Sportster Maintenance Schedule
1,000 miles – Replace oil and filter, transmission lubricant.
5,000 miles – Replace oil and filter.
10,000 miles – Replace oil and filter, transmission lubricant, spark plugs. Lubricate steering head bearings.
15,000 miles – Replace oil and filter.
20,000 miles – Replace oil and filter, transmission lubricant, spark plugs, front fork oil. Lubricate and adjust steering head bearings.
25,000 miles – Replace oil and filter, brake caliper boots and bushings, brake rubber components in master cylinders and calipers. Lubricate master cylinder pistons, front brake lever pin, brake caliper pins.
30,000 miles – Replace oil and filter, transmission lubricant, spark plugs, rear fork bearings.
* Maintenance intervals based on 2006 Sportster owners manual
Miscellaneous Maintenance Items
With every Harley Davidson maintenance interval – inspect, tighten, top off or replace any hose, cable, filter, bushing, fluid and critical fastener that appears dirty, damaged, low or loose. Take your time and work your way over the motorcycle systematically so that no component that is critical to safe operation is overlooked.
Additional Considerations
I log an average of 12,000 miles a year on my Harley Davidson, and since the 10,000-mile maintenance, I began changing the oil and filter every 2,500 miles. In my opinion, the oil gets way too dirty to keep in the engine for 5,000 miles at a time. Even multi-cylinder, liquid-cooled cars recommend changing the oil every 3,000 miles. It’s a small price to pay to keep your air-cooled Harley protected.
Having made several attempts to clean the air filter element in my Sportster, I decided to replace it at 5,000-mile intervals. The air filter element never cleans properly and the element fibers get matted down from the recommended cleaning process. Priced at about $25.00 from the dealer, the air filter element is a bit pricey, but the noticeable increase in performance and fuel economy make it a worthwhile investment.
** Since paying the Harley Tax, I now have a K&N high flow air filter element that does clean as advertised.