Outfitting Guides

Honda’s truly modern CB1100 is not a CB750, but it’s trying really hard to capture the essential simplicity of the CB750 that enthusiasts with long memories and creaky knees remember so fondly. Yes, the CB1100’s engine is air-cooled, with four cylinders across the frame, riding in a steel tube frame with twin shocks out back. 

Headlining the CB-X’s street orientation, the original CB500X had cast wheels with 17-inch tires at each end, softly sprung suspension, and a single front disc brake. (ABS was optional.) While lots of customizers turned the CB-X into a rally-styled machine with knobby tires and all the farkles, the CB500X was still best as a light adventure bike, thanks to docile...

the NC700X and Honda NC750X benefit greatly from better lighting, both to see the road better and to better be seen on the road. Early versions have a bike-specific DENALI light mount available that bolts right to the frame-mounting fairing and provides a sturdy perch for any of DENALI’s LED motorcycle lights

S1000RR has been a huge success for BMW, all but driving out the Japanese liter-sized sportbikes and bringing lots of dark-haired riders into BMW dealerships. And many of those riders wanted to use their superbikes often, for commuting, track riding, weekend fun flings on twisty roads, and even for some hard-edged touring.

BMW’s F900R is its latest salvo in the Roadster category, benefitting from the new F900 engine, a parallel-twin gem with scads of midrange torque and, finally, a personality you’re not afraid to bring home to the folks. The 270-degree crank makes this parallel-twin engine take on a slightly menacing growl and provide the kind of seismic feedback we all love...

Aprilia named the Shiver 750 for what it can do to your senses when you ride it. And it’s not an empty boast, since the Shiver’s DOHC V-twin engine makes very good power for its displacement, with plenty of torque where you need it for daily rides and the occasional track day, all mounted into a hybrid chassis—some tubular steel,...

Aprilia continues to build the Dorsoduro as a limber, light, elemental supermoto with a street fixation. Put 17-inch cast wheels with high-end street rubber at either end of a short, narrow chassis and stuff a free-breathing, DOHC V-twin in the middle, all bristling with torque and personality. Tell your local tire store to stock three rears for every front, since...

Aprilia has built the Tuono legend from the bones of the RSV and, currently, the RSV4, with its mighty narrow-angle V-4 engine, aluminum chassis, race-ready suspension, and state-of-the-art electronics including multi-level traction control with wheelie mitigation.

We prefer to look at it differently, though. The WR250R and its street-aligned sibling WR250X stood as examples of the saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The street-legal WR250 motorcycles are right there at the top when it comes to performance that can easily go from street to off-roading when the pavement ends.

There are a variety of big, torquey bikes on the market these days with off-road, go-anywhere looks, but few have the style of the Moto Guzzi V85 TT. Moto Guzzi knows a thing about adventure, having raced Paris-Dakar since the 1980s. Heck, they know a lot about building all sorts of bikes; the 2021 V85 TT Centenario celebrates Moto Guzzi’s...

The 990 SM, introduced in 2008, came in a couple of varieties. The SMR was the first iteration, growing out of the earlier 950 Supermoto, and it was also the more purist-y variant. The SMT, which arrived at the scene a year later, was more touring focused with a bigger tank, higher weight, and plusher seat. Although both were perhaps...

The 990 Super Duke is an incredibly lightweight machine (only about 400 pounds) for a superbike that rips through streets with agility and grace. Sure, it might not have all the fancy modern gadgets and riding aids. But who needs that when the bike itself is pure perfection on pavement?

They say a jack of all trades is a master of none, but the Kawasaki KLX250 can make you question that particular piece of wisdom. Weighing at just under 300 pounds and equipped with a 249cc one-cylinder, four-stroke engine, the KLX250 takes you wherever you need to go through both off-road trails and paved streets.

The Husqvarna 701 comes in the Enduro and Supermoto varieties. Both have the same chassis, the same 692.7cc single-cylinder engine that can put out 47 ponies of power, and the same goodies. The differences come in the form of different wheel sizes (accompanied with the appropriately sized Brembo brakes) and suspension travel. There’s also the Enduro LR model, which is...

he R1250R uses BMW’s latest ShiftCam engine, whose two sets of camshaft profiles provide both variable camshaft timing and lift, although with a simpler method than other manufacturers use. BMW gets both more horsepower and more torque from the liquid-cooled boxer engine, while ride-by-wire technology makes the transition from low-rpm to high-rpm cam timing seamless. 

the Yamaha Super Tenere, a 1200cc parallel-twin adventure machine set to take on BMW and KTM at their own game. For more than a decade, the Super T, which came to the U.S. in its sophomore season, circa 2012, has come to define Yamaha’s approach to adventure touring. 

If you want to travel, or at least integrate your MT-10 into some light commuting, and your weekend rides are now more than 50 miles long, the MT fits the bill. For that, you need some well-considered accessories that start with better lighting. After all, if you’re riding all day, chances are you’ll be coming home after dark.

The FZ-09 combined a compact, lightweight aluminum chassis with a fresh take on the modern triple. Of course there were four valves per cylinder. Of course there’s liquid cooling. Of course it had ride-by-wire and a 120-degree crankshaft configuration.