10 Rare Motorcycles That Still Turn Heads

As time marches on and designs evolve, certain motorcycles, no matter how rare or valuable, simply won’t resonate with modern motorcycle enthusiasts. Certain motorcycle designs dip in and out of fashion – underscored by the retro motorcycle trend – but others simply fade into obscurity. Today, sharp lines and winglets dominate motorcycle design, but even this won’t last forever.

Collectible motorcycles are almost always going to be pretty rare, but they are not always the most interesting motorcycles to look at. Suffice to say, motorcycle design is a highly subjective topic. Over the years there have been some designs that have persevered. These rare bikes are all design masterclasses, fully street legal, and will make anyone stop and stare today.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including the KBB. Buying a used motorcycle always has an element of risk attached, so please do your research, and proceed with caution. The motorcycles on this list go from oldest to newest.

1981 Ducati 900 MHR

Price Range: $15,000 – $20,000

The 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 is widely recognized as the first ever true production sports bike. The “Mike Hailwood Replica” will make you question that fact. This gorgeous bike was built in fairly limited numbers to celebrate Mike Hailwood’s victory at the 1978 Isle of Man TT aboard one of these Ducatis,11 years after his previous visit to the Island. It was fully fared, offered sharp handling for the time and most importantly, it was fast. Unfortunately, it was never all that accessible.

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1983 Harley-Davidson XR1000

Price Range: $15,000 – $20,000

In truth, it is the bike that this was based on that truly stands out. The XR750 was never available to the public, but was one of – if not the – most dominant race bikes ever made. Fans pretty much begged the brand to make a street legal version, and once AMF were bought out, the XR1000 was one of the first new models. For the time, it was expensive, and only around 1,000 bikes were made and are worth almost as much as the actual race bike!

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1991 Bimota 1D Tesi

Price Range: $60,000 – $70,000

Bimota was already well known in racing circles for being able to extract more performance out of any engine with their handcrafted frames. The 1D Tesi was not a run-of-the-mill racing chassis, but the first sports bike with hub-center steering. It makes a lot of sense from an engineering standpoint, but with pretty much none of the usual feedback you get with a conventional motorcycle fork, it takes some getting used to. It is a design that Bimota has persevered with, and still uses right up until today.

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1991 Norton F1

Price Range: $40,000 – $50,000

By the early 90s, Norton was on life support. The ailing British brand believed that, like so many others, that the Wankel rotary engine would be the solution. While the rotary engine is an engineering marvel, it is ultimately “fools gold.” Mazda was the only manufacturer that came close to making it reliable, but still failed after decades worth of research and development. For smaller manufacturers like Norton, it was effectively financial suicide. By the time Norton eventually went under, only 66 of these gorgeous rotary sports bikes had rolled off the production line.

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1992 Honda NR750

Price Range: $90,000 – $100,000

This is essentially a race bike with lights. In terms of engineering, we have the iconic oval piston V4 – Honda’s way of building a race-spec V8 motorcycle engine which was still technically a four-cylinder – but that is not even the most interesting part of the bike. Massimo Tamburini took one look at the rear section of this motorcycle and realized there was some serious design potential there.

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1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000

Price Range: $90,000 – $100,000

Harley-Davidson wanted to go racing in the 90s. Only around 50 of these gorgeous superbikes were built in an effort to get it homologated, but that was as far as the project really went. The project simply cost far more than the company had thought it would, and even with all the money poured into this bike, results were, at best, middling. Today, it is just one of the rarest and most unusual (not to mention expensive) Harleys money can buy.

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1996 Ducati 916 SPA

Price Range: $80,000 – $90,000

After seeing the aforementioned Honda NR750, Tamburini penned the 916, the motorcycle that would essentially be his legacy. As unusual as it may seem, it was a Japanese motorcycle that inspired an Italian designer, but few will dispute which is the more beautiful bike. While the regular 916 is not particularly rare, there are several special editions. The race-spec SPA is one of them and is a particularly striking example of the 916 model line.

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1999 MV Agusta F4 750 Serie Oro

Price Range: $30,000 – $40,000

The mere fact that its engine was co-developed by Ferrari will already be enough for most enthusiasts, but its design is something else entirely. Only 300 of these Serie Oro bikes were made, but it is a design that has well and truly stood the test of time. The F3 has, for the most part, retained this design theme and still looks as good as ever.

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2007 Bimota DB6 Delirio Azzurro

Price Range: $15,000 – $20,000

Bimota loves limited-edition motorcycles, but with only 23 “Azzurro” bikes made, this is rare even by Bimota standards. This stunning naked bike was commissioned to celebrate the Italian national team winning the 2006 Football World Cup. 12 bikes allegedly made it to team members, and the rest were sold to the public. Its sharp lines fit right in with modern naked bikes.

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2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR

Price Range: $45,000 – $50,000

When it comes to rare Ducatis, this is not actually all that rare, with 1,500 bikes made. That is, in part, what makes it so special. This is by some margin the closest we will ever get to owning an actual MotoGP bike. While there are other street legal MotoGP bikes, they cost around twice as much, and don’t look nearly as good.

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