10 Used Touring Motorcycles That Ride Like New For Half Price

Manufacturers often reserve the best features for touring bikes. While this is great, it also drives up the price. As a result, some touring-class motorcycles now cost over $30k. The flip side of this is that these bikes get hit the hardest by depreciation. All these points towards one logical conclusion if you are shopping on a budget: to buy used. These are also bikes designed to accumulate a lot of miles, and as long as the previous owner took care of basic maintenance, they will still ride like new.

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2005 Honda Gold Wing GL1800

Price Range: $7,000 – $9,000

Honda

Gold Wings tend to hold their value pretty well, and to get one below half the price of a new one will require you to accept the fact that you need to look at a bike that is now two decades old. In many ways, this is the sweet spot model. It came out just after Honda introduced the ultra-smooth flat six engines, and just before the bike started getting all sorts of tech that would all be outdated by now anyway.

Specifications

2008 Victory Vision Tour

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

Victory

Full-dress tourers are frightfully expensive today, but if you are willing to consider something a little different, the Vision Tour is a bit of a bargain. It boasted what was supposed to be a futuristic design, but now that we are in the future, we can say with a certain amount of confidence that the future its designer visualized turned out to be more of an alternative reality. It is not, by any measure, a pretty motorcycle.

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2008 Honda VFR800 Interceptor

Price Range: $5,000 – $7,000

By 2008, the VFR800 was very much the finished article, and its wonderful V4 engine also got a VTEC valvetrain for the first time. Performance and reliability improved as a result. Today, these bikes represent something of a bargain, chiefly because you can’t really find anything quite like them on the market today. Out of all the bikes on this list, this is arguably the pick of the litter, especially at this price.

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2008 Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Harley-Davidson

Traditionally, Harleys hold their value really well, but over the past year or so, we have seen some used models lose up to half their value almost overnight. The Street Glide is not one of those models, but less than a year ago, prices were above $10k, and now you can find them for a lot cheaper. Owners tend to look after these bikes, too, so finding one in good shape won’t be much of an issue, but finding one that hasn’t been modified might be a little harder.

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2012 Yamaha Royal Star Venture S

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Yamaha

Yamaha wanted to take the fight to Harley with the Star Motorcycles line of premium cruisers and touring bikes. Unfortunately, a combination of brand loyalty – to Harley-Davidson in particular – and a shrinking of the cruiser market brought an untimely end to this endeavor around a decade ago. Like any Yamaha, these bikes are built well, and to the right buyer, the Star Venture S represents ultimate value.

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2013 Honda VFR1200F

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Honda

The VFR1200F is no ordinary sport-tourer, and will no doubt be an acquired taste. This is a freight train of a motorcycle, with a verified quarter-mile time of around 10 seconds. In a straight line, it will show some modern sports bikes a clean pair of heels. Unfortunately, it isn’t that much more comfortable than some of those modern sports bikes, and is almost twice as heavy.

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2014 Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring

Price Range: $6,000 – $8,000

Moto Guzzi

While the design may not be the most original, it still possesses that unmistakable Italian charm. Over the years, these big twins have proven to be surprisingly reliable, well, at least in terms of mechanical reliability. Aging Italian wiring will always be a little suspect, but as long as everything works as it should after a decent test ride, you should, at least theoretically, be in the clear.

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2015 Kawasaki Versys 650

Price Range: $3,000 – $5,000

Kawasaki

While there are certainly more exciting options available in this price range, a used Versys 650 represents a safe bet. Features are kept to a minimum compared to some of the more glamorous options on this list, but what it brings to the table is unerring reliability and all-day touring comfort. If you only have $5k to spend, this would be our pick.

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2015 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Vaquero

Price Range: $9,000 – $11,000

Kawasaki

Quite literally, half the price of the new bike, which is largely unchanged. For the money, you get a fair bit in return. The 1700 Vaquero has a proven V-twin, luggage as standard fitment, good wind protection, and classic styling that will resonate with several buyers. It is also enormous, and weighs more than some full dressers.

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2017 Yamaha FJR1300 ES

Price Range: $9,000 – $11,000

Yamaha

Over the course of almost three decades, the FJR1300 was refined into one of the best touring bikes money can buy. By 2017, it was more or less in its final incarnation and represents something of a bargain at this price. There is, however, a small caveat. The electronic suspension can fail, and it is expensive to fix. A good test ride is critical here, and if something feels off, walk away.

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