10 Used Motorcycles With Rock-Solid Reputations For Reliability

Modern motorcycle manufacturers are under ever more pressure to add all sorts of new features to each new bike they produce. Not only do bikes have a host of safety-related electronics, but the desire for improved connectivity has also pushed manufacturers to add big TFT dashes. As much as several of these new features make modern motorcycles safer than ever before, they also add failure points once a motorcycle reaches a certain age.

There are, however, some newer models that have proven that it is actually possible to remain reliable in this modern age, and that innovation does not always need to compromise reliability. There are also older bikes which have also proven to be reliable years after going out of production, largely thanks to their relative simplicity. From golden oldies to pre-owned bikes, all these motorcycles come with rock-solid reputations for reliability.

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 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.

1996 Kawasaki Vulcan 750

Price Range: $2,000 – $4,000

The 90s will mostly be remembered for all the wonderful superbikes the Japanese manufacturers built, but they also gave us a wide selection of simple, reliable metric cruisers. The Vulcan 750 is one of those bikes that will be affectionately remembered by previous owners, while the rest of us might not remember it at all. It was a generic motorcycle, but it was, and still is, reliable, given the last owner took care of it.

Specifications

2000 Suzuki Hayabusa (1st Generation)

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

The first generation Hayabusa is one of those “wonderful superbikes” we just mentioned, and you can have one of them for under $5k these days. These engines were built with incredible tolerances in an effort for these bikes to stay reliable even if owners pushed them to the limit. With the limit set at almost 200 MPH, it is fair to say that most owners were never able to scratch the surface, and as long as you don’t end up with an ex-drag bike it won’t likely let you down.

Specifications

2005 Honda Gold Wing GL1800

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

Pretty much every generation of the Gold Wing has a pretty solid reputation for accumulating thousands upon thousands of trouble-free miles. We feel the early 00s was the sweet spot for the Gold Wing. It already had the smooth-running 1833cc flat-six and wasn’t adorned with quite so much advanced tech yet. While you will need to do without a few modern creature comforts, it has proven to be a very reliable, comfortable motorcycle.

Specifications

2012 Yamaha Super Tenere

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

There is little doubt that big-bore adventure tourers like the Super Tenere are fading out of fashion right now. Smaller, more capable bikes are all the rage right now, but if you are bargain hunting, this is still a great option for long-distance travel. Its parallel-twin is about as proven as any engine can be, yet is still deceptively fun to ride, with a 0-60 time of just over 3 seconds.

Specifications

2017 Honda Africa Twin

Price Range: $7,000 – $9,000

Over the years it has been in production, the Unicam engine has most certainly lived up to Honda’s reliability standards. It has since made its way into a cruiser and a touring bike, but it is here in the Africa Twin adventure bike where it all started. The first generation didn’t get quite as much tech, and if anything, that will make it even more reliable.

Specifications

Parallel-Twin, liquid-cooled

998cc

94 HP

6-speed

511 lbs

2017 Suzuki DR650S

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

It is crazy to think that Suzuki is still selling these bikes in 2025. If you prefer the security a warranty gives you, that might be worth the extra expense, but as long as the bike you find on the used market wasn’t abused, that warranty is not expressly necessary. These simple air-cooled singles have been around forever, and have proven to be incredibly reliable.

Engine Specifications

2020 Honda Rebel 500 ABS

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Honda developed this 471cc engine specifically for the entry-level market and put it in every conceivable type of motorcycle on the market, but it is the little Rebel that really stands out. It is a very simple little machine, and if you are in the market for your first cruiser, we can scarcely think of a better place to start. While you can spend a little more on a new bike, we would highly recommend considering a used option for your first bike.

Specifications

2022 Suzuki SV650

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

Even with the launch of the new 800cc bikes, the SV650 is still on the market. While the GSX-8S is a good bike, the SV650 still offers something a little different. It is a very basic sort of motorcycle by contrast, but its fun, virtually bulletproof V-twin gives it the sort of charm that is getting harder to find in new motorcycles.

Specifications

2023 Yamaha MT-07

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Even the MT-07 is getting a lot of tech these days, but the unerring reliability of the CP2 engine is just impossible to ignore. It stands out as one of the best motorcycle engines produced in recent memory, and pretty much any bike equipped with it has a near perfect reliability record. As long as the previous owner took care of basic maintenance, this is a bike that will stay reliable for many years to come.

Specifications

2023 Kawasaki Ninja 650

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

This shares a platform with the virtually indestructible Versys 650. While relatively simple for a modern supersport, it does come with a few tech features that might not last forever, but just like the aforementioned MT, it is a bike worth buying for its engine alone. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as fun as the MT, and is not the most sprightly of sports bikes.

Specifications