It’s a little more than ten years since Indian was reborn under the ownership of automotive giant Polaris. Since then, the famous U.S. motorcycle marque has grown its range to more than 20 models, increased annual production to over 30,000 bikes, and outclassed its old rival Harley-Davidson to win a sixth consecutive championship in SuperTwins, the top division of American Flat Track racing.

But the Indian story of the previous few decades was very different—a lot less smooth and far more dramatic. Until the brand was bought by Polaris in 2011, Indian had been making headlines for years. Not with new models or race victories, but with a succession of scandals, courtroom cases, and failed attempts at revival.

The fuss was easy to understand because Indian is one of the great names of American motorcycling, and it had fallen on very hard times. Founded in 1901, two years before Harley, the original firm from Springfield, Massachusetts, became the biggest U.S. motorcycle manufacturer by the early 1920s, promoted by the exploits of early board-racing stars and record-breaking long-distance riders including Jake DeRosier and Erwin “Cannon Ball” Baker.

Models including the Powerplus, Scout, and Chief kept Indian healthy into the 1940s. The firm also built an inline four, after taking over Ace in 1927. But a move to parallel twins proved disastrous, sales and profitability fell, and the Springfield factory ceased production in 1953. For the next few decades the Indian name was used to sell small bikes made in Britain and elsewhere, until its use faded in the 1980s.

Interest in Indian reawakened in the early 1990s when, with Harley sales growing so fast that the factory couldn’t keep up, it became clear that there was room in the booming U.S. market for its former rival. It’s here where the story gets messy. Two men independently claimed the Indian name, each with the stated intention of producing high-quality V-twin motorcycles. Unfortunately, they not only failed to build any bikes, but showed no sign of intending to do so.

First came Philip S. Zanghi II, a Californian businessman who in 1990 claimed to have bought rights to the Indian name, for the sum of one dollar, from the last person to use it for selling mopeds in the 1970s. Zanghi announced plans for a new Indian Chief, to be built in small numbers and sold at a high price. He began selling Indian merchandise, ranging from leather jackets to jewelery, and toured the world selling Indian import rights for tens of thousands of dollars apiece.

Zanghi’s motives became more clear when I visited Bob Stark, a revered Indian restorer, parts specialist, and former dealer who had been involved with the marque for half a century. Over several trips to Starklite Cycle’s base in Perris, California, Zanghi had agreed he would pay Stark to build a run of 100 Chief models. “He’d pay me the same shop rate I’d charge anyone who walked in the door,” Stark said. A contract confirmed the agreement, but the cash never arrived. “Everything was fine until it came to time for him to put out one dime’s worth of money. Then, nothing.”

Two months later, Zanghi sent Stark a licensing agreement whose contents were dramatically different to those of the original contract. By signing it, Stark would have agreed that Zanghi owned the right to produce Indians, he would have accepted Zanghi as an authority on their construction, and he would have handed his estimated $500,000 worth of Indian parts and tools to Zanghi, all while agreeing to put up the money to build the 100 bikes himself.

“I’ve probably got 25 percent of the factory drawings. He has none and knows nothing,” Stark told me. “I don’t know what kind of idiot he thought I was, but with this he would have taken over my complete business within three months. I called him and said, ‘Philip, this sure as hell is not what we discussed.’ He offered to pay my way out to discuss it. I told him to forget it. But he got what he wanted out of me—he used my name. I’d had banks calling me. He used our background to try to get money.”

The other self-professed Indian savior was Wayne Baughman, a former car salesman from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also claimed rights to the name and announced plans for a new Scout model, powered by a 1410cc V-twin engine. When I visited him in January 1993, he insisted the Scout would be in production within six months. As his only prototype comprised an old Indian engine fixed to an aftermarket Harley frame by plastic zip-ties, this seemed very optimistic. (He did, however, have a nice line in Indian T-shirts and jewelery.)

Needless to say, neither of these characters built any bikes. Zanghi ended up in prison for a variety of offenses including fraud, and Baughman extracted several million dollars from investors and enthusiasts, without producing anything in return.

The next false start involved actual Native Americans. In 1995, it was announced the Indian name had been bought from the receiver by a firm called Eller Industries, which had agreed a deal with the Cow Creek band of the Umpqua people, to build bikes on their land in Oregon. Roush Industries, famed for building NASCAR racers, were hired to develop its V-twin engine. In 1998, the firm unveiled sketches of prototypes created by a designer named James Parker, who had recently shaped the radical chassis of Yamaha’s GTS1000.

All looked promising, until suddenly the deal was off amid rumors of financial problems. Instead, later that year a court in Denver, Colorado, awarded the rights to Indian to a group that had taken over the California Motorcycle Company (CMC). The firm from Gilroy in central California was one of the largest of the so-called “Harley-Davidson clone” manufacturers—firms that specialized in building bikes powered by engines built not by Harley but by S&S, whose big, air-cooled V-twins closely resembled those from Milwaukee.

In 1999, the renamed Indian Motorcycle Company started production of a new Chief Limited Edition, a cruiser featuring a 1442cc V-twin engine—a Harley-based unit, like those CMC had used before—and Indian’s trademark huge fenders and curly script on the tank. When I rode the bike in Florida that year, it seemed reasonably well built and finished, albeit with some rough edges. It was hardly, however, an authentic Indian.

Four years later the firm launched a revamped Chief, powered by a new V-twin engine called the Powerplus 100, which had a larger 1638cc (100-cubic inch) capacity and still had cylinders set at 45 degrees—in Harley fashion—but did at least have some new features. The response of U.S. cruiser buyers remained mixed. The firm had built 12,000 machines when, later that year, a backer pulled out and production abruptly ended.

This all-American tale then took a surprising diversion when in 2004 the Indian name was bought by Stellican, a London-based private equity firm run by Stephen Julius, a Brit with a classics degree from Oxford University and a business record that included successfully reviving “heritage brands,” including U.S. boat firm Chris-Craft. Julius relocated to North Carolina, hired engineers to revamp the Chief, including an enlarged 1720cc engine, and in 2008 began small-scale production of some innovatively styled models.

The most eye-catching, if least politically correct, was the Bomber, a limited-edition Chief whose tank featured pinup-style art like that which adorned U.S. aircraft in WWII. Other details included the distressed brown leather of its saddle and panniers, inspired by a WWII flying jacket, and the aero-style rivets on the trademark big front fender.

Julius positioned Indian as an “ultra-premium” brand, with prices above Harley-Davidson’s, and aimed to make a profit by selling just 500 hand-built bikes per year. He planned to export to Europe, but faced problems in selling bikes in Britain due to another bizarre twist in the Indian tale, again involving a dispute over rights to the name.

Alan Forbes was a former musician and long-time Indian enthusiast who ran a bike shop called Motolux in Edinburgh that specialized in servicing, restoring, and occasionally selling Scotland’s remaining old Chiefs and Scouts. At a Swedish rally in the late 1990s, he met a group of locals who had built a giant, 1845cc inline-four cruiser that they called the Wiking (considering the name Viking too obvious), using a mixture of Volvo, BMW, and VW Beetle car engine parts and a chassis of their own design.

Forbes had long wanted to produce a bike, and had seen the opportunity for a fresh take on the inline four that Indian had produced decades earlier. He had made a deal with the Swedes, and by 2000 they had developed a good looking if slightly agricultural prototype named the Indian Dakota—although it could only be called that in the U.K., where Forbes had registered the Indian name. He announced grand plans to produce up to 100 Dakotas per year, but several years later was vague about whether any had been sold—or whether producing more than a small batch had ever been a realistic aim.

Back stateside and unfortunately for Julius, after three decades in which Harley-Davidson sales had boomed, he was attempting to relaunch Indian just as the global financial crisis sent sales of big, expensive American motorcycles plummeting. Even Harley struggled. Its new, much smaller rival didn’t stand a chance.

But the Indian name remained an ace among motorcycle brands, and in 2011, a major player finally came to the table. Polaris already owned a motorcycle operation: Victory. It had launched Victory from scratch in 1998 and carefully built it into an established manufacturer that had sold more than 100,000 bikes. But fighting Harley’s century of tradition had been tough in such a nostalgia-led market, and Victory had struggled to achieved the sales that its models’ performance and quality merited.

Polaris had survived the recession in good shape, however, and was keen to expand. It even had funds for motorcycle development. It acquired Indian in 2011—both the North Carolina and Edinburgh enterprises, plus any loose ends elsewhere—and invested further tens of millions of dollars in development, marketing, and machinery, including an assembly factory in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

In August 2013, the relaunched Indian unveiled a range of three all-new Chief models. In many ways they resembled previous attempts, but they were not just superior in performance and quality; these Indians also differed by being widely available, competitively priced, and extensively marketed. A second family of Scout models followed just a year later. By this time Indian was outselling sister brand Victory, which would be closed down in 2017.

For the last decade, then, Indian’s turbulent history has been shaped by an owner that could do it justice, and the firm is already competitive with Harley-Davidson on the racetrack, if still well behind in showroom sales. After all the fighting over the name, Indian still faces the issue of cultural appropriation that has led to the rebranding of many U.S. sports teams. We will all have to wait and see how that plays out, but in the meantime, this most enduring of American marques rides on.

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The Scout, Indian’s top-selling model, has been a staple of the motorcycle brand’s revival since parent company Polaris reintroduced the name in 2015. For 2025, the entire Scout lineup will receive a complete refresh—that means five models with three trim levels, all getting some attention. Here are the highlights.

The main talking point is the new SpeedPlus engine. Displacing 1250cc, it’s a V-twin that packs the most power of any Indian powerplant thus far, with 105 horses for all models (except the 101 Scout, which packs a healthy 111 horsepower). The engine’s electronic fuel injection will allow for a flat torque curve, and should pair well with the bike’s six-speed gearbox. ABS is standard on all models, and select trims get multiple rider-selectable traction control along with ride modes that alter the tuning to suit individual tastes.

That new powerplant fits into a tried-and-true steel frame, as the design team was focused on integrating the history of the century-old model into the future. “Our top priority was to uphold the iconic namesake of Scout and ensure the new lineup is as timeless as all its predecessors,” said Ola Stenegärd, Director of Product Design for Indian Motorcycle.  “For us, it was imperative to keep it clean, follow the iconic lines of Scout, and create a package that offered seamless customization. To achieve this, it all started with the steel tube frame and all-new, V-twin engine.”

The three trim levels that can be applied to each model include: Standard, Limited, and Limited+Tech. The Standard includes new LED lighting and an analog gauge with newly introduced fuel level and fuel economy readouts. Stepping up to the limited adds the selectable rider modes, a USB power socket, traction control, and premium badging. The Limited+Tech changes out the standard gauge display for a touchscreen powered by Ride Command software that enables navigation at the rider’s fingertips and keyless push-button ignition.

The various models—Scout Bobber, Sport Scout, Scout Classic, Super Scout, and 101 Scout—each have their own technology suites and parts swap to tailor the bike to a different niche of the V-twin motorcycle market and will be rolling out to dealerships soon.

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BMW brings back the “clown shoe” with stunning new concept

Intake: BMW caused more than a few ripples on Italy’s Lake Como when it revealed its Concept Touring Coupe at this weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The two-seater shooting brake brings back fond memories of its clown shoe Z3 and Z4 M Coupes, although the company claims that the design was influenced from deeper in the annals of BMW history. “Its proportions and name are reminiscent of the BMW 328 Touring Coupé that won the Mille Miglia endurance race back in 1940,” says BMW. “The functionality of the shooting-brake concept is a nod to the BMW 02 Series model variants of the early 1970s, which featured “Touring” in their name to distinguish them from sedans.” Based on the current Z4 roadster, the Concept Touring Coupe adds a low roofline and trademark Hofmeister kink to the exterior, while the inside has been lavishly trimmed by Italian leather artisans Poltrona Frau and a matching set of luggage is provided by Modena’s Schedoni leather workshop.

Exhaust: BMW says that the Concept Touring Coupe is a one-off, but BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk told BMW Blog that “At least two or three people said ‘I want it.’” He added that a limited run of 50 units, like the 3.0 CSL, would be possible.—NB

375-hp SL 43 marks new entry point for droptop AMG bliss

Intake: Mercedes-AMG has introduced the SL 43, a new entry-level model for the AMG SL roadster lineup, arriving in U.S. dealerships in summer 2023 and starting from $109,900. The open-top 2+2-seater has an AMG-enhanced 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder M139 engine featuring an electric exhaust gas turbocharger derived from Formula 1 racing. The new form of turbocharging guarantees instantaneous throttle response across the entire rpm range to deliver an even more dynamic driving experience. The turbocharger is operated via the 48-volt electrical system, which also feeds the belt-driven starter-generator. As a result, the SL 43 has an output of 375 hp and a maximum torque of 354 lb-ft, Mercedes says. The transmission is a 9-speed automatic, with an estimated 0-to-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds.

Exhaust: The exterior of the rear-drive car is differentiated from the AMG SL 55 and AMG SL 63 with its unique front fascia and rear apron, as well as round instead of angular double tailpipe trim accents. The roadster features extensive standard equipment, while numerous options provide customers with a wide range of possibilities for individualization. The AMG SL 43 is fitted standard with 19-inch alloy wheels. Aerodynamically optimized 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels, which reduce air resistance through low turbulence, are optional. “Particularly sophisticated” are the available 20-inch wheels with “aero rings” that save additional weight. — Steven Cole Smith

Escalade IQ: Cadillac announces EV number 3

Intake: Cadillac has revealed that the third all-electric vehicle to join its portfolio will be its most famous model, the Escalade. Dubbed the Escalade IQ, the new model “promises the same commitment to craftsmanship, technology, and performance that has helped the Escalade nameplate dominate the large luxury SUV segment for the last 20 years,” says Cadillac. It joins the Lyriq and the Celestiq in the all-electric Cadillac lineup. There are no details about pricing, range, or specific arrivals yet. The car will be revealed in full later this year.

Exhaust: Unlike the Lyriq and the Celestiq, Cadillac did not drop the Escalade name for the new car and create a new nameplate with the “IQ” bit cheekily tacked onto the end of it. (Majestiq, anyone?) That’s because the Escalade nameplate carries such strong brand equity. Since the big body-on-frame SUV at the top of GM’s price ladder is getting an EV version, expect that all-electric versions of the GMC Yukon/Yukon XL and the Chevy Suburban/Tahoe are in the works as well. — Nathan Petroelje

Steve McQueen’s 1940 Indian Four just sold for almost $130,000

Intake: A 1940 Indian Four motorcycle owned by Steve McQueen fetched €119,500 ($129,142) on Collecting Cars, proving that King of Cool provenance continues to pack a premium. Although McQueen owned over 100 cars and bikes he had a particular fondness for Indians, as a 1946 Chief was his first motorcycle. “It was my first bike and I loved it,” he recalled. “But I was going with a girl who began to hate riding in the bumpy sidecar. She told me, “Either the cycle goes or I go!” Well, there was no contest. She went.” When this 1940 Four was sold from McQueen’s estate in 1984, his widow Barbara said that he rode it often. The bike was restored by its next owner and remained in the same family for 30 years. Its most recent owner hailed from Belgium where it was put up for auction.

Exhaust: Despite having no paperwork regarding its restoration and now showing signs of age, McQueen’s Indian achieved a rather impressive result. — Nik Berg

10 Dead at race in Baja California

Intake: In what was described as a “massacre,” assassins who wore masks and were armed with long guns attacked rally racers near the town of San Vicente, a municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, leaving at least 10 dead and 10 wounded. “The attack on civilians took place while the fifth edition of the so-called ‘Cachanillazo,’ an off-road racing event with razer type vehicles, was taking place,” reported Marca.com. “[ In] the area, located on the Transpeninsular highway, kilometer 90, of the San Vicente delegation, a gray van arrived, from which several people got out and began to shoot with long weapons against the drivers who were parked.” The immediate concern is that the historic Baja 500 road race starts May 31, and mile marker 330 on the course is essentially located where the killings took place. Cartel infighting is rumored.

Exhaust: So far, Score International, sanctioning body for the Baja 500, has not released any comments pertaining to possible changes in the Baja 500 route. At least 300 racers are entered, including P.J. Jones, the son of Parnelli, and former NASCAR racer Brendan Gaughan. — SCS

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Bad luck has struck Jay Leno again, landing him in the hospital with several broken bones.

While test riding his 1940 Indian motorcycle on January 17, he smelled a fuel leak:

“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Leno told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clotheslined me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.”

Leno explained to Hagerty that he figures he was going about 15 mph, just doing a U-turn in the parking lot. It could have been worse for him, but the Indian did not escape unscathed. The motorcycle was a sidecar, so it kept going and crashed into a building.

The 72-year-old comedian suffered a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two broken kneecaps. Leno was admitted to the hospital, figuring he’d be out and about the next day.

A few years ago he told Hagerty that he had “one more motorcycle crash in him.” Maybe this was it.

This all comes just as Leno was preparing to return to the stage in Las Vegas, after finally healing up from facial burns suffered while working on his White steam car. As a result, he opted to lie low and not tell the media about the motorcycle crash right away. “You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free,” Leno told the Review-Journal. “After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”

Leno understands both the risks and joys of motorcycle riding. The comedian said he’s generally been very lucky on bikes, including a couple of harrowing near-misses. In one instance, he was riding a custom Triumph for his YouTube series; the owner had run the crankcase breather tube out in front of the rear tire, so it was blowing oil all over the tire and he nearly lost control. Another time, while riding a Brough Superior, the wheel locked up just moments after he exited the freeway.

We wish Leno a speedy recovery. If history is any indication, he’ll be back in action soon.

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One of America’s greatest business leaders, Theranos impresario Elizabeth Holmes, was fond of saying, “First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, then you change the world.”

Alright. Maybe she wasn’t a great business leader—who saw that coming?—but the slightly ridiculous 1800cc, two-cylinder, leather-saddlebag, CHiPs-windshielded cruiser I’m trying to force through six stopped lanes of Los Angeles traffic can’t be taken as anything but an admission on the part of the Bayerische Motoren Werke that Harley-Davidson knows

a) what boys like;
b) what guys want …

… here in America, anyway. The press release says that the BMW R18 is a throwback/retro take on the company’s pre-WWII R5, and if you just look at the photos it almost seems plausible, but five minutes behind the bars of the new one will put the lie to any claims about mining BMW’s own past for inspiration. This massive motorcycle channels Milwaukee the same way the last few steroidal and ridiculous generations of BMW’s M3 resemble a Pontiac Trans Am far more than they do any svelte four-cylinder touring-sedan racer of the Eighties.

Now here’s the problem: Germans love Harley-Davidson, to the point that the “Eaglerider” bike-rental operations in Las Vegas and elsewhere often have bilingual employees whose second tongue is Deutsch, not Spanish. Formula One champion Michael Schumacher spent a dozen summers riding the American West on Harleys, owned a vintage Indian Chief, and even designed his own “bobber” around a Harley-Davidson engine. Every year more than thirty thousand bar-and-shield bikes are sold in Europe, the vast majority of those to Germany. BMW’s last attempt at building a “cruiser”-style bike, the funky R1200C seen beneath Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies, was a flop both here and and in Europe. So what makes BMW think that American buyers will ride a Bavarian pretzel, when even the German riders clearly prefer the real deal from Wisconsin?

Let’s return to that Elizabeth Holmes quote for a moment. When Bruce Brown released On Any Sunday in 1971, just in time to coincide with the arrival of the “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” on these shores in force, it seemed obvious that the future of motorcycling in the United States was Japanese, with a little bit of European snobbery thrown in to season the high end of the market. And so it was for more than two decades. Even a controversial tariff on large-displacement bikes, meant to save Harley-Davidson from unbeatable competition, simply resulted in American-made Gold Wings. There was no stopping the Japanese juggernaut …

… or so we thought. Any motorcyclist who crashed his bike in 1985, fell into a coma, and just woke up this year would be astounded at what happened to the market. In 2022, the “cruiser” is far and away the most popular motorcycle form factor, and Harley-Davidson is the market leader, selling bikes at Honda prices—only the Honda in question is the Odyssey minivan, not the CBR600 sportbike. The way people use motorcycles has changed, as well. The era of meeting “the nicest people” on two weeks as they make their way to work or shopping is long past. Today’s big-selling bikes are weekend toys and garage queens, used for short trips and brand-specific events.

The market for American-style cruisers is so massive nowadays that it supports a second large-scale American manufacturer. After years of trying to make their house-brand bikes resonate with customers, Polaris has finally decided to go all-in on the Indian marque, and the results have been impressive. Not only are the modern Indians very good, they’ve also forced Harley to drastically accelerate the pace of innovation in their own lineup.

“Serious” motorcyclists laughed at the cruiser market for a solid four decades, but in the end Harley and the potato-potato won, just like Elizabeth Holmes predicted. (I think.) If you want to make money in the American motorcycle game, you need something that competes directly with Harley. But it can’t be just a metric-scale copy of a Harley; the Japanese tried that and failed. Your Harley competitor needs to have some kind of independent “hook” on which to hang its raison-d’etre hat.

Which leads us back to the BMW R18, which is, not to put too fine a point on it, a cruiser for people who think they are too sophisticated, too nuanced, too good to ride a Harley-Davidson. One imagines the typical R18 buyer as someone whose friends are all on Harleys. He wants to go riding with those friends, and he wants to do all the “poker rallies” and whatnot, but he knows he’ll be a fish out of water on a traditional Beemer or Japanese bike. At the same time, he can’t stomach the idea of being a Harley guy. Think of the typical PCA/BMWCCA type. Someone whose identity is tied up in being Euro-adjacent, as they say.

Owning an R18 will let him do all the cruiser stuff while still feeling superior to his Harley buddies. And here’s the best part: the BMW is actually cheaper than its American equivalent. (Nobody has to know that.) It’s hard to option an R18 up to $20,000. And it’s ten grand cheaper to start than the $28,499 Indian Challenger Dark Horse that we’ve also taken on this Palm Desert motorcycle adventure, another alt-universe cruiser that uses an oddly-shaped fairing and a truly magnificent powertrain to stake out a different kind of difference from the Harleys, so to speak.

Since it would be a bit churlish to ride a couple of Harley substitutes without including the real thing, we’ve brought The Motor Company’s own alt-Harley along. The Heritage Classic splits the price difference between the Beemer and Indian, at just under twenty-three grand plus accessories, and it’s powered by a slightly heretical Harley engine: the 114-ci “Milwaukee-Eight” V-Twin, which drives four valves per cylinder with a single cam and pushrod valvetrain.

Alright. Let’s ride.

BMW R18

“This thing rides like fake patina looks.” Leave it to young Kyle Smith to sum up the R18 in a single cutting simile. He’s not wrong; although our test took place in the mountains above Palm Desert, CA, it was my job to shuttle the big Beemer to and from Los Angeles for said test and I never warmed up to it. Not even a little bit. There was never a moment of the ride when I would not have rather been on the Indian, or possibly on my old 2014 Honda CB1100. Our other Smith, yclept Sam, is similarly unsympathetic: “Reminds me of the McDonald’s in the Frankfurt airport.”

Alright, so the R18 isn’t charming, and there’s a slightly unpleasant air of what pro wrestlers call “kayfabe,” meaning fake, about the whole thing. Even the real-deal mechanical aspects of the motorcycle, such as the violent right-side rock that accompanies every start and every quick rev of the massive Boxer twin, feel contrived somehow. But it’s not a bad bike. Some parts of it are very well thought out. “The gearbox is a brainless delight,” Sam noted, dialing back the snark a little. “Fit and finish put the other bikes on the trailer, especially in plating and plastics/switchgear. Handling and damping easily outclass the others; it’s far more adjustable in the midcorner, and far more confidence-inspiring over lumpy stuff. Also far more fun to ride fast, if you give it the right ingredients. But you have to work at it. It rewards and seems to want a trained rider, where the other two make you feel good no matter what you do.”

Kyle is similarly complimentary about the engine software: “The rider modes, named Rock-Roll-Rain in decreasing order of throttle sensitivity, are effective, and rain mode neuters the big twins torque significantly.” All three of us agreed that the riding position was just plain odd; it’s close-coupled, knees-up, heavy on the back strain, and seemingly designed for a rider well south of six feet tall.

As the slowest and least graceful rider of our trio, I was always trailing Kyle and Sam by some distance in the mountains, but the R18 extended that gap significantly. Bereft of both the Indian’s massive power and the Harley’s comfortingly flexible chassis, I always felt that I was about to drag the cylinder heads on the ground in the corners, and when the road straightened out I had no ability to catch back up. The ride back to Los Angeles was miserable, with freezing rain and vicious crosswinds as we passed the famous Cabazon Dinosaurs, and I found myself unable to maintain highway speed in the worst of it. More than four hours’ worth of lane-splitting on the approach to LA pointed out another R18 drawback: that wide engine is a nightmare for getting between Cayennes and Suburbans on the 405. Time and time again I would make a move that felt absolutely death-defying, watching the running boards of a pickup truck pass the cylinder heads with a Bible-page’s worth of gap, only to look up and see Kyle impatiently tailgating me on the far narrower, and much more traffic-adept, Harley.

Let’s be cynical for a moment: if you want to attend cruiser-bike events in your neighborhood but despise the idea of riding an American anything, the R18 is just the ticket. It’s not expensive, it’s built well, and it looks the part. But there’s a sad irony in the way BMW imitates Harley-Davidson here. They started with their existing boxer-twin product, the world’s most comfortable and competent bike for Aerostitch-wearing grownups, then punished the thing until it felt crude and dopey enough to match their idea of what a cruiser was. Harley-Davidson, meanwhile, entered the modern bike market with a swap-meet budget and technology from the Twenties but have busted their humps since then to improve their products in every aspect from peak horsepower to iPhone connectivity.

Riding the R18 tells you a lot about how the people who built it view cruisers; it also suggests quite a bit about how the people who buy it will view cruisers. If those worldviews line up with yours, this is the cruiser for you—but we’d rather ride something that views the segment as a sum of positive qualities, not an assemblage of deliberately negative ones.

Indian Challenger Dark Horse

“So well-sorted, it makes the other two look and feel like comic-book answers.” Hard to disagree with Sam Smith here. If the R18 is defined by what it subtracts from the experience, the Challenger is a creature of addition. Take the stereotypical cruiser—and add:

• An astoundingly stout-hearted engine that can summon warp speed at any place on the tach or speedo;
• A goofy space-age fairing that nevertheless works perfectly at isolating the rider from the unpleasantries of the open road while effortlessly allowing the joy of it;
• Good-enough brakes;
• All the technology/nav/phone-integration you could want;
• An ethereal combination of soft springs and road grip, kind of like the best Caterham road cars;
• Good, solid luggage that is just a missing quick-release feature away from perfection.

Indian has a particular control language, for lack of a better phrase; everything you touch is big, sturdy, high-effort, unbreakable-feeling. For short rides, it’s an annoyance. After five hundred tired miles, you appreciate being able to stomp and punch the bike along like a strong-willed but eventually-obedient mule. Like its Roadmaster and Chieftain stablemates, this is a massive and unconscionably heavy motorcycle, and feels far more droppable than either the Beemer or the Harley, but that same unapologetic mass lets it run at triple digits on the cruise control in absolute S-Class-on-the-Autobahn confidence.

This is the most expensive bike in our test, and you never forget that, not for a single moment. Because it’s worth it. The most fascinating part of the new-generation Indians, for your humble author at least, is how fragile and insubstantial a Harley feels in comparison. Like BMW, the nice people at Polaris have leaned-in on an interpretation of “cruiser” that isn’t strictly drawn from reality. The difference is that the Challenger feels designed to exceed the Harley, not dumb down to it.

Both of our Smiths called the Challenger Dark Horse a “beast,” and that’s accurate. It’s big, strong, confident in its virtues, and absolutely adequate to the task of running flat-out across the American West. What it is not: just a Harley clone. It wants to be better than that. In some ways, it is. There’s just one little problem: The new Harleys are a lot better than the old ones.

Harley Heritage Classic

Could this be the worst gearbox in modern motorcycling? If it isn’t, I can’t imagine what could beat it for the title. Sam Smith: “Neutral is nonexistent. Next to impossible to find when hot, and simply not in the gearbox when cold. Every one of us sat there going 2-1-2-1-2-1 over and over again, trying to find it.”

Kyle Smith: “The throw of the shifter is long even into first, and the thwack of the gears gnashing together … cracks. It’s not the sound of cracking off a home run, or even line drive. It’s not an intentional sound. It’s … haphazard.” Our experience with the Harley’s transmission was so bad that I’m going to find another Heritage Classic as soon as I can, just to see if “they all do that.” Regardless, this is one motorcycle that requires a test ride before purchase, just to see if you can live with the powertrain.

The rest of it, happily, requires no such resigned accommodation. The Milwaukee-Eight didn’t impress my young Smiths very much but as a veteran of many long miles on previous-generation Harley engines I found it charming, particularly in its eagerness to rev. There’s no engineered-in drama like you have with the R18 or Challenger, both of which have pixelated “character” added by some multi-million-dollar CAD-aided crankshaft calculations. This is just a classic V-twin doing its best to offer adequate power down low and an extended redline up top. It’s not the Honda S2000 of cruisers; that was probably the old Harley V-Rod. It’s like the Integra GS-R of cruisers. More space at the top of the tach than you’d expect, and cheerful about getting there.

Which is nice, given how unpleasant the transmission is to use.

Sam notes that “It somehow manages to feel more calculated than the Indian and less cynical than the BMW. It’s just a company doing one thing, the way it has always done it, and trying to maintain that idea against the winds of progress.” I disagree; to me this is an ambitious effort, from the powertrain to the electronics. But if you’re not in the culture, I can see how it doesn’t look particularly progressive.

Where Sam and I agree, however, is regarding the friendly and (literally) flexible road demeanor of the thing. “The bars are awfully flexible—they visibly bend without a lot of effort. It’s noticeable while pushing the bike around in a lot, or lifting yourself out of the seat at speed for a moment to relieve spine pain. Have to assume this impacts how the steering feels and reacts, and yet the thing tracks arrow-straight under most conditions, and bends into a corner consistently.” I personally felt most comfortable in the mountains on the Harley. It reminded me of a titanium-framed road bicycle; you see a fast bend, you start pressing down on the bars, and the frame conforms to the maximum safe speed. How odd, for a Harley to be the corner-carver of the group!

Some of the traditional Harley aesthetics rubbed all of us the wrong way; in particular, the turn signals and instrumentation seem designed for nothing more serious than a cruise-in at the local Sonic. This is so clearly a modern engineering effort that it seems incongruous to have it behave like a 1995 Softail in this regard. Oh well. If you want something that wears its modernity on its sleeve, try the Indian Challenger.

A quick glance through the Harley site shows that the Heritage Classic amounts to a value play of sorts, and the changes for 2022, including making the 114ci engine standard across all color schemes, reinforce that. That being said, one of the reasons that Harley-Davidson owns the bike market in this country is their astounding variety of models and options within those models. So while the BMW R18 is very much an this-or-nothing proposition, customers who don’t like the Heritage Classic might find their needs met elsewhere in the Harley dealership.

The conclusion, in which nothing is concluded

It’s difficult to imagine these three bikes being cross-shopped to any extent—not the way someone might look at a Mustang and a Camaro, or even an M3 and a 1LE-package Camaro. In particular, the R18 seems more of a customer-retention tool for BMW than a foundation for a future product strategy. One thing is for certain, however: For the next ten years at least, the cruiser market is the only market that matters for the manufacturers. They’ll need to take it seriously. In the words of another borrowed Elizabeth Holmes quote: When it comes to selling cruisers, you can’t just “try.” You have to do it. Right now, Harley and Indian do it better than anyone else.

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James Hewitt is the Hagerty Valuation team’s resident motorcycle maven, having owned more than a hundred classic bikes. He finds zen in analyzing motorcycle valuation data for Insider.

To ride a motorcycle is to feel freedom. It’s a feeling many people seem to be chasing at the moment. Superbike maker Ducati, for instance, reported record Q3 and Q4 sales after taking a beating early in the pandemic. We observed the same with classic bikes: 34 percent more motorcycles were added to Hagerty policies in the summer of 2020 than in the summer of 2019.

That much increased interest is bound to shake up the market. By studying our insurance data, along with the bikes people viewed on the new Hagerty Motorcycle Price Guide, we’ve been able to identify nine motorcycles from five market segments that we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout 2021.

Homologation sportbikes: Plastic is now classic

As is the case with cars, motorcycle manufacturers often have to build a limited-production, road-going version of their racing models in order to satisfy competition requirements. Proximity to motorsports has always been a factor in motorcycle collecting, but until somewhat recently, the homologation specials of the 1980s and ’90s, recognizable for their plastic fairings, appealed only to a small crowd. Now, like 1980s homologation rally cars, the rare, high-performance motorcycles of that era are getting more attention.

1984–1986 Yamaha RZ500

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $20,500

The RZ500, never sold in the United States, was a road-going replica of the Yamaha YZR500 GP. Emphasis here on “GP,” rather than road-going. A two-stroke engine defines motorcycles for a certain generation—the smell of premix, the distinctive ring ding of the pistons firing, and the whack of its powerband—and a 500cc V4 two-stroke GP bike is the absolute pinnacle of this sensory experience.

At $20k for a nice example the RZ500 already isn’t cheap, but think of it like renting a Ferrari in Tuscany and then falling in love with it. It’s an experience, and people will pay to be able to have that experience whenever they want.

Riders who came of age when two-stroke bikes were new (70 percent of Hagerty members who own an RZ500 were in their teens or twenties when the bike came out) are in the prime of their buying activity now. We’re watching the V4 two-strokes such as the RZ500 and Suzuki RG500 to see whether prices climb even higher or if buyers pass them over for later four-strokes.

2003–2006 Ducati 999R

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $18,100

The Pierre Terblanche-designed Ducati 999 lasted only four years before a complete redesign. The 916, 996, and 998 that preceded it together lasted nine years. Why the quick turnaround? Well, the 999 wasn’t lovingly embraced when it came out. It was a massive departure from previous Ducati styling, and the stacked headlights looked more train than motorcycle.

Over the past couple of years, though, the 999 has gained a following and its values have started to pitch upwards (from a low of $5k two years ago for a base model 999 rider to $6k–$7k now.) At the top of the range is the 999R, a limited-production homologation superbike that had an MSRP of over $30k (a first at the time). These have never been cheap bikes, and most have long been with riders who appreciate their machines. We suspect that as the appreciation for the styling grows, collectors will start paying a premium to pry the rare 999R (especially limited-build Fila- and Xerox-liveried models), out of owners’ hands.

1980s Dirt Bikes: Vintage off-roading thrills on a four-figure budget

With 1980s nostalgia in vogue and enthusiasm for off-road collector vehicles on the rise, there’s a neat opening for 1980s dirt bikes, which are fun, affordable, and simple to maintain—and take up less space in a garage than a vintage SUV. They also make a good, relatively cheap prospect for thrill-seekers hoping to relive the “good ol’ days” after being shut inside for quarantine. Because so many of these motorcycles were used as intended, relatively few survive in clean condition.

1979–89* Kawasaki KX60, KX80

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $1,200

You may not have expected to see this bike on the list (we certainly didn’t), but Hagerty Motorcycle Price Guide traffic to the Kawasaki KX60 and KX80 in 2020 was over 3x higher than in 2019. That got our attention.

The KX80 launched in 1979 to a growing mini-bike segment—by 1980 all four major Japanese bike manufacturers were competing. The competition from the Honda CR80R, Suzuki RM80, and Yamaha YZ80 (the latter of which had been the segment’s go-to racer) was fierce against the lagging Kawasaki, but every year Kawasaki improved. By 1983 the KX80 had gained water cooling and a mono-shock, and the new KX60 was introduced. These two bikes would go on to launch the careers of many professional motocross racers and eventually inspired the success of Kawasaki Team Green, the most successful youth motocross development program in history.

With riders wanting to relive their youth and finding themselves willing to spend extra for something fun, the early motocross racers are primed to see an uptick. The acceptance of plastic in the collectible mainstream also helps the case.

*We know this bike was made well beyond the ’80s, but we’re focusing on this decade.

1979–1984 Honda XR500

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $3,700

“Ridden hard, put away wet” describes many a Honda XR series. The XR500 was a cheap dirt bike for so many years that there aren’t many nice examples left. The combination of attrition and nostalgia is leading buyers to pay a premium for XRs in the best condition.

Last week, for example, a pair of XR80s sold for $13,650. It’s not uncommon for one huge sale of a particular vehicle to light a fire, bringing more examples to market and leading to more big sales. We’ve seen it happen with cars several times. Just look at the current Dodge Viper market. Now, we’re waiting to see how these big XR thumpers perform and whether any pristine original examples pop up at auction. They could spark the ’80s enduro market.

Niche Italians: Riding the Japanese superbike wave?

1975–1980 MV Agusta 750 S America

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $81,000

The MV Agusta 750 S is one of the most stunning motorcycles of the early ’70s, and perfect examples demand over $100k, like the 1973 model that sold for $137,500 in Las Vegas last year. After the 750S came the 750S America, which lasted from 1975 to 1980 and came in a few different forms. It lost the classic styling but maintained the hand-built exotica and evolved to focus more on a grand prix-racing experience.

When new, the 750 S America cost three times more than the the Honda CB750s and Kawasaki Z1 of the day. Today, Japanese superbike values are climbing higher every year, having nearly doubled over the past five years. It remains to be seen if late ’70s Italian superbikes from niche manufacturers like MV Agusta can ride the wave of Japanese value gains. We certainly see more interest: 32 percent more 750S Americas were added to Hagerty clients’ collections in 2020 than in 2019. But increased demand doesn’t always translate to higher prices, as the market can get flooded with examples for sale. That seems to be happening to the Ducati 750SS round case: In 2019 one sold for $247,500 sale at Mecum Vegas, but when Mecum brought twice as many to auction in 2020, prices stalled.

British Icons: Will classic cool appeal to a new generation?

British motorcycles have an unparalleled tradition, offer visceral sensations, and distinct style. The enduring design of bikes like the Triumph Bonneville, for example, are proof positive that their appeal transcends generations. But are buyers always going to be willing to pay a premium for the early greats?

1948–55 Vincent Black Shadow

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $94,500

The Vincent Black Shadow is one of the best known motorcycles outside of the bike world. When car collectors step into the motorcycle market, they tend to bring a lot of money with them, and many of them eye a Vincent as a decorative element for their pristine garages. The Black Shadow isn’t just art, though. Considered one of the world’s first superbikes, it kept the top-speed record for a production motorcycle all the way to the debut of the 1973 Kawasaki Z1.

Values for these venerable bikes have been sliding from their peak in 2016. The number added to insurance policies with Hagerty slowed some 57 percent 2020 even as other bikes gained ground. The increase in Vincents insured in large collections (five vehicles or more) similarly slowed last year and trails what we’re seeing for other bikes. In other words, deep-pocketed car collectors seem to be turning their gaze elsewhere.

As values drop, this could go one of two ways for Black Shadows: Buyers may decide Vincents are suddenly deals and snap them up, or the perception could be that the ship has sailed.

1959–1962 Triumph Pre-unit Bonneville

#2-condition (Excellent) value: $15,500

The Triumph Bonneville is more than just a motorcycle. It represents an entire era of British bikes and a certain bad-boy lifestyle.

To many Baby Boomers, this is the bike. A modern remake, which came out in 2001, has been a large factor in reviving the Triumph brand and proves there’s multi-generational appeal, but the jury is still out on whether younger buyers will prize the originals.

We’ll thus be watching the most expensive of these bikes, known as “pre-unit” Bonnevilles because the crankcase, primary case, and gearbox were separate items bolted together externally. In 1963 the bike was improved with “unit” construction that combined the crankcase, primary, and gearbox into one. This reduced the weight and set the style for all Bonneville engines to come. Nevertheless, the early pre-unit bikes are rarer and lead the way for Bonneville values.

Those values have plateaued recently at less than $20k. If younger collectors show interest, expect prices to stay there, but if they shift toward Japanese bikes, they might fall.

Harleys vs. Indians: The rivalry continues

We can’t examine the classic motorcycle market without talking about Harleys—and we can’t talk about Harleys without also mentioning Indians. Starting in the early 1900s, the two battled on the race track and showroom in a war that lasted five decades before Harley ultimately prevailed, but in the classic motorcycle market, the two brands have long performed similarly. As time goes on, and the demographics of the collector bike market change, will Indians and Harleys remain in lockstep, or will their values diverge?

1936–47 Harley-Davidson EL/FL Knucklehead

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $70,800

We recently looked at this question from the Harley standpoint. Those worried about their old Harleys sitting unwanted by the younger collectors will be pleased to know the data shows millennials are willing to pay a premium. In the last two years, Millennials have quoted prewar Harleys at values 19 percent higher than Boomers, 12 percent higher than Gen–X and equal to preboomers. The sample size is small, but the evidence that millennials will pay real money for collectible Harleys holds all the way through the ’60s, where the sample sizes become significant.

We thus expect prices will continue to appreciate for the Knucklehead (named for the way its cylinder head makes a fist shape). The bike helped shape a distinctive style for Harley, and even today its iconic large fenders and wide tires can be found throughout the brand’s lineup.

2020 saw a new record for a Knucklehead when the “Greenie” bike sold for $220k. Will a Knuckle selling for $50K–$70K continue to entice, or is the ceiling within sight? For now, it looks like Millennials and Gen-Xers value them just as much as the older generations.

1940–1953 Indian Chief

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $32,300

Values for Harleys and Indians have always been closely linked. When looking at average quote values of 1953 and older Harleys and Indians, they track similar trajectories. If one is up, the other is up. If one goes down, the other is down, too.

A major (if obvious) difference between the brands, though, is that one ceased to exist for nearly six decades. We wondered if that long absence might cool interest among younger collectors.

Indian fans will be pleased to know it hasn’t in the slightest. Gen–X and Millennial collectors quote Indians at higher values than both Baby Boomers and Preboomers.

The Indian Chief, one of the brand’s most famous and longest-running models, debuted in 1922 and left the market in 1953, but it is the 1940–53 models, with their swooping skirt fenders and sprung rear ends, that are the most famous. In 1950 the Chief gained telescopic forks (Harley gained these on the Panhead in 1949) and a larger 80cid engine. By 1953 the factory closed for good until revitalization efforts by companies in the late ’90s and a successful revival by Polaris in 2011.

Tracking sales in 2021 of the elegant 1940 and later Chief, and comparing them to those of contemporary Harleys, should shed more light on whether these brands transcend generations. We’ll also get to see whether these iconic American motorcycle brands continue to share a destiny in the collector bike market, or if their fates will begin to diverge.

***

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If you wanted to be among the top 10 motorcycles at Mecum Indy, you could have bought or sold anything from rare turn-of-the-century American bikes to Japanese and British ’70s superbikes, to 2000s American iron. Whatever your taste, let’s look at the top 10 motorcycles at Mecum Indy 2020.

1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead Chopper

Sold for $14,300

Knuckleheads are all about the engine. The stampings must be correct and looked over with a fine-tooth comb and every part verified it is original from the model year. Any deviations detract greatly from the value. When one of these valuable engines is in a chopper, you get an interesting combination of a valuable engine in a custom and chopped package. Love it or hate it, these have a cult following and some riders love ’em. To some it’s a lifestyle play, to others it’s an art play.

1979 Honda CBX

Sold for: $14,850

Combine one of the best-sounding motorcycle engines ever made with classic ’70s naked-bike styling and you get one of Honda’s most recognizable models. With #1 values north of $23K, collectors are buying up clean CBXs and paying top dollar for them. Just make sure the exhausts are original and don’t have rust at the welds to the headers, as this is a big sticking point for CBXs. This one looks to be in 2- (Excellent minus) condition and sold for 3.5 percent over condition appropriate HPG value.

1952 Harley-Davidson Servi-Car

Sold for: $15,400

To  some, a classic Harley covered in grime and rust (or patina, as some call it) looks better than a perfectly restored bike. The Servi-car here fits the bill. These Servi-cars were built by Harley to serve utilitarian purposes and often got put into police duty, but nowadays they are mostly admired at parades or shows rather than pulling over Al Capone’s luxury sedan or serving parking tickets in New York. This one has a patina that can only come from years of service wear and tear, followed by being tucked away in a barn for years, and the buyers paid up for it. It sold for just above 3+ (Good plus) values.

2007 Ridley Autoglide Classic Trike

Sold for: $18,700

If the buyer of the Servi-car wanted something a little more modern, then this is the ticket. Ridley is a small manufacturer that I’d never heard of until today, but it appears that its main product is an automatic-transmission trike. At a time when drivers and riders are valuing usability over collecting dust, an automatic trike will appeal to many as a way to get out and explore.

2001 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide

Sold for: $19,800

From old Knuckleheads to new Sportsters, Harleys are synonymous with being customized in a minor or major way to fit a rider’s personal style. This Dyna Super Glide is not one of them, and it likely will remain untouched and on display for many years to come. It was previously owned by Jay Leno, displayed on The Tonight Show stage for 30 days, and was signed by each guest. Then Leno auctioned it on eBay to benefit the Twin Towers Fund. The price then was $360,200—that’s about 1719 percent more than it went for this time around.

1975 Kawasaki Z1

Sold for $20,350

The Z1 was Kawasaki’s answer to Honda’s first superbike, the CB750, and it was a better bike in many ways. As Japanese superbikes are finally getting the respect they deserve in the collector market, due to their historical significance, style, and power (collectors want to ride their bikes nowadays). Don’t expect to see these disappear from the road though; owners are still out there using them as reliable transportation. The first-year 1973 Z1 is worth the most, but the later Z1A and Z1B are creeping closer. This one sold for 9 percent over #1 values.

1975 Norton Commando 850

Sold for: $24,200

It shook. It leaked. It rattled. It flexed. Then it got bored-out 100cc, two disc brakes, and an electric start, and it became the bike it always should have been.  In the late ’60s and ’70s, the Brits were always playing catch up with their Japanese rivals who always seemed to provide the customer more for less in a more reliable package. No one was able to provide the soul and character of the British bikes, though, and they defined an era of motorcycling for the Boomer generation. This Commando brought an extremely high price, selling for nearly 80 percent above the #1 value.

1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane

Sold for $27,500

The Triumph Hurricane takes the prize of one of the most “70s” 1970s bikes. The Hurricane had a psychedelic style with bright orange paint and swooping bodywork designed by Craig Vetter, made famous by creating fiberglass touring fairings at a time when manufacturers weren’t attaching them stock. The Hurricane was limited to 1200 units and launched at a time when BSA went bankrupt and the British market struggled to touch the heels of the technologically advanced Japanese bikes coming in fast. Nowadays, the limited production and unique styling bring top dollar, and this one sold for 4 percent over #1 values.

1918 Indian Board Track Racer

Sold for: $40,700

Indian board track racers strike a chord with most any racing enthusiast, and they bring back an era of racers risking their lives far beyond any risk seen today. Values for these fluctuate vastly, based on what reproduction parts are present, their known history, and overall condition. Like with the Servi-car above, however, patina, rust, and grime only add to the appeal, and board track racers are often seen with faked patina. This one looks like a solid example that isn’t missing anything major.

1911 Pierce-Arrow Four

Sold for $225,500

Four cylinders and about 700ccs weren’t just for the CB750. The Pierce Four was introduced 60 years earlier, in 1909, as the first four-cylinder American motorcycle. It could only muster a max speed of 60 mph, but that was fast for the day, especially when it was able to do it with minimal vibration from its smooth engine. Early models had fixed gears and no clutch, but this 1911 model brought in more usability with a clutch and two-speed transmission. The bike is likely destined for a personal collection or museum, but with the popularity of events like the Motorcycle Cannonball, it just might happen to be out on the road one day.

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Just like cars, motorcycles are treasured collectibles. Despite their desirability, however, they trade hands on average at far lower values than cars. The car auction record, too, is nearly 50 times that of the motorcycle auction record. Generally, the lower end of the bike market is full of nostalgia-driven purchases; the top is littered with historical significance and racing pedigree.

Based on digital views of our newly-released Hagerty Motorcycle Price Guide, here are the 10 bikes in which Hagerty is seeing the most interest, arranged by price from low to high.

1968–73 Honda CB, CL and SL 350

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $4900

The 350 Hondas improved upon the CA/CB/CL77 models to create what was to become one of the most loved Honda models. It seems like everyone in the late ’60s had one or at least knew someone who did, and that’s because the CB350 was the best-selling motorcycle in the world the very first year it was introduced, for 1968. The electrics were more reliable with a strong 12-volt system, the styling was updated and modern, and the five-speed gearbox meant 90 mph was attainable.

1959–69 Honda CA77 Dream Touring

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $6000

The CA77 was the touring version of the CB/CL77, and it featured styling that was distinctive from any other motorcycles on the road. The affordable price and excellent reliability that Honda was quickly becoming known for was cemented with the Dream, and in the ’60s it became a youth favorite. The pressed steel frame and forks, plus features like an enclosed chain, meant that it was a great bike for a variety of weather and road conditions. That also, however, led to many Dreams being used heavily in the elements. Nice, original ones are hard to come by today.

1965–68 Honda CL77

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $6700

The Honda CL77 was the off-road cousin of the CB77 Superhawk and CA77 Dream models; a whole line of bikes that shared massive success. The CL77 featured high scrambler pipes, tall bars, and 19-inch wheels that allowed it to easily go from town to the desert; so much so that many racers adopted the bike as their go-to desert racer, and it helped set the scene for the light-weight scramblers to come.

1969–78 Honda CB 750

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $9100

More Honda! The Honda CB750 is the motorcycle that completely changed America’s motorcycle market. At a time when a buyer could have reliability, speed, and affordability but only choose two, the CB750 allowed them to choose all three. Honda was so unsure of the success coming that it didn’t want to invest in diecast molds, instead opting for sandcasting, and the first 7414 bikes produced in 1969 had sandcast engine cases. By the end of 750’s production run, Honda had made almost 450,000 examples and solidified the CB750 as the first superbike attainable by common folk.

1979–82 Honda CBX

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $15,150

The CBX is not the first production motorcycle with six cylinders—that honor goes to the Benelli Sei—but it perhaps is the most memorable. Honda produced the bike for only four years and made it more touring-oriented in the last two years. Despite the short production run, it proved that Honda was still willing to invest in radical motorcycles at a time when the company was becoming, according to some, too predictable.

1972–75 Kawasaki Z1

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $15,900

Not a Honda, you say? The Kawasaki Z1 was Kawasaki’s response to being beat to the punch by Honda’s CB750. That response became the new world’s fastest production motorcycle and Cycle World’s New Motorcycle of the Year during the whole production run. The Z1 took the CB750’s formula of bringing speed and reliability to the masses, and then one-upped it with 15 more horsepower—a big bump, in the ’70s. That set the tone for the horsepower wars to come.

1961–69 BMW R60/2 and R69S

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $16,300

The BMW R60/2 and R69S, the latter being the more powerful version, were built as rugged and reliable workhorses but quickly became the go-to touring motorcycles of the ’60s. Instantly recognizable by the Earles fork suspension that reduced front-end dive under braking, the R60/2 and R69S were known for their strong reliability and extremely high quality. These motorcycles are some of the only models from the era that are regularly found showing more than 30,000 miles.

1946–53 Indian Chief

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $32,900

With some of the most distinctive colors adorning their swooping fenders—thanks to a merger with DuPont Motors—the Chief is one of the only famous American motorcycles that is not a Harley-Davidson. The Chief was built as a competitor to Harley’s big twins, and the model remained in production from 1922–53. If looking for something more modern, a buyer can get a brand new take on the Chief from the revived Indian Motorcycle company today, swooping fenders and all.

1936–47 Harley-Davidson EL/FL Knucklehead

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $70,800

The Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, known by that name because of the way the head makes a fist shape, is one of the most recognizable and prized motorcycles in American history. It was introduced before WWII and then ended production soon after. Since then the style has become iconic, and the model set the stage for Harleys today. The Knucklehead served as both a pleasure bike for soldiers returning from war and a workhorse for government employees. To this day it remains one of the most desirable Harley models.

1948–55 Vincent Black Shadow

Average #2-condition (Excellent) value: $94,500

Considered one of the world’s first superbikes, the Black Shadow maintained a production top-speed record all the way until the 1973 Kawasaki Z1. With its iconic black paint, gold pinstriping, and brushed aluminum pieces, the Black Shadow is a staple of any automotive collection, whether you’re a full-on bike nut or not.

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