Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail
Real ownership data from 5,725 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other | major | 6% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 4.5% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 2.8% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 2.1% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 1.8% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 1.2% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 0.6% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 0.5% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is other.
Heritage Softail mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 51 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 48 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 41 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 66 | 3,787 mi | — | 92.86% |
| 2022 | 68 | 5,809 mi | 1,626 | 93.33% |
| 2021 | 78 | 8,014 mi | 1,603 | 94.89% |
| 2020 | 81 | 9,976 mi | 1,409 | 95.31% |
| 2019 | 116 | 10,530 mi | 1,751 | 92.62% |
| 2018 | 181 | 11,434 mi | 1,186 | 92.56% |
| 2017 | 149 | 10,902 mi | 930 | 93.55% |
| 2016 | 130 | 12,064 mi | 1,139 | 91.96% |
| 2015 | 125 | 14,799 mi | 1,053 | 91.24% |
| 2014 | 115 | 13,300 mi | 965 | 91.73% |
| 2013 | 115 | 13,576 mi | 992 | 92.25% |
| 2012 | 112 | 16,936 mi | 937 | 90.64% |
| 2011 | 178 | 19,129 mi | 1,158 | 90.41% |
| 2010 | 221 | 18,113 mi | 1,244 | 90.25% |
| 2009 | 308 | 17,992 mi | 948 | 90.69% |
| 2008 | 279 | 17,871 mi | 941 | 88.68% |
| 2007 | 329 | 19,520 mi | 892 | 89.8% |
Heritage Softail questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail?
Across 5,725 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (6% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (4.5% of all recorded faults), brakes (2.8% 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 17,272 miles, and typically rides about 888 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,445 and 28,906 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 0.54 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 5,725 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.