10 Vintage Honda Bikes That Still Slap Hard In 2025

Over the years, Honda has made some incredible motorcycles. From little scooters that have provided the world with basic, reliable transportation, all the way up to large-displacement tourers that can carry across the country. Some of these bikes have turned into collectible classics, and others have become more accessible than ever.

For a motorcycle – or any vehicle for that matter – to qualify as a “classic”, it needs to be at least 20 years old. An “antique” motorcycle should be at least 35 years old. “Vintage” falls somewhere between the two. For the sake of clarity, we will only consider bikes which are already considered antique motorcycles by insurers for this list.

1982 CX500 Turbo

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

Honda

A highly experimental turbo kit for the Kawasaki Z1 got everyone’s attention towards the end of the 70s. While not too many were crazy enough to buy that kit, it certainly proved that it was indeed possible to turbocharge a motorcycle. Honda were the first to blink, putting the CX500 into production by 1982. Unfortunately, it suffered from turbo-lag and any performance gains from the turbo were rendered moot by all the added weight.

Specifications

1983 CX650 Turbo

Price Range: $10,000 – $15,000

Bring A Trailer

As the 80s marched on, every car with turbo emblazoned down the side became a hot seller. Unfortunately, turbocharged motorcycles never enjoyed the same levels of sales success. Even though the 650 was an altogether better effort compared to the 500, it was still both expensive, and very heavy. As a result it became something of a sales flop. Today, these bikes are now pretty hard to find in reasonable condition, and are getting pretty expensive.

Specifications

1985 VF750F

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Honda’s obsession with the V4 engine configuration can be traced back to this motorcycle. Initially conceived so that they could compete in endurance, and superbike racing, this V4 would go on to become something of an icon within the industry. It is important to note that when the model was first introduced back in 1983, it had cam failure issues. If you find one which has survived this long, we doubt you will encounter any of these issues, but avoiding the “chocolate cam” years is still advisable.

Specifications

1985 Gold Wing GL1200

Price Range: $1,000 – $3,000

Honda

This generation Gold Wing became one of the most ubiquitous motorcycles on the road. It offered good power, but more importantly, offered a level of comfort not seen on a motorcycle before. It came with a host of comfort features which were all previously only optional, and 1985 marked the first year that it became a pure touring model as Honda discontinued the naked/standard version. Today, it represents fantastic value if you are looking for a touring bike on a budget.

Specifications

1986 VFR750F

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Heineken, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

After dropping the ball with the VF750F cams, Honda engineers went back to the drawing board for the VFR750F. It had none of the cam issues the previous bike experienced, its gear-driven cams actually made it one of the most overengineered superbikes money could buy. Suffice to say, it restored the brand’s sullied reputation and enjoyed a long, 11-year production run.

Specifications

1987 Hurricane CBR600F

Price Range: $2,000 – $4,000

Honda took one look at Ducati’s full-coverage fairing on the Paso and thought it was going to be the next big thing in motorcycle design. Today, it just looks dated, and we all know that this all-encompassing fairing does nothing for cooling within the city limits. Parking that fact off to one side, this is still an incredibly fast bike, able to an 11 second quarter-mile. This is speed on a budget, if you can handle the heat.

Specifications

1987 Hurricane CBR1000F

Price Range: $2,000 – $4,000

Honda

Strangely, the bigger liter-bike version of the Hurricane is not all that much faster, even though it makes almost 50 more horsepower. With a 511 pound dry weight, the answer is easily found. Prices are pretty low, and as long as you keep up with basic maintenance on these engines, they will run forever. Just don’t expect it to handle particularly well.

Specifications

1988 NSR250R

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

While the NSR500 was strictly reserved for the track, it was possible to go out and buy one of these legendary two-stroke race bikes (at least in some parts of the world). On paper, it might look like it doesn’t make much power, but these little bikes were incredibly fast around a track thanks to how light they were. It takes a lot of skill to keep these two-strokes “on the pipe”, so to speak, and if you get it wrong while going around a corner, you will find out rather quickly that these “small” bikes are no less scary than any of the old superbikes on this list.

Specifications

1990 Gold Wing GL1500

Price Range: $1,000 – $3,000

Honda

The Gold Wing got its first – now iconic – flat six with the introduction of the GL1500. This was also the first Gold Wing to be equipped with a reverse gear. The innovative system used the starter motor to “walk” the bike backwards. This was an important feature for what had become an incredibly heavy bike, but with its girth also came a host of features. By the time the last GL1500 rolled off the production line in 2000, over a million Honda motorcycles had been made in America.

Specifications

1990 VFR750R (RC30)

Price Range: $40,000 – $50,000

Bring A Trailer

It is pretty amazing what a big difference one letter can make. The RC30, or VFR750R, was a homologation special of note. Built specifically to win WorldSBK titles – of which it secured two for the brand – this was a racing bike with lights. Today, these machines are highly collectible and worth a small fortune in the right condition.

Specifications