10 Of The Most Collectible Motorcycles Worth Buying (If You Can Find One)

There's no single formula that can predict how collectible a motorcycle will be. Sure, there are some telltale signs — rarity, racing success, popularity at launch — that are fairly good indicators, but they're never a guarantee. Plenty of motorcycles that tick those boxes get overlooked by collectors, and some that seem unlikely candidates at launch end up being cult classics.

Having spent several years reporting on automotive auctions for various outlets, I'm all too aware of the sometimes unpredictable nature of the collector market. In the past couple years alone, a number of eyebrow-raising auction records have been set, leading to some inevitable speculation about whether certain classics are really worth the amounts that their new owners have paid for them. However, there are some nameplates that are almost guaranteed to spark high levels of interest among collectors — and generate high hammer prices — no matter where or when they come up for sale.

These sought after models are from fan favorite manufacturers, with each one among the most collectible bikes of its kind. They cover a wide cross-section of the world of motorcycle collecting, from ultra-rare modern day superbikes to near century-old classics.

Harley-Davidson has churned out many, many collectible motorcycles, and one of the most desirable of all is the EL Knucklehead. The bike's headline innovation was that it featured the first ever Harley-Davidson overhead-valve V-Twin engine. Previously, the brand had built motorcycles with overhead-valve single-cylinder engines, but this time, it had gone one better in a bid to outshine an increasingly advanced field of rivals.

It wasn't a smash hit, at least not at first, as the initial batch of engines faced reliability issues. Production began in 1936 and lasted for a little over a decade, and in that time, the bike underwent a series of upgrades to fix its initial design flaws and refine its rough edges. Collectors tend to prefer the earlier examples, the most valuable of which have sold for over $200,000 at auction. That puts most clean examples of the bike far out of reach of the average collector, although a handful of barn find examples have been discovered in recent years.

[Featured image by Michael Barera via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

When it unveiled the RG500, Suzuki was still a relatively new manufacturer, having built its very first motorcycle around two decades prior. It would prove to be one of the brand's most successful models ever, catapulting Suzuki to the very top of the racing bike world. That's despite the Suzuki racing team being a much smaller operation than any of its rivals. The RG500 debuted in 1974 with Barry Sheene and Paul Smart as the two factory riders. Sheene quickly proved it had race-winning pace, and by 1976, had sealed both the drivers' and manufacturers' title, two firsts for Suzuki.

Alongside the factory riders, Suzuki made the unconventional decision to sell the RG500 to any privateer with a large enough wallet to run one. Some of these privateer riders even managed to take GP wins, and helped Suzuki retain its manufacturers' crown for a staggering seven consecutive years. The model's unique place in Suzuki's history has made it a highly sought after classic among collectors, with examples valued at $60,000 or more on the rare occasion that they appear for sale.

A segment-defining motorcycle that helped cement Kawasaki as a serious force on the global stage, the Z1 debuted back in 1972. It was faster and more powerful than any other Japanese motorcycle before it, and it looked the part, too, with styling that has kept it looking sleek more than half a century later. The Z1 was a big sales success for Kawasaki, with the brand expanding its production capacity to meet the demand, which was around triple its initial forecasts.

Not wanting to change a winning formula, Kawasaki also ensured that later Z models took inspiration from the original Z1. Even the water-cooled Z1000 of 2003 took heavy design influence from the '70s classic. Over the decades, resale values for the Z1 have continued to rise as collectors come to appreciate its place in the brand's history, with one example setting a new auction record in 2023 when it sold for $55,000. Most examples still sell for considerably less.

[Featured image by SG2012 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

A recent addition to the high end collectible motorcycle market, just 10 examples of the RSV4 X were made available to buy in 2020. It's an upgraded, track-only variant of the RSV4 1100 Factory, with a new Akrapovic exhaust that boosts its power output to 225 horsepower. The bike was also subject to a weight saving program that resulted in it clocking in at just 364 pounds. Among the bespoke lightweight components are a set of lightweight Marchesini magnesium rims.

The entire 10-slot run of the bike sold out in less than a day, although not all of its collectors were intent on riding it. A never-ridden example appeared for sale at Iconic Motorbikes a year after the bike was unveiled alongside an original 2010 RSV4 superbike, which was also in new condition. The latter bike had "never been started or seen a drop of fuel" despite being 11 years old at the time of its sale, which suggests the commemorative RSV4 X might well be subject to the same fate. It sold for $80,250, a significant premium over its original retail price of 39,900 Euros (around $44,700 at the time).

Not only was the Vincent Black Lightning the fastest motorcycles of its day, it was also one of the fastest vehicles to have ever graced public roads when it was unveiled. Less than three dozen examples were ever built, making it a very rare find even in its heyday.

Today, most enthusiasts will be lucky to even see one in real life, as only 19 examples are thought to survive. However, that number isn't a definitive figure, as in April 2024, one example appeared for sale at a Bonhams auction having been found in a shed in the UK the year before. So, there's a chance that further examples remain undiscovered, albeit a very small one.

The Black Lightning was a modified version of Vincent's Black Shadow motorcycle, with rider Rollie Free using a prototype version to set a world speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948. Wearing nothing but a pair of swimming shorts and a helmet to reduce drag as much as possible, Free achieved a record of 150.313 mph.

Built essentially as a chance for Honda to showcase its most advanced motorcycle technology, the NR750 is both very rare and very valuable today. Its oval-piston engine was unique at the time of its release and remains a unicorn over three decades later, with a reported 200 patents held on its engine design. Its styling was just as radical, being unlike anything else on the road at the time and famously inspiring the design of the Ducati 916.

Its sky-high asking price of $50,000 was unprecedented at its launch in 1991, and even today remains shockingly high for a motorcycle. However, the roughly 300 buyers that coughed up the cash will have made a healthy return on their investment, with examples selling for more than $100,000 in recent years. It's easy to see why collectors are willing to pay such huge premiums for the motorcycle: Not only is it arguably one of the best-looking Japanese motorcycles ever built, it's also mechanically unlike any other motorcycle in the world. Given that Honda has never indicated that it plans to build a successor, it should remain that way, too.

[Featured image by Rikita via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Ducati is another brand with a long history of churning out collectible models, many of which are made even more in-demand thanks to their ultra-low production numbers. The Supermono is one such bike, being both extremely rare and also a collectors' favorite. It was only ever produced in racing form, although at one point Ducati had reportedly planned a road-going model. It never materialized, at least not officially, although a former Ducati engineer built a handful of unofficial examples with spare racing parts years after the factory program ended.

The Supermono was, as its name suggests, a high-performance single-cylinder, capable of churning out 75 horsepower. Many of its components were made from magnesium, carbon fiber, and kevlar to keep its weight to a minimum. It first entered competition in 1993 and over the following seasons would notch up a number of wins, but it eventually fell victim to the success of Ducati's other models. The brand's V-twin models had proved hugely popular with buyers, and they took priority as the Supermono project was eventually shelved.

[Featured image by MikeSchinkel via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

It's often the case that the most valuable motorcycles are those built for competition or ultimate roadgoing performance. The BMW R69S is built for neither, instead being designed for long-distance touring. It was unveiled in 1967, but it's taken until the last few years for values of the bike to hit the kind of resale values usually reserved for performance machines. Now, examples in pristine condition can reach $50,000 or more.

That's primarily down to a few factors, the first of which is its reliability. The R69S has built a solid reputation for being a dependable companion on road trips even in its old age, while many other bikes of the era were relegated to being museum pieces decades ago. It's also considered to be one of the most enjoyable motorcycles of its vintage to ride. Combine that with a large brand fanbase driven by decades of impressive BMW motorcycles and the result is a collectible classic cruiser that's worth more than many new cars.

The Four is one of Indian's most valuable motorcycles, but the engine from which it takes its name was originally created by a rival company. The design was conceived and first built at Henderson, which was later sold to become Ace. When Ace went bust, Indian bought the rights to the engine, further tweaking its design and launching the Four in 1929. The manufacturer didn't stop there, either, continually updating various aspects of the bike until it was discontinued in 1942.

While all surviving examples of the Indian Four are valuable today, some go for exceptional prices. One original example in unrestored condition sold for a whopping $205,000 on Bring a Trailer in early 2024. In doing so, it became the most expensive Indian motorcycle sold on the platform by a considerable margin, fetching more than double the hammer price of the previous record holder. Whether that sale was an anomaly or part of a wider upward trend remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure: buying a surviving example is now likely to be even more difficult than it was before.

Much like the Indian Four, the MV Agusta 750S America has recorded high resale values in recent years as collectors scrabble to get their hands on the best-kept examples. In May 2024, one particularly sought after example fetched $151,000 on Bring a Trailer. The bike in question was built a little after the brand's peak glory years, leaving the factory in 1975. It was a rarity at launch, only remaining in production for two years before being axed, and it's even rarer to find today.

It was built specifically for the American market, as MV Agusta tried to shore up its ailing finances after years of low sales. It was based on the brand's 750S, but featured a number of upgrades including additional power and styling that evoked the brand's racing heritage. A total of 200 examples of the motorcycle were made during its first year, with that figure deliberately capped to increase the model's appeal. Its rarity, power, and timeless Italian style helped keep it a desirable collectible even as some of the brand's other models fell into relative obscurity. Even so, it's safe to say most collectors were still surprised at the final hammer price of the recently sold example.

[Featured image by El Caganer via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]