Would You Pay Seven Figures for a Harley Davidson?

Oakland Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson has a long history of building highly customizable cruiser-style motorcycles.  Named for its founding fathers, William S. Harley, Walter Davidson, William A. Davidson and Arthur Davidson, the Harley-Davidson company has grown into one of the country’s biggest motorcycle manufactures.The company, which was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconson in 1903, began selling bikes in April 1905; three out of the five produced were sold. By the start of World War I the country produced 15,000 motorcycles to be used in the war effort.

Over the last century, Harley Davidson has produced millions of bikes, and the company’s logo and products have become a staple in the motorcycling community.  Due to their durability and sleek style, Harley’s have also become somewhat of a luxury brand for riders who prefer the bigger body style. On average, a Harley-Davidon motorcycle can range in price anywhere from $13,000 to $30,000.  However, those who can afford it have certainly purchased bikes well over any of those prices.

Several years ago, a rumor circulated that late night talk show host, Jay Leno, paid more than $2 million for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle once owned by Elvis.  Supposedly, the $2.5 million dollar purchase marked an addition to Leno’s collection, which prior to the purchase, consisted of  five previously Presley owned Harley-Davidsons.  While the story may be untrue, it is certainly not the price tag that makes the tale hard to believe. Jay Leno who is worth an estimated $150 million, does in fact have a collection of motorcycles, including several Harley-Davidsons. When one of Leno’s custom Harleys sold for $800,100 at an auction for tsunami victims, the bike became the most expensive Harley-Davidson in the world.  In 2012, Leno even led Harley-Davidson’s Love Ride, a fundraising event which, according to loveride.org, “has grown into the largest one-day motorcycle fundraising event in the world.”

Although these extremely high price tags may be well over most people’s budget, Leno is not the only celebrity who is also a proud owner of a high priced Harley-Davidson.  Tina Turner, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney are among the many other celebrities who have purchased Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSwg-nehLk

 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Written by Camille Moore

Camille has a master's degree from Saint Joseph University's Writing Studies program, and she currently works as the Writing Center Assistant Director at a small university in western Pennsylvania. Camille's writing has been published on several websites, and she enjoys writing articles and short stories in her spare time. You can follow Camille on Twitter @CamealAshley.