‘American made’ has a sense of pride with it. It’s not just patriotism, or a blind belief that this country is the best. We care about quality, and workmanship, and that is why when someone wants the best of the best, they will still come to the land of the free and the home of the brave. The best guitars are made here. The Bugatti Veyron’s top speed record was shattered by an American car – on public American roads! And while other countries might make cheaper or more cost-effective motorcycles, there are still some American motorcycles that can go the distance.The typical American motorcycle is a laid-back cruiser with an unstressed engine, so we know that the engine will last for a very long time. That means it won’t be much of a surprise that a list of ten American motorcycles that last forever is dominated by cruisers and tourers. There is a surprise or two present, though.To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from authoritative sources, such as Harley-Davidson, Indian Motorcycle, and Buell Motorcycles. We’ve ordered the list in order of increasing price. Indian Scout Sixty Bobber Price: $9,999 Indian MotorcycleThe new generation of entry-level cruisers from Indian mark a big shift in attitude for the manufacturer. Not only is the base price of the Scout Sixty now below $10,000, this is legitimately one of the best first cruisers to buy. It has a liquid-cooled engine that is a stressed member of the chassis, and no real electronics in base form. You will have to upgrade to the $11,699 Scout Sixty Bobber Limited to unlock more colors, and features like cruise control, traction control, ride modes, and a USB charger. Indian Chief Price: $14,999 Indian MotorcycleThe Chief is the most affordable of the Indian models that uses the traditional American cruiser template – downtube frame, twin rear shocks, and long-stroke, air-cooled V-twin engine. The base Indian Chief hasn’t been fitted with the larger engine from the Sport Chief, but it is all the better for it. This is the kind of cruiser that allows you to cruise rather than to hurry along being a sporty rider on a cruiser – which bodes well for the longevity of the motorcycle! It has a smattering of useful tech as well, like rear cylinder deactivation, ride modes, ABS, and keyless ignition, although it eschews digital instrumentation. Harley-Davidson Sportster S Price: $15,999 Harley-DavidsonThe Sportster S is one of the new (and current) generation of Sportster models. The Nightster and Sportster S have replaced the older Sportster models like the Iron 883. There is a sea change here: a trellis frame chassis, engine as a stressed member, a wholly liquid-cooled short-stroke V-twin with variable valve timing on all its valves, a six-speed gearbox… the list goes on. As a result, the Sportster S is happy to do whatever you ask of it, and it rides and handles like a modern bike. Its large engine and focus on torque rather than outright power mean that longevity will be good. Buell 1190SX Price: $19,995 Buell MotorcycleThe 1190SX and Hammerhead twins have been around for a fair amount of time, and neither has changed much in that time. They both get the 1,190 V-twin Buell engine that makes 185 horsepower and 102 pound-feet of torque. The 1190SX has all the strange things that make Buells wonderful, like the rim-mounted front brake, and the fact that the chassis is also the sump for the engine oil. You can also opt for all bodywork made with carbon fiber. The non-standard parts mean that sourcing them in the aftermarket might be tricky, but if you look at Ulysses XB12X owners, they’re doing fine a decade and a half after the model was discontinued. Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Price: $22,599 Harley-DavidsonThe Fat Boy has been around for a few decades, and there is no doubt that will be around in a few decades as well. This is one of The Motor Company’s most popular models, and it soldiers on with tweaks to everything while retaining its distinctive look. Its popularity and the relaxed tune of the Milwaukee Eight 117 that currently powers it mean that it will be reliable and easy to maintain for a long time. Harley-Davidson Road King Special Price: $24,999 Harley-DavidsonThe Road King Special remains one of the few Harleys still on sale with the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. In this case, the engine matches its retro looks perfectly. This engine is the star here: the power and torque peak are miles apart, hinting at its ridiculous flexibility. And that means longevity. The Road King is built to be a tourer, which means it is robust enough to handle multi-day rides with a pillion and luggage. The daily grind will be a doddle for them. Indian Springfield Dark Horse Price: $24,999 Indian MotorcycleIndian has slowly been adding more performance to its products, and one of the upgraded ones is the Springfield Dark Horse. It is Indian’s equivalent of the Road King, but unlike the Road King, it uses a completely air-cooled power unit. It has been upgraded to the Thunderstroke 116, so it doesn’t make much power, but a stump-pulling 126 pound-feet of torque is available below 3,000 RPM. It also has a number of surprisingly modern features like keyless ignition, luggage that locks remotely, tire pressure monitoring, and ride modes. However, it prefers to keep its instrumentation simple with an analog cluster. Harley-Davidson Road Glide Price: $27,999 Harley-DavidsonIt wasn’t too long ago that the Road Glide was powered by the same engine that powers the Road King Special today. However, since then, Harley has upgraded the Road Glide to the Milwaukee Eight 117, so power and torque have been bumped up to 105 horsepower and 130 pound-feet. This is also a reasonably high-revving engine, and has reliability thanks to the unique design that uses liquid cooling for the heads. The Road Glide chassis has proven that it can take a lot more power (see: CVO Road Glide RR, with its crate engine upgrades), and the engine is reliable enough for touring in stock form. This one will last. Indian Roadmaster PowerPlus Limited Price: $31,999 Indian MotorcycleThe Roadmaster is one of the best tourers Indian has to offer, and it used to be offered only with the Thunderstroke engine that we’ve written about already, but recently, Indian shoehorned the PowerPlus liquid-cooled engine into it, We first saw this engine in the Pursuit, and it lends itself capably to the Roadmaster as well. We’ve picked the PowerPlus 108 here because the PowerPlus 112 is a relatively new powerplant, whereas the 108 has been around for a few years now. The Roadmaster’s features include a 7-inch TFT color display that is flanked by analog clocks with LCD components. So you’ll keep going without the screen, too! Surprise: Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883 Price: NA, Discontinued Harley-DavidsonThe Iron 883 is one of the previous generation of Sportsters, and it was around for 13 years before Harley pulled the plug on it in 2022. This was replaced by the Nightster, which is a very different motorcycle. The air-cooled Evolution V-twin engine powering the Iron 883 had reached the zenith of its development by the time the Iron reached the end of its life, which means it was reliable as well. This unstressed engine, traditional downtube chassis and twin rear shocks all mean that keeping an Iron 883 going isn’t a big challenge. That’s why picking up a used one might make a lot of sense – and here’s how much one will cost.
