America, the land of large freeways and long stretches of open roads is what some may consider as a cruiser bikers dream come true. That’s probably why the cruiser and large touring bike segment of motorcycles is predominantly dominated by brands based in the US. Just ask anyone from any part of the world to mention an American-made motorcycle, and the name Harley-Davidson will definitely pop up, and Indian might get a mention if the person understands bikes.
In choosing 10 great American-made motorcycles was no easy task, as there are many apart from the obvious two most popular names mentioned before. To help narrow the list down, this list does not include any special custom-builds produced by specialized custom houses to even down the playing field. To make the selection slightly easier, we focused on bikes that would cater to riders with a few more years of experience on the saddle. So, if you’ve just purchased your first Sportster and have plans to upgrade after your first season of riding, you might want to come back in another three years.
1 Harley-Davidson Road Glide
If you’ve ever tried cross-country riding, you will know that a touring motorcycle is one of the best ways to get you to your far-off destination. The Harley-Davidson Road Glide is the bar and shields benchmark tourer/bagger that promises to get you there in comfort and style. It's pretty much meant to be a cushy couch on two wheels with the capability to ride for hours with ease. Its aerodynamic shark-nose fairing protects Debry and insects off a rider's face, and its two large saddlebags can fit all your essentials and then some for those long adventures.
The Road Glide is fitted with a 107 cubic inch (sorry no metric information from Harley) V-Twin Milwaukee 8 engine that promises to churn out 92.5 horsepower at 110 pound-feet of torque. Even though the Road Glide has a curb weight of around 850 pounds, this big bike is easy to maneuver, but the floorboards will be quick to scrape asphalt when going through some twisties. In our books, this is a bike one must graduate towards.
2 Indian Chief Vintage
Type into Google ‘Classic American Bagger’ and chances are an image of an Indian Chief will appear. If you want to ride an American tourer with all the classic appeal of old, but features the modern amenities of today, the Indian Chief Vintage is the way to go. One look at the bike, and you would think you were back in a time when fringed leather jackets were a trend, but the moment you sit on and take it for a ride, you immediately feel you are on a modern-day machine.
Sporting Indian’s Thunder Stroke 111 engine which is a 1,811 cc engine that claims to produce 79 horsepower and a peak torque of 119 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm. Despite its classic looks, the Chief Vintage features modern features like a keyless entry, ABS, and even cruise control. Riding this bike is sure to turn many heads as it’s like a two-wheel time machine, reminiscing a time of true freedom.
3 Victory Cross Country
Yes, the Victory brand has been discontinued since 2017, but as long as Polaris still promises service and parts until 2027, we feel it is worth mentioning. The Victory Cross Country was the brand’s expansion into baggers that promised a much more comfortable ride compared to its competitor and added to that its sleek custom bike look, made it more appealing to some. The Tourer variant of this bike was even used by Indonesia’s Military Police in the early 2000-teens.
Victory’s Cross Country featured the brand's proprietary Freedom engine which was a 106 cubic-inch (1,731cc) 50-degree V-Twin engine that produced 96.9 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. When it was still new, Victory offered unique options to customize the ride even further, from custom paint to premium speakers. It also came with cruise control and ABS to ensure a safe and comfy ride.
4 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy is quintessentially the most iconic Harley-Davidson of the ‘90s. Its bold and muscular silhouette has become synonymous with modern cruiser bikes, and many have tried to replicate its look. The name was thought to be a contraction of Fat Man and Little Boy, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during WWII, as this bike was seen to be the killer of Japanese bikes. But in actual fact, it was dubbed fat because it was slightly wider than your average bike.
The first generation Fat Boy which was also known as the FLSTF came with a 1,340cc engine up until the turn of the new millennium. In 2000 the cruiser was given a twin-cam engine with displacement being bumped up to 1,584cc. The Milwaukee 8 would finally make its appearance on the Fat Boy in 2018 while also changing its code to FLFB. Still around today, the 2023 Fat Boy now features a Milwaukee 8 114 with all the chrome that made this bike stand out in the ‘90s.
5 Erik Buell Racing 1190RS
Some may know Buell as the sports bike brand that Harley somehow messed up, but despite being laid to rest, Erik Buell, the engineer behind the brand name has been trying to revive the brand since 2009 as Erik Buell Racing. After creating a number of track-orientated bikes, in 2011, Erik Buell Racing announced their first-ever street bike, the 1190RS. Only 100 units of this bike were ever produced making it an ultra-rare American-made super bike.
The EBR 1190RS featured a 1,190cc liquid-cooled V-Twin engine that was said to produce around 175 horsepower at 97 pound-feet of torque. Weight was kept to a minimum thanks to its full carbon fiber bodywork and innovative fuel-in-frame design. With Buell finally announcing that it has returned to making mainstream motorcycles again, we may yet see this very rare bike make a comeback in the very near future.
6 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Hearkening back to the time of the old Peter Fonda movie, Easy Rider, the Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide or FXDWG offers a classic look with nostalgic styling. The Wide Glide has a long history, debuting as a solid-engine-mount FX model that ran from 1980-86, then returning for a second go as a rubber-mounted FXD from 1993-2008. The FXDWG returned for a third time with a down-’n’-dirty, old-school-chopper-inspired look in mid-2000-teens. Harley-Davidson discontinued the Dyna platform in 2018, replacing it with a completely redesigned Softail chassis.
Out of the many iterations of the Wide Glide, one that comes highly recommended for experienced riders would be the Dyna Wide Glide from 2016. Although raw performance was not a priority on this bike, the air-cooled, four-stroke V-Twin twin-cammed 1,584cc provides an efficient 64 horsepower and 83 pound-feet of torque. The tall skinny front wheel may take some getting used to, but if you’ve been around cruiser bikes long enough, you will quickly adjust.
7 Indian Scout Bobber
Since its rebirth under Polaris, the Indian Scout is seen as a clever combination of old-school cruiser styling and modern-day performance that has been refined to create somewhat of an American dream. The Bobber variant of the Scout aesthetically is the same, yet has lower rear suspension, a headlight cowl, bar-end mirrors, a different tank badge, a single saddle, a chopped fender, different handlebars, and blacked-out styling as opposed to the standard chrome.
The Scout Bobber has the same engine as a regular Scout which is a 1,133cc liquid-cooled V-twin that produces 94 horsepower at 74 pound-feet of torque. The main difference that changes the look of the bike is the lowered rear suspension that gives it a slammed low-rider look. An experienced rider would find the Scout Bobber more appealing mainly due to the surge of power you get when you twist the throttle. Something a Harley-Davidson doesn’t seem to deliver.
8 Boss Hoss BHC-3 LS3
Car guys will know that the LS3 is a V8 crate engine from Chevrolet that modders love to drop into their cars to give them a little more muscle. Now imagine doing that to a motorcycle. Although it was mentioned above that no customized bikes would be mentioned, apparently Boss Hoss has received full approval from the European Commission, making it a globally approved V8 motorcycle manufacturer. The company manufactures extraordinarily large displacement motorcycles and motorized tricycles with 6,160 to 8,130 cc Chevrolet V8 engines.
Despite having a massive V8 rumbling between your legs, the large amount of mass that the bike needs to support the engine is able to dampen the effects of any vibrations. Being paired with a semi-automatic transmission, Boss Hoss motorcycles are able to create vibration-free acceleration when you pull away from the line. To help with maneuvering through the parking lot, the bikes are often equipped with reverse gear as standard.
9 Combat Motors P51 Combat Fighter
Combat Motors, previously Confederate Motors, is an American manufacturer of exclusive and high-performance street motorcycles based in Birmingham, Alabama. If you thought that only the Italians were able to create a two-wheeler that was a perfect union of art and functionality, you have yet to see the P51 Combat Fighter. This rolling piece of art with historical flair is inspired by the P51 fighter planes used in World War II and is a sight to behold. You would think this bike belonged in a steampunk-inspired Sci-Fi movie.
This muscle bike is fitted with a 57-degree 2,163cc V-Twin engine which claims 111 horsepower at 143 pound-feet of torque. The P51 is built around a monocoque structure constructed from aerospace-grade aluminum, which creates a rigid platform that is also lightweight at only 500 pounds. With such a massive engine in such a light form, you can only imagine the amount of power this bike can create.
10 Arch KRGT-1
When you hear the name Keanu Reeves, you may think of the actor from the Matrix and John Wick series of movies. Motorcycle designer might not be one many will know him for. The Arch KRGT-1 is the famous actor's attempt at motorcycle design and manufacturing. What started as a custom motorcycle house, Arch now manufactures its own aggressive performance cruiser that is set to redefine how an American motorcycle could be.
As Arch is mostly a custom shop, the bikes you order from them can be specially tailored to fit the rider. This bespoke concept of bike manufacturing does give the KRGT-1 a hefty price tag that is around six figures. For that type of money, riders get a bike that is fitted with a 2,032cc 45-degree V-Twin twin-cam engine that produces 121 horsepower and 89 pound-feet of torque. Constructed using billet aluminum, the massive engine is fitted in a lightweight chassis and features a range of high-end features that make the bike perform better than any custom bike ever could. A cruiser bike with sports bike-level performance some might say.