To be fair, the first thing that would usually come to mind when we think of Honda is not necessarily “excitement.”
Reliability has always been their thing, but when it comes to motorcycles their hand has been forced time and again to develop faster machines, machines that are not always available to the general public. Along the way, that performance has filtered down to the mass-market, and we, the public, have been the benefactors of some genuinely incredible bikes. For a brand that often lacks cool-factor, these are their 10 best by quite some distance.
10 ADV 150
Other than the fact that it is a pretty economical scooter, there isn’t much to say about the performance of this little machine.
It just looks the part, with more focus on their Rally Raid team these days this little adventure bike replica is a stroke of pure marketing genius, something that looks like this is rarely affordable, let alone practical.
9 CBR 900RR
When this was launched, Honda entered a bike into street bike folklore. Nobody had seen or experienced anything like this before, the power of a liter bike and the weight of a middleweight.
It was revolutionary, in the wrong hands it was also lethal in a time before ABS was a thing for motorcycles.
8 Gold Wing
In a strange sort of twist, the palpably uncool Gold Wing has become cool today, almost by being so far removed from what most of us would consider a motorcycle.
It is essentially the closest you can get to a two wheeled car, with more car like features than any motorcycle on the market. It is huge, heavy, and incredibly good at touring. So good that it is impossible to ignore.
7 CRF 450R
In the dirt bike world, the balance between performance and reliability is of utmost importance, Honda got it spot on with the 450R.
When all the manufacturers shifted to the 450 single four stroke, this race ready machine shone brightest, with incredible speed and bullet-proof (can be read Honda) reliability.
6 NSR 250R
Entry level sport bikes grew in popularity in the early 90s and when they homologated the NSR for lower tier racing it was an instant hit.
It is one of the last truly great production two-stroke bikes, fairly hard to find these days as time marches on; they are a future classic that is still fairly affordable. Producing 40 horsepower at around 9000 rpm these lightweight bikes are bags of fun and can reach 140 mph (on a good day).
5 XR 650L
After close to 40 years on the market, the only word we can think of to describe the 650 thumper is; unstoppable.
It is an unbelievable machine that just never dies, even though it remains fairly rudimentary and smaller displacement bikes will certainly show it a clean pair of heels, nothing really compares to the longevity of this enduro.
4 RVF 750
Nothing could quite compare when this was launched in the early 90s, on track, it was borderline untouchable.
Able to put down an impressive 120 horsepower in an era when 100 was downright scary, it was not one for the faint of heart. It was a full on race machine and was also suitably rare, if you want something that looks almost identical; Honda made a VFR/RVF 400 which is still affordable, economical and able to get to 130 mph.
3 Africa Twin
Although it might have its roots in the Dakar Rally, it has grown into a fully fledged high-end adventure bike.
Currently, it is the only large displacement tourer that offers genuine off-road ability, as much as the other Adventure machines would want to dispute that fact they are all more road oriented.
2 RC213V-S
Only 250 of these MotoGP replicas have been made, and they are eye wateringly expensive.
It is the price you pay for exclusivity, an opportunity to own the bike Marquez rode to victory a few years back with mirrors, lights and a starter motor.
1 NR 750
In a crazy twist of fate, it was Ducati that copied a Honda, this Honda to be specific, when Tamburini penned the 916 he got inspiration from this rare beauty. When you look at the two side by side it is easy to see, single swingarm, undertail exhaust and racy lines.
Design wise, Tamburini might have got the upper hand here, improving on the overall design, what he had no control over was the engineering. In that regard the Honda is an absolute masterpiece; a pseudo V8 (oval piston V4) that screamed all the way up to 14,000 rpm making 130 horsepower (in road going trim).