2012 103 known issues?
 

Bought this '12 heritage. Really enjoying it. Previous daily rider was a '74 flh. This is the newest vehicle ive ever owned, previous "new" Harleys were a 90 low rider, and a 90 ultra.
Because I'm familiar with numerous issues on Evos, shovels, and ironheads, what are things i should prepare myself to repair on this bike? Im sure there are some things.
Bike is fairly stock...no tuner, slip-ons and an air filter mod are all I've found. This is my main mode of transportation, and I owe money on it. I can drive anything with 4 wheels, but I wanted a nice, comfortable bike that would easily start in any weather. And rode good. So here i am!

I've heard the lifters in that year are suspect. I had two 2012 Fatboys with the 103 and never had any problems.

Actually 2012 is not a bad year for a non-Rushmore twin cam bike. I had a 2012 Limited and really liked it.......

The potential issues with a 2012.....

It has a weak compensator. The 2014+ is the best of the '07-'16 compensators. The one in the 2012 isn't terrible, but something to be aware of..

The 2012 has the "C" series lifters, which are substandard. If you need to go into the cam chest for any reason (like adding a cam) always change the lifters and replace the OEM INA brand inner cam bearings with the Koyo-Torrington style inner cam bearings... I wouldn't make a special trip into the cam chest just to change these, unless I was getting a lifter noise.

The pre-2014 Harley ABS module was substandard. It was designed in a way that it can fail and cause you to lose your brakes. Some of them were freezing up, causing a loss of brake function. Many wanted a recall over this, but the MoCo got together with the NHTSA, and decided that the fault was customers not flushing the brake fluid every two years. They came up with the MoCo offering a free one-time brake system fluid flush. It only covers up to 2011 bikes.... some suspect that the MoCo made a running production change that upgraded the ABS unit in 2012+ bikes... That was never substantiated. The MoCo DID upgrade the ABS unit for the Rushmore bikes.

The 103 can make some heat... The size of the engine is partially responsible. The CAT and the OEM, EPA tune also contribute. Many will lose the OEM head pipe and get one without a CAT. Many will get a better tune, even if left stock. I would recommend a new tune for any mods, Stage I and up.. I was Stage II with a good (non-HD) tune and had a ceramic coated aftermarket head pipe with no CAT... I had no issues with heat.

I had 25K trouble free miles on my bike, including one cross country jaunt, when I sold it. The only reason I sold mine, was that I was going to go for bigger power output. I wanted the new 49mm front end for that, and liked the idea of the canbus system in the '14+ bikes. I ended up with a 2016 Ultra that I will use as the base for my big power bagger....

Good luck with your decision.....

Thanks for the info!
I have noticed more engine heat than I was used to, but figured it was due to engine size. And being right on top of the oil tank. Didnt think about the cat head pipe. I'm not sure if the catalyst is in there or not, havent had any reason to find out. I'm really enjoying the bike. That 6 speed transmission is really slick, and the brakes actually seem to slow the bike down pretty well. I dont think this bike has abs, i haven't seen any sort of modulator on the frame anywhere. Would have been nice to have. But it's a good bike, either way.

There was a factory recall of voltage regulators for some 2012 models of which the Heritage is one. Not all 2012 voltage regulators require replacement. Any dealer can run your VIN to see if it has been replaced under the recall. If not, they can pull the voltage regulator on the bike and tell you if it is in the recall.

I ran the vin on the harley website, and no open recalls came up. So i guess that's a good sign. Packing uo tonight to head to the sc coast, short ride by some folks standard, around 700 miles round trip. Looking forward to some coastal weather!

The regulator replacement wasn't a recall, it was covered by a service bulletin, and it was available to any 2012 with a regulator within certain date codes, except the V-rod. It was only available during a certain time frame and your bike had to still be within factory warranty.

You can check on the second page of the Service Bulletin for the date code range. If by chance your regulator is one of the affected ones, the MoCo will no longer replace it for free... I would suggest replacing it yourself with a Cycle Electric regulator... they are superior to OEM..

Here is the Service bulletin:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a9ce3468_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e723f2a0_h.jpg

Thanks for the clarification.

Just ran one of those recall checks; apparently 2012 had an issue with corrosion in the threads of the brake line banjo bolt at the front brake master cylinder. Luckily I literally just changed it out last night for a Goodridge Sniper II, hopefully it was the bolt and not the actually MC

Number: 14V-794Recall date: DEC 12, 2014


Last updated Oct 03, 2019
On certain model year 2012 Dyna Model and Softail Model motorcycles, the front brake master cylinders may experience corrosion in the threads for the brake line banjo bolt.
Model
2012 Fat Boy Lo
Safety risk
If this condition remains undetected it could result in sudden loss of brake fluid, which could lead to a loss of front brake function, possibly resulting in a crash.
Remedy
An authorized Harley-Davidson dealer will confirm that the motorcycle is covered by this recall. If covered the dealer will flush and inspect the front brake master cylinder and if necessary, replace the master cylinder using the recall kit provided. A recall kit will also be provided to replace the parts required for motorcycles that pass the inspection.
We strongly urge you to take your motorcycle to your dealer to have the appropriate service performed as soon as possible. Should you choose to ride your motorcycle prior to this service, we urge you to be aware of this condition. Some product campaigns may have expired and you may have to pay for the service. Please see your local Harley-Davidson dealer for further details