USA Motorcycles Brands

The motorcycle industry is one of the leading industries in the United States. In the twentieth century, America formed a cult fascination with iron “horses” that replaced the usual means of transportation of cowboys. Despite some lag in the beginning of the formation of this type of production – in the United States, it “started” in the first decade of the last century, American motorcycles became trendsetters, which continues today. In the United States, models were created that acquired a modern look, which was then emulated by the whole of Europe and, today, even the leading Japanese brands. An interesting assessment can be made by studying the design of Chinese motorcycles, which practically copy the best American models of the past years.

What are the US motorcycle brands?

There are many motorcycle manufacturers in the USA, including Indian, Harley-Davidson, Buell, Victory, Zero, West Coast Choppers, Motus, Lightning, Alta, Rokon, Confederate, Alligator, Arch, ATK, Boss Hoss, Cleveland CycleWerks, Curtiss, Fischer, Janus, MotoCzysz, MTT, US Highland and Z Electric Vehicles.

The peculiarity of the development of the motorcycle industry in the United States was the size of the country’s territory and the constant migration of the population, which was massive in the early XX century. Initially, this was facilitated by two leading American brands – Indian and Harley-Davidson. The first brand was founded in 1897 by former racer George Hendy. Serial production of Indians began in 1901. Models were characterized by the use of an automatic intake valve. Harley – the model of 1903, which won the hearts of almost all car enthusiasts of different generations. However, modern production has been increasingly criticized due to poor reliability, vibrations, high-temperature engine heating, and high prices.

Indian

One of the earliest American motorcycle brands was Indian, founded by riders George Hendy and Oscar Hedstrom in Medina, Minnesota, USA, in 1897. Like the rest of the world, its first products were bicycles. Until George Hendy assembled his first motorcycle in 1900, the company began mass production in 1901. The application of ideas that had long plagued George Hendy ensured his victory in 1903. The subsequent development of the company ensured that a new model was produced every year, which continued until 1953. The company went through years of transitions from one owner to another, losing the company to Harley-Davidson, which led to its closure. But at the beginning of the XXI century, British motorcycle enthusiasts revived the brand, reselling it in 2011 to the famous Polaris Group.

Motorcycles of this brand have preserved the traditions in its emblem for a long time. It reflected the spirit and style of the brand, confirming the name itself. The silhouette of a proud and courageous Indian head in a national headdress with the name inscription and an explanation under it became the visual identification of the brand. Its image fully and accurately characterized the motorcycles themselves – as proud, masculine, and beautiful in their performance. But in the light of modern trends today, the only text left in the logo is Indian, made in handmade font, under which small lowercase letters are inscribed – MOTORCYCLE.

Harley-Davidson

1903 was the year of William S. Harley, Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, and William A. Davidson’s motorcycle brand – Harley-Davidson. The company is headquartered in Milwaukee, USA. Having won the battle for the consumer from India, thanks to a rather large injection of funds into the advertising campaign, the brand to this day holds the palm of superiority not only in the United States. Its heavy cruiser models have earned it continued fame. Today, the brand successfully sells its equipment all over the world and has opened additional production facilities in Brazil and India.

A feature of the formation of the impressive strength of the brand identity is its name. The first emblem appeared in 1909. It has undergone many changes. Today, the brand uses several variations of the Harley Davidson emblem on different lines of new models, including just the lettering of the main logo, the 1922 Bar and Shield. After being black and white, it has now taken on an orange color scheme, making those colors an integral part of the image elements. At the top is the inscription MOTOR, and at the bottom is CYCLES. On the center plate is the title in lowercase. The outlines of the figures and the inscription on the shield are orange, while the name is white. The color scheme reflects the spirit and essence of the brand. The orange color symbolizes energy, black – elegance, and white creates contrast, making it easier to perceive and remember the graphics.

Buell

The American motorcycle brand Buell Motorcycle was a fairly young company. Founded in 1983 in East Troy, Wisconsin, USA, by former Harley-Davidson engineer Eric Buell, it became the bearer of his name. The brand held its first AMA Formula 1 championship on motorcycles of its own assembly – RW750. Then, the production of sport street motorcycles based on Harley-Davidson’s powertrain was established. The latter, in 1993, bought 49% of the shares of the brand. But by 1998, Harley had become a full owner. In 2009, the Buell lineup ceased to exist.

The logo, adopted in 2009, was the traditional image of the silhouette of the head and wings of a pegasus. Together with the brand name, written in lowercase letters with a slant to the right under the image of a horse, this graphic composition was located on a black shield. Its rim, text, and horse were made in silver-gray color. The main task of the emblem was to effectively convey an important feature of the brand – movement, and speed, which is characteristic of all Buell Motorcycle Company sports models. This is symbolized by the pegasus with spread wings and the right slant of the name. Moreover, the pegasus is a reinforcing symbol of this perception, creating the idea of double speed and acceleration.

Victory

In Spirit Lake, Iowa, USA, in 1987, the world-renowned American Polaris founded a motorcycle manufacturing company – Victory. Having extensive practical experience in the production of ATVs and snowmobiles, Polaris decided to turn its attention to motorcycles. To make the new direction of production recognizable, the brand received a loud name, Victory, the first example of which was the line V92C, presented to the public by Al Unser Jr. – two-time champion of Indianapolis. The main focus of the brand’s production was touring and cruising models. On January 9, 2017, the brand was closed by an official statement from a Polaris spokesperson.

The last emblem of Victory Motorcycles was an accented letter “V” – the first word of the brand name. Executed in red, it was the center of attention. The full name was printed on the plate of the letter crossing the “legs” in black lowercase letters on a silver-gray background. Below, on a black stripe, the word MOTORCYCLES was written in small gray lettering. The main mark had a three-dimensional shape. Its edges were also silver-gray. On the V-shaped point, the word USA was written in small font. This variant turned out to be the most successful, memorable, and concise of all versions.

Zero

Neil Saiki – NASA engineer, became the founder of a unique American motorcycle brand – Zero. Founded in 2006 in Santa Cruz, California, the production was aimed at creating a completely new type of motorcycle technology – electric motorcycles with proprietary lithium-ion power sources. Striving to fully meet the requirements of modernity and the definition of uniqueness, the developers and designers of the company pay special attention to the originality of construction, suspension, and appearance of their products. For their owners, they provide maximum comfort and convenience while driving. The models are designed both for driving on bad roads and for high-speed driving.

The brand logo reflects the essence of the name. The logo is represented by a sign combining two symbols – the letter Z and 0. The latter is the numerical value of the name. The original compound is inscribed in the number Z, where the upper and lower endings of the letter are the corresponding elements of the numerical value. The diagonal of the letter crosses the free space of the “zero,” at the same time symbolizing the zigzags of the road or the image of an electric discharge. To the right of the sign is the name inscription in black lowercase large font, below which the word MOTORCYCLES is typed in smaller font. The text is aligned to the height of the sign.

West Coast Choppers

Jesse James founded West Coast Choppers (WCC) in Paramount, California, USA in 1992-93. Daytec and Belt Drive LTD manufactured all important motorcycle components. The main “dignity” of the products was the original biker-style design and the emblem, going back in its visualization to the totems known as the Iron or Maltese Crosses. The unique, exclusive choppers and iconic emblem apparel formed the basis of a small-scale production run that today numbers only about 200 custom bikes owned by many of the world’s celebrities.

Its spiritual commitment to the “crusading history” of orders and awards, reflecting the strength and courage of its holders, is reflected in its logo. Fully repeating the silhouette of the Iron Cross in its logo, characteristic of the emblem of the Knights of Malta, the brand has made individual improvements. From top to bottom, across the entire interior of the cross, is the inscription – WEST COAST. The third word of the brand name, CHOPPER, is in Gothic script from left to right. The outline of the cross and the text are black.

Motus

Innovation Depot programs launched Motus Motorcycles to build motorcycles. Founders Lee Connom and Confederate Motorcycles designer Brian Case unveiled their first sport touring motorcycle in March 2012. In 2013, the MST-R was named the best dream motorcycle in Motorcyclist magazine’s 2012 Motorcycle of the Year issue. However, after five years, the sponsors funding the production deemed it unprofitable and stopped funding it. In 2018, the brand ceased to exist.

The Motus Motorcycles emblem was a modern version of the design, including a badge that echoed the contours of the sportbike’s front fairing. The left and right fenders, as well as the name text to the right of the badge – Motus have a light gray color, symbolically related to the metallic color on the original motorcycles. The color accent was made in red on the central part of the fairing. The right slant of the lowercase font of the name created a visual sense of speed.

Lightning

Lightning Motorcycle Corp.’s lithium battery electric technology is gaining more fans around the world. The company was founded in 2006 by former Porsche racer Richard Hatfield in San Carlos, California. Already two years later, an electric model was developed for public services – police, rescue workers, border guards, and armed forces.

The emblem of the brand is a figure that simultaneously resembles the shape of a shield or fairing of a modern motorcycle. Executed in a gray-black gradient color with a gray border, the emblem contains a central accent group consisting of the image of the road markings going away into the distance, delimited on both sides by symbolic images of lightning. Executed in yellow color, they effectively attract attention. Above the composition, there is an inscription of the brand name in white and gray color. Above them, creating visual completeness of the whole composition, there is a stylized yellow turn indicator repeating the shape of the upper contour of the shield.

Alta

Alta Motors, an idea that came from Silicon Valley, became the basis of a small business producing electric motorcycles. In the two years since its founding, the brand has attracted the attention of even the co-founders of Tesla, spending $17 million from various investors in that time. It was created by Mark Feinstein. The main production know-how was the batteries of its own design. All electronic components for cars and battery cases were produced at the plant in Brisbane. The rest of the company purchased from other manufacturers. However, the end of 2018 proved difficult, and the brand announced the suspension of production.

Two models of the brand – Redshift SM and Redshift MX – had a bright and memorable emblem, made in bright yellow color, laconic and simple. It was the text of the company’s name, a graphic design that ensured the product’s recognizability. All the letters of the name are lowercase with a slant to the right, symbolizing movement and speed. Below the first two letters, Alta was a wide strip with a beveled left edge, continuing the letter “A.” Along the right edge of the band, a second word, Motors, was written in smaller type, ending on the right border of the first word.

Rokon

Rokon is an American motorcycle manufacturer based in Rochester, New Hampshire, United States, with a history dating back to 1958. Its founder, Orla Larsen of Vermont, organized a business to manufacture and sell two-wheeled motorcycles, the brainchild of Charlie Phenom. In 1964, he moved to New Hampshire to expand production of the then-acquired Trail-Breaker motorcycle. Today, the brand is known as a manufacturer of four-wheel drive two-wheel ATVs.

The latest evolution of the company’s visual style has provided a new logo that, in keeping with current trends, is simple and concise. The brand name was chosen as the logo, the font of which was designed as the main element of visualization of the brand features. First of all, this was facilitated by the symmetry of the letters, which is favorably emphasized by the white stripe running right in the center of the entire text. To ensure visual memorability, all letters were highlighted in orange color. But the most important element in the formation of individual style was symmetry. Two letters, “O,” like two wheels, carry the main visual load, “dragging” the whole composition behind them.

Confederate

Being a lawyer, Matthew Chambers had a passionate love for motorcycles. The passion overcame a private practice, which he sold to pursue his dream, and founded Confederate in 1991 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1993, the company moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the manufacturing facility was located in Birmingham. Production was based on the concept of customizing unique designs and delivering outstanding examples directly to the customer. Today, such exclusive cars are owned by Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, and King Abdullah II of Jordan. In 2007, the company was rebranded as Curtiss Motorcycles. On March 29, 2018, Combat Motors LLC acquired the rights to the brand and design.

Following the task at hand and the chosen modern techno style, the company designed a corresponding logo. The modern and original logo design effectively reflects the characteristics of the brand’s products. The logo is a text graphic made up of the words of the company name. The word Confederate, made in capital letters in techno style, carries visual information about the design features of the brand’s motorcycles. Its slant to the right is a common way of visually conveying a sense of motion and speed. The connection of the letters to each other symbolizes the close relationship between the manufacturer and the customer from the moment the order is formed to its delivery to the owner. The underline emphasizes the first word, and the straight lowercase lettering of the word MOTORCYCLES below the line makes it easier to understand the essence of the logo, complementing the creation of the necessary visual impression.

Alligator

Dan Gurney, known to the world as the only rider to win multiple types of racing championships, was the creator of a unique vehicle, the Gurney Alligator. What set it apart from all motorcycles of the past and today was its unique design and fit. Created in a workshop located in Santa Ana, California, the unique exterior design was reminiscent of Gottlieb Daimler’s 1886 prototype. During development, the 1976 base model underwent a design evolution, being named the A-1 model, which Gurney completed in 1980 and called the “Grandpa Alligator.” The motorcycle’s elongated body, low, squat stance, and desire to pay homage to North American nature contributed to this evolution. In 2002, the brand announced the preparation of a new model called Instigator, the production of which has not yet begun.

In addition to its unique appearance, the Alligator was distinguished by its emblem, which was an image of a shield, the inside of which was filled with black color. In the upper part of the shield, there was a blue stripe in the color of the U.S. flag with five white stars. Under it, repeating the contours of the shield, imitating the red stripes of the national flag, there are three letters – AAR. Modern copies of the Alligator use an updated text emblem on the fuel tanks in the form of an inscription at the top – Dan Gurney (the name of the developer). Below that is the company inscription in handwritten script, a copy of the manufacturer’s inscription. Thus, the new emblem was a tribute to the engineering genius and history of the brand.

Arch

Arch Motorcycle Company, LLC is one of the unique American motorcycle companies in the United States (Hawthorne, California). Its founders are Gard Hollinger, an auto-motorcycle shop owner, and Hollywood star Keanu Reeves. The meeting of two geniuses in different fields took place in 2007. It wasn’t until 2011 that it bore fruit – the idea of creating its own motorcycle brand called Arch Motorcycle Company, LLC was realized. Infecting Hollinger with the idea of creating his vision of a two-wheeled Porsche 911, Reeves offered funding. The Arch actor was inspired by his own Harley to create a prototype, which led to the release of the first KRGT-1 in 2014. In 2017, 3 more models were added.

Today, this new “techno-film” brand is easily recognizable by its emblem, represented by the brand name and a graphic icon. The latter is represented as a silhouette of a racer leaning to the side while turning against a background of a gray arch and a highlighted stylized Kickstarter image. To the right of the sign, the name of the brand – Arch – is printed in white lowercase font on a wide red plate, the left edge of which repeats the curves of the sign. The height of the plate matches the height of the sign. Underneath, along its full length, is the phrase – Motorcycle Company, the second part of the company name.

ATK

In 1980, ATK began operations in the United States, founded by Grand Prix gold medalist Horst Leitner, who moved from Austria to the U.S. that year. After receiving his first order and funding from the Austrian company Puch in 1985, Leitner named the company after the device he patented that year, the ATK, and began production of his first motorcycle. After he left, the dealer network bought back 1987 Can-Am models, which provided ATK with direct orders and financing throughout North America. In the early 2000s, the company added ATK production and expanded by buying smaller bankrupt companies and merging with a Korean manufacturer.

After its first release, ATK motorcycles, characterized by high reliability, safety, and interesting design, became the owners of an emblem recognizable by all. Simple and concise, meeting modern requirements, the emblem was an oval in the free space in which the name of the brand was inscribed in lowercase letters with the traditional right slope. To increase recognition and ease of remembering, each letter had its own color – red, white, and dark purple. At the same time, in different variants of the logo, there is both the white letter T and its black analog.

Boss Hoss

Among American motorcycle manufacturers, the company Boss Hoss from Dyersburg, Tennessee (USA), was distinguished by models with multi-cylinder and multi-diesel engines. The motorcycles were characterized by their large size and visual sense of power and strength. The creator of Monte Varna created his first model in 1990 by installing the engine of a Muscle car into the frame of a motorcycle. After the appropriate treatment, the technique was recognized by motorcycle enthusiasts; currently, on the account of Boss Hoss, there are 20 model lines of such monsters and tricycles. The products of the brand are exclusive.

The recognizability of the brand is not only due to the unique shape of its motorcycles. Thanks to the brevity and simplicity of execution, the modern emblem also makes it easy to remember and recognize any series of the manufacturer. The small rectangular nameplate, mounted on the body of the motorcycle, carries only the company’s name in a traditional rectangular lowercase font in gradient steel gray. The letters rest on a stylized plinth with the Motorcycles inscription in a small font. The emblem creates an impression of massiveness and, at the same time, reliability, which is characteristic of all products of the motorcycle brand.

Cleveland CycleWerks

Cleveland CycleWerks is a privately owned small motorcycle company designing and manufacturing motorcycles out of Cleveland, Ohio. Its production collection features café racers, bobbers, and retro-style motorcycles. Founded by Scott Colosimo, Jarrod Strang, and Curtis Ray in 2009, the company faced the challenge of finding local manufacturers of needed parts at affordable prices only after contracting with manufacturers in China. Inexpensive, easy to repair, customize, and maintain, stylish motorcycles of this brand have become a favorite among non-professionals.

The logo of the company is a certain adherence to the emblems of classic European brands. This is confirmed by the image of a shield in the background with a black-and-white outline and “lemon” filling the interior space and a stylized image of the silhouette of an eagle with outstretched wings in front of the shield. Such elements symbolize the guarantee of protection and safety of equipment, as well as the opportunity to get a feeling of flight from the use of quality equipment from a proud brand. The inside of the eagle is in white or black and filled with the brand name. In the tail area is placed the date of the brand’s foundation – 2009. The name is in lowercase letters, such as Amboy Black by Parkinson.

Curtiss

Curtiss Motorcycles is the new name of the established luxury motorcycle brand Confederate. A shift in focus to producing exotic electric street bikes was the reason for the brand’s renaming, which Matt Chambers – founder, announced in 2017. Together with Zero Motorcycles, the revitalized but already under a new name, Curtiss Motorcycles, planned to start production of the Hercules model at the production facilities of the companion. The new name is a tribute to pilot and motorcyclist Glenn Curtiss.

The company’s new logo consists only of the graphically rendered text of the company name. Font Diner’s Automatic lowercase font was chosen as the basis. Its graphics best reflect the spirit and principles of the company’s new strategy and corporate style. All letters have acquired smooth roundness and general symmetry characteristics for wheels. The last two rounded letters – “CC” – provided a harmonious combination with the first “C,” creating a visual unity of the whole composition. Their diagonals recall the original design of the brand’s motorcycle wheels, adding a modern “techno” effect.

Fischer

The most significant new American motorcycle of 2006, the MRX 650, named by Motorcyclist magazine, was produced by Fischer Motor Company. Founded by Daniel Fischer, a famous motorcycle racer of the 1990s in Maryland, the sportbike company was the basis for his designs. He created a subsidiary design company, EADS (Airbus), and invited Harley-Davidson and Michael Jordan Motorsports to be contractors. Components were ordered from American factories. Fisher’s working concept was to adjust and refine existing designs. In 2012, the strategy was revised, and production was halted.

The brand formed its logo on the reflection of the name of the company and the name of its founder. The mark in the form of two letters, “F,” facing “back” to each other, created a visual perception of the shape of the motorcycle fairing. Executed in two corporate colors – blue and red, they have evenly executed bevels of their edges to the center, forming a sharp lower corner, providing the necessary perception of the composition as a fairing. Depending on its placement, the emblem could have a yellow line in the background and the text of the brand name underneath in black slanted lowercase font.

Janus

2012 was the year when a new motorcycle manufacturer appeared in the United States, Indiana, combining the achievements of modern technology and the style of the twenties of the last century. It was the Janus Motorcycles brand that created the Halcyon 50 moped, serial production of which began in 2013. The founders of the company, Devin Biek and Richard Worsham, who are fans of vintage motorcycles, decided to create a unique symbiosis of the past and present. Devin Biek owns a tuning company, which allowed him to apply his expertise in a new direction. The neoclassical variant turned out to be promising. It interested not only collectors and retro lovers.

The emblem of the company is a sign in the form of two letters, “J,” the first letter of the name, and turned “backs” to each other. They create a visual shape in the form of the letter “M” – a symbol of the type of equipment produced. This group is framed by a laurel wreath, symbolizing the greatness of the strategy and the victoriousness of the realized idea. To the right of the sign – the text of the name, made in a large font, under which the inscription of the word Motorcycles of smaller size, located above the line separating it from the even smaller inscription – GOSHEN INDIANA. The entire symbolism is in a single monochrome color scheme. Depending on the placement of the logo, its composition can be black or white.

MotoCzysz

In 2009, professional American motorcycle racer and engineer Michael Czysz founded a zero-emission racing car company. The company was based in Portland, Oregon, and became the bearer of the founder’s name, MotoCzysz. That same year, it teamed up with Bajaj Auto to create eco-friendly motorcycles, presumably hybrids. Joining Remy Electric Motors LLC allowed it to design and build electric drives for ATVs. In 2013, a TT Zero Race electric motorcycle driven by Michael Rutter won the TT race that season.

Like the machinery itself, its emblem is characterized by originality and impeccable design. The rounded rectangle in black and white has a black finish. In its inner part, the number 1 is painted in white, a tribute to the C1 engine prototype and the first electric motorcycle, the E1pc. At the same time, the figure signifies both the leaders in the production of this type of technology and a demonstration of continued success. From the figure to the right, breaking the rectangle stretches a white stripe. This is a symbol of the removal of restrictions and the existence of a direct path in achieving the goal from the dead end of using technologies that are harmful to the environment.

MTT

Marine Turbine Technologies (MTT) is an American company that made history in the domestic bridge-building industry with the development of a unique motorcycle model, the Y2K Turbine Superbike. The Franklin, LA-based company develops turbines for marine and river vessels, as well as fire suppression systems. Based on their developments, the brand created a motorcycle equipped with a gas turbine engine. The technique has not received serial production and is assembled to order by hand for a specific application. Models with turbojet and turboshaft engines are presented. An important feature of such engines is the operation of different types of fuel – aviation, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, biofuel.

For its emblem, the brand has chosen a combined variant – a partial embodiment of the emblem of the main production and the new branch. The emblem is an abbreviation of the name – MTT, typed in lowercase letters with a slant to the right and made in a bright scarlet color. It is made on the background of a wheel, the core of which can be perceived both in the form of spokes and turbine blades. The trim of the entire badge is in bright yellow, while the wheel cover is in gradient blue. The shape of the wheel demonstrates the momentum of traveling at high speed, aided by the change in circumference to a right-sloping oval shape.

US Highland

Oklahoma is the birthplace of US Highland, an American motorcycle brand. Its founder, Mats Malmberg, died in 2010 in a plane crash along with two other executives. After that, the company was reorganized into a holding company under UHLN (OTCBB) (US Highlands Inc). The brand’s main products were motorcycles built to individual customer specifications. The products were prefabricated modular units. It was planned to create a dealer network and produce electric motorcycles, the engine of which was to be installed in the hub of the front wheel.

For its emblem, the brand chose an original design of the sign in the form of an inverted shield inscribed in an inverted equilateral triangle. For the basis, only the contours of the figures connected at the intersection were taken and made in white color. The inner space of the resulting single figure is made in black color. In its central part, repeating the shape of the shield, yellow contours were created, creating a visual impression of a motorcycle fairing, in the center of which a stylized arrow is made in red. To the right and left of the sign, a yellow ribbon symbolizing the zigzag of the road was symmetrically depicted. Almost centered in the foreground in white is the brand name, US Highland.

Z Electric Vehicles

One of the leading manufacturers of “green” vehicles is Z Electric Vehicle Corporation (ZEV) from Morgantown, West Virginia. Its electric scooters are assembled in the United States and China. Production facilities are located in the United States, Australia, and Vietnam. Today, ZEV scooters stand out as the fastest and most powerful among commercially produced electric vehicles of the small class. They are distinguished by a large range of travel. Founded in 2006 by Darus Zerbach Jr., the brand today has 19 model lines of electric scooters and has prepared a line of sporty electric motorcycles – MS.

The company logo demonstrates the effective application of modern technologies, creativity, and a deep understanding of current features. The logo is simple and laconic. Its accent element is the abbreviation – ZEV, made in lowercase with the strict alignment of spaces between letters, which provides the optimal visual perception of the text, its readability, and ease of remembering. The clarity of each letter, executed in the same color, allows for good perception both on the surface of the motorcycle and on printed materials or digital media. To the right of the header, the text emphasizes an important feature of scooters – ELECTRIC. The small font, aligned on the lower level with the main font, does not interfere with the perception of the logo as a single harmoniously created composition.