5 discontinued Honda bikes we want to see revived in 2025

For half a century, Honda has been the world’s best-selling motorcycle manufacturer. During that time, they have produced dozens of models in every style, from entry-level dirt bikes for kids to high-performance sports racing bikes. Some of these models, for one reason or another, didn’t do well and disappeared from Honda’s product line soon after they were introduced. However, there are a few other models that Honda has discontinued that we wish they would bring back.

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I’ve been riding Honda for almost 20 years. I learned to ride on an old ’85 Interceptor VF 500F and have been a Honda fan ever since. Looking back at Honda’s catalog going back decades, there are a lot of bikes that were a product of their time. They had a place in the market when Honda first introduced them, but they’ve outlived their usefulness and probably don’t have much appeal in the modern market. That being said, there are a lot of bikes that I feel are worth making a comeback. Some of these discontinued models are timeless classics, while others are more retro alternatives for those who aren’t too fond of Honda’s current trend towards ultra-modern styling. With that in mind, here are five Honda bikes that we would love to see again in 2025.

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The CBR series has dominated Honda’s sports bike lineup for a long time now, but it has undergone numerous model changes and redesigns over the years, with some of its more interesting designs falling into disuse. There’s nothing wrong with the current CBR series itself (I ride one myself), but it has an angular aesthetic that’s very similar to Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki designs.

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The Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a special big-engine hyperbike designed primarily as a rival to Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1100. It was produced from 1996 to 2007 and is widely known for its power, reliability, and overall build quality. Its large frame is quite heavy at 492 pounds, and riders have been said to struggle with cornering, but its speed, stability, and comfort make it a monster in a straight line and perfect for commuting on the highway. In fact, the Blackbird is often counted as one of the fastest bikes Honda has ever made.

There’s still plenty of Blackbird fans lining up for a modern redesign of the Super Blackbird that could restore the Blackbird’s signature elegant, lightweight silhouette while reducing the weight and taking advantage of modern suspension technology to overcome some of the past model’s weaknesses.

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The sudden rise in popularity of Japanese sports bikes in the 1980s was a major factor in Honda becoming the motorcycle superpower it is today. The Honda Interceptor is an iconic bike of that era; the first versions were sold from 1983 to 1985. This generation’s VF750 was particularly popular as its 750cc engine technically qualified as a superbike at the time. It competed with popular bikes of similar designs from rival companies, such as the Kawasaki GPZ series ridden by Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.”

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The Interceptor was redesigned several times in 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, and 2014, and was eventually discontinued. As I mentioned before, my first bike was an Interceptor, so this is certainly nostalgia, but the angular design of the older generation Interceptors has a classic feel to it that sets them apart from most modern bikes. Honda’s early designs were heavily influenced by fighter planes and aircraft, but that seems to have been lost in the CBR line. This sense of style is one of the reasons why the Interceptor still attracts attention today. It would be great if Honda went back to the drawing board with a new upper-midsize Interceptor that combines style with modern reliability and comfort.

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If you look back at Honda’s most popular bikes, you’ll come across the CB750 again and again. This is not to be confused with the CR750, which is a sports bike. The CB750 is a mid-size street bike that is frequently counted among Honda’s best bikes. The first generation, called the Dream, was released in 1969 and was a cornerstone of Honda’s commercial market in America, as it was one of Honda’s first attempts to compete with the big bikes that were primarily made in America at the time.

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This is another bike that has undergone a number of evolutions over the decades since. The last model was sold in the US from 1992 to 2007. The CB750 Hornet is technically still produced overseas, but it’s not available in the US and has a streetfighter-inspired design that’s less reminiscent of its predecessor. It’s nice to see Honda now also selling the CB650R and CB1000R, which are closer in spirit to the Dream, but it would be nice to see the company fill the 750cc gap in its street bike lineup with a more classic version of the CB750, which also has the comfort, performance and convenience of a modern bike.

While some may wonder if these retro callbacks are just wishful thinking, it’s worth remembering that Honda has done something similar in the past. One of the best examples is when Honda produced the CB1100. The bike was released in Europe in 2013 and was heavily influenced by the CB750. It had a round LED headlamp, twin exhaust, a chrome dual-dial dashboard, and a long bench. The bike was in production for just over a decade before being discontinued in 2022. But the CB1100 is a bike that deserves its own modern remake, not just a copycat.

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The CB1100 has several updates and improvements over its predecessor, but the main difference is the increased raw power provided by the 1,140cc, four-stroke, air-cooled, DOHC, inline four-cylinder engine. This gives it 89 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and 68 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 RPM. That’s plenty of boost off the starting line and enough power for city commuting and highway cruising without the bike feeling sluggish. The modifications provide a high-performance ride for classic bike fans who want the power and technology that comes with a modern Honda.

Now, let’s look at some Honda cruisers. Most of the cruiser bikes that Honda currently makes have relatively small engines, especially compared to what’s in stock with U.S. companies like Harley Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. The Honda Shadow is 750cc in both versions. There’s the Rebel 500, two 1,100cc Rebels, and the Fury, the largest cruiser in Honda’s current lineup, with a 1,300cc engine. These aren’t exactly small, but it’s hard to compare them to the 1,870cc Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine that currently powers Harley’s larger models. Honda has made bigger bikes in the past, though.

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The Honda GLX 1500 Valkyrie was first launched in 1997 and sold until 2003. The original design motivation was to take the Gold Wing architecture, simplify it, and convert it into an American-style cruiser. The result was a stylish bike powered by the massive 4th generation Gold Wing’s 1,520cc liquid-cooled horizontally opposed flat-six engine. The bike was equipped with six 28mm carburetors and modified camshafts. This gave it around 100 horsepower at 6,000 RPM. So it’s no wonder that many riders consider it one of the best Honda bikes for long distance cruising.

Japanese cruisers often get overlooked in comparison to their American counterparts, but the GLX Valkarie has gone toe-to-toe with the big manufacturers in the past, and it will be very interesting to see what Honda can do with the car today.

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