Sportster 1200 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | dangerous | 1.4% |
| Tyres | user entered | 0.9% |
| Electrical | major | 0.7% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 0.5% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 0.5% |
| Exhaust and emissions | user entered | 0.3% |
| Wheels | major | 0.3% |
| Steering and head bearings | dangerous | 0.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is wheels.
Sportster 1200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 95 | 4,145 mi | 670 | 89.86% |
| 2020 | 492 | 4,164 mi | 568 | 90.54% |
| 2019 | 837 | 5,551 mi | 617 | 90.63% |
| 2018 | 900 | 6,278 mi | 643 | 89.48% |
| 2017 | 816 | 7,359 mi | 630 | 90.1% |
| 2016 | 811 | 7,624 mi | 652 | 88.31% |
| 2015 | 640 | 7,138 mi | 570 | 89.43% |
| 2014 | 270 | 8,918 mi | 631 | 90.75% |
| 2013 | 460 | 7,754 mi | 518 | 89.51% |
| 2012 | 535 | 8,632 mi | 571 | 90% |
| 2011 | 692 | 9,025 mi | 556 | 90.43% |
| 2010 | 556 | 9,127 mi | 594 | 87.96% |
| 2009 | 557 | 11,829 mi | 682 | 89.77% |
| 2008 | 736 | 11,302 mi | 558 | 87.49% |
| 2007 | 724 | 12,198 mi | 666 | 89.83% |
| 2006 | 671 | 13,316 mi | 672 | 90.02% |
| 2005 | 587 | 13,267 mi | 697 | 89.46% |
| 2004 | 727 | 14,027 mi | 650 | 88.87% |
| 2003 | 469 | 11,696 mi | 528 | 87.72% |
| 2002 | 306 | 12,145 mi | 581 | 87.46% |
Sportster 1200 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200?
Across 14,747 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are brakes (1.4% of all recorded faults), tyres (0.9% of all recorded faults), electrical (0.7% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200?
The median Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 in the UK has covered 9,608 miles, and typically rides about 571 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 4,870 and 17,081 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 reliable?
88.19% of Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.62 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 14,747 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.