Sports bikes are one of the most popular types of motorcycle around. And with decades of racing history to draw on, there’s a great range of bikes that’ll give you whatever flavour of retro racing style you want.
Let Bikesure’s guide take the hard work out of choosing the best modern retro sports bikes you can buy right now.
1. Suzuki SV650X
Modern retro is a style that exists on a spectrum. From modern bikes that accurately recreate the look and riding experience of older bikes to modern bikes that draw inspiration from the style of the past without compromising on the latest technology, it’s a broad field.
The SV650X is Suzuki’s take on the classic cafe racer, the beloved custom dating from the sixties where owners tried to mould their bikes to be more like the track racers of the day. The SV650X’s curved fairing and deeply scooped seat capture the essence of the cafe racer perfectly with a fully modern riding experience.
2. Triumph Bonneville T120
Triumph is undoubtedly one of the masters of the art of modern retro bikes, and their long heritage means that pretty much every motorcycle they’ve made has won races or broken records. The latest version of the Bonneville T120 is a pitch-perfect update of the classic 1950’s British racer silhouette packed with modern engineering and technical flair.
3. Yamaha XSR700
Unsurprisingly, Yamaha looked to the seventies for their retro inspiration. Like those of other Japanese manufacturers, their bikes dominated the decade, especially the XS650, which legendary racer Kenny Roberts drove to victory in the 1973 American dirt track championships. The XSR700 pays homage to this bike and is a finely judged tribute to seventies style with its strangely chunky yet flowing lines and colour schemes that are somehow extremely disco.
4. Moto Guzzi V7
Staying in the seventies but moving a few thousand miles away, the latest version of the V7 returns to the look of MG’s 1971 original, which would go on to inspire the Le Mans in ’76 and which fittingly won a creditable amount of endurance races. The latest version, the V7 Stone 850, effortlessly fuses this history with a very modern sensibility.
5. Lexmoto Voge 500AC
The Voge 500AC is still pretty affordable and seems like it gives you a lot of bang for your buck. The design is also definitely a cut above, easily giving some of the more premium options on this list an honest fight.
6. Kawasaki Z650RS
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Z1, Kawasaki have created a tribute to their revolutionary Z1 bike, which set world endurance records in 1972. The Z650RS hits those seventies sports bike notes, with vibrant green or black paintwork options to capture the spirit of that era.
7. Ducati Scrambler
An update of the dual-sport bike from the early seventies, the modern Scrambler won’t give you the full off-road enduro experience but will handle itself admirably on more gentle tracks should the mood take you. The design is one of the more faithful updates of the original and even includes the pin-sharp seventies Ducati logo in an amazing font that was created by the man who designed the Volkswagen Golf and the DeLorean.
8. Royal Enfield Continental GT
While not generally considered a golden age for British motorcycle manufacturers there were still plenty of high points – and the Continental GT was one of them.
One of the first bikes to be specifically made aping the style of the cafe racer, the latest version is to a large degree the same bike it was back then, just with modern engineering and general technological advances.
9. MV Agusta Superveloce
The design of the Superveloce pays homage to Italian racing bikes of the past, and celebrates the 75th anniversary of the company. The super cool fairing is a beautiful piece of engineering; all deceptively simple lines flow back to give it an impression of speed even when it’s standing still. Of course, it doesn’t come cheap, but this is probably the ultimate modern retro sports bike you can buy at the time of writing.
10. Honda CB650R
The CB650R is what Honda are calling their Neo Sports Café, further testament to the continued popularity of that style of bike. It has a chunkier design than Suzuki’s take, with the engine being brought in with copper look detailing to make it more of a feature. Its ring headlight also manages to give it both a retro and a futuristic look at the same time, and it can be converted to be A2-licence compatible.
Insurance for your modern retro bike
Whichever motorcycle you choose to invest your cash in, you can provide it the very best protection with a bespoke insurance deal from Bikesure, the specialist custom motorcycle insurance broker. Call Bikesure on 0808 506 2074 for a fast quote, or book a callback at a time that suits you.
