Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail
Real ownership data from 5,759 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 23.1% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 11.2% |
| Electrical | fail | 9.5% |
| Suspension | major | 6% |
| Wheels | fail | 5.4% |
| Fluid leaks | dangerous | 3.7% |
| Frame and structure | user entered | 3.1% |
| Fuel system | user entered | 2.3% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is frame and structure.
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 | 62 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 48 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 41 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 66 | 4,093 mi | — | 93.1% |
| 2022 | 69 | 5,966 mi | 1,745 | 92.59% |
| 2021 | 78 | 8,446 mi | 1,589 | 94.65% |
| 2020 | 84 | 10,381 mi | 1,439 | 95.22% |
| 2019 | 117 | 11,590 mi | 1,745 | 92.89% |
| 2018 | 182 | 11,663 mi | 1,186 | 92.54% |
| 2017 | 152 | 10,912 mi | 931 | 93.28% |
| 2016 | 130 | 12,064 mi | 1,139 | 92.04% |
| 2015 | 126 | 14,861 mi | 1,056 | 91.02% |
| 2014 | 116 | 13,604 mi | 972 | 91.64% |
| 2013 | 115 | 13,576 mi | 987 | 92.32% |
| 2012 | 112 | 16,936 mi | 939 | 90.67% |
| 2011 | 178 | 19,169 mi | 1,158 | 90.5% |
| 2010 | 222 | 18,124 mi | 1,235 | 90.21% |
| 2009 | 308 | 17,992 mi | 948 | 90.63% |
| 2008 | 280 | 17,652 mi | 952 | 88.7% |
| 2007 | 331 | 19,546 mi | 895 | 89.81% |
Heritage Softail questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail?
Across 5,759 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (23.1% of all recorded faults), controls and cables (11.2% of all recorded faults), electrical (9.5% 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 17,364 miles, and typically rides about 893 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,492 and 28,950 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail reliable?
89.94% of Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.01 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 5,759 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.