The 5 Worst Motorcycles In The History Of Harley-Davidson

There is no denying that Harley-Davidson is one of the most successful motorcycle brands, having lasted 120 years on the market. Still, some enthusiasts consider the brand sub-par at best. We've covered the best Harley-Davidson motorcycles ever made and the most reliable Harley-Davidson engines, so it's only fair to distinguish the worst finds in Harley-Davidson's history as well.

To keep the list relevant, we've considered only Harley models from the last several decades. We selected model years that have an exceptional amount of negative owner reviews on sites like Motorcycle.com. Below, you'll also find Harleys that have a notable amount of recalls and reported mechanical issues. The most important qualifier, however, is a consistency of problems shared on sites like Reddit and Harley-Davidson Forums. For example, a motorcycle with oft-repeated engine troubles on such forums makes a strong candidate for this list. 

You could argue that there are more high-quality Harley models than there are duds. Nonetheless, the duds are worth knowing about, especially for those looking to buy used. So, let's dive in.

Although we chose the 1980 Harley-Davidson Sportster, the truth is that just about any model year from the Sportster line in the '80s was a dud. The 1980 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1000, in particular, was rife with problems, landing it on our list of the six most unreliable Harleys ever. Nonetheless, its main problems are shared among all the Sportster models in its decade, especially  issues surrounding its engine. Thus, we picked the 1980 model, since it kicked off a trend of failures that would last 10 years.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the 1981 Sportster is also often cited as one of the worst Harley models since it hosts many of the same core problems as its predecessor. For starters, its V-twin engines were underwhelming. Both the 1980 and 1981 models had a volume of 997cc yet only managed to produce 55 horsepower. Worse yet, that four-speed 883 engine was used in almost all the Sportsters of the '80s, so it maintained a poor reputation for an entire decade.

Notoriously poor on gas mileage, the '80s Sportsters have some owners saying the 2.1-gallon gas tank could only deliver about 80 miles before running out of fuel. To add insult to injury, another major complaint surrounding the 1980 line of Sportsters is excessive vibration. For example, one reviewer of the 1989 Sportster wrote in Mortorcycle.com that "the vibration was so bad you had to get off... to let your hands unclench and your nerve synapses re-separate." Yikes.

[Featured image by Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

The Electra Glide is one of the bikes included on our list of the top Harleys you should steer clear of at all costs. The takeaway is that almost every Electra Glide from recent decades comes with its fair share of baggage. This hints at a decline in the bike's reputation, since earlier models in its six-decade run helped it earn the accolade of the most successful Harleys in history.

We've elected the 2015 as the worst, since it not only comes with a laundry list of issues, but also because it failed to correct many problems of its near predecessors. Almost all the complaints we found online regard mechanical problems. There are some that point to the poorly-designed water pump, while others complain that the bike's tires are off-balance and misaligned. On the Harley-Davidson forum, one rider simply wrote that the "second or third gear [self-destructs]."

The engine is the crux of the problem with most of these bikes. While models like the 2015 Electra Glide Ultra Limited Low sported a rubber-mounted engine to reduce vibration, it still has serious issues to consider. The biggest red flag is highlighted by its recall caused by "a chemical reaction inside the sealed clutch system" that "creates gas bubbles which may cause loss of clutch lift," according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This resulted in 27 reported accidents and 313 warranty claims.

Numerous model years of the Road Glide appear on lists of Harley-Davidsons to avoid. The 1998 model had problems with stability; the 2000 and 2001 models suffered from fuel-delivery issues; and the 2008 and 2009 years had a recall due to potential brake fluid failures. But the worst Road Glides fell within the 2009 to 2013 model years. Many came with a faulty braking system that could cause a total loss of braking power. At high speeds, such a loss of braking power could be extremely dangerous.

There's a range of Road Glide variants, and almost all from the early 2010s appear on the recall list. That includes the 2009 CVO Road Glide 3, 2010-2011 Road Glide Custom, and 2011 Road Glide Ultra. Considering the frequency of the Road Glide on the list, it's a big red flag.

For those intent on buying a Road Glide from this period, you should look up the specific model year you are eyeing for any recalls and common problems. Indeed, not every Road Glide is a failure. For example, the 2015 Road Glide was extremely well-received, landing it a mention on the list of the biggest motorcycle engines ever, as well as earning a nod on the list of the best Harley engines. However, don't expect to find any Road Glides from 2009-2013 to get such positive recognition, since brake issues are commonplace and serious.

Although there are plenty of owners that love theirs, the 2017 Street Glide was overall somewhat of a disaster. It had serious problems with overheating that, at best, led to costly repairs and, at worst, led to dangerous breakdowns at high speeds. And as far as comfort is concerned, the overheated engine has even been reported to reach leg-scalding temperatures. Indeed, while the initial review from Motorcycle.com gave it a fairly high score of 84.75 out of 100, it started to gain some flack over time. 

Numerous 2017 Harleys were affected by an issue with their cooling systems, which was dangerous because it could cause the bike to leak oil on the back tire and increase the risk of an accident. But that's not the only problem. The 2017 Street Glide also had a reputation for the engine overheating, which could lead to expensive repair work.

Not every Street Glide was a failure. In fact, only a year after the 2017 model's release, the 2018 Street Glide proved quite reliable. Its Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine even made it onto the list of the most reliable Harley-Davidson engines ever built, and the 2024 model year's successful design placed it shoulder-to-shoulder with the 2024 Road Glide. Thus, it's crucial to research recalls and consumer reviews to find out the specifics of each model year's reception. 

The Twin Cam 88 wasn't a bike model, it was an engine. But almost every Harley with that notorious Twin Cam engine came with a slew of problems. The distinction between the different engines is important. The 88A engine is generally considered the inferior design, while the 88B seems to have corrected many of the 88A's problems. For example, the 88B utilized counter-rotating balancers, which helped reduce the intense vibration of its solid-mounted predecessor. 

But a deeper dive into the Twin Cam 88 from these years reveals even more problems. These include an issue with the cam chain tensioners that had a knack for dropping plastic shavings into the oil pump. Others had oil leaks that could contaminate the lubrication of engine parts, excessive crankshaft runout that could result in extreme vibration, transmission problems, overheating, and stator problems. The laundry list of issues with this engine is simply too long to spell out here. They're not unrideable, but the frequent demand for maintenance and upgrades for these bikes can be a major pain that makes these bikes not worth the effort.