Harley-Davidson insurance

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Reviewed 15 February 2023

The information on this page was last reviewed on 15 February 2023

How much is insurance for a Harley-Davidson?

The cost of motorbike insurance for your Harley-Davidson will depend on a wide range of factors – and a lot of these are not directly related to the motorcycle itself.

Your age, where you live in the United Kingdom and your occupation will have a significant bearing on the size of your premiums. You might live in a high-crime UK postcode where motorbike thefts are more common and better motorbike security might help.

In addition Harley-Davidsons usually rock a pretty powerful engine which can also increase the price of your insurance.

On the flip side, Harley riders are often slightly older and more experienced which can help with the cost of insurance, particularly if you have an advanced riding qualification.

Any modifications you make to the bike that result in it being faster or having a more powerful engine, or which make it more attractive to potential thieves, will normally increase insurance costs.

When you’re shopping around for a Harley motorbike insurance quote, make sure you let potential insurers know about any modifications. Failure to disclose substantial changes can in some circumstances result in claims being turned down.

For more information and tips on how you could save on your Harley-Davidson insurance, check out our guide on how you could get cheaper motorbike insurance.

Harley-Davidson motorbikes history and facts

Even for non-motorcycle enthusiasts the name and badge of Harley-Davidson is incredibly familiar.

Classic films like 1969’s Easy Rider helped reinforce Harley-Davidson’s iconic status as a motorcycle manufacturer. The customised Harley-Davidson choppers used in the film vie with stars Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda for top billing.

Although the manufacturer has a particularly glamorous reputation, its origins are actually quite humble.

In 1903, in a small shed in Milwaukee in the US, William Harley and Arthur Davidson worked together on the prototype for their company’s first motorcycle. The bike was completed the same year but, not happy with that design, they immediately began work on a new prototype featuring a bigger engine.

By 1905 the first production bike, the Harley-Davidson Model No 1, was released and a year later the first Harley-Davidson factory was built on Chestnut Street in Milwaukee. The company produced 50 bikes that year and 12 months later the firm was officially incorporated1.

In 1917, approximately 50% of Harley’s sales went to the US armed forces for use in World War I. After the end of the First World War, Harley-Davidson continued to grow its business. It completed its seven-storey-high facility on Juneau Avenue in 1920 - which still serves the company to this day as its corporate head office.

The 1920s was a significant decade for Harley-Davidson bike designs because the JD model launched in 1925. It incorporated a fuel tank with the distinctive rounded, teardrop shape that has been associated with the brand ever since.

One of the few US motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression of the late 20s and early 30s, Harley-Davidson was able to continue building and developing bikes.

As with the First World War, the US participation in the Second World War saw Harley-Davidson produce an estimated 88,000 motorcycles for the US military between 1941 and 1945.

It is not just the US Army that Harley-Davidson has impressed over the years. Harley bikes are used by the California Highway Patrol and can be found in over 3,400 police departments in the US and in 45 countries.

In addition to its US production, Harley-Davidson now makes bikes across the world in India, Brazil and more recently Thailand. The bikes have true global appeal and will continue to attract discerning bike riders as the decades roll by.

Top-selling Harley-Davidson models

Harley-Davidson offers motorcycles to suit most riders’ needs, ranging from sport, cruiser and touring bikes to trikes and even electric bikes. Whichever Harley bike you choose, you should be able to find a motorbike insurance policy tailored specifically to your needs.

And the better you ride your bike, the more affordable your Harley-Davidson motorcycle insurance premiums are likely to be.

This is because Harley-Davidson insurance premiums will vary depending on factors including your riding history, your age and the value and engine size of your bike.

When you start shopping for a Harley-Davidson, it's a good idea to think about how much your bike is going to cost you to insure.

If your Harley-Davidson has a particularly powerful engine and is capable of high speeds, there could be an increased chance of having an accident. An insurance provider may take this into account when calculating the cost of your Harley-Davidson insurance.

Here are a few Harley-Davidson bikes to remind you of the breadth of their offering.

Grand American Touring CVO Limited

With a starting price of £38,495 the CVO Road Glide Limited allows you discover the open road and cover long distances in style.

All CVO bikes are powered by the Milwaukee-eight twin-cooled™ 117 engine, the most powerful V-Twin engine ever offered from a Harley Davidson factory - only CVO models use this engine.

Harley-Davidson Street Bob

One of Harley Davidson’s classic cruiser bikes, the Street Bob is designed to ride around town but is equally at home on long country roads. According to Harley Davidson, it's a great bike for those after a 'quick and easy get away ride'.

The modern Harley-Davidson Street Bob launched in 2006 and was a fresh take on the old ‘bobbers’ – army motorcycles that had military equipment like rifle mounts and ammunition boxes attached. The Harley bikes that survived the war were stripped of the army equipment and put to civilian use. These stripped-down bikes were very famous in post-war days and the 2006 version took the minimalistic approach of the bobbers to heart with low solo seats, fat tyres, classic ape hanger handlebars and the famous tear-shaped fuel tanks.

A new Street Bob in 2023 starts at £16,695.

Harley-Davidson Sportster S

In 1957, the Harley-Davidson Sportster model motorcycle was introduced. The Sportster is a direct descendant of Harley's legendary but sometimes overlooked Model K series.

The Sportster is still being produced today, and it retains its status of being one of the world's most popular motorcycles.

The modern-day Sportster S (with a starting price of £15,895) remains loyal to the iconic design of earlier models and is ideal for carving your way around mountain roads or cruising through city streets.

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