Vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles representing model years 1903 through 1969

Vintage Harley-Davidson Reference Materials

Harley-Davidson Models by Year (1903–1969)

Browse Harley-Davidson models by year across six era guides, with model codes, engine families, production figures where available, and major lineup changes.

Harley-Davidson Models by Year (1903–1969) is a year-by-year reference to the motorcycles and related machines Harley-Davidson offered from its earliest single-cylinder models through the final engine-number VIN models of 1969. The six guides below cover the Early Era, V-Series, Knucklehead, Panhead, K Model and Sportster, and Generator Shovelhead periods.

Each guide organizes models by production year and records factory designations, engine families, major configurations, lineup changes, and published production figures where available. Because Harley-Davidson did not publish a separate total for every model or configuration, the era pages identify the figures and limitations that can be supported.

Identification path: begin with the Harley-Davidson VIN Decoder 1903–1969 to interpret a pre-1970 engine number or serial number, use this Model Reference to review the models offered in that year, and then consult Paint & Emblems 1936–1965 for factory colors, striping, tank emblems, and related finish details.

6 era guides

Harley-Davidson Models by Era

Early Era Harley-Davidson model reference for 1903 through 1929

1903–1929 Harley-Davidson Models

Early Harley-Davidson singles and V-twins, with year-by-year model coverage from the company’s first machines through the late 1920s.

 V-Series Harley-Davidson model reference for 1930 through 1936

1930–1936 V-Series Models

Flathead big twin Harley-Davidson models from 1930 through 1936, including year-by-year configurations and production information.

 Knucklehead Harley-Davidson model reference for 1936 through 1947

1936–1947 Knucklehead Models

Knucklehead Harley-Davidson models, model codes, configurations, and production details for the 1936 through 1947 model years.

 Panhead Harley-Davidson model reference for 1948 through 1965

1948–1965 Panhead Models

Panhead Harley-Davidson model and production reference covering the Hydra-Glide, Duo-Glide, and Electra-Glide years.

 K Model and Sportster Harley-Davidson model reference for 1952 through 1969

1952–1969 K Model & Sportster Models

K Model and Sportster reference covering KH, XL, XLH, XLCH, racing variants, and year-by-year lineup changes.

 Generator Shovelhead Harley-Davidson model reference for 1966 through 1969

1966–1969 Generator Shovelhead Models

First-generation Shovelhead big twins with generator charging, covering FL, FLH, and police variants from 1966 through 1969.