The used market offers several deals if you know where to look and how much to haggle. In this case, we know that Indians don't retain their value particularly well, which means, as used motorcycles, they often depreciate into bargains. So much so that if you're eying a new Harley-Davidson, you can get something from a segment above from the Indian stable. And since, as humans, we've always wanted more, wouldn't you grab the chance to get a better bike for less money? That is what we are looking for today.We're talking a new Harley Softail as a base here, with the range starting from $14,999. That's the base price for a basic kit, and you will want to spend more than that. But for less money, you can avail of the opportunity to net yourself an Indian touring motorcycle with more comfort, more features, and an engine with just as much character and soul. What Makes The Harley-Davidson Softail A Standard Harley-DavidsonTo first judge what makes the Softail range such an attractive proposition for most, we have to delve into the reason cruisers are so popular. They tend to be good-looking, they have a giant V-twin engine with lots of torque, and they have the right badge on the tank. Now, Harley does have the new Sportster series that uses a modern chassis and engine, but for the purist and the traditionalist, the Softail range is where it's at.Harley-DavidsonThe Softail range today gives you everything from a bobber-style model all the way up to a sport cruiser and a dragster-style bike with more power. Since the Softail range is so popular, there's a massive aftermarket available, and the cradle frame allows these motorcycles to be customized quite easily as well. What it won't get you, though, is proper touring credentials. That's where the used Indian examples come in. Why Buying A Used Indian Can Make So Much Sense Indian Chieftain Elite vs Harley-Davidson CVO Street GlideIndian is a direct competitor to Harley-Davidson, and if you look carefully at its range, you'll find models and variants that match up equally to Harley's models and variants. But more often than not, the Indians deliver more value even when new. And with Indian's habit of getting new ownership every once in a while, it means the resale value dips a lot more than the equivalent Harleys.That's not to say that Indians aren't good products, especially since Polaris took over the brand and gave it a new lease of life in the mid-2010s. Indian has had some very good products on sale. Some of those have depreciated hard in 2026, and taking $15,000 as the baseline, you can get one solid full-dresser machine. The 2017 Indian Roadmaster Rivals The Harley-Davidson Softail At A Lower Price Indian MotorcycleIf you're willing to let go of one more year and get a 2017 MY Indian, you can go up the ladder of models and get yourself a Roadmaster over the Chieftain. Picking the Roadmaster means you'll get many more features as expected from a full-dress tourer. Not only that, if you get certain options like the two-tone colorway, you will get something that looks retro in the best way possible. The best part is that by giving up just that one model year, you get something that is cheaper than the other two. The Very Definition Of ‘Value For Money’ At launch, the Roadmaster range was a near-$30,000 product. Of course, there were variants that cost less than that and others that cost more than that, but what isn't in doubt is that every customer would have added some options or the other to it. Nine years later, the recommended price for a Roadmaster is $13,050. That is depreciation of well over 50 percent.If you can, try to get yourself the two-tone variant because that was a $1,000+ option. You might also want to look at whether it has hard luggage or leather luggage, both of which were options. The Roadmaster Elite was a different kettle of fish. That was a limited production flagship that was sold for well over $40,000 new. It had 23-karat gold leaf accents, so it will not follow the pricing rules that are applicable to the other variants. The Thunderstroke 111 Was Already A Mature Design By 2017 Indian MotorcycleIndian launched its Thunderstroke series of engines in 2013, and they were released to the market in 2014. The Thunderstroke 111 was present at that time, so by 2017, it was a mature design. Translation: there will be no big reliability issues from the driveline of a 2017 Roadmaster. This engine, as the name suggests, was a wholly air-cooled one that displaced 1,811 cc, had a compression ratio of 9.5:1, and a slightly long stroke design. It has a six-speed gearbox, which helps for highway running. The peak torque of 119 pound-feet is generated at 3,000 RPM. What it misses out on is an assist and slipper clutch. Your left fingers might get a little tired because of the heavy clutch pull, although it does have a by-wire throttle. Some Surprising Tech For The Old-School Chassis Indian MotorcycleThe 2017 Roadmaster has a rigid cast aluminum frame and an integrated airbox. This is not a usual choice of material for an all-American tourer, but it helps contribute to a slightly lower curb weight. There is a conventional suspension with 46 mm telescopic forks at the front and a single rear shock hidden under the seat with air adjustment. Suspension travel available is 4.7 inches at the front and 4.5 inches at the rear.The brakes are a match for that Roadmaster, with dual 300 mm floating discs at the front and four-piston fixed calipers. At the rear, there is a single disc of the same diameter as the front, but with a two-piston floating caliper. There are cast alloy wheels used, with a 16-inch diameter at both ends. These are shod with tubeless tires. A Proper Behemoth On Wheels Indian MotorcycleWith a length of 103.5 inches and a width of 39.4 inches, the wheelbase is 65.7 inches, which means great highway stability. It also helps that the seat height is quite low, at 26.5 inches. Although Indian does not provide any sort of reverse assist for its tourers to this day, it has a ground clearance of 5.5 inches and a weight of 896 pounds with a full tank of gas. The tank can hold 5.5 gallons of fuel, and if you opt for hard luggage, you can add roughly 50 pounds more to the weight. A Likable Features List For Touring (Even By 2026 Standards) Indian Motorcycle2017 was the year that Indian debuted the seven-inch TFT touchscreen display on the Roadmaster. The maps can be a little inaccurate, but be aware that you cannot drive with maps from your phone because it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Bluetooth is a standard option. You can choose to play songs from your mobile on the audio system, or play Bluetooth from the audio system into your helmet. The vehicle command system also has a full trip computer and offers data like the heading, moving time, stop time, altitude, and change of altitude.Standard equipment includes highway bars, keyless start, remote locking luggage, an electrically adjustable windscreen, tire pressure monitoring, a 100-watt audio system with AM, FM, Bluetooth, and USB input, heated grips, heated seats for both rider and passenger, adjustable passenger floorboards, and a total of 32.7 gallons of storage with the soft luggage. That increases if you opt for hard luggage — depending on the particular variant, the saddlebags are made either out of leather or hard casings. The hard luggage variants also have a much louder 200-watt audio system. Not Too Many Electronic Aids, Though Indian MotorcycleAs far as electronics are concerned, the 2017 Roadmaster shows its age a little bit. It does not have a six-axis IMU, but it does have a by-wire throttle that enables cruise control. This is also before Indian gave its Thunderstroke engines the rear cylinder deactivation, so riding around in traffic can be a little uncomfortable because of the heat coming off the air-cooled engine. That's not to say that Indian didn't make an effort for heat management; the fairing lowers are detachable (three bolts hold each in place), and there is a ceramic coating for the exhaust headers that is heat-resistant. The Softail Is Great – But An Old Indian Can Be Better Indian MotorcycleIt's not all roses. Indian's patchy history and its sale earlier this year mean that you really need to have a good dealer near you to help maintain your 2017 Roadmaster. But if you do find one in pristine condition and you are halfway decent at bargaining, it just makes so much more sense over a Softail if you intend to cover highway miles with it. You get a big twin engine with massive torque at low revs, an authentic American touring experience, and if you get the two-tone color scheme with the leather saddlebags, you will definitely get a lot of admiring glances. In this apples-to-oranges comparison, the oranges might just be sweeter.Sources: Indian Motorcycles, Kelley Blue Book