5 Retro Motorcycles You Can Buy Without Breaking The Bank In 2025

There is a diverse variety of motorcycles on the market. Some people favor one type of bike, while others collect different ones for specific occasions and uses. However, while cruiser bikes, off-road bikes, sport bikes, and adventure bikes offer use-case specificity, standard bikes like scramblers and cafe racers have also been in production for a long time, and they haven't lost any of their retro charm.

Almost all big brands have retro-style motorcycles on the market, each with their own modern twists, as well as the latest technology and advanced safety features. These bikes have major pop culture cache. Man's World India nicely describes it this way: "While modern motorcycles look and go fast, their style often ages quicker than they sprint." The simplicity and clean design of a retro motorcycle stand out in the world of cuts and creases, appealing to both younger and older riders.

If you are in the market for one, we have compiled a list of five retro motorcycles that are not only affordable, but also available in the U.S. and may be interesting. We have kept the threshold at $12,000 to ensure that they don't put too much of a dent in your pocket, proving that you don't need to spend big to ride in style.

Triumph's Modern Classic lineup currently includes more than 10 bikes at varying displacements. Among them, the Triumph Bonneville T100 is often considered the best representation of retro-style motorcycle design. Inspired by the land speed records that Triumph motorcycles set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the Bonneville line's history dates back to the 1950s. The Bonneville T100 launched in 2002 as an attempt to bring back the iconic name with a touch of modern style and easy handling.

The first Bonneville T100 was equipped with a 750cc engine, later upgraded to an 865cc engine. The company began factory fitting a 900cc engine inside T100s starting from 2006, and it was also the first bike from Triumph to feature fuel injection and liquid cooling. The current Bonneville T100 still comes with a 900cc liquid-cooled SOHC 270-degree crank angle parallel twin engine that produces 64.1 hp at 7,400 rpm and 59 lb-ft of max torque. The T100 starts at an MSRP of $10,995 for the jet black color, while different color schemes increase the price.

The Bonneville T100 gives you the perfect sense of a retro motorcycle but brings the relaxed side of its elder sibling, the T120. It comes with ride-by-wire, traction control, two-piston Brembo brakes, and ABS as standard. While there are several alternatives to the Bonneville T100, according to a review from Motorcycle News, the Triumph Bonneville T100 is "easier to manage at low speed and yet just as handsome" as the T120.

Since entering the U.S. market in the 1960s, the Kawasaki brand has grown from something small that had to negotiate with private companies just to sell its bikes into a real behemoth of a motorcycle brand. However, something it's held onto over the years is a love for producing retro motorcycles. Currently, the company sells five retro-style motorcycles: Z650RS, Z900RS, Z900RS CAFE, W230, and W800. The W-series' W800 is the standout, tracing its lineage all the way back to the 1965 W1, the largest displacement bike from Japan of its time.

Kawasaki launched the W800 in 2011, succeeding the W650. The bike received a bump in displacement, from 675cc to 773cc. However, its standout aspect was its timeless retro design, with twin peashooter mufflers for exhaust, dual dial instrumentation, and chrome accents all around. But just after five years, Kawasaki ended making the W800 in 2016. However, the Japanese manufacturer rolled up its sleeves and relaunched the W800 in 2019, with the latest version being the 2026 model.

The Kawasaki W800 boasts a 110 mph top speed, thanks to a 773cc SOHC 4-valve engine that produces 46.4 hp at 6,000 rpm and 46.4 lb-ft of torque. It also has a traditional instrument cluster with dials for speed and rpm, and a small digital display for other bike data. At the rear, it comes with a round rear taillight, an abundance of chrome all around, vintage-style seats, and round headlamps. It starts at $10,399 for the 2025 ABS model, while the 2026 model costs $10,699 with additional destination charges applicable.

Indian motorcycle maker Royal Enfield has been making waves in the international motorcycle circuit lately, thanks to a diverse lineup of bikes, dominated by ones with retro styling. The company has a long history with its first bike arriving in 1901, but it's also known for building some of the best motorcycles of the modern age, as well as some of the most powerful ones. But the one that shouldn't break the bank if you are in the market for a retro motorcycle is the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. The company launched the Interceptor 650 in the U.S. in 2018, carrying forward the name badge that was first introduced in the 1960s.

The 2025 variant comes powered with Royal Enfield's iconic 648cc parallel twin engine. It produces 47 hp and 39.83 lb-ft of maximum torque. It features cast alloy wheels, round LED headlamps, and small touches like aluminum switches, a USB port. The bike features a piggy-back gas suspension, which, according to Motorcycle News Australia, "is super comfortable, and the seat supports you pretty well." The low-end torque is good, and the handling is good, and it doesn't wobble on small bumps. The ByBre brakes feel competent and, according to Cycle News for the 2022 model, offer good feedback.

Royal Enfield also sells the 2024 INT 650, and this year's variant is available in multiple color options. However, both the 2024 and 2026 models have the same starting MSRP of $6,149, but you will get only a couple of color options if you were to pick up the latest version.

When talking about scramblers, one of the names that might pop up in your mind would be Ducati. There may be several reasons for it, but one of the main ones would be that Ducati owns the Scrambler name. But that doesn't mean that you won't get scramblers from other brands. Honda brought the SCL500 to the U.S. market in 2023 and launched it as a "Scrambler-style" motorcycle (the SCL in the name stands for Scrambler, by the way). It featured a borrowed chassis from the Rebel 500 but a sub-chassis designed for its tall seating position.

Come the 2025 Honda SCL500, which packs the charm of a retro motorcycle of the 1960s, combining it with modern features and advanced technology. It features the same 471cc engine that also powers the Rebel 500, CBR500R, and CB500X. But it is tuned to offer the best possible combination of power and fuel efficiency. The high-mount exhaust, upright riding position, round LED headlamp, and tail lamp all contribute to the bike's scrambler appeal. Thanks to the bike's lighter weight, the 471cc engine, producing around 45 hp and 32 lb-ft of torque, doesn't make the bike lethargic and wanting for more.

The Honda SCL500 comes at a starting price of $6,799 with a $600 destination charge. In SlashGear's review of the 2023 model, we also found the Honda SCL500 a perfect middle ground for new and experienced riders alike.

Another century-old motorcycle manufacturer on this list is Moto Guzzi. The Italian bike maker's history dates back to 1921, and it entered the U.S. market in 1971, delivering Special, California, and Ambassador versions of its motorcycles. Currently, the brand is owned by Piaggio Group, and all its motorcycles are manufactured in Mandello del Lario, near Lake Como in Italy, where Moto Guzzi is based. The brands retro-style Moto Guzzi V7 Stone is one that resonates with the U.S. riders in particular.

The Moto Guzzi V7 Stone was first introduced in 2012 and is currently available in its 2025 guise. The bike is available in two colors, and it starts at $9,690. The Moto Guzzi V7 Stone comes with high-performance Dunlop Arrowmax StreetSmart tires, which give it the necessary grip in slippery conditions, along with circular headlights, giving it the retro look. It is powered by a transverse V-twin 850cc engine, which produces 67.3 hp at 6,900 rpm and a maximum torque of 58.3 lb-ft.

While the bike boasts a retro design, it comes with Moto Guzzi Traction Control (MGCT) and ride-by-wire throttle control, plus three riding modes — Sports, Road, and Rain. It features ABS as standard and a fully digital instrument cluster. All around the bike, you will notice polished aluminum channels that give the bike its retro charm.

To prepare this list, we focused on retro-inspired motorcycles available in the U.S. for 2025 that put forward a combination of classic styling with modern engineering. We aimed to keep the MSRP threshold at $12,000. Also, to maintain variety and fairness, no brand was duplicated — only one standout model from each manufacturer was chosen. Every selected model was backed by verified manufacturer details and trusted motorcycle reviews from reputable automotive publications.