Bike Reviews

The motorcycling landscape is a place of wondrous flux as manufacturers vie for position amongst current trends. It's called striking while the iron is hot, folks, and it's what keeps the lights on around here. For some time now, the traditional sport-touring class has been left out of the fun, relegated to the room's corner chair, where it's watched a bullish ADV segment enter the market's collective garages – oh, the indignity! Yet, change is afoot, as British marque Triumph lends another helping hand to the conventional sport-touring segment, adding to its ever-growing Tiger family with the 2025 Triumph Tiger Sport 800.

With how advanced today’s motorcycles are becoming, the 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 900 is a breath of fresh air. Triumph’s Modern Classic family is all about honoring the past aesthetically while keeping things modern under the hood, but there’s something about the Speed Twin 900 that honors this balance in as pure a form as possible.

Selling 20,000 units since its reintroduction in 2019, the Speed Twin had once topped the charts as Triumph’s best selling model before being unseated by the likes of the excellent standard Trident 660, and now the equally impressive TR400 machines. For 2025, the Speed Twin 1200 not only gets enhanced electronics by way of an IMU and slight styling upgrades, but is also now joined by a pointedly sport-focused RS model that ups the ante of what a modern classic is capable of. We jetted off to an island in the Balearic Sea to get our first taste of the 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200. Let’s get on with it.

The Vitpilen and Svartpilen lineup has seen a bit of a tumultuous timeline at Husqvarna – at least the bigger variants have. The 401 models originally teased at EICMA in 2014 have been going strong since the production models hit dealers back in 2018, and perhaps it has its orange sibling, the 390 Duke to thank for that. As the 390 Duke received a substantial update, it was only logical that the 401 ’Pilens would follow, and they have, receiving a new engine, chassis, and more for 2024.

Recently, the Motorcycle.com staff had the chance to tour the beautiful Ontario countryside to experience the fall colors and to get a taste of what Northern Ontario has to offer. It’s a stunning place, and we thank our friends at Destination Ontario for making it all possible. Watch the feature video about our trip here or you can read about our trip here.

BRP resurrects the historic Can-Am brand with two new Rotax-powered electric motorcycles

I'm standing outside a pub in the cool of English autumn ─ a pint of hand-pulled ale in one hand, paper-wrapped fish and chips in the other. Beside me, a factory engineer draws casually from a hand-rolled cigarette and we cheerfully discuss the classic British motorcycle parked in front of us. This whole thing is an English nationalist's fever dream.

Kawasaki would like to think it knows its customer possibly better than they know themselves, and anyone invested in bringing new riders into the sport understands the importance of setting them up for success. A new rider’s first steed should be approachable, forgiving, playful, price-conscious, and cool. Kawasaki has set out to offer the perfect bike on all fronts, and in my opinion, they have succeeded.

MotoGP has been called the Ducati Cup in recent years because the brand takes up a third of the grid – and they’re all usually at the front. Granted, I suppose the kind of criticism is warranted if you like a little variety with your racing, but the reason behind all those bikes is more nuanced than just wanting to steal the show. Ostensibly, team boss Gigi D’alligna’s job was to bring Ducati back to the top. Doing so meant creating a bike that could win. Creating a winning bike requires data. What’s the best way to get data? By having as many bikes as possible equipped with the best riders in the world, effectively creating the best test team in the world, too. This was the fast track to data collection that Gigi and his team then used to make a MotoGP machine everybody now wants to be on. Here’s a poignant quote from Guilio Fabbri, Head of Communications for Ducati: “In 2007, we had a motorcycle that only one person could ride (Casey Stoner). Now, we have the most desired bike on the grid.”

As the tail rider in a train of approximately seven identical Yamahas, I couldn’t help but watch in awe as each of us weaved our way through the notorious Tail of the Dragon, bending the bike underneath us to our will through the 120-something corners, the unison of the dance mesmerizing as each of us took our turn, one by one, around each apex, at irresponsible speeds, front wheels inches away from the person in front of us. This is the kind of trust you build up after you’ve ridden with the same group of people for years on end. We all know that riding with your friends is fun. For us, the experience was heightened thanks to the motorcycle we were riding – Yamaha’s updated 2024 MT-09 SP.

Rolling out of the underground parking garage where a DJ had seen us off by kickin’ the jams, we were greeted by the warm hug of Barcelona’s summer weather as the orange morning light splayed across the beautiful Catalan capital. Admittedly, traffic was light, so squirting through the city streets on our way to the surrounding hills was a breeze, making it even more so, was Royal Enfield’s latest addition to its lineup: the Guerrilla 450. Somewhat of a street scrambler-style motorcycle, the Guerrilla 450 shares many similarities with the Himalayan that was developed alongside it.

Despite having been around the longest, BMW’s middleweight machines haven’t been leading the pack since the current adventure craze took off. As of late, the F 800/850 haven’t been top of the performance heap on-road or off. BMW aims to change that with its all-new F 900 GS. A bump in displacement along with a thorough redesign and new options may very well be the ticket to putting the Beemer back into serious contention within the middleweight ADV brawl. Lucky us, we got to head to southern Spain to see if BMW’s latest adventure bike was a stud or a dud.

When attempting to check my bag at LAX, the attendant told me that my flight to France was canceled. I asked if he was sure since the app was still showing the flight was on time. Rather than ducking back behind the computer, he grabbed what had to have been a 12-foot long ream of paper full of flight schedules all plastered with the word Canceled. Turns out France was in the midst of a massive air traffic controller strike which had halted almost all air travel through France (go figure). As it would happen, my flight was indeed still scheduled. Shocked, the attendant reluctantly hoisted my bag onto the carousel and we watched as it began its journey with hopes that I would see it again on the other side of the world. Au revoir!

Every good story needs a hook, and Verge certainly has one with its hubless rear wheel design. They’re leaning into it so much that even the company T-shirts say, “Reinventing the wheel” on the back. But what is the Verge TS, anyway? Verge the company was founded in Finland – which itself is unusual for the motorcycle landscape. Like seemingly all electric motorcycle companies, Verge is hinging on electric propulsion as the way of the future. The company has been selling bikes in Europe for a couple years now, and has just made its way into the US. It’s even opened up two brick and mortar retail showcases – one in Northern California and the other in SoCal. All this in anticipation of the first models landing on this side of the pond by the end of the year.

Wet, cool, low visibility. What other conditions could I possibly ask for when getting to test BMW’s carbon fiber-laden, $30.5 grand 200+-horsepower M tourer? Our half day onboard the BMW M 1000 XR started out of Malaga, Spain, and wound up into hills fully socked in with the morning’s marine layer. Water began to bead up on my visor as I attempted to keep the lead rider’s taillight in view on the highway. Fantastic.

After getting a taste of KTM’s new 990 Duke on the street, it was agonizing not to see how it would do on track, especially since the home base of our street ride was the Almeria circuit in Spain. I was also curious because the street ride revealed the 990 to be much more rigid in the chassis department than the 890 before it. I might be an outlier, but the 890’s chassis flex was actually one of its redeeming qualities, in my opinion, giving it character both on the street and the track.

My original review of KTM’s 2024 1390 Super Duke R EVO was cut short due to bad weather. A track test always gets the heart racing, but when you combine an extremely powerful motorcycle in the Super Duke with a particularly tricky and challenging track like Almeria with cold, rain, and the lack of wet weather tires, the risk-to-reward ratio wasn’t in my favor.

There’s no such thing as the perfect motorcycle, but when it comes to track-specific machines, Kramer Motorcycles makes something that’s really, really close. Known for its bespoke chassis, premium components, and overall light weight no production bike can match, Kramer partners with KTM, who provide the engines for these track-focused weapons. Kramer embodies the “Ready to Race” ethos of KTM so well that KTM enlisted the boutique brand (started by a former KTM employee) to build a small production run of 100 bikes, dubbed the RC8c, centered around the 890cc LC8c parallel-Twin.

There really wasn’t a reason to update Yamaha’s MT-09. We love the MT-09, and apparently you do too – it’s been Yamaha’s best-selling MT model for a decade. It’s so good, in fact, that the world has been clamoring for an R9 sportbike loosely based on the MT-09, and sharing a hopped-up version of the 890 three-cylinder engine, for years. While Yamaha remains tight-lipped on the R9, it’s created a diversion to get people, especially journos like us, to talk about something else, if only briefly – an updated MT-09. And so, here we are. 

Displacement creeps alongside tech and styling updates

Attendees to the 2025 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm R & GT launch in Cannes, France were gifted with a piston from the motorcycle’s 2.5-liter engine. Measuring more than 4.25 inches across and weighing a pound, there’s plenty of real estate on the face of the massive chunk of aluminum for various inscriptions and logos. Lucky for me, I was also in attendance for the original Rocket III 20 years ago at which event we were also gifted a piston. Now I have an almost matching set.

For the 2024 model year, the US will see only the Tiger 1200 Explorer models hitting dealership floors, while our friends up north will have the Pro models only. In 2025, the whole family will be getting back together in both countries. So, for now, we’ll focus on the Tiger 1200 Explorer models and the slight revisions that Triumph brought us to the beautiful Scottish countryside just outside of Glasgow, to test out.

Things are different now. More than 16 major motorcycle manufacturers are competing for a slice of the piping hot, deeply nuanced ADV pie. Displacements for these machines range from light-footed 250cc Singles to monstrous tech-laden Twins with pancake-sized pistons suckin’, squeezin’, bangin’ and blowin’. Oh! And Pierer Mobility, parent company of KTM, Husqvarna, and Gas Gas, is now also the majority shareholder of the Italian marque, MV Agusta. Considering the slew of adventure bikes to its name already, and the murky waters that the Lucky Explorer – or Enduro Veloce as it’s now known – has waded through up to this point, we weren’t sure an MV ADV would ever grace dealership floors. We were even less sure when Pierer Mobility CEO, Stefan Pierer was quoted in our recent interview as saying, “Nobody is waiting for such a model from MV Agusta.”

Kawasaki has been dominating the realm of entry-level motorcycles, especially with the introduction of the Ninja 400 in 2018. In fact, they were so capable and enjoyable to ride that I bought one myself and it has become one of my favorite motorcycles in my stable. The Ninja 400 wasn't perfect, and I had my gripes about it. So, of course, I was very intrigued by the unveiling of the new Ninja 500. As luck would have it, I was fortunate enough to find myself invited to a press launch for the new Kawasaki in Malibu, California, to see what this new machine is all about. The Malibu area hosts some of the best canyon roads in the United States – a perfect proving ground for testing the new, larger displacement Ninja 500.

Five models (Bobber, Sport, Classic, Super, 101) and two trim levels (Limited, Limited +Tech) comprise the 2025 Indian Scout platform. Mixing and matching the models and trims ups the total variety of bikes to 11 ranging in price from $13k to $17k. Having ridden the five base varieties there’s only one model for me, the 101. It’s a simple matter of brakes and suspension, but more on that later. For now, it’s important to know that the key differences between the outgoing and incoming models are a change from aluminum to tubular steel for the frame, a new 1250cc SpeedPlus engine, and a consolidated exhaust.

After inhaling what must have been a metric shit ton of dust during the first half of our stifling ride day, all I can do is breathe in the heavy, briny air and relax for a second. Laying in a rattan hammock looking up at the palm trees swaying in the wind after stuffing my face with rice and curry was a welcome moment of relaxation after dealing with the day’s sweltering temps. A moment in time which doesn’t seem to come very often these days. If you get far enough away, jettisoned to the furthest corner of the world, well, maybe that’s what it takes to find a sliver of silence. Of unadulterated enjoyment and reflection. The Ibex 450 carried me here. A worthy travel companion, humble in its specification, but steadfast in its resolution.

Taking a giant leap into creating a motorcycle platform with customization in mind, the Shotgun 650 is, at its heart, the quintessential mid-sized cruiser, wrapped in sleek and simple bobber style cladding, and adorned with the latest technology upgrades.

Like many things in life, perspective is everything. Here in the US, KTM’s 390 Duke has been the smallest member of the Duke family (although that’s no longer true as the 250 and 200 Dukes cross the ocean, too). As the baby Duke in America, we generally look at it with kid gloves, a cute learner bike for someone to start with before coming up through the ranks. Here’s the thing: in many markets, especially Asian ones, the 390 Duke is the cream of the Duke crop. Where we start on 390s while aspiring to move up to 990 Dukes and maybe even 1390 Super Dukes, other parts of the world start on 125 Dukes before hopping on the 250. They’ve “made it” when the 390 gets in their hands. It’s the same bike, just received in two very different ways. See? Perspective. 

There’s a reason why Trader Joe’s is beloved by so many when it comes to their grocery shopping. It boils down to a phenomenon known as decision paralysis. At your typical grocery store, for any particular item, you have dozens upon dozens of choices. Really, how many different kinds of toothpaste do you need? Trying to decide which one to get, when any of the options will do, overwhelms the brain and we end up getting nothing, thus causing choice paralysis. That’s the beauty of Trader Joe’s. They’ve streamlined the options so you can get in, pick your hot sauce, and move on.

Not having children of my own, nor many in my close circle for that matter, I forget how seeing the unadulterated enthusiasm and joy from a child can brighten up one’s entire day. Of course, when it’s due to a group of motorcycles roaring through their small town in the desert outside Marrakech, that joy makes an incredible experience that much more memorable. High fiving kids through small villages as their parents grow weary of motorcycles passing through town (even respectfully) is a memory I’ll never forget and, as it happens time and time again for us motorcyclists, two wheels are what tied these moments in time together in such a unique way. Specifically, in this case, the 2024 Ducati DesertX Rally.