The Final Four Motorcycle Models American IronHorse Built And What They're Worth Today

The American motorcycle industry has been going strong since Indian Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson began their rivalry in the first few years of the 20th Century. Custom-built choppers chase their lineage back to the 1904 Dreadnought and saw new popularity after being featured in the films "Easy Rider" and "Pulp Fiction." Those movies were released in 1969 and 1994, respectively, and by the early 21st Century, custom choppers were all the rage, thanks to TV shows like "American Chopper." That show, which starred Paul Teutul Sr. and his son Paul Jr., debuted in 2002, the same year that custom builder American IronHorse sold $40 million worth of bikes. The recession that came later in the decade decimated IronHorse sales and bankrupted the company by 2009, but not before it was able to produce a Final Four of sleek and powerful choppers that have all seen significant drops in their value.

[Featured image by Frank Schwichtenberg via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-BY SA 3.0]
 

The most affordable bike American IronHorse made in its final year was the Bandera. According to JD Power, it originally sold for $25,999 and is now worth less than half that, with a low end under $10,000 and an average value of $12,605. The Bandera had a 1,640 cubic centimeter V-twin engine and six-speed transmission and tipped the scales at 688 pounds. For $1,000 more that year, you could ride home on the IronHorse Judge, which had the same engine and transmission but weighed eight pounds less than the Bandera. JD Power quotes its current average value at $13,150 with a low end matching the Bandera's at $9,995.

Moving up the line takes us to the Texas Chopper, which has fared a little better than the Bandera and Judge in the 15 years since it was produced. The Texas Chopper originally sold for $31,999 and has an average value of $16,335, according to JD Power. That props up the low end of $12,415 and keeps that model in second place in terms of value. Top honors go to the Slammer pictured above, which Dream Machines claims is the last bike built by American IronHorse. When new, the Slammer sold for $38,999, but it's now worth an average of $20,295, according to JD Power.