12 Cheap Motorcycles That Outperform Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson has made some iconic models over the decades, and it's easy to see why. Its legendary V-twin engine lineup really put the company on the map, and they've been dominating the American cruiser bike market ever since, at least at the top end. While the cost of owning a Harley always carries a premium, but what if we told you that you could get classic Harley characteristics and performance for less? 

It's no secret that Harley built their brand on the aforementioned V-twin engines, American heritage, and a riding experience that bikers have come to love. That said, the U.S. cruiser bike market has changed a lot, especially in recent years, with many bikes now offering better value in some aspects than the Harleys currently on offer. 

These aren't some run-of-the-mill generic substitutes either, but brilliant models from legacy manufacturers that have aged like fine wine. Every single bike on this list is an alternative to a specific Harley-Davidson model. It often delivers more power and torque, and has similar features and options, as the model it competes with.

First up, we'd like to present an offering from one of Harley's main competitors — the Indian Scout, specifically the models that ran between 2015 and 2019. True enthusiasts will know that the Scout nameplate is more than a century old, having first been introduced way back in 1920, and the modern generations are still a brilliant purchase. We're specifically recommending the Indian Scout over the Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200, as they had similar MSRPs, engines, and weights, among other things. 

However, the Scouts from 2015 beat out the Sportster 1200s from the same year on virtually every single metric. Where the Harley had a 1,202 cc engine that achieved its displacement via a bore of 89 mm and a stroke of 96 mm across twin cylinders, the 2015 Scout came in with a slightly smaller 1,133 cc, two-cylinder engine. However, the Scout made almost 50% more power than the Harley, coming in at 100 hp and 72 lb-ft of torque, versus the Sportster 1200's 62 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque. 

In terms of weight, the Harley tipped the scales at 569 pounds. The Indian Scout is a bit lighter, at 558 pounds, with both figures for running-order bikes. So, more power, less weight — that's pretty much the dream combo for a biker. Used Indian Scouts from 2015 to 2019 can currently be had for around $6,000 for units in decent shape, which isn't a bad price at all.

For those who haven't heard about it, the Yamaha Bolt is from the bobber-cruiser class of motorbikes. It kind of flies under the radar unless one is entrenched deep down the motorbiking rabbit hole, what with all the offerings from Kawasaki, Honda, and other makers in this class and displacement range. We specifically want to compare the R-Spec Yamaha Bolt to the Harley-Davidson Iron 883; currently on the used market, the Bolt can be had with a larger engine for the same money as the Harley. 

Where the Harley has an 883 cc two-cylinder engine that made 51 hp and 50 lb-ft of torque, the Yamaha also has a twin-cylinder configuration but bumps the displacement to 942 cc. This contributes to the Bolt making 51 hp along with 58 lb-ft of torque. Also, the Bolt weighs in a bit lower at 542 pounds to the Harley's 564 pounds. As far as prices go, a used Harley Sportster 883 from 2018 to 2022 will run buyers anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000, while the Bolt comes in at around the $4,000 price point. 

Lastly, readers should note that Harley-Davidson discontinued the Iron 883 model in 2022, while the Yamaha Bolt is still available for purchase new in 2025. Even the new price for the Bold R-Spec isn't too bad, coming in with a base MSRP of $8,999 in early 2026, though this doesn't include its $625 delivery fee.

Next up, we move to Germany with the BMW R18 Classic, a massive two-person cruiser motorbike that we consider to be the most difficult BMW motorcycle to ride. Even so, it's such a good bike that we feel confident pitting it against the cream of the Harley crop — the Street Glide. Where the Harley sports a 1,746 cc dual-cylinder engine that achieves its displacement via a bore of 100 mm and a stroke of 111 mm, the BMW R18 has a 1,802 cc twin-cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 107 and 100 mm, respectively. 

Power output for the BMW is higher than on the Street Glide too, coming in at 91 hp at 4,750 RPM and 120 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 RPM to the Street Glide's 77 hp at 4,820 RPM and 97 lb-ft at 3,250 RPM. When it was released, the BMW R18 Classic was actually the company's biggest bike with a boxer engine that was in production at the time. In terms of weight, the BMW comes out ahead, with its 814-pound weight versus the Harley's 829-pound scale figure. Granted neither will perform particularly well on a track with those gargantuan numbers, so it's not as important of a point as one might think. Today, buyers can snag a BMW R18 Classic up for between $8,000 and $10,000 for models that are in good condition.

Another key alternative to the Harley-Davidson Street Glide and Road Glide models is the Challenger line of bikes from Indian motorcycles, specifically those from the current generation. It has a 1,768 cc engine that has two cylinders and makes 122 hp along with 128 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed gearbox. As we've already covered, the Street Glide makes 77 hp and 111 lb-ft of torque at 4,820 and 3,250 RPMs respectively from its 1,746 cc twin-cylinder engine. The Indian Challenger is slightly sportier than the Harley in our books, though it has a seat height of 26.5 inches versus the Harley's 26.1 inches, and an overall length of 98.5 inches to the Street Glide's 96.5 inches. 

In terms of weight, both bikes are actually fairly close to each other, as the Challenger weighs in at 831 pounds with fluids, while the Harley comes in at 829 pounds for its part. At the moment, Indian Challengers from 2020 or thereabouts can be had for $13,000 and up on the used market. This a pretty good deal, considering a new 2021 Challenger would have had a base MSRP of $22,999 in addition to a delivery fee. We couldn't verify what that would have been in 2021, but a current bike from Indian delivers with a cost of around $875, so it was likely somewhere in that range.

There will never be a pure apples-to-apples comparison between two bikes from different manufacturers, but this one comes close. Both the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 and the KTM 1290 Super Adventure are bikes intended for pounding the unbeaten track with lots of power and loads of low-down torque on big, fat, monster-sized tires. However, the KTM does manage to edge ahead on some fronts, which is to be expected since it sports a slightly larger engine than the Harley. Specifically, the KTM has a 1,301 cc two-cylinder engine that has a bore of 108 mm and a stroke of 71 mm; the Harley comes with a 1,252 cc twin-cylinder engine that has a bore and stroke of 105 and 72 mm, respectively. 

In terms of power output, the Harley makes 150 hp at 9,000 rpm and 94 lb-ft of torque while the KTM 1290 Super Adventure makes 160 hp and 102 lb-ft of torque. As far as weight goes, both the bikes are beefy: The Harley comes in at an elephantine 570 pounds, while the KTM is a lower 500 pounds in total. The fuel tank is better on the KTM too, where it holds 6.1 gallons while the Harley makes do with a 5.6-gallon tank. Lastly, for those who are wondering, the letters "KTM" are an acronym for Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, which was the Austrian manufacturer's original name.

The Honda Shadow was first released way back in 1985, making the model more than four decades old at this point. This means good deals will not be hard to find on the used market. We once again want to compare this bike to the Harley Sportster 883, which we first looked at in comparison to the Yamaha Bolt R-Spec from above. Where the Harley came with an 883 cc, two-cylinder power unit that made 51 hp and 50 lb-ft of torque, the 2007 Honda Shadow 1100 was equipped with a 1,099 cc V-Twin engine that made 67 hp and 67 lb-ft of torque. 

The logical question becomes then whether one bike (the Shadow 1100 or the Bolt R-Spec) is a better choice objectively when compared to the Harley 883. The answer? It depends. For buyers who want to prioritize old-school charm and vintage looks over the most modern tech and are willing to stay on top of maintenance, the Honda is the obvious bet. For those who want the modern day creature comforts like LED lights, better engine internals, and LCD screens, along with a reasonable assumption that sourcing replacement parts won't take too long and it'll be easy to find a qualified mechanic for the bike, the Yamaha is the better bet. At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice, since both the Honda and the Yamaha outperform the Harley 883.

For our next comparison, we'll be pitting a new 2026 Yamaha MT-03 against the 2026 Harley-Davidson Sprint, as both are low-displacement sport bikes. The Harley Sprint is so-far unreleased (as of early 2026), but is expected to cost about $6,000 and will have a small-displacement engine. This poises it to compete against the Yamaha MT-03, a bike that has a 3.7-gallon fuel tank, a seat height of 30.7 inches, and an engine that displaces 321 cc across two cylinders. 

In terms of the performance data, the Yamaha has 37 hp at 10,600 RPM and 20 lb-ft of torque at 9,000 RPM. These RPM figures are especially worth noting, as having decent power available down from the middle of the rev range (like it is with the Yamaha) is good for beginners, as it offers more predictable power delivery and traction that doesn't jump about when twitching the throttle. While we don't have accurate data for the Harley Sprint as of this writing, the Yamaha is likely to remain a competitive model, especially with its $4,999 MSRP and $650 destination charge.

For those riders who are looking for something that has more performance and a lower price than the Harley-Davidson Sportster S, look no further than the 2024 Suzuki Boulevard M190R. The Boulevard line of cruisers has been around for decades at this point, having been initially introduced way back in 2004; buyers can be confident that this bike will be every bit as refined as any other legacy model on the market. 

The Suzuki engine is a 1,783 cc, twin-cylinder unit, while the Harley sports — pun intended — a 1,252 cc, V-Twin engine. In terms of performance, the Boulevard M190R beats out the Sportster in several key areas beginning with horsepower, where the M190R has 128 hp to the Harley's 121 hp. The Japanese manufacturer has Harley beat in terms of torque too, as the Boulevard boasts an impressive 118 lb-ft of torque, versus the Harley's 93 lb-ft. 

It's also worth noting that the Boulevard develops its peak torque from 3,200 RPMs, while the Sportster makes its peak torque closer to 6,000 — another win for Suzuki. When new, a Boulevard M190R would have run buyers a cool $15,999 as base MSRP, on top of which a destination fee of $460 would have been tacked on. The Harley Sportster S from the same year would have been $16,999, with a destination charge of $700 — though both are likely available for less on the used market now.

Another option that can give the Harley Sportster S a run for its money is the Yamaha VMAX, a cruiser bike that ran from 1985 until it was discontinued in 2020. There's no better way to describe the VMAX than a motorbike that decided it wanted to cosplay as a muscle car. The big, sloping bodywork finished in black, the chromed bits and bobs peeking out of the massive engine, and the giant exhaust system, alongside its distinctive engine rumble, came together to make it feel like a true beast. 

This Yamaha has a twin cylinder unit that displaced 1,679 cc via a bore of 90 mm and a stroke of 66 mm and was paired to a five-speed transmission. As we've already covered, the Harley's 1,252 cc engine made 121 hp and 93 lb-ft of torque, which got beat in comparison to the VMAX's more than 170 hp and 100 lb-ft of torque. And for once, in terms of pure style points, we have to give the win to the Yamaha over the Harley. Currently, used Yamaha VMAX units can be found for between $8,000 and $14,000, largely depending on their age.

Where the BMW R18 Classic from above challenged the Street Glide, the crown prince of Harley's lineup, the BMW R1200C Montauk goes straight for the king — the Harley-Davidson Road King, to be specific. At first glance, it might not be completely obvious how the Montauk beats out the Road King, as it has almost the same power as the Harley (61 hp vs. 60.8 hp). Even the torque is fairly similar, with the Harley getting 86 lb-ft to the Montauk's 72 lb-ft. 

The prices were pretty much in the same ballpark as well, with the BMW having a base MSRP of $15,290 in the 2004 model year and the Harley getting a sticker price of $16,395. However, the big difference that has a lot of bearing on performance would be the weight. At just 584 pounds, the BMW 1200C Montauk is almost 200 pounds lighter than the Road King's much heftier 760 pounds. So, with similar power and torque figures, but with significantly lesser weight and a similarly-sized fuel tank (4.8 and five gallons for the Beemer and Harley, respectively), it's clear that the Montauk would pull ahead in real-world performance. It would also be easier to handle, given not just the lower weight but its low seat height of just 29.1 inches above the ground.

The only bike on this list that has its origins from our friends across the pond in the UK, the Triumph Rocket III Roadster goes up against the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S, a bike meant to gobble up moderate amounts of highway miles while oozing comfort. Well, the Rocket III does both of those things, looks objectively better as far as we're concerned, and is (arguably) rare enough to be a talking point at your next group ride. 

As far as performance figures go, the Rocket III makes 180 hp, throws out 166 lb-ft of torque, weighs 700 pounds in running order, and has a 4.8-gallon fuel tank. On the Harley-Davidson side of things, the Low Rider S made 114 hp at 128 lb-ft of torque, tipped the scales at 670 pounds, and had a five-gallon fuel tank. A 2026 Harley Low Rider S has a base MSRP of $19,999 (and dealer-specific destination fees), while a used Rocket III can be found for around $8,000 for a 2015 and newer model. There would, of course, be cheaper units on the market if buyers are willing to look at older examples.

Next up is another entrant from Indian Motorcycles in the form of the Chieftain Dark Horse —  arguably the flagship offering from the Harley-Davidson's longtime competitor. We're going to hold it up against it to Harley's CVO Street Glide; for those who don't know, "CVO" stands for "Custom Vehicle Operations," and these are very different beasts than the models they are based on. 

The Dark Horse trim on the Indian Chieftain equips the bike with the Thunderstroke engine, a true masterpiece of American engineering. It displaces 1,890 cc via a bore of 103 mm and a stroke of 113 mm across two cylinders, and produces the eye-watering sums of 92 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque at 2,900 RPM. The CVO Street Glide has a 1,923 cc twin-cylinder that makes 105 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque. In terms of weight, the Chieftain Dark Horse comes in at 670 pounds, while the Harley CVO Street Glide is a gargantuan 866 pounds. At the time of writing, Indian Chieftain Dark Horse models from 2014 and up are on sale for between $8,000 and $12,000.

First, we began by identifying some of the most popular Harley-Davidson models from recent years. Then, we sourced official manufacturer information for the performance, mechanical, and technical specifications of these popular Harley models; where direct OEM data was not available, we used trusted third-party websites like Motorcycle.com and CycleWorld.com. All pricing data was also similarly sourced, either directly from the OEM, or from trusted editorial sites. It has not been adjusted for inflation to remain accurate to the relevant model year of the bike. 

Readers are requested to note that when we say "cheap," we have to keep in mind the MSRP of the Harley bike we're benchmarking the alternative against; a $5,000 Vulcan will not hold its own against a Road King. Where we've mentioned current prices for used models, these have been sourced from aggregator platforms in the U.S. like CycleTrader.com. Lastly, we also researched into our recommended bikes to make sure there were no major safety issues such as NHTSA recalls.