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Motorcycle of the year awards often focus on the fastest, flashiest flagships shooting across the heavens above the motorcycle firmament. We've always done things a little differently here at Common Tread, but this year... well, things are a lot different.
It's not clear whether to blame industry trends or the national mood or a contagious strain of practicality that has swept through the Common Tread team, but our selections this year are quite humble. Only one has an engine bigger than 700 cc and most are under 500 cc.
As always, the disclaimer: We call these our favorite motorcycles because the point is for each member of the team to make a subjective choice of a motorcycle that was interesting, important, unexpected, or otherwise worth highlighting. We're not saying these are the best motorcycles of 2023. But we do think these are ones worth remembering.
Dustin Wheelen: A pleasant surprise out of India
One major perk of working out of the RevZilla West office (in Carson, California) is having access to all the latest motorcycle models. Zack, Ari, Spenser, Jen, and (to a lesser degree) myself keep a steady stream of new bikes rotating through the office garage. That's afforded me the opportunity to experience the torquey new twin at the heart of the Suzuki GSX-8S and V-Strom 800DE. I've also relished the scream of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR's four-banger and the surprising deftness of the CFMOTO 450SS. I can't forget about the Honda Transalp's all-around capability, which recently earned it the top spot on the 2023 Daily Rider Leaderboard (and rightfully so).
Even in a sea of outstanding newcomers, the refreshed Royal Enfield Himalayan remains my favorite motorcycle of the year. You know that feeling when you go to a movie with basement-low expectations just for the show on screen to leave you pleasantly surprised? That's what it was like to attend the press launch for the new Himalayan. The old bike disappointed me in nearly every regard. From its pillow-soft suspension to its asthmatic engine, the Himmy offered no joy, in my book.
Sure, I expected some updates with the 2024 model. After all, rumors of its liquid-cooled engine were far from classified information. What I wasn't expecting was a clean-sheet rebuild. From engineering to tech, the new platform not only signaled a new phase for the Himalayan but also ushered Royal Enfield into the modern era. That's what makes it my favorite motorcycle of 2023.
Spurgeon Dunbar: The small Triumph I've been waiting for
For years I have been saying that the one bike missing in Triumph's Modern Classics line was a throwback to the Triumph Cub, a small-displacement, beginner-friendly motorcycle with a classic look. While Triumph might have missed out on a key naming opportunity, opting instead to go with the sexier Speed 400 moniker, they hit the nail on the head with the bike itself.
I recently got to ride a Speed 400 across northern India and after roughly 1,700 miles on the bike, I was left with quite a bit of affection for this little machine. While I think the Scrambler 400 version (built largely on the same platform) is swell too, the Speed 400 reminds me a lot of its bigger brother, the Speed Twin 900 (originally the Street Twin), a bike I made some great memories with.
From beginner riders just starting out to experienced riders looking to add a bit of diversity to their garage, the Speed 400 is a loveable little machine with all the styling and charm of its Modern Classics stablemates. But at $4,995, (roughly half the price of a Speed Twin), it's far more accessible. The Speed 400 is coming — bikes should be in dealers early in the new year — and it was my favorite bike of 2023.
Ari Henning: A surprising motorcycle from China
Which criteria should I use for picking my favorite motorcycle of the year? Most enjoyable, surprising, or significant? Any way you slice it, the CFMOTO 450SS takes the cake.
The fact is, I love small bikes, so I'm biased toward enjoying the two-thirds stature and light weight of a motorcycle like the 450SS. That's my subjective predilection, but the objective surprise and goodness of the 450SS is there for anyone who swings a leg over it.
For starters, the 450SS is impressive because it's an all-new and original bike from a manufacturer famed for copying others, and doing so poorly. It's also a surprise because of its quality, which includes features, character, and performance that surpass the class's benchmark bike, Kawasaki's Ninja 400.
And therein lies the significance of the 450SS: It's the first made-in-China motorcycle to stand toe-to-toe with the industry's vanguard. Beyond that, it's another great option for newer riders, and that's great news for the community and the industry.
Jen Dunstan: The trailblazer gets my pick
My pick for the most significant motorcycle of 2023 is the Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid I test rode in Barcelona two months ago. This is the world's first production hybrid motorcycle so it is literally making history. What if you could harness the benefits of an electric drivetrain when they are most useful (city commuting) but still have a traditional internal-combustion engine for the fun part of the ride (weekend trips to the canyon?) all without worrying to have to plug in to charge — ever? For the pure EV fanatic, this gas guzzler will not do, but for a majority of motorcycle riders out there who are "E-curious," it might just be the catalyst needed to make some converts. For me, personally, I really enjoy when the motorcycle industry gets a good rough shake from a ground-breaking bike, and this hybrid is one of those moments.
Zack Courts: Fun is fun, but I agree with Jen
Picking my favorite bike of any year makes me wonder which one I'd choose to ride again and this year, that would have to be the Krämer GP2-890RR. When I think about how violently I asked that motorcycle to turn and to brake, it almost feels like a dream. I would love to get back to that headspace, the purgatory between panic and bliss.
But, if I’m being perfectly honest, the bike that makes me the most happy, intrigued, and excited in 2023 is one that I haven't even ridden yet: the Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid. As Jen said, it's historic. Revolutionary. I don't actually know if it's important yet, but it makes me giddy to think that it might spur other major brands into thinking about something other than how many acronyms a bike's electronic systems can have. The Ninja 7 has pretty bland styling and a wheelbase so wonky only a mother could love it. But it's the imperfections that get me the most excited. Bring on the age of the hybrid.
Patrick Garvin: How do you say "hooligan" in Italian?
Maybe I am in the minority or maybe the scope of what I like in a motorcycle is just getting narrower as I get older, but for me it didn’t seem like a particularly stellar year for new motorcycles. It’s a bit tough for me to pick a favorite because I haven’t spent time on many new motorcycles this year. But the bike that caught my attention the most by far is the Ducati 698 Hypermotard.
Having owned a KTM 690 SMCR and absolutely loved it (in my top three all-time motorcycles), this bike is right in my wheelhouse. I did feel like it was a bit of a KTM 690 clone, but the electronics package and the ability to uncork the big Italian single and push the horsepower into the mid 80s made me seriously consider ownership of my first-ever Italian motorcycle. The little Hypermotard not only sports five ride modes, traction control, and a quickshifter, but also has a few other hooligan modes that I really want to try out. The launch control, selectable wheelie control, and slide by brake seem like they are an invitation to hooliganism that can’t be ignored. I may have to stray from team orange in 2024 and buy a tight-fitting leather jacket, some tapered jeans, and start drinking my coffee in tiny cups to round out my conversion to the Italian side of motorcycling.
Lance Oliver: You can't ignore the slimmed-down elephant in the room
I'm not sure what's come over my colleagues, with this sudden affection for practical motorcycles. I'm usually the one highlighting some homely little thumper while Zack is backing in a 150-horsepower exotic while calmly narrating specs into his helmet-mounted microphone. But since we're breaking patterns in 2023, I'm going to mention a bike I think is just too big to ignore: the revised BMW R 1300 GS.
Go read Spenser Roberts' first ride review if you want all the details, because he not only talked about all the updates to the bike, but also provided a concise synopsis of the history of the GS line, explaining why it's so significant. I'll sum it up here to keep it simple. The boxer-powered GS is not just BMW's best-selling model by far, but is also the descendant of the original adventure-touring motorcycle and will inevitably be the benchmark its competitors are measured against. And that competition matters more because the adventure category is one of the few growth areas in the U.S. motorcycle market.
Am I going to buy an R 1300 GS myself? No, the big adventure-touring class doesn't fit my personal preferences. But when the most important model in the most dynamic segment of motorcycling gets a thorough overhaul — the biggest ground-up revision in many years — I feel it has to be included in any look back at the important motorcycles of 2023.
