10 Harley-Davidsons That Have Depreciated Into Affordable Bargains

No doubt about it, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has never been one to use price as a selling point, and their prices on new bikes tend to be much higher than with other marques. For several decades, The MoCo enjoyed a monopoly with a free hand to design and develop the American bike scene with not a lick of domestic competition in sight. This led to plenty of good machines, but with the tendency to be a rather big-ticket item, many of them would be passed on while in their production run.

With motorcycles, condition matters more than age or even mileage, but since the dark days of the H-D waiting lists came to a deserved end, Harleys depreciate just like everything else. As a result, you can score some models that were desirable when new and have since come down in value to a much more reasonable price. This creates opportunities to own models of note from H-D’s long and storied history, though we will only consider bikes here that are no more than 10 years old to keep things within what you might call the late-model window.

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10

FXDR 114

Year Range: 2019-2020

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson started beefing up its relative performance numbers here in the last couple of decades, no doubt to give an American-made alternative to the imports which, in general, have long outdone the H-D lineup in performance. I think someone said, “make me a Softail, and make it dead quick,” and it was so. The FXDR 114 was the quickest production H-D motorcycle with a 2.5-second 0-to-60 time that was sure to dominate on the drag strip as well as light-to-light. It didn’t quite look like a typical Softail though, mainly due to the bobbed subframe area and standard-type yoke-style swingarm.

It was only produced for two model-years, so there aren’t that many of them, but if you can find one in good condition, you can own a piece of Harley-Davidson history for a song. This bike was desirable when it was new, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very popular model and so it was particularly vulnerable to depreciation, hence the low used prices here just a short five years later.

FXDR 114 Performance Specifications

9

Sportster Forty-Eight

Year Range: 2016-2020

Harley-Davidson

Sportsters are generally considered entry-level machines by a plurality of Harley riders, perhaps even a majority of them, so they tend to be sold off once a person decides to either commit to a Big Twin, or get out of motorcycling altogether. As a result, the market is awash with used Sportsters of all stripes, and if you’re like me and the Sportster family is a destination not a stepping stone, there are deals to be found. The Forty-Eight carried the larger of the two Evolution Sportster engines, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this was one of the longest-lived engine families of all of H-D’s product lines that started in 1986.

It was retired only recently in 2022. I think it would still be going were it not for the increasingly tight emissions regulations that finally sunsetted the Evo Sporty mills. Reliability came baked right in. ABS and a factory Security System were available options. The overall look was that of a homegrown gasser/ bobber with abbreviated fenders front and back, laced wheels, and fat 16-inch hoops. The classic 2.1-gallon peanut tank completed the old-school vibe.

Sportster Forty-Eight Performance Specifications

8

Roadster

Year Range: 2017-2019

Harley-Davidson

Another Sportster product, the Roadster had a relatively short production run, and was considered at the time the “sportiest of Sporties” as it were. It could be had with an ABS feature and security system as optional equipment. This model was something of a victim of timing: in spite of its sporty inverted forks and dual front brakes that made it stand out from the Sportster crowd, it was ultimately overshadowed by its stablemates and never gained a foothold as a long-lived model.

That’s good news for used-bike shoppers since it drives the price down, especially once normal depreciation is factored in. It ran with really bobbed tins at both ends, a 3.3-gallon walnut tank, a dead-short handlebar, and mid-mount controls. Plus, a Mustang-style seat that accommodated a passenger came standard equipped, so you could share the fun with a friend.

Roadster Performance Specifications

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7

Street Rod 750

Year Range: 2017-2020

Harley-Davidson

If you are looking for a used, small-displacement machine that doubles as a rolling history display with something of a rarity about it, since it was produced for only four years, and there is absolutely no sign that it will ever come back. It had something of a Sportster look to it, but was meant to replace the Sporties as the new entry-level machine. That didn’t really work out as such, and it was never very popular, which is a shame.

However, as far as the Street family of models goes, this was the performance model, and it sported improved suspension with a spanky trim package. A small bullet fairing gave it a café-style flavor backed up by the bodywork on the subframe section. Dual front disc brakes, inverted forks, and piggyback shocks completed the package. ABS and security were optional equipment.

Street Rod 750 Performance Specifications

6

Street Glide Special

Year Range: 2015-2017

Harley-Davidson

The Street Glide Special brought a lot of goodies to the table in 2015 in the form of the classic American bagger. It hit the streets with a High Output Twin Cam 103 engine that was cutting edge for The MoCo at the time. The Isolated Drive system replaced the old compensator sprocket to take the edge off those distinct V-Twin power pulses.

Technically, a tour-capable bike, it came with stock secure baggage complete with One-Touch access, and the Batwing fairing came with Splitstream vents and a short screen to make for a smooth upper edge to the rider’s pocket. This mitigated the wearisome head-buffet effect for long-distance comfort. Reflex Linked Brakes, ABS, and infotainment goodies also came standard-equipped, and it came in no less than seven fabulous colorways. These early Street Glide Specials depreciated quite a bit.

Street Glide Special Performance Specifications

5

Breakout 114

Year Range: 2018-2019

Harley-Davidson

H-D’s Breakout 114 was a rather niche machine when it rolled in 2018 after having been updated to the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, and it would remain so during its short production run before the update to the 117. This was a bona fide showroom drag bike with a quick, 3.8-second 0-to-60 time, and plenty to give past that point. It was nine percent faster than its predecessor up to 60 MPH and 13 percent faster from 60 MPH to 80 MPH, making it a significant upgrade.

However, this chopper-style dragster may have been a little too niche, because it didn’t appeal to a very large slice of the riding public, hence the short production run and soft resale price. ABS and security came stock, and the ’18 model rolled in a commemorative Anniversary Denim colorway to dress up this new model.

Breakout 114 Performance Specifications

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4

Iron 883

Year Range: 2016-2020

Harley-Davidson

The first Iron 883 rolled in 2009 and would see continuous production through the end of the Evolution Sportster era that died out in 2022, mainly due to emissions issues. This would be the main point of entry for untold numbers of Harley riders, so there are a lot of them out there in the used-bike scene for a bargain. It’s worth mentioning that the 883 cc engine first rolled in 1986, making this a very well-established engine with a proven track record. However, due to its size, it’s likely the least sought after version, especially since the early 1,100 cc Sporties, and after 1988, the 1,200 cc Sporties were available alongside the Evo 883. ABS and security were optional and worth having if you can find one with them.

Iron 883 Performance Specifications

3

Softail Slim

Year Range: 2016-2021

Harley-Davidson

Another rather niche sled is the Softail Slim that, in spite of its skinny-leaning name, seems to be on-par with the Fat Boy. Make that make sense. This was meant to be something of an old-school cruiser based on a frame design from the mid-to-late Forties. That’s when old rigid rear ends and the new hydraulic-fork front ends briefly overlapped.

Gasser-style fenders left not an ounce of wasted weight, while the laced wheels lightened up the visual weight. Blackout and chrome seemed to seek an equilibrium throughout the build. While its old-school looks were not without their charm, the WWII-era mien just didn’t resonate with the modern market, so it, too, went the way of the Dodo after just a five-year run.

Softail Slim Performance Specifications

2

Electra Glide Ultra Classic

Year Range: 2015-2017

Harley-Davidson

The Electra Glide Ultra Classic was a very short-lived model with just a three-year stint in the lineup before it rotated out. At the time, it was a top-shelf machine for The MoCo, but that brought with it its own problems. Namely, the fact that no matter how hard you pushed the performance and tech envelope, the upper edges of that envelope would forever be moving away from you, so rather than continually trying to upgrade it, the factory just retired it and started fresh. Buyers of top-tier machines generally like to stay on top-tier machines as well. So there can be a fairly brisk turnover at the top in spite of the money involved. For that reason, you will likely find no shortage of used Electra Glide Ultra Classics for sale.

Electra Glide Ultra Classic Performance Specifications

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1

Dyna Low Rider

Year Range: 2015-2017

Harley-Davidson

The Dyna Low Rider was a popular bike, so much so that its production trajectory was altered mid-flight when the Low Rider design would make the jump to the new second-generation Softail frame. This addressed many of the comfort and handling issues associated with the first-generation Softail structure. It’s worth mentioning that the has roots that go back to the FXR days and a little before even, so this was a fan favorite that had reprized its role several times over the last four decades or so.

Because of this, there were a lot of them out there on the used-bike market of varying vintages from which to choose. As the name suggests, it had a fairly low saddle height with a downward slope front-to-back on the bottom member of the frame to leave it with the suggestion of having been raked and stretched just a bit. This gave it a homegrown charm all its own.

Dyna Low Rider Performance Specifications