2021

Husqvarna Motorcycles, long known for its off-road prowess, continues the plunge into the sort-of street bike market with its Svartpilen 410. Set up like an urban scrambler, Husky bills the Svartpilen as an entry-level commuter/explorer with an easy-to-ride and fun nature.

A 375 cc thumper drives the “Black Arrow” with 43 horsepower under the control of a ride-by-wire throttle and slipper clutch that couples engine power to the six-speed gearbox. Suspension and rolling gear reflect a certain amount of off-road capability useful for soft surfaces.

Honda rolls into the new decade with the first overhaul to its newest-generation Rebel range. It has only been a few years since the classic Rebel line was replaced by the current iteration, and the added features are largely due to feedback from the new rider base. New suspension components improve the ride along with upgrades to the lighting and clutch pack to increase overall safety and expand its buyer base.

Suzuki continues the Gixxer family legacy into the 2022 model year with the GSX-R600 powered by a 599 cc engine and includes all the sporty handling that is expected in this prestigious line.

Harley-Davidson gives us a glimpse of the near future of the Sportster lineup with the release of its all-new Sportster S model. The MoCo breaks with 35 years of tradition by moving away from the powerplant and base design that first rolled back in ’86 in favor of a new, from-the-ground-up re-imagination that bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Modern chassis design and high-performance V-Twin power set the tone for the newest Sportster addition as the factory looks to become more competitive in its sub Big-Twin range.

BMW launched into MY2021 with a freshly updated R 1250 GS base model accompanied by a 40th year anniversary model that sports the Option 719 “bumblebee” livery. The boxer-twin powerplant remains the same mechanically but comes with improved ride-control and safety electronics along with some long-requested optional comfort gear and a full line of ex-werke accessory equipment to boot. BMW brings its on- and off-road experience together to make a truly capable globetrotter, and decidedly not the two-wheeled equivalent of a soccer mom’s SUV.

The BMW S 1000 RR is a dream bike for many, but only a handful have the cash to bring it home. For those of you who don’t, however, allow us to offer a solution in the form of the QJMotor Race 250, a BMW S 1000 RR lookalike that costs a fifth of the original bike. Let’s dive in, shall we?

With Isle Of Man TT once again in full swing after a Covid-struck hiatus, Austria-based Reier Motors wanted to do something special on the occasion. So the bikemaker took matters into its own hands and prepared an epic custom Ducati Scrambler that pays homage to Ducati’s four-time Isle Of Man-winning race bike, the TT2. Now that you know the intention, let’s check out the motorcycle.

The Honda Navi is the latest addition to the company’s miniMoto lineup and just like its siblings, it’s attracted attention from custom bikemakers, especially from custom miniMoto specialist, Steady Garage. The result? A mind-blowing custom Honda Navi laden with several upgrades, both aesthetic and functional. Let’s dive in.

Yamaha’s Ténéré line expanded down into the mid-range with the all-new-in-2021 Ténéré 700 (XTZ700). The “700” brings solid dual-sport capability to the adventure-touring range with an off-road bent that definitely favors soft terrain. Yamaha’s CP2 engine delivers the goods with a transmission and chassis tuned specifically for trips off the beaten path, much more so than its bigger brothers in the Super Ténéré family. After a race to the top, this model marks a new front in the battle for market supremacy as the factory seeks to fill in under the 1,200 cc units.

Triumph rolled into MY2021 with an all-new street bike in its Trident 660. Just think of this as the British giant’s ambassador – or perhaps recruiter would be a more apt as a title – to the entry-level segment. It qualifies for a number of reasons, chief among them is the tractable power delivery, ride-safety electronics, and even the price. Lean, clean, and essential, the new Trident 660 brings a rare level of accessibility to the market, all wrapped up in one sporty package.

Honda spruced up its naked-sport CB650R ahead of MY2021 and carries it directly over into the 2022 season with just a small change in price, but with no additional color packages like was teased pre-release. Beefy Showa BP-SFF stems, improve the suspension while other tweaks improve ergonomics for comfort and stamina.

Coming off a fresh update in 2017, Suzuki carries its GSX-R1000R into MY2022 with little else in the way of changes. The next-gen “Gixxer” 1000 brought an all-new 999.8 cc powerplant to the table with a claimed 199 horsepower at the shaft and a whole passel of electronic goodies to help manage all those ponies. Traction control, lean-sensitive ABS, launch control and more, Suzuki’s flagship literbike comes equipped with overlapping safety nets to help keep us non-professional riders dirty-side down as we explore our envelope. MotoGP tech influences the design to give you a little taste of track-day performance, or at the very least, ’performance light.’

The Fat Boy has been part of the Harley-Davidson family for over thirty years now and it’s been a chrome-laden cruiser for most of its life. However, proving that the Fat Boy can rock the sinister charm too, custom bikemaker Box 39 has converted it into an all-black monstrosity that looks ready for starring in the next Batman movie.

The Honda Monkey first came to life in the late 60s and instantly made a name on the market, thanks to its undeniably fun riding experience. Cut to 2022, and this still remains the case with the latest 125cc iteration of the Monkey. But how do you make the Monkey even more funky and enjoyable? Well, this was exactly the challenge Deus Ex Machina faced when Honda Korea hit ‘em up for a custom Monkey build. Luckily, the Australian bikemaker came up with a plan and prepared a riot of a custom bike they call the Honda “Donkey”!

Kawasaki gave its Ninja 650 supersport a facelift ahead of MY2020 with aggressive new lines. Safety and visibility were increased through LED technology, and instrumentation moves into the 21st century with a TFT display to deliver the metrics. New tires and new networking technology round out the package along with the engine performance and handling that made the last generation a hit.

Pitting the fuel-injection fans against the carburetor fans, we score a point for the latter with the DR-Z400S and DR-Z400SM from Suzuki. Fuel injection hasn’t yet made an appearance in Suzuki’s dual-sport lineup, which was a good thing or a bad thing, depending on which side of the fence you’re on. For 2022, the DR-Z siblings haven’t yet been touched by the FI update. Sharing the same engine as the 500EXC from KTM, the DR-Zs come on a different chassis with progressive-link rear suspension. The “SM” — the SuperMoto of the family — and the “S” feature a six-liter air box with quick-release fasteners trouble-free access to the air filter and special low profile mirrors that rotate hoping to avoid damage, both are pluses when you’re playing in the dirt.

Suzuki keeps improving and expanding its signature supersport series, and the 2022 GSX-R750 carries the torch first ignited by the original Gixxer 750 all the way back in 1984. Granted, the “late model” Gixxers dropped the steel frame in favor of aluminum, and the air-cooled engine has been replaced with a jacketed mill, but the overall mission for the bike remains the same: to provide the general public with the most race-ready production bike available for legal use on the street. Of course, the rest of the market has caught up to Suzuki and the supersport segment is flooded with similarly capable rides — and a good number of more capable sleds — though the most race-tastic of them are far more expensive than the $12k-ish GSX-R750.