The Highest Mileage Harley-Davidson In The World

A million miles on a single motorcycle isn’t a boast you hear often — but for Dave Zien and his 1991 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide, it’s simply the odometer reading. In an era when most riders trade up every few years, Zien spent nearly two decades and an almost incomprehensible number of miles proving that the bond between a rider and his machine can outlast almost anything. Harley-Davidson has spent more than 120 years building motorcycles that inspire fierce loyalty, but Zien elevated that devotion to a level no one else has matched — accumulating a million miles on one bike through relentless open-road dedication, meticulous wrenching, and an iron will that even a lost leg couldn’t break.

The Owner Accumulated Over One Million Miles On A 1991 Sport Glide

Read Also

3 week ago

A Used Audi A7 Now Stickers For Less Than A New Toyota Crown

31 autotech

The rider behind the record is Dave Zien, who made history in 2009 when his 1991 Sport Glide completed its 18-year journey by finally turning its one-millionth mile. Long before reaching that milestone, Zien had established himself as one of motorcycling’s most passionate advocates. In addition to serving as vice president of the Wisconsin Better Bikers Association, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1988, where he actively championed the rights of motorcycle riders. By 1993, Zien began serving as a senator for the 23rd district of Chippewa Falls, and eventually earned the title of president pro tempore in 2005 before leaving office in 2006.

Zien Became Passionate About Motorcycles After Serving In Vietnam

Harley-Davidson

Zien grew up on a farm in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he first learned to ride horses. Admitting that the animals weren’t quite fast or powerful enough for his liking, he turned to motorcycles. He started on a 49cc Montgomery Ward Moped, progressed to an 80cc Yamaha, and then a 250cc Yamaha. By the time he had finished serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, Zien had upgraded to a Honda that he used to travel across the country.

It was during those early miles on the road that he began waving at the big Harley-Davidson choppers he passed — only to be met with silence. Zien burned that memory into his mind, because by the time he became a dedicated Harley-Davidson rider himself, there was never a moment when he didn’t wave at everybody. While serving in Vietnam with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, he kept his rifle — nicknamed “Betty Sue” — close at all times for his very survival. He still remembers its serial number: 549909. In that same spirit, when he purchased his 1991 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide, he gave it the name “Suzanna ala Sha-Luck a Lay Ya,” carrying on the tradition of holding dear the things that matter most.

Zien to Mike Lowe Reports

Read Also

3 week ago

2027 Toyota C-HR Interior And Exterior Picture Gallery

27 autotech

“I had a horse, and it couldn’t go fast enough. So I got on a motorcycle.”

Zien Achieved One Million Miles Thanks To Lots Of Maintenance

Every motorcycle requires regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly and properly. That means oil changes, full services, tire checks, electrical inspections, engine inspections, and plenty of other demanding tasks. In the case of Zien’s 1991 Sport Glide, the wear and tear far exceeded that of any average motorcycle. The bike still has its original fenders, fuel tank, oil tank, triple tree, handlebars, primary, and transmission case. The main shaft is also original, though all the gears have since been replaced. It had no kill switch — something many newer riders would find baffling today.

Though the bike had a kick pedal, Zien would bring it to life by inserting a Phillips screwdriver into a hole drilled into its starter. It also had no kickstand — instead, Zien would lean the bike against curbs, trees, and other objects sturdy enough to hold it upright. There was no neutral gear, no oil warning lights, and the tachometer didn’t work. The bike had no horn, either. The odometer functioned, but the speedometer needle was broken, so Zien had to estimate his speed by feel.

The Sport Glide had also gone through 105 rear tires, 65 front tires, 17 stators, 9 seats, and 13 pairs of engineer boots. For those freezing winter morning rides, Zien used a roach clip jumper cable system to coax the bike awake in low temperatures. The motorcycle was fitted with a 6-gallon fuel cell with John Deere petcocks to extend its tank-to-tank range. As a measure of its endurance, Zien logged at least 31,000 miles in 31 days.

In the final stretch leading to one million miles, the bike’s transmission needed an overhaul just three days before its last run to Florida. Due to significant pressure buildup, the primary also had to be drilled and vented a week before the record-setting finish in order to improve airflow. Beyond that, the ’91 Sport Glide’s engine was rebuilt ten times in total, including a remanufactured motor installed at Bobby’s Territorial Harley-Davidson in Yuma, Arizona.

Zien to Rumble On

After Zien achieved his millionth mile, the bike was retired to one of the most respected motorcycle museums in the world, the Sturgis Hall of Fame, where it will forever be admired by fans and enthusiasts from around the globe. When he was initially racking up the miles, Zien had heard that Harley-Davidson would award any rider who documented over 750,000 miles on a Harley with a free motorcycle. According to Zien, however, that promotion was never honored. It wasn’t until Harley-Davidson recognized his mission to reach one million miles that the company chose to reward him with a new 2009 Road Glide.

1991 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide Specs

Other Harley-Davidson Riders That Reached One Million Miles

Wikimedia Commons

Dave Zien remains the only person in the world to accumulate over one million miles on a single motorcycle. That said, as remarkable as his story is, he is not the only Harley-Davidson rider to have ridden more than a million miles in a lifetime — with documentation to back it up. According to the Iron Butt Association, which tracks records for some of the most dedicated long-distance riders in the world, a handful of other riders have reached this milestone across multiple machines.

Lifetime Achievement Award (Documented 1,000,000 Miles On One Motorcycle)

Zien at his Millionth-Mile Celebration

That’s A Lot Of Riding

One hallmark of the dedicated Harley-Davidson rider is an almost unshakeable passion for time in the saddle — and no one embodies that more completely than Zien. He travels almost exclusively by motorcycle. At 74 years old (in 2024), riding down the highway on his trike with the wind in his face and the natural world all around him is part of what makes riding an almost spiritual experience. According to Zien, he views cars as cages that separate us from the environment. Rather than the creature comforts and high-tech features found in most modern vehicles, he very much prefers feeling the vibrations from passing semi-trucks and his beard in the wind. With over 2.5 million miles under his belt, he has traveled to nearly every corner of the U.S. more than once.

Zien Lost His Left Leg In A Nearly-Fatal Accident

Like millions of riders, safety is always a top priority — and that usually means staying actively aware of the vehicles around you. Known as defensive riding, it is a discipline every motorcyclist is reminded of, given that the likelihood of being involved in a serious accident is significantly higher for riders than for drivers of cars, trucks, or SUVs. Even decades of experience offer no guarantee against bad luck.

In Dave’s case, he nearly lost his life while traveling through Florida. When an SUV driver lost control of their vehicle, the driver directly in front of Zien swerved without braking, causing a collision that sent him 342 feet down the road and cost him his left leg from the mid-thigh. After six major surgeries and a prosthetic leg, Zien returned to the road with a renewed and brighter outlook on life.

Zien At His Millionth-Mile Celebration

Life is not about us. Life is teaching people to serve. Each and every one of you serves. You let people know about patriotism, about red-blooded Americanism, about Harley-Davidson. The spirit of freedom.

The Harley-Davidson FXRT Sport Glide Is A Cult Favorite

Mecum Auctions

In 1981, some Harley-Davidson executives bought the company back from AMF, and the brand urgently needed a compelling new product. The Shovelhead years of the ’60s and ’70s had already done considerable damage to the company’s reputation, which was about to be repaired. Then came Willie G. Davidson’s cruiser, the FX Super Glide, followed by the Low Rider, Wide Glide, and Fat Bob. These were somewhat sportier cruisers than the Electra Glide, but the rigid-mounted engine meant they were also quite vibey.

Then the motor company developed a more up-to-date frame, the Tri-Mount, along with rubber mounting for the Shovelhead engine, which fixed the vibration issue. This was the FXR, the first Super Glide II, which eventually led to the FXRT Sport Glide in 1983, a sport-touring bike with frame-mounted fairing and hard bags. And to live up to its Sport Glide name, the motor company had to give it the right equipment.

A Harley-Davidson With Sporty Underpinnings

Mecum Auctions

To that end, the steering geometry gave the fork a 31-degree rake and almost 5-inch trail. It also featured air-adjustable suspension with a beefy (for the time) 35mm Showa fork up front. The bike also had an anti-dive system, though it was never very popular because it was a bit complicated. The bike ran a 19/16-inch cast-wheel setup and had good cornering clearance, too. All of this allowed the rider to be mildly aggressive in the twisties.

The earlier models featured the then-aging Shovelhead big twin, which now seems like an odd choice given that Harley was on the verge of launching the Evolution engine. That new Evo engine brought significantly better reliability and performance. Displacing 82 cubic inches and featuring a classic single-cam valvetrain and two-valve heads, the engine produced better power and torque figures than the Shovelhead. It was also better machined and more oil-tight, making it hard to kill and very slow to wear out — as Dave Zien proved beyond any doubt.

A Unique Harley That Stuck Around For A Decade

Mecum Auctions

A combination of its sporty underpinnings, trusty Evolution engine, and light-touring capabilities made the Sport Glide feel rather un-Harley compared to other big-twin and touring models. However, that was also what made it special and popular in its day. It stuck around for a decade, but when demand for Harley-Davidsons surged in the ’90s, the company dropped the FXRT to free up assembly line capacity for more popular cruisers.

What The Harley-Davidson FXRT Sport Glide Is Worth Today

Mecum Auctions

The fact that Zien stuck with the Sport Glide for so long should tell you just how good the bike is. But unlike many other Harleys of its era, the Sport Glide isn’t as cheap as you’d expect, for a couple of reasons. It’s a cult classic today, elevated further by FXR lore and its relatively capable handling compared to other big twins of the period. Plus, many riders who grew up with the bike when it was new are now willing to pay a premium to get their hands on one.

Harley-Davidson FXRT Sport Glide Value In 2026

So, how much will you spend on this bike? According to Hagerty, a 1982 model in good condition is valued at $4,900, while those in excellent condition can go for around $7,100, and models in concours condition can go for more than $10,000. Similarly, J.D. Power estimates an average value of $6,935 for those in very good condition and $11,645 for those in excellent condition.

Do note that these prices can vary significantly depending on your location and the time of year. Both Hagerty and J.D. Power offer only a baseline value for the FXRT and consider their estimates somewhat conservative. Sellers these days often ask for excellent-condition prices even when their bikes require mechanical or cosmetic attention. But if older bikes aren’t your thing, yet you still want a similar package, there’s a modern-day analog worth considering.

The 1991 Sport Glide Lives On As The Low Rider ST

A sport-touring motorcycle such as the 1991 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide reaching over one million miles is a testament to the machine’s longevity and capacity for covering great distances over an extended period. Although Harley-Davidson once revived the Sport Glide name as a low-profile cruiser, the closest living relative in the current lineup is the Low Rider ST. A hybrid of sorts, this high-performance cruiser combines the power, speed, and nimble character of the popular Low Rider S with the long-haul comfort of the Road Glide, courtesy of its fixed fairing, enhanced rear suspension, and detachable saddlebags. Could a Low Rider ST be the next single motorcycle to follow in Dave Zien’s Sport Glide and collect over one million miles? It is certainly possible.

Sources: Harley-Davidson, FunTransport, BikerNet, the Iron Butt Association, Wisconsin History, Rumble On, Mike Lowe Reports, Bikez, and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, J.D. Power, Hagerty