Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Real ownership data from 1,058 UK Sportster S motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Sportster S problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 18.2% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 9.1% |
| Other | major | 7.3% |
| Electrical | major | 5.5% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 5.5% |
| Steering and head bearings | major | 5.5% |
| Suspension | major | 3.6% |
| Brake discs and pads | dangerous | 1.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is other.
Sportster S mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 102 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 77 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 129 | 13 mi | — | 100% |
| 2023 | 211 | 2,487 mi | — | 90.38% |
| 2022 | 395 | 3,169 mi | 640 | 92.18% |
| 2021 | 134 | 3,126 mi | 458 | 92.31% |
Sportster S questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Sportster S?
Across 1,058 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (18.2% of all recorded faults), brakes (9.1% of all recorded faults), other (7.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson Sportster S?
The median Harley-Davidson Sportster S in the UK has covered 3,018 miles, and typically rides about 584 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,684 and 5,156 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Sportster S reliable?
91.5% of Harley-Davidson Sportster S MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.05 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,058 Harley-Davidson Sportster S motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.