5 Of The Best Limited Edition Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever Made

Harley-Davidson has made some remarkable production motorcycles in its century-plus in business. The company's founders, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, finished building their first motorized bicycle in 1905, after which they and their successors gradually built the company into perhaps the most well-known motorcycle manufacturer on earth. The company reports worldwide sales of over 150,000 units per year since 2019, with the majority of those coming in the United States. 

During its long history, Harley's mass-market models have included some vintage bikes that increased greatly in value, as well as some truly odd ducks.  Those are far from the only notable Harley-Davidson creations, though. Over the years, the company has released countless special-edition motorcycles. Some of them marked important company milestones, and almost all of them saw small production runs. We took a cruise through the decades of Harley-Davidson bikes to find our favorites from among the many special-edition releases. We were looking for bikes with interesting designs, remarkable build specs, and/or historical significance. 

Harley marked its centennial anniversary in 2003, and celebrated by issuing a limited-edition version of the Softail Deuce, which was introduced in 2000.  The regular Deuce was beautiful, but the Anniversary Edition was stunning. It had a slick black-and-gold paint scheme on the gas tank and fenders, and the swingarm, derby cover, frame, and front spoiler got the gold treatment as well. There were centennial anniversary badges on the engine and fuel tank, and generous helpings of chrome trim.

The 2003 Softail Deuce had an 88B series V-twin that produced 85 pound-feet of torque. Despite the striking paint scheme and historical importance of this model, it's not particularly valuable today. JD Power cites a fair market price of only between $575 and just over $3,000 depending on condition, although it's hard to imagine finding anyone willing to part with one — even in project condition — for under $600.

To celebrate its 120th anniversary in 2023, Harley-Davidson made a handful of special-edition models. The 2023 Road Glide Special Anniversary Edition sold for $30,899 and came in a striking red and black paint scheme. Regular-edition Road Glide Specials were priced between $27,999 and $30,499 depending on the color, but the Anniversary Edition had some extra goodies to go along with the paint job. A Chopped Tour-Pak detachable luggage container in matching red is mounted behind the Harley Hammock heated and cooled seat, and heated grips are there to keep the pilot's hands warm.  

The Anniversary Edition shares its Milwaukee-Eight 114 cubic inch (1,868 cubic centimeter) V-twin with the regular Road Glide special. This engine produces 118 pound-feet of torque, which goes to the rear wheel via a six-speed transmission.  Only 1,600 Anniversary Edition models were produced, but there are a few still out there at Harley dealerships around the United States if you want to snatch one up.

Elvis Presley was a proud motorcycle rider, and had an impressive collection of bikes. He was particularly fond of Harleys, and bought one with his advance payment from Sun Records in 1955. He also owned a 1957 FLH Hydra-Glide and a dozen other Harleys, but it was the blue '57 Hydra-Glide that inspired one Harley dealer to craft a special tribute to the King a half-century later. In 2007, Bruce Rossmeyer owned eleven Harley-Davidson dealerships, more than anyone else in the country. 

One was Graceland Harley-Davidson, located right next door to Presley's iconic mansion. To mark the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death, Rossmeyer designed 30 Elvis edition Softail Deluxes, adorning the gas tanks with a mockup of Elvis' signature. According to Mecum Auctions, Jay Leno bought one of the prototypes for $100,000, and 40% of that went to support juvenile diabetes research. Although the Elvis Edition Softail Deluxe wasn't a Harley-Davidson factory product, the run of 30 units makes it one of the most special of all the special edition Harleys ever built.

Elvis Presley's affinity for Harley-Davidson motorcycles isn't the brand's only link to the music world. Bruce Springsteen, Ludacris, and Adam Levine are among the recording stars who have owned Harleys, and Katy Perry rode one in the video for her song, "Harleys in Hawaii." 

For 2024, Harley-Davidson honored the brand's connections to the music industry with three Tobacco Fade Enthusiast Collection models: the Low Rider ST, Tri-Glide Ultra, and the Ultra limited. The gradient paint scheme is meant to mimic the finish on an acoustic guitar, and adds $2,900 to the $32,499 base price of the Ultra Limited. For that $35,399, you get one of less than 700 Tobacco Fade Ultra Limiteds, and the three models will see a total production run of just 2,000 units. Tobacco Fade Harleys are part of the Enthusiast Collection, a series of bikes that Harley's website says are a "tribute to a subset of our broader community of riders."

The Tobacco Fade Ultra Limited is not much different from its non-Enthusiast cousins, but it's still an impressive bike. It's powered by Harley's Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin that makes 93 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of torque. Six gears and a chain-drive system send that grunt to the rear wheel, and four-piston calipers on both wheels with anti-lock and electrically linked braking help bring you to a stop safely. 

Harley-Davidson has been making Custom Vehicle Operation (CVO) versions of select models for a quarter-century, and for 2024 Harley applied the CVO treatment to the Road Glide, which comes in an old-school orange-and-black scheme or the shade called copperhead, shown above. The CVO Road Glide's Milwaukee-Eight 121 V-Twin is the largest factory-mounted engine for any Harley touring model in history, and produces 115 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque. The fairing was designed in a wind tunnel using advanced technology to cut down resistance and reduce the amount of wind hitting the rider, while still allowing enough cool air through to keep things comfortable in the pilot's seat. 

The copperhead version starts at $44,499, while opting for the traditional orange and black adds $6,000 to that price. The copperhead version comes with what Harley calls "scorched chrome" trim, as pictured; it's a smoke-grey color with a matte finish. The orange and black CVO Road Glide comes with traditional shiny chrome trim. There are graphics marking the 25th Anniversary of CVO Harleys, and prominent "CVO" badging on the saddlebags. The Skyline OS infotainment system drives the 500watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, and there's a 12.3-inch Thin-Film Transistor display to manage the Skyline system and provide telemetry information.

To compile this list, we researched current and past limited-edition Harley models to find the five we felt had a substantial combination of these three factors: rarity, visual appeal, and standout features. We eliminated models for which reliable production numbers weren't available, and relied mainly on information from Harley-Davidson to obtain specifics for each model included here.