Few motorcycles are as momentous as a Harley Davidson. America’s longest-running motorcycle company is famous for its distinctive design and sound. Many of its iconic models are collector’s items worth more than modern supercars. The Harley Davidson Bucherer Blue Edition is set to be the world’s most expensive motorbike worth A$2.4 million.
Price: A$2.4 million
Modelled on the Harley Davidson Softail Slim S, the 2018 bike is a partnership between Swiss jeweller and watchmaker Carl Bucherer and custom bike shop Bündnerbike. The one-off, fully-bespoke bike is a rebuilt 2017 Softail Slim S covered in 24K gold and 630 diamonds. Underneath the six layers of paint is a silver-plated body built by hand and a seat made from cowhide hand-sewn in Switzerland. The bike took a team of six a full year to create with the handwork alone needing over 2,500 hours. Built into the tank, housed in safes, are two precious pieces of jewellery – a Bucherer Blue Edition watch and a solitaire 5.40-carat diamond ring.
Price: A$1.8 million
If few motorcycles are as memorable as a Harley Davidson’s, then even fewer still are as iconic as the Easy Rider. Nicknamed the ‘Captain America’ after Peter Fonda’s character in the 1969 movie, the motorbike sold for A$1.8 million in 2014. The extraordinary chopper style bike is believed to be modelled on a 1952 HD Hydra-Glide and features a unique shield at the front.
Price: A$1.35 Million
More of a piece of art than a motorbike, the Harley Davidson Cosmic Starship is painted by Jack Armstrong. The artist’s paintings sell between A$400,000 and A$4,000,000 so it’s no wonder the bike is worth A$1.35 Million. The unique frame design is based on a 2002 Harley Davidson V-Rod and features 37 coats of paint. Adding to the value is the fact this is the only motorcycle Armstrong will ever paint. When asked about the Harley Davidson brand the artist said: “For me as an artist, Harley is James Dean, Brando, Elvis, and Steve McQueen and is more American than ice cream.”
Price: estimated A$540,000
A vintage Harley Davidson from 1909 is certainly going to command some serious money. And with the Model 5-D Twin, only 27 units of this design were made. Of those 27, only one still exists today and it lives in the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. Worth an estimated A$540,000, the company’s first twin-cylinder engine bike also features a 50 cubic-inch F-head with magneto ignition, and a Schebler carburettor – the bike was a marvel of its time.
Price: estimated A$1.35 Million
As with the Model 5-D Twin, it’s the rarity of this motorcycle that dictates the high price. Only 20 of these 8-valve racer models were made, designed to be light and stripped down to reach high speeds for the time. There are only two authentic bikes from this era still around and one is in the Harley Davidson Museum. A 1927 8-Valve Racer with Sidecar sold for A$600,000, although a pristine model can be known to fetch up to A$1.35 Million.