The 15 American Motorcycle Brands To Keep an Eye On (and Why)

That's somewhat understandable, given how there are much fewer riders than drivers, and bikes get to be used a lot less time each year compared to cars. But the nation is still a huge one, and having just two major domestic bike makers playing the game seems a bit counterintuitive.

For decades on end, America has made a name for itself both internally and internationally on the motorcycle market thanks to the efforts and products of just two companies: Harley-Davidson and Indian. Both are over a century old, have a solid product lineup, and make rides so reliable and popular that they'll probably still be around for centuries to come.

But over the long years that have passed since the invention of the motorcycle and well into the modern age, the U.S. had and still has a much more diverse portfolio of motorcycle makers than just these two. Some of them are quite old, others startups in the business of electric mobility, and quite a few customizers of niche rides with an inclination for the extreme.

This here piece will try to bring into one place all the names that matter on the American motorcycle scene today, with a fair warning that, at the rate things are evolving in this industry, there's a good chance a lot more names will join the party.

15. Crocker Motorcycle Company

The name Crocker Motorcycle Company traces its roots all the way back to the 1930s, when it was established in sunny California. It started out as a business making single-cylinder bikes for racing and impressive V-twins for the road and presently describes itself as "one of only three authentic original vintage American motorcycle pre-war brands remaining today."

Unlike what its rivals of the time were doing, Crocker mostly worked to order, and that meant in its first decade or so of existence it only produced about 100 bikes. Then the war came, and the motorcycle business had to close its doors. Sort of, as it didn't cease to exist, but chose to focus on making airplane parts for Douglas Aircraft.

The original Croker company would move on to be absorbed by Borg Warner, so it technically ceased to exist. Yet Crokers are still around, and by that, I don't mean the original ones that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

Over in Los Angeles, a company called Crocker still makes "original Big and Small Tank Crocker's following the original specifications to an exactness indistinguishable from their original legendary bikes."

That means bikes with 61ci V-twins in their frame, rated at 65 horsepower and capable of reaching a top speed of 125 mph (200 kph). The unit is placed inside a keystone-type frame.

There is no official price tag to go with the motorcycle, given how it too is mostly built to order, but the industry chatter speaks of a $150,000 sticker. It's unclear how many of them were made, but in the original production run, as announced back in the early 2010s, there was talk of just about 15 of Big Tanks and an unclear number of Small Tanks.

14. Tarform Motorcycles

Tarform is perhaps the weirdest entry in our list of American bike makers, but if it does manage to make its idea stick, it will likely change the way we think of a motorcycle. Based in New York, it was born to create "a new breed of electric motorcycle."

It's a machine wearing a classic form backed by the most modern of today's technologies. That means a scrambler or racer body style, put together by means of 3D printing, a battery pack capable of supplying a range of around 90 miles (145 km), and artificial intelligence to detect dangers and inform the rider of their presence.

The Tarform bike is called Luna, and it's offered in two styles, scrambler and racer, and three versions: standard, Founder Edition, and Bespoke. Pricing for one of these babies starts at $44,000, depending on version.

As with any motorcycle startup, the waiting period from order to delivery is very long and can go to as many as eight months. At the time of writing the production capability for 2023 has been reached, but reservations are being taken for 2024 delivery.

I said earlier Tarform is the weirdest entry in our list, and that's because, for some reason and out of the blue, the company revealed in the spring of this year not another motorcycle, but a… waterjet. It's called Raye and it was built using the same tech deployed for the Luna.

13. Janus Motorcycles

Back in 2011, somewhere in Indiana, a company called Janus Motorcycles was born. Being relatively new it may trick you into believing they are into assembling electric motorcycles. In fact, the company is officially a maker of small-displacement bikes with a focus on making them look vintage, yet different from everything else that's being made stateside.

The stated goal of the company is to take the best of what came before in terms of design, mix it with a touch of modernity, and throw in a sprinkle of simplicity.

There are three bikes Janus is making at the moment, and all of them look like the spawn of a Swedish-made Cake and European-based scramblers.

The three bikes are split into two ranges, the Gryffin (Gryffin 250) and Halcyon (Halcyon 250 and 450). All three are powered by single-cylinder air-cooled engines with the according displacements.

Pricing ranges from $8,800 for the Halcyon 250 and can get to as high as $14,995 for the Halcyon 450. The great thing about the Janus experience? These guys allow you to order your bike online and they ship it directly to you.

12. Cleveland CycleWerks

If you are looking for American-made fun motorcycles, Cleveland CycleWerks is the one to turn to. On the market since 2009, it too does not play in the electric bike segment but produces old-style ICE-powered beauties.

The bike maker is based in Ohio, but imports many of its bike components from China. The list of parts made there is long, and even includes the bikes' frames, but not the engines. Those are generally speaking Honda-sourced.

The Cleveland business model is rather simple, requiring more skillful assembly than the actual production of parts. It also proved so successful that to date the bike maker's portfolio has grown to include four models: Ace, Misfit, Mutiny, and Hooligun.

The Ace comes with the largest offering of versions, with no less than nine models on the table, including standard bikes, café racers, trackers and scramblers. There are just two engines split among them, a 250cc twin and a 400 single cylinder, with power outputs of 17 and 28 hp, respectively. The price range for the Ace starts at $3,799 and can go as high as $6,599.

The Misfit is offered in two versions with the same engine choice and pricing going at around $5,200 for either of them. Same goes for the Mutiny, but these adventure-oriented rides are priced a lot lower, going as far down as $2,399 for the 250cc version.

The last bike on the list, the Hooligun, is an all-rounder meant for both road and track use, with three engines on the table (250cc, 300cc, and 450cc), and a price tag that only goes as high as $5,999.

11. Damon Motorcycles

Over in Vancouver, Canada, there's the headquarters of a motorcycle company going by the name Damon Motorcycles. The crew was however established in California in 2017 and presently makes a bike that may very well be the the best production electric motorcycle by combined range.

Damon has two bikes in its portfolio, the Hypersport and the Hyperfighter, with the former being the one I'm talking about. With four versions on the table, the most potent one, the Premier, can go for as much as 200 miles (322 km) on a single charge, thanks to a 20-kWh battery.

Not exactly cheap to own at $40,000, the Damon bikes have a good chance of becoming one of the pillars of future North American motorcycle making.

10. Arch Motorcycle

In some respects Arch Motorcycle should have occupied the first position in our list. Not because it makes many bikes, or because they are extraordinary, but because its name is tied to that of Keanu Reeves.

The actor set the basis for the company in California in 2011, probably as a means to better satisfy his passion for two-wheelers. And boy, do these guys know to build bikes!

The most talked about Arch motorcycle is of course the KRGT-1. A cruiser by trade, it came about in its current form in 2019, as a blend between a steel tube frame and a 124ci engine made by S&S. It's more of a custom bike than a production one, and although pricing for one is not listed, we know it can easily reach as much as $80,000.

But the KRGT-1 is not alone in the Arch offering, being accompanied on the lot by the 1s (a cruiser blended with a sport bike, also powered by an S&S engine), and the Method 143, the "ultimate production motorcycle." Pricing for either of them is a matter between the customer and Arch.

9. Lightning Motorcycle

Back in 2006, at a time when the electric motorcycle market was still in its infancy, another name that means a lot for today's industry joined the game. It's called Lightning Motorcycle, and it was set up in California seemingly with a single goal: to create the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

At the time of writing the American company is selling three bikes, namely the LS-218, Strike R, and Strike C. It's the first one that keeps the company going, not in small part thanks to it once moving so fast that it entered the industry's history books.

The Lightning LS-218 is by all accounts one of the fastest production electric motorcycles in the world, even almost a decade after its introduction. Powered by 15 kWh battery pack and an IPM liquid-cooled electric motor, it can shoot to 216 mph (348 kph), and to 60 mph from a standstill in under two seconds.

The LS-218 is not cheap to buy, selling for around $50,000. The two Strikes, on the other hand, can be had for as little as $13,000, making them some of the most alluring sport bikes powered by electricity on the market today.

8. Boss Hoss Cycles

I'm not entirely sure whether the products made by a company called Boss Hoss Cycles fit in the motorcycle category, or if they should have a niche of their own. That's because although shaped like bikes or trikes, these things use engines more suitable for muscle cars.

Boss Hoss was established in 1990, being thus a tad older than many of the companies we've discussed so far. Hailing from Tennessee, these guys had this idea of fitting V8 engines inside motorcycle frames and unleashing them into the wild.

And by V8s I don't mean just any puny powertrain, but anything from GM LS3s to the 496ci big blocks. That means power outputs of anywhere between 430 and 600 hp, delivered for two wheels supporting a motorcycle-style vehicle.

The lineup of Boss Hoss bikes presently lists four motorcycle styles (Cruiser, Bagger, Sport, and Super Sport) and no less than six trike variants (Dragon, Gangsta, Wyllis, SS, '57 Chevy, and Coupe). Because of their nature they are among the most expensive motorcycles out there, with the stickers reading anything from $55,000 for the Dragon trike to $73,200 for the big block-equipped Limited Super Sport bike.

These things look insane, but they also feel like the most American thing a person can come up with: V8 engines wrapped in Harley-Davidson-looking packages. And that's why they are probably worth the big bucks.

7. Combat Motors (Confederate Motors)

The name Combat Motors is one of the hardest ones to grasp in the entire American motorcycling industry. That's because it's a relatively new company that plays the game another one started it decades ago. Twisted story...

It starts in the early 1990s with the creation of Confederate Motors over in Louisiana. The company was born with the goal of making a style of bikes few others have ever thought of, boasting extreme styling and powerful combustion engines.

The company did business under the name until 2017 when, on the background of social unrest in the U.S., it decided it was time to avoid any unwanted associations with the U.S. Confederacy and changed its name to Curtiss Motorcycles.

At about the same time a decision was made to stop making ICE-powered bikes and switch to electric ones with backing from Zero Motorcycles. The rights to the ICE bikes and the Confederate brand were passed in 2018 to a company called Combat Motors in 2018.

Combat is making limited-edition bikes shaped like nothing else out there. The current lineup includes imposing rides named even more so, like the F-117 Fighter, P-51 Fighter, Bomber, and Wraith. Only the Wraith is still listed as available for sale, going for $155,000.

That kind of money lands you a 132ci S&S engine, a body and frame carved from solid billet blocks, and the promise of a 160 mph (257 kph) top speed.

6. Curtiss Motorcycles (Confederate Motors)

After it gave up the rights to its bikes to Combat, the newly born Curtiss decided to focus on electric two-wheelers alone. And so far it all seems to have been quite the struggle.

Unlike Combat, which picked off the best remnants of Confederate, Curtiss had to start fresh, so things weren't easy for the company. Technically they never are when you're planning to make "the first bespoke two-wheeled electric motorcycle in history designed and built from the ground up. "

The bike is called The 1, and even if some details about it have already been made public, it's not in production yet. That's because it uses an innovative idea called Axis-Centered Design, for which it only received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The tech is supposed to "reinvent the way you make a motorcycle" by utilizing a new (and undetailed) way of stabilizing the bike.

Pre-orders for The 1 are being taken by Curtiss, and the rollout of the first one on the street was expected for June 2023. It's October already, and we haven't heard anything about that being so.

5. LiveWire Motorcycles

Just four years ago American bike maker Harley-Davidson tried its hand at the electric motorcycle market with a model called LiveWire. Had it succeeded, it would have made Harley the first mainstream bike maker in the world to offer an electrified motorcycle.

It didn't succeed, and Harley was forced to give up on the project. Instead of phasing it out, though, like it usually does with its failed products, it spun off the bike into a brand in its own rights. After all, electric bikes are here to stay, and everyone loves electric bikes, as long as they come from startups.

Harley's startup is now called LiveWire, and it's officially headquartered in Milwaukee as well. The company's first product was the LiveWire motorcycle, only stripped of the Harley branding, and renamed One. The second, presented in the spring of this year, is the S2 Del Mar.

For some reason LiveWire does not make a fuss about its connection with Harley-Davidson, and that seems to hurt the business at some level. It's unclear why no one, from either companies, seems to care about that.

4. Zero Motorcycles

There are many electric motorcycles startups out there, but few of them match the size, scope, and reach of the one called Zero.

The company was born in 2006 as Electricross and it is presently headquartered in California. It likes to call itself the "worldwide leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains,” and it's probably not wrong: the brand sells in no less than 40 countries, something few other (if any) startups of this kind can brag about.

As you're reading this Zero is selling a total of nine motorcycles, built on a selection of three platforms. The offer is so varied there's almost no motorcycle style you can't get from these guys.

Just last week Zero announced it is significantly cutting prices for good on 2022 and 2023 model year bikes, as the reveal of the newest ones is just around the corner. The move brought all of the bike maker's models to under $20,000, dealing another blow to a competition that seems to be at a loss as to what to do about Zero.

3. Buell

Buell is one of the most exciting names in the industry right now. That's because, on one hand, it acts like it's got an unlimited amount of cash to pour into new products, and on the other everybody seems to be going nuts over them.

Buell was born in 1983 in Michigan from the mind of a former Harley-Davidson engineer. The guy was so successful at making rides that a decade later Harley became Buell's corporate overlord. The marriage lasted only until 2009, when the motorcycling giant sacrificed its sub-brand on the altar of financial cuts.

That decision kind of spelled doom for Buell who, despite many efforts, only managed to return to the industry's spotlight in 2021. And now, just two years later, there's talk of no less than ten models to be released by the end of next year.

A good chunk of them is already here, as the company's offering includes at the moment five models: the Hammerhead 1190, 1190SX, Supertouring, Baja Dune Racer, and the bike the entire industry seems to be looking forward to, the Super Cruiser.

2. Indian Motorcycles

The North American motorcycle industry has just two historically important bike makers. One of them is Indian, a company so large it's almost impossible to describe.

Indian started out as Hendee Manufacturing Company in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1901. If you take that date into account, it predates main rival Harley-Davidson by two full years. The name change to Indian occurred in 1923, and the rest is history.

Now owned by a company called Polaris (which for a short time was the maker of the incredible bikes known as Victory), Indian is present in 130 countries (the entire planet has 195 of them), contributing a lot with the sale of bikes, parts and the likes to the $3 billion yearly income of its owner.

The 2023 lineup of Indian motorcycles counts no less than 32 models, ranging from the affordable Scout to the impressive Elite.

1. Harley-Davidson

Indian's main companion and rival through time has always been Harley-Davidson. The Milwaukee-based company is celebrating this year its 120th anniversary and shows no signs of growing old.

Just like Indian, Harley has been such a constant presence in American life over the years that the two are apparently inseparable: when you say America you say Harley, and the other way around.

The brand's importance has long ago exceeded what a bike company is supposed to mean in a society, and has become something akin to a way of life. It also spawned an incredibly large collection of side businesses that thrive from making custom parts and modifying Harley's stock motorcycles.

Harley is presently doing business in 100 of the world's countries and produces bikes in two more locations outside the U.S., in Brazil and Thailand.

The lineup of Harley rides is 29 models strong (trikes included) but that's not even the impressive bit. What's particularly exciting with Harleys is that there are probably thousands of custom bikes out there, made in shops all over the world, and each of them unique.