How many recalls does the 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series have?

The 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series has 2 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series?

Of 1 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is engine and engine cooling.

1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 16,132 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

WHEELS 87V129000 1987-08-14 13,303 affected

Defect

CRACKS IN FRONT AND REAR WHEELS COULD DEVELOP AND CONTINUE THROUGH WHEEL SPOKES.

Consequence

HUB AND RIM COULD SEPARATE CREATING HANDLING PROBLEMSWHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL.

Remedy

REPLACE WHEELS WITH DIFFERENT TESTED WHEELS.

POWER TRAIN 86V153000 1986-11-13 2,829 affected

Defect

A PIECE OF GEAR COULD BREAK AT THE MAINSHAFT FIRST GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION CASE. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: IF GEAR TOOTH BECOMES LODGED BETWEEN TRANSMISSION GEARS, DRIVE TRAIN AND…

Remedy

REPLACE GEAR WITH ONE THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN AND TESTED.

Complaints by component

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Total complaints1

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“The part manufactured from jimsusa failed causing a destruction of the engine. This could have locked the motor causing loss of control. A jimsusa employee colin kately claimed that they knew about the defect as they had let their tooling become worn. They requested return of the unsafe part and…”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE · reported 2000-04-20

Defect investigations

Investigation PE95015 Opened 1995-02-28 · closed 1995-07-07

HANDLEBAR LOWER CLAMP FRACTURING

There is no summary currently available

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1987 Harley-Davidson Xl Series as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.