10 Vintage Single-Cylinder Bikes Riders Refuse To Sell
Pre-1985 single-cylinder Motorcycles today are a time machine to a simpler era. A time when thumping engines, café racing, and classic British styling were all the rage. Though singles might not be the most popular today, they still have an incredibly dedicated fanbase. Some in particular have gone on to become collector darlings, as those in the know hoard them as pieces of history that won’t be made again.
10
Yamaha SR500
Current Value: $2,500
Introduced in 1978, Yamaha launched the SR500 to tap into nostalgia for the classic British single-cylinder bikes; while the British industry was in decline, the aesthetics were still loved. To that end, it was stripped back with wire-spoke wheels, a four-stroke 499 cc “thumper” engine with the distinctive British exhaust note, and a kickstarter. But while the design may have been British, underneath it was typically Japanese — reliable, innovative, and easy to ride.
It became known as “the best British single never made,” with fans helping it to run for a total of 21 years. Bring a Trailer shows a 22-mile example sold for $5,150 in 2026, while a still-in-the-crate bike sold for $12,000 in 2022.
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9
Honda XR500
Current Value: $3,000
A sport and off-road motorcycle, the XR500 was a four-stroke introduced in 1979. It was made with dirt and sand in mind and, in the hands of Cyril Neveu, won the motorcycle division of the 1982 Paris-Dakar Rally. This helped to demonstrate the bike’s reliability which, along with its low-end torque and proven off-road capabilities, helped the XR500 generate a dedicated fan base that it still has today.
Prices do reflect their more niche position in the motorcycle market, though, as a 2,538-mile, well-maintained bike sold for $6,600 at Mecum in 2025, with good-condition bikes being closer to the $3,000 mark.
8
Matchless G80
Current Value: $5,000
Coming shortly after the end of the Second World War, the Matchless G80’s 498 cc four-stroke powered both commuters and club competitors around the British Isles. As it was made by Associated Motor Cycles, essentially the same bike was also launched under the AJS brand (and was known as the AJS Model 18), given that both AJS and Matchless were owned by AMC. Whichever logo the bike wore, though, it was known as a rugged bike that could handle both scrambling as well as normal road use.
Due to their age, Matchless G80s have quite a wide price range depending on their condition. Rough bikes can be picked up for less than $2,000, while $5,000 is a much more common value. AJS models are even more difficult to find, and can command much higher prices due to this rarity.
7
Norton Manx ES2
Current Value: $5,000
Produced between 1928 and 1964, the 490 cc, four-stroke ES2 earned a reputation for reliability and performance. Unlike the Norton Manx, the ES2 was more focused on road use than race performance, and was famously used by revolutionary Che Guevara to travel through South America.
With such a long production run, the bikes at the end of it are considerably different to the ones at the start. It’s the more recent ones that collectors prefer, as bikes from 1959 onward used a “featherbed frame” that improved handling by replacing old, flexible frames with a much more rigid, bronze-welded one. Restored ES2s will set you back around $15,000, though good-condition bikes are more commonly around the $5,000 mark, depending on the year.
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6
Ducati 250 Mark 3
Current Value: $8,000
While the Ducati 250 Mark 3, also known as the Ducati Diana Mark 3 in the US, only ran between 1962 and 1966, it certainly left its mark. The sports bike was designed by Fabio Taglioni — the inventor of the Desmodronic system that would become synonymous with Ducati — and featured a 249 cc engine mounted to a lightweight frame. It became a legendary bike in its time, helping to define Ducati’s reputation for performance and beautiful Italian design, a legacy that continues to this day.
Its café-racer design, handling prowess, and place within Ducati’s history helped it achieve a coveted place in the secondhand market. Show-quality bikes can fetch five figures at auction. However, around $8,000 is the average for the bike.
5
Royal Enfield Bullet
Current Value: $11,000
An incredibly long-running bike, the Royal Enfield Bullet has been in production (in one form or another) since 1931. The bike started as a 346 cc single, gaining a 499 cc option in 1948, and gained a reputation for being a rugged workhorse thanks in part to its use by the British Army in the Second World War. Though not available to the public, a 125 cc “Flying Flea” variant was also built for British paratroopers and was dropped in cradles during D-Day and Operation Market Garden.
With so many options, it’s the pre-1960s models that collectors favor for their distinctive engine noise and vintage engineering.
Bullets are far more expensive in the US than in their native UK, where the bikes more commonly sell for around £2,000 (~$2,600). Finding one in the US is the hardest part; however, if you do, you’re looking at around $11,000 for a good model.
4
BMW R27
Current Value: $11,000
The last single-cylinder motorcycle produced by BMW, the R27 ran between 1960 and 1966. Its innovative rubber-mounted engine helped to reduce vibrations and limit fatigue on the bike, while the shaft-drive system (different from motorcycling’s usual chain drive) meant that maintenance was vastly simpler, albeit at the cost of some engine power. Today, it stands as an example of German engineering, and around $11,000 is the average for an R27, though some bikes can fetch much higher values, such as a 242-mile refurbished 1963 model that sold for $26,000 in 2023.
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3
Velocette Venom
Current Value: $12,000
The Venom, launched in 1955, was a 499 cc four-stroke that produced around 36 hp. Designed as a high-performance bike, it made history in 1961 by setting a world-record 100.05 mph average speed over 24 hours around the banked oval of Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, France. A Thruxton variant, named for the UK’s fastest racing circuit, was released in 1965 and would go on to win the Production class of the Isle of Man TT in 1967.
Having emerged during the golden age of British motorcycling, the Venom is revered today for its sophisticated-for-the-time engineering and precise handling. Velocette Venoms sell for around $12,000 on average, though a particularly clean 1958 bike sold for $27,000 in 2024.
2
BSA Gold Star DBD34
Current Value: $14,000
Built by BSA, the 499 cc Gold Star DBD34 was produced between 1956 and 1963. It made 42 hp and, with a claimed 110 mph top speed, the bike lived up to its “gold star” name on the track, particularly through its low-end torque and excellent handling. It represented the pinnacle of British single-cylinder performance during British motorcycling’s golden age, and remains the ultimate café racer today.
This legacy has helped its value today, as a refurbished 1963 model sold for $35,000 in 2023. Though prices for good models are more commonly around the $14,000 mark.
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1
Norton Manx
Current Value: $20,000
Not to be confused with the new Manx released in June 2026, the original Norton Manx was a British bike available in either 350 cc or 500 cc configurations. Regardless of capacity, though, both used a single-cylinder engine to propel them forward. Named for the Isle of Man TT, a privately entered Manx took three-time Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing champion and former F1 driver Mike Hailwood to Senior TT victory in 1961.
With the bike representing everything that made British racing singles great, examples are worth an incredible amount today (when they can be found for sale at all). A 1962 Manx sold for $56,000 in 2022, with a handful of sales in 2024 seeing bikes sell between $20,000 and $31,000.
Sources: Bring a Trailer, Hagerty, Classic.com
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