8 Investment Grade Harley-Davidson Options
1. 1905-08 Harley-Davidson 'Strap Tank' Single
One of the highest priced bikes ever sold at auction, the pictured bike was in one family its whole life. If you had bought this bike new in 1907, you paid less than $1000, but it recently sold for $715,000 thanks to its rarity and originality. Introduced in 1905, the young Harley-Davidson company only managed to build a few hundred of them over the next 4 years. Find one of these tucked away in a shed and you almost can't lose money on it, as they all are estimated to have values in the 6 figures.
2. 1911 Harley-Davidson 7D Twin
This is where it really all started for Harley-Davidson, with their first production V-twin bike the Model 7D, which retailed for just $300 in 1911 ($7711 in today's dollars). At a recent auction, the example pictured sold for that, plus $180,000. The value of any 1911 Harley is almost guaranteed to increase, but with a production of more than 5,500 bikes you have a much better chance of finding one for sale somewhere. Naw, just kidding, they estimate only a handful of them survive intact.
3. 1937-57 Harley-Davidson Servi-car
There are plenty of Harley-Davidson models to choose from in the pre-AMF years that are only going up in value, but the Servi-Car may be the rarest. Even though this trike was made from the 1930s until the 1970s, they were typically utilitarian and used hard for patrol and delivery service, so not many survive. In 1937 the motor got full pressure oiling, and the 1957 model was the last with the old school springer fork, but any you find in near original condition is likely worth an investment.
4. 1958-64 Harley-Davidson Panhead Duo Glide
A 1958 Duo Glide is about the oldest bike you are likely to want to own and ride regularly, as that was the first year the big Harley got rear suspension. The rest of the moving parts in the Panhead bike are simple and common enough as to be reliable within reason, and repairable nearly forever. The real value of the pictured bike came when hard rocker Jerry Lee Lewis purchased it, and owned it for many years, but $385,000?
5. 1965-1980 Old School Survivor Choppers
If you have any interest in real hot rods, meaning home built and modified Fords from 1929-1934, you'll know that these days period correct modifications and survivors are worth more than stock cars. There is no reason to believe that choppers will be any different. The glory days of chopper building were approximately the mid 1960s until the late 1970s, using post war to mid 1950s bikes. Find yourself one of these that has been tucked into a garage for 40 years an you score. Get one painted or striped by Von Dutch (he did literally hundreds around Southern California) and you might be surprised at what it is worth.
6. Ferry Clot Custom
Ferry Clot claims to be the worlds best builder of custom bikes, and agree or not, they are interesting if nothing else. If you are looking for that perfect unorthodox investment, this is the one for you. Seriously though, if you can find a deal on any custom bike by a modern builder with a name for himself and a following, like Jesse James, Indian Larry, or even the Teutels, it is probably worth it.
7. Chopper Yacht Combo
This investment is only worth is because it includes a fully furnished yacht and a HD Rocker from the German custom builders House of Thunder. For $22.7 million you can get the bike and a nice garage built into an ocean going yacht. Is that a good investment? Ask your yacht broker.
8. Gold Plated Lauge Jensen Custom
Gold is always a good investment according to some people, and good quality customs are works of art, which is also investment worthy, so how can you go wrong? Lauge Jensen built this bike as a calling card, with 24k gold plating on nearly 900 parts, plus 250 small diamonds set into it, but it is fully functional. It ended up selling to someone in the Middle East for $850,000, and more details are on RideApart. With the money and fame from this build he plans on his next bike to sell for over $1 million.
For help keeping your bike's value check out the how to sections of HDForums.com
