An American icon that is also one of the most recognized brands in the world, the name Harley-Davidson which is automatically associated with motorcycles is on the same level as other power brands - Coke is to soda and Xerox is to photocopy. This name and associated prestige have allowed Harley-Davidson to maintain its position as a leader in the motorcycle industry.
From its humble beginnings in 1903, Harley-Davidson has been at the forefront in the continuing development and evolution of the motorcycle and has, for over a hundred years created some of the best two-wheeled machinery on the planet in terms of design and performance.
Having produced some of the most expensive and sought after motorcycles in history, Harley-Davidson, despite its recent organizational troubles is a resilient brand that has successfully adapted to the challenges it has faced through its many eras, and with their newest foray into E-bikes, their company has again changed with the times. In this article, we look at some of the most amazing special edition models that this legendary brand has produced.
10 2010 CVO Street Glide
By taking an already popular model, in this case, the Hot Rod Bagger and tweaking its engine and internals, and updating its looks by giving it a fresh paint job, Harley-Davidson created a modern classic. Limited to just 3,500 units, this Screamin' Eagle Twin Cam 110 powered Harley is also a future collector bike.
9 1971 FX Super Glide
A looker back when it was introduced in 1971, the FX Super Glide has an air-cooled, 4-stroke, 2-cylinder, 1206cc Shovelhead engine that gave it a top speed of 112Mph. With the distinction as Harley's first factory custom motorcycle, it was essentially a result of bolting together the Sportster and bigger twin cam bikes components, resulting in it's modded appearance.
8 1928 JDH Twin Cam
With it's winning racing pedigree, the 1928 JDH Twin Cam is one of the most beloved and sought after Harley-Davidson bikes. Unique for the time was its 74 cubic inch V-twin engine was equipped with twin cams with two lobes on each, versus the standard single cam with 4 lobes, which when tuned properly could give the bike 19HP and a top speed of 100Mph, which, in the same era as Ford Model T's, was indeed fast.
7 2020 Fatboy Anniversary Edition
Made as a limited edition model (2,500 units only) in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the original Fatboy, the Harley-Davidson is a mean and fast machine that showcases some of the most recent technology developments of the company. Priced at around $22,000, this outstanding bike may be pricey, but based on its features, is worth the top dollar.
6 Cosmic Starship
While visually different from most Harleys, the Cosmic Starship certainly earned its place in Harley-Davidson history as one of their most expensive bikes sold. A custom bike used as a canvas by artist Jack Armstrong, his cosmic style art on the bike allowed it to reach $1,000,000 in an auction.
5 1936 EL Knucklehead
With the honor as the last motorcycle that the Davidson brothers and William Harley designed and built, the EL Knucklehead has a special place among fans of the brand. Having made only 1,500 examples for the EL model, this rare bike featured the overhead valve 61-cubic-inch V-twin with the side valve improvements that helped Harley-Davidson perfect its engine designs for the succeeding decades.
4 1979 FXEF Fat Bob
Derived from the Super Glide series, the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob, was a large and heavy bike (700 plus Lbs) that can lumber or speed through the courtesy of its throaty Twin Cam 96 engine. Positioned as a midway model, the Fat Bob series has continued to be a favorite and even had an updated version made in 2008. For 2020, its 30th year in existence, a limited 30th-anniversary edition will be launched by Harley-Davidson.
3 1930 DAH Hillclimber
The granddaddy of modern hillclimber, motocross bikes is the 1930 Harley-Davidson Hillclimber. A truly special bike owing to its vintage and engine configuration, this Harley had a unique 45 cubic-inch, overhead-valve arrangement that never made its way to its road-going cousins.
2 1942 FAR 750
As the war raged on in the 1940s, Harley-Davidson was among the companies tasked by the US government to produce equipment for their troops abroad. One of these projects was the FAR 750, which was the second model created by Harley-Davidson for military use.
Specifically designed for use in desert environments, over 1,0oo units were made for deployment in the African and Middle East theaters of war operations.
1 Captain America - Easy Rider
Having sold at auction for over $1.3 million, the Easy Rider/Captain America bike is one of the most expensive Harleys ever sold. Cemented in movie history as the iconic ride of Peter Fonda in the film "Easy Rider", this customized chopper further raised the profile of Harley-Davidson as a "the" cool bike and subsequently influenced bike and biker culture in the decades after the film.