Nothing wrong w/'12 touring bikes...don't fall for all the hype people bitch, gripe and complain about. Some people fart wrong one day and think they have a problem. I say...live the dream & get the bike/year you want; there's always a warranty to back it up too (if concerned).

 

my '12 e.g. classic has certainly had it's share of problems. voltage regulator, radio, shift linkage falling off, brake rotors, compensator, wheel bearings, and have an appointment next week for dealer to look at top end. just got back from 5,500 trip out to colorado and utah and bike ran like crap. no power and the knocking and clatter from the valve train assembly was terrible. wife heard me pull into garage from last trip and said "that thing sounds terrible...surprised you made it home".
bike has always been serviced at dealer and i run mobil 1 in all 3 holes. removed cat and added xieds within first month of ownership. other wise, bike is stock. nearly all of my riding is on the open highway-cruising between 70 and 80. bike has 32+ thousand on it. i was really hoping to keep this bike for a few years and buy a water-cooled road glide when they came out. if i end up keeping this bike, i will definitely be buying an extended warranty before the factory warranty runs out.
the moco buys everything from the low bidder and cuts many corners on quality--the average rider only rides a few thousand miles a year and it is going to be a few years before all the problems start showing up. lots of times it is the second and third owners that see all the problems. buy your harley new and make an extended warranty part of the deal. maybe you will get a trouble free one, if not your *** is covered for repairs. JMO

 

Other than a vibration issue the dealer quickly fixed I cannot complain of our 2012 RGU, it does get hot quick in slow traffic but it is also a 103 and is expected. EITMS(engine idle temperature management system) does seem to work but is a bit unnerving.

 

Both of the above.
For every issue any bike has, there are hundreds of identical bikes that didn't have that issue.

Very few people jump on the internet to talk about "non-issues".
But everyone complains about the least little thing that comes up.

Of course some of them did have an issue, but it get blown out of proportion real fast.
Google just about any product (does not matter who made it), and you will find enough "bad information" to want to scare you away from buying it.

 

Almost 14,000 miles on my '12 SG and not one single issue.

 

12 SG, 7500 miles, no issues....all stock except de-catted, SE mufflers and chrome goodies...lowers and a chopped box, +2 sweepers.....

 

Funny, cause I know MANY folks with 2012s myself being one, that have had absolutely ZERO issues with their bikes. You can only count these issues posted on here as the 1 percenters. And I can almost promise you that out of that 1 percent or so, half of them is user error. Compensator was a early issue that was fixed with a recall. Top end noise, well its a freakin harley! never heard of any issues with the other stuff you mentioned. Like I said earlier, I have a 2012 and I abuse the hell outta my bike and have been doing it since the day it rolled out the door. BUT, I stay on top of my maintenance because of that, and I do all my own maintenance because I dont trust those stealerships no further than I can throw them...and since I cant pick the building off the foundation and throw it, I dont trust them at all.

 

I better sell my 12 streetglide I read on the internet they are junk.....

 

So out of 12 people here that have posted about their bike, this is the only one thats had issues. So thats about 8% so far. I bet we get 12-15 more responses of no issues before we get another with more issues. And when i say issues, i aint talking about cosmetic stuff or owner complaints. Im talking about actual problems with the bikes. And in reality, I wouldnt consider this posters problems issues either because he rode 550 miles and didnt have a break down! Brake rotors and wheel bearings are normal wear and tear items. Compensator was a recall. Radio? Its electronics...but I have yet to hear of any radio problems other than this one. So in reality, I chalk this one up as owner gripes. So 12 posts, 12 no major issues. 2012 bikes seem reliable to me.

 

Thirteenth poster...no issues