Indian Motorcycles is now with Polaris, and such is their confidence in the brand, that they shut shop on Victory Motorcycles and are now concentrating solely on the Indian brand. The brand in itself, as in Indian Motorcycle was founded in 1901, so it has been more than 120 years of it in existence, although it has seen plenty of ups and downs.
The most popular motorcycles to come out of the brand have been the Scout, originally made from 1920 to 1946, and then the Chief, made from 1922 to 1953, post which Indian Motorcycles declared bankruptcy. Since then, various companies have tried to revive the brand but it was only in 2011 when Polaris acquired it that things have been looking up. Today, Indian motorcycles manage to give tough competition to Harley-Davidson and have an ever-growing customer base.
In case you too are looking for something cool on two wheels that ISN'T a Harley, these are the best Indian motorcycles you can be for $10,000, ranked!
10 2002 Indian Chief
Before Indian Motorcycle became a Polaris brand, it was the Indian Motorcycle Company of America, formed by the merger of nine brands in 1999. And at the time the Indian Chief made waves with its very retro, ‘40s look but carried a modern 1,638-cc V-Twin engine that gave it the personality along with the persona.
One is up for sale for under $9,999 at CycleTrader, a steal deal for a vehicle that became a cool ride, which turned heads while giving the riders the ultimate thrill.
9 2014 Indian Chief Vintage
Yep, it's one big motorcycle. But its size is more of an advantage because it makes for an athletic ride as well, and the 1,819-cc engine, aptly named Thunder Stroke is a powerful beast and a joy to reckon with.
The Vintage ran modern but looked pretty cool and well, ancient, with its distressed leather and the bold red that were more reminiscent of a bike from the past. Etchings, curves, and other stylized badging made sure this motorcycle made people smile and sigh at the same time when they saw and heard it thunder by…
8 2016 Indian Dark Horse
The Indian Dark Horse wasn’t a new motorcycle per se, but a cool strategy employed by Polaris to refurbish and rebrand a successful product, to get an even larger customer base. The Indian Dark Horse is nothing more than the basic Chief Classic, only it has been blacked out, with even the normally chrome-covered engine having mere accents.
Technically, it was the lightest variant of the Chief, and to further reduce weight, it came with a solo seat, blacked out, of course. Clearly, this is for the lone wolf or horse…
7 2011 Indian Chief Classic
It’s an Indian, Chief, Classic. Can three words together make better music? The Indian Chief Classic is a hark back to the company’s most iconic product and even in its modern avatar came simple and to the point, but it worked.
The chromed headlight, the stylized fenders, a studded solo seat – it all gave the appearance of a serious motorcycle a rider would treasure, especially because of the powerful engine and the stainless steel exhaust. Since 2011, this is the motorcycle that saves the Indian brand, every time, being a bestseller…
6 2021 Indian Scout Bobber Sixty
The younger sibling of the Scout Bobber, the Sixty comes with a smaller engine and lesser horsepower and makes for a great beginner’s motorcycle, especially if the beginner is okay with a slightly heavier ride. Obviously, the lower power makes for a cheaper motorcycle as well which is why this one gets by for $8,999.
Muscular, and enough for 78 horses, this little version of the Scout Bobber is an utter delight and something that turns heads on the road as well.
5 2019 Indian FTR 1200
The FTR 1200 celebrates the Indian Motorcycles' rather triumphant return to American Flat Track with the FTR750 and managed to marry dirt track superiority with a V-twin roadster, which could be your daily rider and weekend thrill as well.
To suit pockets and taste, there were two variants, a standard one and an S model that got the coolest stuff, although it’s the standard model only that can be had for $10,000 or thereabouts. A cool ride for the road, and off the road.
4 2019 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse
In 2019, Indian Motorcycles coughed out the latest version of the Dark Horse, but it turned out to be a white steed, which took everyone's breath away. There was plenty of tech and aesthetic changes that include three selectable, toggleable riding modes: Tour, Standard, and Sport. Tour is softer to its best to use in inclement weather, while the standard is average for the road.
It’s the sports mode that can truly decimate the road and make for the coolest ride ever. And for way less than $10,000 as well.
3 2015 Indian Scout
The Indian Scout is a true blue American cruiser from any angle you look. The bulky front fenders and curved fuel tank with that handcrafted solo seat with tan leather – everything screams iconic Indian. The V-twin is visible to create even more drama, and the chromed headlight is an added accent.
The lightweight chassis also makes this motorcycle handle like dream with plenty of maneuverability, with lots of aesthetics at the dual exhaust at the end. For an under $10,000 daily ride, it’s a stunner.
2 2017 Indian Scout Bobber
Since we had the little brother on the list, cannot ignore the older one, right? Much like most of the Indian motorcycles, the Indian Scout Bobber also married retro styling with modern tech and performance pretty well, although the riding position in this is best suited to well-weathered motorcycle riders.
By far, the Scout Bobber is the bestselling of all the Scout bikes, and with good reason. Enough engine power makes for a great ride and under $10,000 – things cannot better than this motorcycle that looks like a brute on the road.
1 2015 Indian Chieftain
The 2015 Indian Chieftain was launched with plenty of pomp and fare, with again the same retro aesthetic feel but modernity that came ahead of its time. The cool thing is that it was a new product with plenty of comfort and convenience, with very different styling.
It bore the iconic war bonnet, vintage badging, and came with plenty of features that made it ahead of its time when it came to competition. This is one motorcycle that even diehard Harley fans appreciate, enough to make a switch, especially since it can be yours for $10,000 or less.
Sources: UltimateMotorcycling, CycleTrader