Our favorite motorcycles of 2022

"What's your favorite motorcycle?" is a different question, however. There is no wrong answer. That's why each year we ask some of our Common Tread writers to single out one motorcycle they especially liked, thought was groundbreaking or important, or just captured their imagination. Here's what they had to say looking back on 2022.

Andy Greaser: Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+

It wasn't easy nailing down my favorite motorcycle of the year. Honda's Hawk 11 and NT1100 parallel twins look promising, although I have to disqualify them because they aren't confirmed for the U.S. market. Then there's Moto Guzzi's V100 Mandello, which rides even better than it looks, thanks to a new liquid-cooled engine. But my final answer? Suzuki's GSX-S1000GT+. It carries a price tag of $13,799 (or $13,149 for the plain GT without side cases), five gallons of gas, and enough tech to sit at the same table as other metrics in this class. It is neither beautiful nor exotic, but the no-nonsense GT+ is one of the last traditional sport-tourers — powerful, versatile, and free from pseudo-ADV styling. Show me a better MY22 mile-muncher for under $15,000.

Jen Dunstan: Stark VARG

I have not ridden it yet, but even if only a fraction of the overwhelming positive remarks I have heard about the Stark VARG are true then that is more than enough for it to top my list of favorite bikes of 2022. As a proud Alta Motors Redshift owner, nothing tickles my fancy more than having an "I hate electric motorcycles" rider hop on the Alta for two laps and then come back and tell me how wrong they were (a 99% success rate so far with every demo I've handed out). From the reviews and word-of-mouth comments I have gotten, the Stark VARG is an elevated Redshift, in both power and handling. It's hard to wrap my head around that as the Redshift is already so good in both aspects. To know that another extremely competent electric dirt bike can fill the void of the former Alta Motors Redshift fills me with hope and happiness.

Ari Henning: Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak

I respect Ducati immensely, but I'm occasionally disappointed by the compromises the brand makes with its motorcycles. For example, the 200-horsepower Panigale V4 S Zack and I tested a few years back was touted as the ultimate superbike, but in reality it was so slanted toward street comfort that it got its ass kicked at the track by a 55,000-mile Suzuki GSX-R1000 from George W's presidency.

However, this past year I rode a Ducati that was truly excellent, no exaggeration. With the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak, Ducati ditched the on/off-road concept that made previous models a Jack of all trades and a master of none. Instead, it dialed the pavement performance up to 10 and remedied two major complaints that have dogged Ducatis for decades: engine heat and service intervals. This comfortable, upright superbike feels no warmer than a Kawasaki Ninja 650 and boasts some of the longest service intervals available (oil changes at 9,000 miles and valve-service intervals at 36,000 miles). Is it completely uncompromised? Not quite. There’s no center stand or heated grips, and it does cost $30,000. But after riding the Pikes Peak, it certainly feels like something special and seems more worth the price than other red bikes I've experienced.

At the more affordable end of the spectrum, Triumph’s Tiger Sport 660 ($10,000) was new for '22 and really made an impression on me. I see it as a lighter, smaller, sportier alternative to my beloved Kawasaki Versys 650, and a bike that's a great choice for a variety of riders, especially those with shorter inseams.

Patrick Garvin: KTM 890 Adventure R

My favorite bike of 2022 is the KTM 890 Adventure R. I’m sure this will result in some eye rolling, seeing as how I am picking the bike that I bought for myself this year, but I'm confident in the choice because I was in a unique position to ride the top contenders in the middleweight ADV category this year before making my purchase. Between the Get On! ADV Fests in the Mojave and the Black Hills, along with the company bikes we currently have in our stable, I was able to spend time in legit off-road scenarios on a Yamaha Ténéré 700, Aprilia Tuareg 660, BMW F 850 GS Adventure, and Triumph Tiger 900 Rally.

Even though I purchased the KTM late in the season, I still was able to take it on a 1,000-mile trip through Wyoming and Montana, along with 3,000 more dirt miles in my beloved Black Hills of South Dakota. And I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. The bike checks all the boxes for me. It's really good in the dirt, with standout suspension, and the electronics package with the additional Rally Pack is second to none with nine-stage traction control that's a real game changer. On the street in touring mode, it has loads of power and is more than capable of carving corners or eating up highway miles. I have big plans for 2023 and most of them involve being on the back of my 890 Adventure R.

Spurgeon Dunbar: Aprilia Tuareg 660

I tried to take the Patrick Garvin approach and write about the bike I bought in 2022, but Lance “gently” reminded me that a KTM 890 Adventure R Rally is no longer being offered up for purchase by the Austrian manufacturer. So for this year’s pick, I’m going with a non-orange adventure motorcycle: the Aprilia Tuareg 660.

Like many other attendees, I got my first ride on a Tuareg at Get On! ADV Fest in the Mojave Desert. I was immediately impressed with how approachable this bike is. While the suspension may not be as capable as the 890 Adventure R's, the Tuareg has a lower seat height and a narrow chassis and tank design that gives the rider a relatively easy reach to the ground. It felt easier to ride than Yamaha’s Ténéré 700, as sophisticated as the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally, and lighter than any of the other middleweight adventure bikes. 

While I only had a brief rendezvous with this Italian steed, I was quite impressed with what Aprilia introduced into a very competitive segment of motorcycles. And speaking of “competitive,” at $11,999, the Tuareg is one of the most affordable ADVs on the market today.

Lance Oliver: Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+

I hate to sound jaded, but when I started thinking about this year's new motorcycles for this article, I realized there wasn't a lot I got excited about. The big motorcycle shows didn't produce big news. I saw interesting bikes from Suzuki, like the GSX-8S, and Honda, like the CB750 Hornet and the Transalp, but as Spenser Robert pointed out in our annual trends story, it's great that we have so many sensible, quality parallel twins available, but could we have something other than another damn parallel twin? In the alternative space, I can't get excited about Kawasaki's forthcoming hybrid, which just adds new layers of complexity, or Energica's Experia, which is too expensive for what's still a one-dimensional motorcycle.

I'm glad Spurgeon mentioned the Aprilia Tuareg 660, because it's a great example of the good things happening in that middleweight segment, but I don't know enough about the adventure-touring category to be confident choosing the Tuareg as a favorite. So I'm going to make the boring choice, copy Andy's homework, and select the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ I got to ride for the first time back in April. As much as Suzuki gets discussed and criticized for not bringing out flashy new products and developing all-new engines for the U.S. market, the fact is the company is doing well financially at the global level and simply following a cautious path. As the world potentially tips into recession, using proven parts to build a useful and fun motorcycle that's competent and priced very competitively is perhaps exactly what the motorcycle world needed in 2022.

What was your favorite this year?