BRAND NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON TOP 30 NEW REGISTRATIONS FOR 2023

The final Harley-Davidson TOP 30 new registration numbers for 2023 have now been published; Harley-Davidson has achieved a small increase in performance in the final spurt of the year.

An old saying aptly says: At the end there will be a settlement.

The TOP 30 new Harley-Davidson registrations in 2023

The year 2023 presented a number of challenges for Harley-Davidson. Let's take a look at the ten most outstanding models of 2023 that are most popular among Harley-Davidson customers.

1st place: Harley-Davidson Sport Glide: A versatile model that is suitable for both touring and city traffic. Despite the difficult market situation, this model proved to be a popular choice. It's not a spectacular Harley-Davidson, but for many it seems to be the perfect all-rounder with the 107 Milwaukee-Eight V2 engine.

2nd place: Harley-Davidson STREET BOB 114: Known for minimalist style and strong performance. The model has a loyal following and has held up well even in difficult times. The Street Bob has good conversion potential, there are a lot of parts for it. It is one of the classics that can be easily customized with little effort. The APE guarantees a relaxed sitting position and the 114 Milwaukee-Eight provides plenty of pressure from below. In good condition it is a very stable model.

3rd place: Harley-Davidson LOW RIDER ST : The Low Rider ST combines a classic cruiser Harley design with a very sporty 117 engine and a club-style fairing, making it an interesting sporty option in the current line-up.

4th place: Harley-Davidson BREAKOUT 117 : With its striking design and impressive performance, this model is one of the highlights in 2023.

5th place: Harley-Davidson FAT BOY 114 : An iconic model that continues to capture the hearts of many Harley fans. It demonstrates the brand's ability to successfully modernize classics; Arnold Schwarzenegger would certainly still go on action tours with them today.

6th place: Harley-Davidson PAN AMERICA : A relatively new entry that shows that Harley-Davidson is able to penetrate new market segments and appeal to new customer groups. It still needs a little more time to establish itself on the market.

7th place: Harley-Davidson SPORTSTER S : This model represents a modern interpretation of the classic Sportster, making it particularly popular with younger riders. It is just a lot sportier than its predecessor and is now the only Sportster model.

8th place: H arley-Davidson FAT BOB 114 : A model known for its powerful driving dynamics and unique design, which continues to be popular despite the difficult market situation. The driver finds it an all-rounder, you can drive it through the curves in a very sporty manner and it offers the driver a very good seating position.

9th place: Harley-Davidson STREET GLIDE ST : A touring motorcycle that combines comfort with performance and finds its fans even in a difficult year. The powerful 117 engine is what inspires many people.

10th place: Harley-Davidson NIGHTSTER : As an entry-level model, the NIGHTSTER offers an accessible option for those looking to enter the Harley-Davidson world.

Despite a challenging year for Harley-Davidson, these top 10 models show that the brand continues to have a wide range of models. You will find out whether it will stay that way in 2025 in one of the next articles.

All TOP 30 models from Harley-Davidson at a glance

1. Harley Davidson	SPORT GLIDE
2. Harley Davidson	STREET BOB 114
3. Harley Davidson	LOW RIDER ST
4. Harley Davidson	BREAKOUT 117
5. Harley Davidson	FAT BOY 114
6. Harley Davidson	PAN AMERICA
7. Harley Davidson	SPORTSTER S
8. Harley Davidson	FAT BOB 114
9. Harley Davidson	STREET GLIDE ST
10. Harley Davidson	NIGHTSTER
11. Harley Davidson	LOW RIDER S
12. Harley Davidson	STREET GLIDE SPECIAL
13. Harley Davidson	ROAD KING SPECIAL
14. Harley Davidson	SOFTAIL STANDARD
15. Harley Davidson	HERITAGE CLASSIC 114
16. Harley Davidson	ROAD GLIDE ST
17. Harley Davidson	NIGHTSTER SPECIAL
18. Harley Davidson	ELECTRA GLIDE ULTRA LIMITED
19. Harley Davidson	CVO STREET GLIDE
20. Harley Davidson	BREAKOUT 114
21. Harley Davidson	ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL
22. Harley Davidson	CVO ROAD GLIDE
23. Harley Davidson	ELECTRA GLIDE HIGHWAY KING
24. Harley Davidson	STREET GLIDE 120th ANNIVERSARY
25. Harley Davidson	ROAD GLIDE LIMITED
26. Harley Davidson	FAT BOY 120TH ANNIVERSARY
27. Harley Davidson	ULTRA LIMITED 120th ANNIVERSARY
28. Harley Davidson	ROAD GLIDE 120th ANNIVERSARY
29. Harley Davidson	ROAD KING POLICE
30. Harley Davidson	ELECTRA GLIDE POLICE

Overview of Harley-Davidson market development in 2023

It is undeniable that most new registrations generally take place in March, a trend that can be consistently observed across all motorcycle manufacturers. March 2023 represents a special highlight for Harley-Davidson, as it is the only month of the year in which the company records a four-digit peak in new registrations. In February there were 609 new registrations, in March this number rose to 1,086 before falling to 832 in April.

If I were to look for reasons for the declining registration numbers, the first thing that would come to mind would be the delayed delivery of the current model year. Before Harley-Davidson began presenting its new model range in the spring, the registration numbers looked different. In 2019 (10,929) there were 1,601 vehicles in March and April.

Here are the Harley-Davidson registration numbers from 2017 at a glance!

Year	Jan.	February	March	April	May	June	July	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	November	Dec.
2017	149	522	1.466	1.187	1.437	1.214	1.008	683	742	393	223	120
2018	319	515	1.647	1.716	1.478	1.523	1.166	1.041	658	456	279	131
2019	271	689	1.601	1.601	1.293	1.078	1.273	947	654	416	214	137
2020	360	708	1.165	1.136	1.391	1.101	1.268	1.211	830	628	443	741
2021	81	278	781	969	980	965	961	973	715	708	288	161
2022	226	498	872	756	908	821	985	722	712	534	338	194
2023	297	609	1.086	832	763	845	670	716	692	440	189	105

Harley-Davidson new registrations by month and year (2017-2023)

Harley-Davidson in the pandemic: An era of challenges under Jochen Zeitz

Jochen Zeitz has been at the helm of Harley-Davidson as CEO since February 2020. This point coincides with the start of the pandemic, which lasted into 2022. This period was characterized by widespread bottlenecks in almost all industries. From microchips to motorcycles, availability was severely limited.

Additional challenges, such as the blockage of the Suez Canal, exacerbated the situation. Some Harley-Davidson dealers were even forced to cancel sales contracts because not all of the manufacturer's models could be delivered. The big question is why did Harley-Davidson lose touch, because especially in 2023, Harley-Davidson should at least not have ended up in the red. Can the question be answered with the missing entry-level segment? Harley-Davidson no longer offers entry starting at 12,000 euros, which can mean one or two negative points.

Year	Change in % compared to previous year all brands (HD = Harley-Davidson)
2017	-13.7% (-30.2% HD)
2018	+7.2% (+19.5% HD)
2019	+4.6% (-6.9% HD)
2020	+16.9% (+7.9% HD)
2021	-11.9% (-28.4% HD)
2022	-7.4% (-3.7% HD)
2023	+16.6% (-4.3% HD)

MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURERS TOP 20 REGISTRATIONS IN GERMANY – 2023 ¹

The overview shows the registration numbers of the other motorcycle manufacturers in 2023.

1.BMW	23.724
2.HONDA	22.166
3.KAWASAKI	12.850
4.KTM	11.553
5. YAMAHA	10.197
6. HARLEY DAVIDSON	7.244
7.DUCATI	6.570
8. TRIUMPH	6.250
10.SUZUKI	5.018
11. HUSQVARNA	3.566
12. ROYAL ENFIELD	2.874
APRIL 13TH	2.506
15. MOTO GUZZU	2.052
16. INDIAN MOTORCYCLES	1.534
17. GASGAS	1.052
18. BETA ENGINE	993
19. BENELLI	748
20. CF MOTO	684

1. ^{(without scooters, trikes, only combustion engines)} ↩︎

Text and image credits: Harleysite – Source KBA / IVM Association

Changes and errors excepted