8 Of The Most Collectible Harley-Davidsons Worth Buying (If You Can Find One)

Harley-Davidson XR750

The V-twin rumble and distinctive appearance of Harley-Davidson's motorcycles have earned them a place as American cultural icons. In fact, the engine's exhaust note is so well recognized that the brand spent years trying unsuccessfully to trademark it.

Despite its legendary status, however, it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the brand. Its place in the motorcycle world was forged via a succession of highly popular models, but there were also financial and commercial failures that played an equally important part in shaping Harley's history. Both its game-changing successes and its forgotten failures are often sought after by collectors keen to own a piece of Harley history.

There are many motorcycles in Harley's back catalog that can claim to be both influential and very collectible, but a few models stand out as particularly sought after among the most dedicated -– and often the most deep-pocketed –- collectors. These eight models consistently draw high interest from collectors, and range from pioneering century-old antiques to modern classic superbikes.

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Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead

Arguably one of the most influential motorcycles in the brand's back catalog, the Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead was introduced in 1936. Its styling was revised from previous Harley models in a bid to outshine the brand's long-time rival Indian, but the real story lay with the bike's engine. It was the first overhead-valve V-twin engine from Harley, and despite being regarded as a trailblazer today, it wasn't universally well received at the time.

Various quality issues were reported with the early Knucklehead engines, requiring Harley to send out repair kits to dealers to fix the problems that the bikes had left the factory with. Nonetheless, with its teething issues sorted, the engine proved popular with buyers. Production of the original 61 cubic inch engine continued until 1947, albeit with a short pause during World War II.

The Knucklehead is one of the most sought after models by Harley-Davidson collectors today, and surviving examples can get eye-wateringly expensive. Most examples sell for six figures, with one fetching $190,000 at a Mecum auction in 2022.

[Featured image by Michael Barera via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Harley-Davidson Model 7D

One of the first motorcycles to receive Harley-Davidson's now iconic V-twin engine was the Model 7D, which debuted in 1911. Prototypes and promotional motorcycles with the engine had been shown off by Harley for several years prior, but the Model 7D was the first to receive a mass-produced production version. Unlike the modern stereotypical Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle was designed to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible, with the brand's marketing material reportedly referring to it as the Silent Gray Fellow thanks to its new, quieter muffler.

It's an exceedingly rare find today, with only four examples of the first-year model known to still exist. One example did appear at auction in early 2024, but didn't reach its reserve price. According to data from Hagerty, a Model 7D in good condition would be worth $167,000, although a mint condition example could fetch almost double that figure.

[Featured image by Daniel Hartwig via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

Harley-Davidson MT500

Not every highly collectible Harley-Davidson will cost six figures to own. The Harley-Davidson MT500 is a rare and in-demand motorcycle with an international fanbase, but even as-new examples sell for around $15,000. Used examples can be picked up for even less –- assuming you can find one for sale in the first place. The MT500 is unusual in that, despite wearing a Harley badge, the bike was not designed by the American manufacturer nor was it ever intended to reach dealerships.

It was instead a licensed version of the Armstrong MT500, a British military motorcycle, and was designed to win military contracts from organizations like the U.S. military and NATO. Unfortunately, when the Harley-Davidson branded MT500 and its smaller sibling the MT350E was unveiled in 1993, NATO had just issued a declaration that all future military vehicles should switch to using diesel instead of gasoline. That made the MT500 redundant before it ever won a single contract.

After a period of trying and failing to secure production deals with other military organizations, Harley eventually produced a few hundred examples that were sold through select civilian dealerships. Production ended in 2000, and the brand hasn't attempted to make another military-oriented motorcycle since.

Harley-Davidson Model J/JD

Not all Harley-Davidson fans realize that the company's association with the military goes back more than a century, as the manufacturer created the Model J for Army use in 1915. After World War I ended, Harley adapted the model for public sale. It continued to tweak and adapt the bike over the following years, eventually launching the improved Model JD in 1925. Its engine was an improved version of the V-twin first popularized in the Model 7D, with 61 and 74 cubic inch variants available.

From its wartime conception until the model was replaced in 1929, the only color available for the motorcycle was military-spec Olive Drab. While the model was far from a rarity at the time of production, with plentiful supply available both from Harley's dealerships and from military surplus, very few examples survive today. Those that have survived vary wildly in value, with one concours-spec restored model fetching almost $100,000 at auction but most examples selling for a small fraction of that amount.

[Featured image by Nicola via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Harley-Davidson XR750

Considered by some to be among the most successful racing bikes ever, the Harley-Davidson XR750 was launched in 1970. It was designed at short notice when a change to racing rules meant that Harley-Davidson's previous competition model, the KR750, faced increased competition from foreign brands. The XR750 suffered some reliability problems at first as the bike tended to overheat during summer races, but design tweaks in 1972 remedied the issue. After that, the XR750 proved unstoppable, racking up race wins and championship titles for decades. It also gained fame as Evel Knievel's bike of choice in his later career.

At launch, Harley sold bikes to racers in completed form, but in the '80s, it switched to selling only XR750 engines. In its first decade of production, only extremely limited numbers of complete XR750s were produced, and those original examples are in high demand with collectors today. Values vary based on each example's condition and racing provenance, with the top examples fetching $40,000 or more on the rare occasion they appear for sale.

Harley-Davidson Strap Tank

Very early Harley-Davidson models are naturally of interest to collectors, although most examples sell for an order of magnitude above what the average Harley enthusiast could afford. The 2023 sale of an ultra-rare Harley-Davidson Strap Tank is a prime example -- when auction fees were taken into account, it sold for a final price of $935,000. That made it comfortably the most expensive motorcycle ever sold.

The unbelievable price tag was down to several factors, one of which was the rarity of the Strap Tank overall. Around 450 examples were reportedly made by the time the model was replaced in 1908, but precious few have survived to the present day. Just 12 are thought to currently remain, with most of those modified to some degree.

The record-breaking example was uniquely original, having been put into storage for over six decades by a collector. Even examples that don't boast the same degree of originality are incredibly expensive, with one example selling at auction for $297,000 in 2021. Collectors without such exceptional budgets will have to make do with one of the many Strap Tank replicas that exist instead.

Harley-Davidson WLA

Simple, tough, and highly capable, the Harley-Davidson WLA was built for the U.S. military, with the first examples delivered in 1940. Over the following years, the motorcycle would be used by America and its allies in World War II, with an estimated 88,000 examples built during the period., although a significant number of those would end up in Russia for use by the Soviets. Harley-Davidson temporarily paused production after the war ended, but would ramp up again when the Korean War in 1949 saw the military order a fresh batch of motorcycles.

After their use in military service, thousands of examples were sold off as surplus to civilians, and they soon became popular with returning veterans. Relatively few of those survive to the present day, however, and those that do are sought after both by Harley fans and fans of military history. While they're far from the fastest or most refined machines built by the brand, their important role in preserving American and Allied freedom earns them a spot among the best Harley-Davidson motorcycles ever made.

Harley-Davidson VR1000

A track-ready superbike isn't the kind of motorcycle that most people associate with the Harley-Davidson brand, but that didn't stop Harley from building one in the '90s in a bid to compete with the top European and Japanese brands. The VR1000 was designed primarily as a racing motorcycle, but to comply with homologation rules a limited run of 50 roadgoing examples were built.

Unfortunately for Harley-Davidson, the VR1000 never really made its mark on the racing world, as it never managed to take a win across its whole career. It wasn't for lack of trying -– money was poured into the Harley racing outfit and many of the brand's brightest minds worked on the project, but to no avail. The bike was eventually retired from competition at the turn of the century and forgotten about by many enthusiasts.

It might not have been a winner in competition, but the VR1000's status as one of the rarest motorcycles of its kind has kept it in demand with collectors. Examples very rarely come up for sale, but when they do, they can fetch in excess of $100,000 at auction.

[Featured image by Thesupermat via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

Selection Methodology

Harley-Davidson's history goes back more than a century, and as a result, there are myriad models and special editions to choose from. There were several key criteria we considered to build this list of top collectible Harley-Davidsons, with the most important factor being sustained interest from fans of the brand. Often, this interest was also reflected in a model's elevated resale value, with most entries here fetching values far above the average used Harley-Davidson. Importance to the history of the Harley-Davidson brand was also a key area of consideration, with many of the models listed proving highly influential to later Harley-Davidson models.

To ensure consistency, we eliminated one-offs and custom specials from inclusion, alongside any aftermarket offerings from custom shops or similar outfits. Finally, we sought to include as wide a range of collectible models as possible, showcasing the brand's diverse history of making everything from military motorcycles to superbikes.

Read the original article on SlashGear.