How Much Does a Harley-Davidson Weigh?

How much does a Harley-Davidson weigh? Moreover, what does that weight mean in terms of your riding experience? These aren’t questions that get asked a lot by beginners and novice riders, but it’s important to know the basic answers. Harley vets know that weight can make a huge difference in getting a quality ride, and it’s important to have a bike weight that matches up well with your needs. 

What’s the Lightest Harley-Davidson?

Before answering this question, you need to understand first motorcycle weight and how it correlates with the rider’s size. Smaller riders tend to need lighter bikes that are designed to be easy to handle, especially for beginners. Some models have even been altered, making them more appealing to more petite riders and female riders in particular.

Experience usually plays a huge role in climbing up the weight ladder, too. There’s no reason smaller riders can’t eventually handle larger bikes, but it usually takes skill and a lot of miles before it’s safe to graduate to a larger machine.

Skill level aside, the following are among the most lightweight rides Harley-Davidson offers:

• Harley Street 500 & 750 (455 lbs)
• Harley Sportster 883 SuperLow (536 lbs)
• Harley Sportster 1200 Custom (554 lbs)
• Harley Softtail Low Rider (633 lbs)
• Harley Softtail Deluxe (693 lbs)

It’s also important to know how to read the weight numbers that manufacturers quote for a given motorcycle; they typically list what’s referred to as the “dry weight,” which means the figure doesn’t include gas or equipment.

That’s especially important if your primary interest is touring, cruising, and long-distance riding. If that’s the case, you need to factor in whatever gear you’re adding and weigh it against your specific needs.

How Much Does a Harley-Davidson Weigh?

The “average” weight of a Harley—or any other motorcycle, for that matter—is about 700 pounds, but that number actually doesn’t have a lot of meaning.

What does is the ability to match the weight of the bike to its design. Sport bikes and street bikes tend to define the low end of the weight scale at around 400 pounds, and keeping the weight down also gives those bikes the maneuverability they need to perform.

At 450–800+ pounds, Harleys have a reputation for being among the heaviest bikes on the market, and there are three primary reasons for this: 

• Larger engine size
• Heavier weight of high-quality components
• Emphasis on designing cruising and touring bikes, as well as the occasional three-wheeler

As a result, Harleys tend to land in the upper end of any breakdown of weight classes. And Harley-Davidson has attained some notoriety for designing some real beasts that weigh in at close to or over 1,000 pounds.

Which Is the Heaviest Harley-Davidson?

Harley-Davidsons are high-power machines, and with this extra power oftentimes comes extra weight. Still, since most Harleys are touring or cruising bikes, this extra weight doesn’t hinder the riding experience. 

If you’re looking for a bike that packs this extra power and weight, these are some of the heaviest Harleys currently available:

• Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special (818 lbs)
• Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide (833 lbs)
• Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic (868 lbs)
• Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited (877 lbs)
• Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide Ultra (930 lbs)

How Much Does a 1200cc Harley Weigh?

When you start to go beyond the basic classifications like dirt bikes, street bikes, touring bikes, etc., engine size has the strongest correlation to a bike’s overall weight.

The major measurement unit you need to know here is cubic centimeters (cc), referring to the volume of the cylinders in the engine. As a general rule, the larger the cc number, the heavier the bike.

Engine size generally ranges from 250–1300 cc. At the low end of the spectrum, a motorcycle with a 250cc engine will usually weigh in at about 350–400 pounds, while a 1300 cc engine will typically be used to power a bike that’s 600+ pounds.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 has a 1200 cc engine, and its dry weight comes in at just shy of 500 pounds.

Will Motorcycle Accessories Impact My Riding Experience?

For the last few years, one of the biggest trends in motorcycle designs has been the uptick in tech additions and ancillary equipment.

Unless you’re an old-school purist—and many Harley aficionados are notorious for falling into that particular category—the days of motorcycles being exclusively bare-bones machines have come and gone. Motorcycle companies make a lot of money adding quality equipment, including traditional items like saddlebags, larger and more comfortable seats, windscreens, backrests, etc.

These items add weight, though, so it’s important to keep that in mind. It’s fine to add weight if you know that the majority of your mileage is going to happen out on the open highway, but if you’re a mixed-use rider, you need to keep that extra weight in mind. 

The tech isn’t quite as important when it comes to extra weight, but it does matter. Turning your bike into a two-wheeled entertainment center is fun, but the weight from high-end speakers and other tech gadgetry can make for a sneaky addition to the overall weight of the motorcycle.

There are some fairly simple ways to cut the weight of your motorcycle, though. It’s a tough decision to make for some riders, but cutting weight will give you a smoother ride, better fuel economy, and improved brake performance, not to mention more responsive steering. So it’s worth considering if those are your priorities.

Test Ride Harleys of All Sizes at Harley-Davidson of Kingwood

Whether you’re looking for a speedier, more lightweight bike or a powerful machine with a bit more oomph, our team at Harley-Davidson of Kingwood is here to help you find and buy the bike of your dreams. We have a large inventory of new and pre-owned motorcycles, Harley-Davidson apparel, and all the accessories you need for an enjoyable cruising experience. And if you’re a first-time rider, our team of experts is ready to answer all of your questions, like “How much does a Harley-Davidson weigh?” and more. Visit us today on Northpines Drive in Kingwood!