10 Honda Motorcycles With Reputation For Legendary Longevity

Over the years, Honda has earned a reputation for building some of the most reliable motorcycles within the industry. It is a brand famed for selling motorcycles that last, thanks to a combination of excellent build quality and, in most cases, understressed powertrains. There is also an extensive dealer network that helps keep these bikes on the road.

The kind of peace of mind that comes with owning a Honda is hard to put a dollar value on, and it is very easy to see why the brand has such a huge following. Naturally, there have been a few flops, but they are few and far between. The bikes on this list all have proven track records, and are well known for their longevity.

1965 C100 Super Cub

Price Range: $1,000 – $3,000

Honda

“You meet the nicest people on a Honda.” This will go down in history as one of the most famous marketing campaigns, and it introduced millions of people to motorcycles that otherwise may have never thought of riding a motorcycle. More importantly, it helped mobilize the developing world. Providing people in the low-income bracket with affordable, reliable transport.

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1970 CB750

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

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After other brands initially didn’t see Honda as much of a threat, with the Super Cub occupying a part of the market they were not competing in, the CB750 made everyone stand up and take note. It proved that a high-performance motorcycle could actually be affordable and reliable. The CB750 is widely regarded as the first UJM, and along with the UJMs from the other three big Japanese brands, effectively killed the British motorcycle industry.

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1985 Gold Wing GL1200

Price Range: $1,000 – $3,000

Honda

Honda shifted production of the Gold Wing to the US by the early 80s, and the GL1200 quickly became one of the most popular motorcycles in the country. Its reliable (not to mention smooth) flat-four won over many fans, but most consumers were more interested in its luxury features. It was one of the first bikes to come out with a full touring fairing as standard fitment, which served to complement its already famous long distance comfort.

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1997 CBR1100XX

Price Range: $2,000 – $4,000

Honda 

Up until the mid-90s, Kawasaki had the fastest production motorcycle in the form of the Ninja ZX-11. But in 1997, the Blackbird swooped in and claimed the title for Honda. Not only is it fast, but over the years it has also proven to be one of the most durable superbikes. Enthusiasts all over the world mostly use these old speed queens as sport tourers these days, and have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles on their bikes.

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2005 Gold Wing GL1800

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

Honda

While the latest generation Gold Wing might be conspicuous in its absence, it offers a host of new tech and has been recalled a few times now. All that added tech also adds failure points, and it is not by accident that more simplified motorcycles tend to last longer. We feel that these mid-00s bikes offer the ideal balance between comfort and longevity, even if the flat-six can be a little tricky to work on once things do start going awry.

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2008 VFR800 Interceptor

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

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By the time this came out, the VFR had matured into one of the very best sport tourers money could buy. This generation also came with VTEC, which was a first for a motorcycle sold outside Japan. It might have been big and heavy, but its V4 engine is a genuine point of difference, offering ample torque and almost metronomic reliability.

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2010 VFR1200F

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

Honda

While the VFR1200F is even heavier, the added displacement bumped the power up to a whopping 170 horsepower. Even by modern standards, this is an outrageously fast motorcycle, able to show some modern liter bikes a clean pair of heels. Its V4 has decades of R&D baked into it, and it is incredibly reliable. Unfortunately, with it having those racing roots, fuel economy was never really a big priority.

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2017 Africa Twin

Price Range: $7,000 – $9,000

Honda

Considering how many other adventure bikes were already on the market by the time the Africa Twin came out, Honda were most certainly pretty late to the party. But, the Unicam engine was indeed worth the wait. Since it first came out, Honda has put this powertrain in several other models, all equally reliable. For an adventure bike, especially one that will be used for exploration, reliability is an under-appreciated feature.

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2020 Rebel 500 ABS

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Honda

This multi-platform parallel-twin might have been developed as an entry-level offering – with it being A2 compliant throughout Europe. The Rebel 500 has proven to be far more than your average beginner bike. It might be a little cramped for taller riders, but other than that, it is a very hard motorcycle to fault, with impeccable build quality and an even better reliability record.

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2021 CRF300L

Price Range: $2,000 – $4,000

Honda

Ever since Honda updated the venerable 250 dual-sport, it has exploded in popularity, and has proven to be one of the favorite entry points into the ADV world. People have taken this little bike around the world and back, proving that you simply don’t need one of the bigger, more expensive adventure bikes to get out and explore. With it being a single, it is pretty easy and affordable to maintain, especially for those inclined to get their hands dirty.

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