The collector’s marketplace for classic or basic bikes has gone by way of the roof in recent times. And nowhere extra so than within the subject of Harley-Davidson. Being one among America’s oldest producers in steady manufacturing has given the model an unequaled cachet and ensured that values have risen steadily. It helps that Harley-Davidson’s historical past has a number of clearly outlined bookmarks, such because the introduction of the primary V-Twin engine and the following arrival of the Knucklehead, WLA, Sportster, Panhead and Shovelhead.

All of those, in addition to some later fashions, make up nearly all of collectible fashions from Harley Davidson. That’s our focus for immediately, as we take you thru some H-D bikes each collector desires of proudly owning. Some are low cost, some are dear, however all are 100% iconic!

In order to provide the most modern and correct info attainable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from varied producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with www.motorcyclespecs.co.za and www.mecum.com.

10 Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster

Price Guideline: $8,000-10,000

By the Fifties, British bikes have been murdering home-grown American bikes by way of efficiency and gross sales, in addition to being rather more compact and dealing with infinitely higher. Dealers have been demanding a motorcycle that would compete on equal phrases, so Harley hit back with the Sportster in 1957. Outwardly, the Sportster had a totally new engine however, in precise truth, it was a flat-head Model Ok with overhead valve cylinder heads grafted on, fitted right into a Model Ok chassis. The unique displacement of 883cc will ring a bell with a lot of immediately’s Sportster homeowners.

Sales have been sluggish, nonetheless, and sellers despatched Harley again to the drafting board to provide one thing lighter nonetheless and extra sporty-looking, with a smaller gasoline tank and bobbed fenders. The relaxation is historical past because the Sportster turned Harley’s longest-running mannequin, remaining in manufacturing till 2022. It’s a collectible because of its significance in Harley Davidson’s historical past.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

9 Harley-Davidson XLCR

Price Guideline: $12,000-14,000

The café racer, as outlined by British motorcyclists, was a stripped-down manufacturing bike, with model, lightness, and efficiency uppermost in thoughts. Now, with one of the best will on this planet, a Harley-Davidson can solely be described as a heavy piece of apparatus, and that features the Sportster, upon which the XLCR relies.

A inventory Sportster, fitted with a bikini fairing, single-seat, racing tank, and dropped handlebars was by no means going to be something however a inventory Sportster with some racy-looking goodies bolted on and was no sports activities bike, regardless of the identify. But there’s no denying that the XLCR looked great, even when it bought solely round 1000 examples a yr for the three years of its existence. It was additionally one of many only a few manufacturing unit café racers, a number of a long time earlier than the Triumph Thruxton introduced the model again into trend.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

8 Harley-Davidson Servi-Car

Price Guideline: $14,000

In order to outlive the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson was determined to extend gross sales and the ingenious engineers got here up with the Servi-Car, a three-wheeled, practical utility vehicle. It was focused on the automotive service business, being designed to help in roadside breakdowns and even for delivering automobiles to prospects. A tow-bar fitted to the entrance meant that the Servi-Car could possibly be towed behind the automotive being delivered after which ridden again to the dealership by only one particular person, saving money and time. It additionally discovered a prepared viewers in small companies, who used it for deliveries and as cell vendor autos. The idea lives on immediately within the type of the Tri Glide mannequin.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

7 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide

Price Guideline: $15,000-20,000

The basis of the fully-dressed Harley touring bike that’s such a mainstay of manufacturing immediately. The Electra Glide was nonetheless technically a Panhead, however the model was utterly totally different. Harley tackled head-on the aftermarket suppliers promoting touring equipment by the bucket load to Panhead homeowners to make them extra sensible for long-distance journey. The FLH (‘H’ for Highway) obtained a 12-volt electrical system and a bigger (5-gallon) gasoline tank in addition to a “King of the Highway” possibility package deal. It included laborious saddlebags, a detachable windshield, a baggage rack, and loads of chrome embellishment.

It additionally obtained electrical beginning, which could sound quaint immediately however, on the time, it was an enormous leap ahead: it was solely about that point that the Japanese began becoming electrical begin to its small-displacement fashions. Whereas, the British and the remainder of the European business took one other ten years to begin excited about it.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

6 Harley-Davidson WLA

Price Guideline: $18,000

In the pantheon of legendary Harley-Davidson models, the WLA won’t have as a lot forex because the famed Knucklehead. But it’s simply as essential within the common historical past of the corporate because the 70,000 or so produced throughout World War 2 ensured the prosperity of the corporate after the struggle had ended. Not to say, being essential within the rise of biker tradition post-war, as returning GIs would purchase surplus WLAs and customise, or ‘bob’ them.

The WLA was powered by the most recent improvement of the flathead engine, with greater compression – though nonetheless solely 5:1 (permitting the usage of poor high quality gasoline). It was extensively adopted by the U.S. armed forces, in addition to being exported in massive numbers to Russia, UK, and South Africa. Today, any WLA – in customary navy trim or ‘bobbed’ – is turning into more and more essential to collectors.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

5 Harley-Davidson VR1000

Price Guideline: $20,000-30,000

Evidence of Harley’s new-found success and drive got here within the type of the startling VR1000. Racing sells, so we’re informed, however Harley didn’t take the simple route and concentrated solely on flat-track racing. No, the intention was to enter the American AMA Superbike championship.

To do this, a new 1,000cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 135-horsepower engine mounted in an aluminum twin-spar body was conceived and inbuilt adequate numbers to qualify for the sequence. However, regardless of work commencing in 1991, the VR1000 didn’t seem till 1994, by which period it was underpowered in comparison with its rivals. The idea soldiered on till 2001 and was then dropped. But it confirmed that Harley-Davidson was ready to look severely at liquid cooling, as the following mannequin proved, and immediately, the VR1000 is a a lot sought-after mannequin.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

4 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead

Price Guideline: $60,000

In 1936, the valves within the V-Twin engine modified to an overhead place, versus the earlier side-valve designs. The EL was additionally the bike that started the custom – amongst Harley fans, no less than – of naming the engines and, by extension, the entire bike, after the form of the valve cowl designs. The ‘Knucklehead’ was the distinctive result and the engine was a leap forward by way of efficiency.

It featured hemispherical combustion chambers and the facility output was a big enchancment at 40 horsepower. 61 cubic inches at first, however then a 74 cubic inch (1,200cc) model appeared in 1941. Despite the superior engine, the EL nonetheless had a foot clutch, hand shift, and a left-hand brake lever. The final motorbike designed by the unique staff of the Davidson brothers and William S. Harley, a Knucklehead Harley is vastly worthwhile immediately and, some preserve, one of the best Harley ever!

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

3 Harley-Davidson XR750

Price Guideline: $50,000-60,000

According to specialists, the Harley Davidson XR750 is the most successful racing machine (on two wheels or 4) ever produced. After all, between 1972 and 2008, the XR750 received 29 of the 37 AMA Grand National Championships, profitable extra races than another in AMA racing. In the late Nineteen Sixties, the AMA modified the foundations for racing, permitting Japanese and British bikes to compete on a stage taking part in subject with Harley-Davidson’s KR mannequin. Harley’s response was the XR750, powered by a modified model of the Sportster engine, with overhead valves. It won’t be notably uncommon, however its competitors success and significance within the historical past of Harley-Davidson ensures it a spot on any record of collectible Harleys.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

2 Any Single-Cylinder Harley-Davidson Model

Price Guideline: $200,000-up

As an extension of the above, all early Harley-Davidsons have been powered by single-cylinder engines. Harley launched its first V-Twin engine in 1907, however few have been bought earlier than 1910 (nearly all of manufacturing to that time being of 500cc single-cylinder fashions). Having stated that, manufacturing numbers within the early years have been minute (solely 37 bikes inbuilt 1907, for instance), so even the truth that early bikes will not be V-Twins makes little to no distinction by way of their worth immediately. Largely pushed by their rarity, which sadly means that only a few will ever be ridden. As an indivisible aspect of Harley-Davidson’s historical past, nonetheless, there is no such thing as a doubting the significance of the single-cylinder Harley fashions.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)

1 Harley-Davidson ‘Strap Tank’

Price Guideline: Up To $1 million

Given that the overwhelming majority of very early Harley-Davidson fashions are purchased as investments and definitely to not journey, then what collector wouldn’t need what’s, on the time of writing, the most costly motorbike ever to be bought at public sale? In 2023, a 1908 Harley-Davidson ‘Strap Tank’ mannequin bought for $935,000 when auctioned by Mecum at its Las Vegas sale. It was one among solely 450 bikes manufactured in 1908 by H-D and, undoubtedly, one among solely a handful to outlive, making it extremely uncommon and certainly one thing of a holy grail to collectors.

Even the truth that the motorbike had been utterly restored and had subsequently misplaced all of its unique patina didn’t have an effect on the sale value. To illustrate this, an analogous mannequin from 1907, when the corporate manufactured solely 37 bikes, in utterly unique situation, bought for ‘only’ $715,000 a couple of years earlier. There is not any accounting for style!

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from www.motorcyclespecs.co.za)