Honda

Every once in a while a machine transcends the constraints of time and taste to become a modern-day legend, and Honda’s Super Cub is just such a machine. From its humble beginnings back in 1958, the Super Cub (aka Honda 50 or Honda C100) has, according to sales numbers, grown into the most popular motorcycle. Ever. Back in 2018, the line passed the 100-million-unit mark, and I am old enough to remember when McDonald’s had served fewer burgers than that according to their sign out front, so that is a lot of units around the world.

Massive engines, aerodynamic bodywork, top-spec suspension and braking setups, aggressive riding positions, these machines have got it all to attack everything running on the street and the track. These sportbikes enter with the best of electronic packaging and power to just be the fastest one out there. Built for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering, they come equipped with components from the industry’s best names to achieve a little more speed every single time they get on the paved asphalt.

We here give you a list of machines in 2020 that do all that, without breaking your bank. For under $10,000, these machines will blaze the streets and sweep us off our feet in the most fashionable ways possible.

What saw as Honda’s grand comeback to the ADV world back in 2016, the CRF 1000L Africa Twin was one of the perfectly balanced machines from the Honda stable, and a lot of bike for your buck. The CRF”1000L” Africa Twin became the CRF “1100L” Africa Twin, courtesy a larger 1,084cc engine for more power and a lighter structure.

Being a Honda, it also comes along with a 6.5-inch color TFT “Multi-Information Display” that interfaces with the rider and the multitude of pertinent metrics and electronics. For some, this could turn out intimidating, and so, Honda Powersports America has a new interactive simulator on its consumer website for me and you to play along and get accustomed to.

After much speculation and anticipation, Honda finally released the all-new Super Cub C125 ABS to U.S. dealerships in January 2019, and will carry over into 2020. This iconic ride brings the same 124.9 cc powerplant that drives the popular Grom coupled with a semi-automatic, clutchless shifter, and four-speed gearbox delivering the same ease of operation that helped to make the original such a hit. A disc front brake and ABS bring the classic design closer to modern standards, but the looks are straight outta’ the ’50s for a genuinely dated vibe that is impossible to imitate. Entry-level pricing provides the icing for this charming little cake in order to endear itself to that critical market segment, but I’d argue that this ride is good for more than just as a trainer.

The D-Type “Dream” of 1949 may have put Honda on the map, but it was the U.S. release of the Gold Wing in 1975 that eventually made the marque a power in the American touring market. Originally built as a power-cruiser, the domestic consumers had a different purpose in mind — long-distance touring — and with that a legend was born. The basic parameters had been established that would go on to create a family of bikes that, to this day, serve as a staunch competitor to American manufacturers Indian and Harley-Davidson, and enjoy a reputation for speed and agility as well as comfort.

Tall, upright handlebars, forward set footpegs, and void of fairings, naked streetfighters are the perfect choice for urban hooligans. These machines come with the epic combination of sport bike aggression and urban practicality. These motorcycles master narrow lane splitting and have lightweight construction for the ease of flickability around traffic and obstacles.

This list of machines are known to do just that and could be yours for under $ 10,000.

Every motorcycle builder has that one model that, while it may not be first, is the one that put the factory on the map. For Japanese giant Honda Motor Company, the first motorcycle was the 1949 “Dream” D-Type aka “Type D or Model D,” though nobody living knows for sure who gave it the “Dream” name. The D-Type brought all of the elements of a proper motorcycle together with a 98 cc thumper. It did away with the need for a traditional clutch lever through a clever shifter and cone-clutch arrangement to appeal to a broader rider base through easier operation. Success would follow, though it was short lived, but a legend was born, first in the island nation and then on the world stage.

All around the globe, asphalt or no asphalt, the adventure series of machines give riders the swiss knife to carve up terrains and tread through almost anything with versatility and style. With the looks and utility of a capable off-roader and the balance and handling of a sport-standard, adventure motorcycles are a bipartisan look at how to tackle paved roads and dirt. Big and powerful engines, long travel suspensions, and a higher riding position with multiple rider aids adorn these machines.

With having a lot to carry around to fight a multitude of terrains, they are usually an expensive affair (easily 14 grand or more for the latest top-spec models). Luckily, manufacturers have been recognizing this and have been tweaking things around to offer more affordable options to give not so fortunate riders like us to experience the thrill of finding our way through the unknown on two-wheels.

Here are our top six picks of ADV machines falling under the $ 10,000 price tag that you can buy in 2020:

We here love the laid-back reclined riding styles that make covering vast expanses of arrow-straight asphalts a pleasure. Being the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground, Cruisers have been the incarnation of the ‘30s to ‘60s American lifestyles. Large motors with plenty of low-end torque, forward set footpeg position define any modern-day cruisers.

Here is our list of new cruiser motorcycles under $10,000 for you and me to buy in 2020 that gets us to cruise, be at one with our bike, taking in the sights and the scents, fresh air washing over, and supposedly cleansing the soul. All this, without breaking our bank.

Honda puts out a lot of fun products, it’s true, but few machines can match the level of whimsy you get from the Honda Monkey. That’s right folks, the iconic “Monkey Bike” that served as a mini self-Uber in Japanese amusement parks back in the ’60s is back with a new look and powerplant for what the factory surely hopes is a new era of monkey madness. The 2019 update of this little pocket bike bears the genetic markers of the original without being a slave to it with a 9.25-horsepower modern powerplant, larger wheels (thank goodness) and disc brakes.

What goes into moving a particular motorcycle into the “Historically Significant” category? That depends upon whom you ask, of course. What their priorities are, how far back in history they are interested in delving and even upon which surfaces the bikes are built to travel. Verily I say unto thee; the possibilities are legion. With that in mind, I want to tackle that question myself today, but first I will qualify what it means to me for the purpose of this article. Some will be mechanical marvels of their time, and some will be rather mundane yet have astronomical sales figures as an indicator of consumer popularity. I’m going to stick to street/road bikes and exclude off-road machines, plus I’m going to leave scooters alone as well ’cause they have their own history and deserve to be looked at as a major branch on the two wheeled-tree unto itself. As far as how deep I’m willing to go into the annals of history, I’m going to say “all the way.” Let’s get to it.

Honda shows its commitment to continual improvement with its 2020 array of top-shelf, tour-tastic Gold Wing models. The Gold Wing range received a handful of improvements to include reworked heads and cylinders that reduce the weight of the drivetrain plus stock foglights and revised ergonomics to boost performance, safety, and comfort across the boards. Of course, this comes on top of the speed and handling for which the Gold Wings have long been famous to make it a serious competitor in the U.S. touring market.

Honda greets the new decade with a buffed-up, base-model Gold Wing range that’s best described as a BNG-Plus treatment with a few extra goodies thrown in. The sheet metal comes shot in a new, monochromatic finish with generous blackout treatment over the rest of the machine to take a deep dive into Honda’s dark side. Updated damping values tune up the suspension system along with improved electronics to complete the package. Of course, this is all accompanied by the performance and handling that has always held the Gold Wing in good stead and keep the line in an excellent competitive position within the U.S. market.

2020 is a new decade, a new year for all of us to leap and move forward fearlessly. To re-invent and to make room for things which really matters, things that will uplift you physically, mentally, and spiritually.

OR

Throw up your arms, wash off that alcohol stink, and go get yourself a new motorcycle. Works just the same.

Here’s our top twenty production motorcycles coming in 2020 that does all of that, and more.

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.

These are motorcycles with large motors having plenty of low-end torque, forward set footpegs, and a laid-back reclined riding position that defines any modern-day cruisers. No other feeling satisfies a man’s desire for freedom, to head in a direction unknown. And if you don’t have the right tool to do it, the whole feeling becomes uncanny.

Coming in hot with full fairings to protect you from the elements, large engines, navigation systems, all-important music, and connectivity options and by far the most comfortable seats, here are our top five dressers/baggers of 2020 that does all of it in luxury:

In a world where outright horsepower and straight-line speed hold center stage, these machines have blazed the streets and have swept us off our feet in the most fashionable ways possible. Built for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering, they come equipped with components from the industry’s best names to achieve a little more speed every single time they get on the paved asphalt.

Here are our top five picks of serious sports machines coming in 2020 with rider ergonomics favor function, and ones built to cut through the air as smoothly as possible with massive engines and fancy equipment list.

Honda spruced up its CBR1000RR-R SP superbike and plans to release it summer of 2020 as a 2021 model. The long-rumored updates will finally hit the road in the foreseeable future, and the factory even relented in its long-standing practice by actually using the “Fireblade” moniker in the U.S. market. The factory stuffed in its most powerful four-banger with over 200 ponies on tap and followed up with top-shelf electronics to turn out a machine that, in its own words, is “born to race.”

Being the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground, Cruisers have been the incarnation of the ‘30s to ‘60s American lifestyles. Large motors with plenty of low-end torque, forward set footpegs, and a laid-back reclined riding position define any modern-day cruisers. Traditionally, large V-twins ran under the hoods, but inline engines have become more common these days.

Here is our list of new cruiser motorcycles coming in hot in 2020 that gets us to simply cruise, at one with our bike, taking in the sights and smells, the cool air washing over, and supposedly cleansing the soul.