10 Old Bikes That Still Slap Harder Than Most New Bikes

Spend any time around a modern sportbike, and it’s easy to assume the old guard has nothing left to offer. That assumption is wrong. Throughout the 1990s, superbikes grew increasingly powerful, and top speeds climbed to heights that tire and safety technology simply couldn’t keep pace with. In the wrong hands, these machines were genuinely dangerous.

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By the early 2000s, top speed was infamously limited to 186 MPH, and manufacturers suddenly had every reason to build bikes that could handle as well as they could charge down a straight. The decade that followed turned out to be a golden era for speed junkies, producing a generation of liter-class sports bikes that remain seriously quick by any measure. Today, many of those machines can be had for a fraction of their original price — and in the right hands, they’ll still show a modern sports bike a clean pair of heels.

2002 Honda CBR1100XX

Price Range $2,000 – $4,000

When it arrived in the late 1990s, the CBR1100XX was the fastest production motorcycle on the planet. Today, the use case for a bike like this has shifted considerably. Most owners ride them as sport tourers and have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles in the process. Stay on top of basic maintenance and these bikes will run virtually forever — with the added bonus of having access to staggering speed just one twist of the wrist away.

Specifications

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Displacement	1137cc
Max Power	164 HP
Transmission	6-speed
Weight	563 lbs

2004 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

Bring-a-Trailer

Known to be a little twitchy at high speed, these were scary fast motorcycles. It might not have as much power as a modern liter-bike, but it is at least twice as scary to ride. The throttle — at least in stock form — was a little abrupt, and with this much power in a light frame, slow-moving traffic is not going to be your friend. But once you get into the twisty bits — or ideally onto a track — all of that will be forgiven and forgotten.

Specifications

2004 Suzuki Hayabusa (First Generation)

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

No matter how polarizing the styling, the first-generation Hayabusa sold in enormous numbers. If you are willing to settle for something that has been modified beyond recognition — possibly not a bad thing — you will certainly find one for less than the specified price range. Finding a completely stock example is nearly impossible at this point, so your best bet is to seek out a bike that has been only lightly modified.

Specifications

2004 Kawasaki ZX-12R

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

70_musclecar_RT+6 via Flickr

With this bike arriving just as the Gentleman’s Agreement came into effect, we will never know its true top-speed potential in any official capacity. Unofficially, this is a 200 MPH superbike. It never sold quite as well as the Hayabusa, but with the limiter removed it will run faster, and it is objectively the better-looking machine as well. Prices for these vary wildly, but expect to pay close to $8k for a good one.

Specifications

2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 (K5)

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

Suzuki

While the aforementioned Ninja moved the superbike needle in 2004, Suzuki hit back harder still in 2005. On paper, not much separates the two bikes, but the Gixxer was simply more usable in the real world. These days, many examples have seen considerable abuse, and anything under the $5k mark should be inspected carefully. Twin-spar aluminum frames are durable, but they will eventually crack or bend under hard use. As a rule, spend a little more on a bike that has been properly looked after.

Specifications

2006 Kawasaki ZX-14R

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Technically, you can still walk into a Kawasaki dealership and buy the current version of one of these. A used bike from its first year of production will cost less than half the price of the new model, though you won’t get any of the modern technology added over the years. This might not be the cheapest bike on this list, but the value on offer is hard to argue with.

Specifications

2009 Ducati 1198

Price Range: $7,000 – $9,000

Ducati

The words “Ducati” and “affordable” are not often found in the same sentence, but the 1198 genuinely qualifies now. It also represented a significant leap forward in performance for the brand, and thanks to its torque-rich V-twin, it will keep pace with some of the fastest modern superbikes. It is worth noting that it is especially uncomfortable over long distances and, like any older V-twin, it will generate considerable heat in traffic.

Specifications

2010 BMW S 1000 RR

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

BMW

Engine failures tend to live long in public consciousness, and a 2012 connecting-rod recall put the S 1000 RR under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. BMW processed the recall promptly, but all first-generation bikes were suddenly guilty by association. The reality is that, while not without their quirks, their engines are not ticking time bombs. The bike itself was genuinely revolutionary, introducing technology never before seen on a production superbike — including selectable ride modes and traction control as an optional extra.

Specifications

2013 KTM 1190 RC8 R

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

KTM 

While BMW was busy pushing the industry forward with electronics, KTM built a deliberate throwback — a raw superbike devoid of modern safety nets that didn’t even gain the luxury of a slipper clutch until 2012. These bikes represent KTM’s only foray into the superbike segment, and in the right hands, one will make some of the latest sports bikes look a little ordinary.

Specifications

2014 EBR 1190RX

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Mecum

Perhaps the most telling detail about this motorcycle is that the revived Buell company has since relaunched a re-skinned version as the Hammerhead — a fact that underscores just how competitive the original platform remains. By modern standards it is pretty raw, but if you are after something genuinely different, this offers astonishing bang for the buck.

Specifications

Sources: OEMs, CycleWorld, KBB