Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL
Real ownership data from 133 UK SOFT TAIL motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common SOFT TAIL problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 13.6% |
| Other | major | 6.8% |
| Brakes | major | 4.3% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 3.9% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 1% |
| Controls and cables | user entered | 0.9% |
| Brake discs and pads | fail | 0.9% |
| Electrical | fail | 0.9% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is exhaust and emissions.
SOFT TAIL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 | 8,067 mi | 562 | 90.2% |
| 2005 | 5 | 25,005 mi | 876 | 79.66% |
| 2002 | 6 | 13,164 mi | 886 | 86.05% |
| 1997 | 7 | 18,429 mi | 576 | 87.67% |
| 1996 | 11 | 21,073 mi | 559 | 87.23% |
| 1995 | 7 | 24,130 mi | 816 | 88.71% |
| 1994 | 11 | 22,337 mi | 562 | 88.69% |
| 1993 | 13 | 16,621 mi | 194 | 85.25% |
| 1992 | 9 | 25,733 mi | 444 | 85.47% |
| 1991 | 6 | 18,200 mi | 671 | 81.82% |
| 1990 | 10 | 16,200 mi | 1,070 | 85.26% |
| 1989 | 8 | 17,876 mi | 820 | 91.53% |
SOFT TAIL questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL?
Across 133 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (13.6% of all recorded faults), other (6.8% of all recorded faults), brakes (4.3% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL?
The median Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL in the UK has covered 19,476 miles, and typically rides about 606 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 6,257 and 32,022 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL reliable?
87.55% of Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.62 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 133 Harley-Davidson SOFT TAIL motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.