10 Vintage Bikes That Still Command Respect In 2025

Motorcycles generally command a certain level of respect. While smaller than cars, throughout most of the western world motorcycles are very much in the minority and inherently stand out. But, all certainly is not equal within this particular sphere, and there is no denying that certain vintage bikes just hit differently.

A motorcycle only needs to be 20 years old to be considered “classic.” For it to be considered an “antique” it should be at least 35 years old. Vintage bikes don’t really have a defined age, but they generally fall somewhere between classic and antique. For the purposes of this list, we will stick with bikes that insurance companies technically define as antiques.

1942 Harley-Davidson WLA

Price Range: $13,000 – $15,000

Dmitry Pavlovsky

Surplus Harleys like the WLA pretty much kicked off the whole custom bike scene. Back in the late 40s and early 50s, these simply represented affordable transport, and were almost always modified or personalized to some extent. Some have since been restored to military spec, and as a rule, the more original the bike looks, the more you will need to pay.

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1950 Vincent Black Lightning

Price Range: $200,000 – $300,000

private, with permission of the author, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Back in the early 50s, the Black Lightning was a special, made-to-order race bike. Nothing could touch these bikes in a straight line, and today they are exceedingly rare. A bike with historical significance recently sold for $1 million, but less famous models will still set you back as much as $300k. It is very much a collector’s bike, and evokes memories of a very different time.

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1966 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide

Price Range: $15,000 – $17,000

While the Shovelhead engine is not remembered with any fondness, this generation Electra Glide became desirable for an entirely different reason. Elvis Presley owned several Electra Glides like this and for many, if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for them. Today, there is no denying the fact that they look the part. Just don’t expect too much from the old Shovelhead.

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1970 Harley-Davidson XR750

Price Range: $25,000 – $30,000

Harley-Davidson

Arguably the only good thing that came out of the AMF years. While product quality dipped to an all-time low for customer bikes, the XR750 marched to one victory after another. It also helped carry Evel Knievel from one crazy stunt to another, and served as a beacon of hope for the ailing company. Today, these bikes are worth a small fortune if they are still running.

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1981 Ducati 900 MHR

Price Range: $15,000 – $20,000

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MHR stands for “Mike Hailwood Replica.” While these old Ducatis are great bikes, it is the Mike Hailwood comeback story that makes these bikes genuinely special. He won the 1978 Isle of Man TT aboard one of these Ducatis – in race spec – 11 years after his previous visit to the Island. Up until this point, wins at the Isle of Man had proven difficult to come by for Ducati, and this victory was rightly celebrated with a line of race replicas.

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1986 Suzuki GSX-R1100

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

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The GSX-R750 got the whole sports bike concept started back in 1985, but the bigger GSX-1100 certainly has more presence. At one time, these bikes briefly held the title for the fastest production motorcycle, but Kawasaki quickly stole that title back and never relinquished it up until the mid-90s. Prices for these early dual headlight bikes are on the rise.

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1988 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10 Tomcat

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

This is the Kawasaki that reclaimed the top speed title. These bikes sold in large numbers, in part thanks to the fact that it was considered the fastest production motorcycle at the time. Finding a project bike won’t be too hard and that will most certainly cost a lot less, but if you want one in decent shape, expect to pay around $5k.

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1989 Yamaha FZR1000R

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Yamaha

Yamaha were always a little more interested in getting a bike to go around a track fast than getting it to go fast in a straight line. The FZR1000R, largely thanks to its new Deltabox frame, proved that it was possible for a big bore sports bike to also handle well. It also just so happened to have a 20-valve Genesis engine, which made it more powerful than the speed queens.

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1990 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Bring a Trailer

Not willing to rest on their laurels, Kawasaki were quick to follow up the success of the Tomcat with the even faster ZX-11. Even by modern standards, this is still a “simply outrageous” motorcycle which offers ridiculous bang for the buck on the used market. The unfortunate reality of offering something so unbelievably fast for such a bargain price is that these bikes are all too often neglected, which is a shame.

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1990 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

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The moment this was seen getting ridden by Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2, was the very moment that the Fat Boy cemented its place in 90s pop culture. It is a motorcycle with immense presence and still commands a lot of respect wherever it goes. Its V-twin is ubiquitous, yet still imposing in that classic Harley way, but if there were ever a bike defined by its looks, it simply has to be the original Fat Boy.

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