Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail
Real ownership data from 5,782 UK Heritage Softail motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Heritage Softail problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | fail | 6.5% |
| Suspension | major | 5.6% |
| Fluid leaks | dangerous | 5.6% |
| Electrical | minor | 4.8% |
| Steering and head bearings | user entered | 3.5% |
| Other | fail | 3.5% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 2.6% |
| Corrosion | user entered | 2.2% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is exhaust and emissions.
Heritage Softail mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 71 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 50 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 42 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 66 | 4,399 mi | 3,880 | 91.18% |
| 2022 | 68 | 6,232 mi | 1,729 | 92.17% |
| 2021 | 78 | 8,446 mi | 1,596 | 94.79% |
| 2020 | 84 | 10,381 mi | 1,439 | 95.39% |
| 2019 | 117 | 11,672 mi | 1,745 | 92.77% |
| 2018 | 183 | 11,604 mi | 1,182 | 92.66% |
| 2017 | 152 | 10,912 mi | 931 | 93.38% |
| 2016 | 130 | 12,210 mi | 1,139 | 92.14% |
| 2015 | 126 | 14,861 mi | 1,050 | 91.12% |
| 2014 | 116 | 13,604 mi | 972 | 91.54% |
| 2013 | 115 | 13,576 mi | 987 | 92.25% |
| 2012 | 112 | 16,936 mi | 939 | 90.74% |
| 2011 | 178 | 19,169 mi | 1,146 | 90.54% |
| 2010 | 222 | 18,416 mi | 1,235 | 90.24% |
| 2009 | 308 | 17,992 mi | 948 | 90.66% |
| 2008 | 283 | 17,502 mi | 954 | 88.74% |
| 2007 | 334 | 19,533 mi | 894 | 89.67% |
Heritage Softail questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail?
Across 5,782 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are fuel system (6.5% of all recorded faults), suspension (5.6% of all recorded faults), fluid leaks (5.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail?
The median Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail in the UK has covered 17,406 miles, and typically rides about 890 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,499 and 29,042 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail reliable?
89.95% of Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 5,782 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.