Published: March 23, 2015, 8:15 PM
Updated: November 23, 2021, 11:57 AM
It's Spring - time to think motorcycle
There’s a new two-wheeler for you out there somewhere, if you can only find it among all the different bikes available.
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There’s a new two-wheeler for you out there somewhere
It’s officially spring in North America, which means it’s officially time to start thinking about motorcycles. There’s a new two-wheeler for you out there somewhere, if you can only find it among all the different bikes available. Fast bikes, touring bikes, cruising bikes, bikes for beginners and old hands, bikes for interstates and gravel roads and everything in between. The selection is greater than it’s ever been – here’s our choice of what’s the best in each class.
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STARTING OUT
First choice: Honda CB300 FA ($4,699) - Light and easy to manage, but comfortable and quick enough, Honda took the plastic fairing off its popular RA this year to create the FA. It means less cosmetic damage if it falls over in a parking lot, but it still looks great. Its 286-cc, liquid-cooled single cylinder creates 30 hp, which is just right to keep both riders and insurance companies happy.
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STARTING OUT
Close second: Suzuki GW250 ($4,199) - Suzuki’s small road bike is big on riding fun and ideal for building both experience and confidence. It’s a little smoother than the Honda, thanks to its twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled 248-cc engine, and a little less powerful with 24 hp. This also makes it $500 less expensive.
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ALL-ROUNDER
First choice: Honda NC750XA ($9,199) - You can’t fault the middle-ground Honda: It has a bit of everything without going over the top, but it can be ridden all day long as either a commuter or a tourer. It’s not an aggressive bike, but you can stretch it out on curving roads and make the most of motorcycling. If you can still find the naked SA version, sold as a 2014, it’s an even better deal, discounted to $7,999 and losing nothing but the fairing.
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ALL ROUNDER
Close second: BMW F800R ($10,800) - The Beemer is a dependable, enjoyable, straightforward 798-cc twin that’s built with the best of German technology. If you want to just sling your leg over the seat and go to the store, or to the mountains, it will take you there and look good doing so without costing the earth.
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SPORT BIKE
First choice: Kawasaki Ninja H2 ($27,500) - OMG. The bar’s not just raised this year but lifted way, way up by the new Ninja H2. Its 998-cc engine creates an astonishing 264 hp to move a bike that weighs only 238 kg. You’d better know what you’re doing if you want to ride this rocket. The only production bike more powerful is its sibling H2R, a $55,000 track-only machine that’s 22 kg lighter and makes more than 300 hp. Go big, or go home.
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SPORT BIKE
Close second: Ducati Panigale 1299 ($20,995) - Ducati’s had a big boost of Research and Development from its new parent, Volkswagen, and the Panigale is its 202 hp result. Electronic rider aids help control wheel slippage and engine mapping, but you still have to know your stuff when you crank the throttle – people will be watching. If you have lots of money, the Panigale S comes with even better track-ready suspension for $26,695, and the Panigale R sheds weight and gains more sophisticated electronics for $36,495.
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CRUISER
First choice: Harley-Davidson Low Rider ($17,429) - Harley took its popular mid-range Low Rider and made its new next-generation a bit more badass, with “an authentic ’70s style” that includes a 2-1 exhaust and a more comfortable seat. Mid-mounted pegs and highway pegs make the Low Rider easier on the back and arms than most Harleys when you’re heading into the wind.
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CRUISER
Close second: Indian Scout ($12,799) - Indian’s corporate fortunes have been up and down, but they’re higher than ever now with the all-new, mid-sized Scout. Its liquid-cooled 1,133-cc engine is thoroughly modern, with twin cams and counterbalancing, and even a lightweight aluminum chassis to hold everything together. Nobody will accuse you of following the crowd on this bike.
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POWER CRUISER
First choice: Yamaha V-Max ($22,999) - Yamaha’s V-Max was the very first cruiser with real power when it debuted in the early ’80s, and it’s been going from strength to strength ever since. The technically advanced, 1,679-cc liquid-cooled V-4 now pumps out 197 hp and lays down 123 lb-ft of torque on the asphalt, and all most riders can do is hang on.
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POWER CRUISER
Close second: Victory Hammer 8-Ball ($17,299) - The Hammer is the most aggressive of the Victory line, and the Hammer 8-Ball will be keen to show its humungous 250-series rear tire to anybody trying to catch up from behind. It’s completely black – exhaust, engine, even the headlight – and one of the sleekest cruisers on the road.
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ADVENTURE TOURER
First choice: BMW R1200GS ($19,400) - This is the original and the best-selling BMW – the bike Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman rode around the world in their Long Way Round documentary. It’s big, and it’s tried and tested. Whether its Cape Town or Cape Fear, there’s probably a 1200GS pulling in there right now.
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ADVENTURE TOURER
Close second: Triumph Explorer XC ($19,299) - The big Triumph is a 1,215-cc triple that makes 137 hp, and can also go pretty much anywhere. The XC version is more capable of handling gravel roads than its $15,899 sibling – it has a large skid plate underneath and crash bars and fog lights, among its extras.
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DUAL-SPORT
First choice: Kawasaki KLR650 ($6,999) - It’s been sold in one form or another for more than 30 years, and some of those original KLRs are probably still going strong on the (gravel) road. You just can’t go wrong with the KLR – it’s affordable, capable, comfortable and reliable. If you want to add accessories, there are probably more aftermarket options than any other motorcycle on the planet.
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DUAL-SPORT
Close second: Suzuki DR650SE ($6,299) - A little happier in the dirt than the Kawasaki, the air-cooled big-thumper DR is just as venerable, improved in small increments each year since the original 600-cc of 1984. Choose the KLR for gravel roads and the DR for forest trails and you’ll be gone all weekend.
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TOURER
First choice: Honda Goldwing GL1800 ($31,499) - If you’re serious about covering distance, there’s nothing more comfortable or capable on the interstate than the Goldwing. It has four decades of experience on American highways and is now a 1,832-cc six-cylinder – it purrs like an Accord, but can still lift the front wheel from the lights and touch down the footpegs on mountain roads. It’s loaded with many of the amenities of a car but handles like a bike half its size. For an additional $1,500, it even comes with an airbag.
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TOURER
Close second: BMW K1600 GTL ($30,200) - Large and supremely comfortable, the biggest Beemer comes with pretty much everything you could want, including heated seats, handlebar-adjusted suspension and Drive modes, and an electrically-operated windshield that raises and lowers with the touch of a button.
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RETRO
First choice: Triumph Bonneville T100 ($10,599) - A parallel twin just like the original Bonnie of half-a-century ago, the new Bonneville is a thoroughly up-to-date 865-cc fuel-injected machine, with modern reliability, handling and comfort. You can buy a basic Bonnie for $9,099, but the T100 is much more attractive, with twin peashooter exhausts, two-tone paint and spoked wheels. There are even three different special editions available this year, with just 25 of each coming to Canada.
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RETRO
Close second: Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic ($22,479) - If there’s an American classic in Harley’s vast selection of bikes, it’s the Heritage Softail Classic. It’s a tip of the helmet to the iconic bikes of the 1950s and ’60s, but it is itself a classic, in production for more than a quarter-century. Nowadays, it comes with ABS brakes, fuel injection and a smooth Twin Cam 103 V-twin.
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