1997 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Sportster

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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1Owner complaints

Model-year median: 3

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 0 of 1 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

1 reports

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Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 1997

Engine And Engine Cooling

MOTORCYCLE IS AT A STOP, MOTORCYCLE WILL THEN BACKFIRE THROUGH CARBURETOR WHEN ACCELERATING, IT WILL STALL OUT. NEEDS TO RESTART,DEALERSHIP SAYS CANNOT FIX PROBLEM. HAS BEEN IN SHOP TWICE A WEEK SINCE IT WAS BOUGHT,SERIOUS LOUD PINCH WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF POWER ON ACCLERATION JUST ON HOT DAYS. THIS DEFECT CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS AC…

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MOTORCYCLE IS AT A STOP, MOTORCYCLE WILL THEN BACKFIRE THROUGH CARBURETOR WHEN ACCELERATING, IT WILL STALL OUT. NEEDS TO RESTART,DEALERSHIP SAYS CANNOT FIX PROBLEM. HAS BEEN IN SHOP TWICE A WEEK SINCE IT WAS BOUGHT,SERIOUS LOUD PINCH WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF POWER ON ACCLERATION JUST ON HOT DAYS. THIS DEFECT CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *AK

NHTSA ODI #817705

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.