Cycle News Staff | December 24, 2022
Issue 50 marks that time when we look back over the year that was, and the bikes that were. Here are our top three favorites by the people who rode them.
Bike of The Year. A subjective topic if ever there was one. Normally there needs to be a consensus of an overall winner—that’s how most publications do it—but we like to be a little different here at Cycle News.
Our take on this rather monotonous task is to put a human flavor to it. That’s why we have no single Bike of The Year, but several, simply because we’ve ridden literally hundreds of new bikes this year.
Each staffer gets a winner and two honorable mentions. We base our opinions not on the specs sheets. In fact, we actively discourage looking at them before coming up with our top three. The results are based purely on emotion (and a little new/fancy tech). They are based on what bike we’d take home if we could. You know, just because.
So, here we go. Welcome to Cycle News’ Bike of The Year 2022
Cycle News 2022 Bikes of The Year | Rennie Scaysbrook
Age: 40
Riding done this year: Raced the Isle of Man TT, plenty of ADV riding, a couple of massive crashes (on track, of course), and rediscovering the love of a simple scooter.
At a smidge under $14K, the Yamaha MT-10 base model represents, in my mind, the best value 1000cc motorcycle on the road today. The engine is an absolute gem, more than powerful enough but not quite as gut wrenchingly quick as a Super Duke or Streetfighter, the KYB suspension is beautifully damped, the ergos spot on for a six-foot-tall rider and the electronics are taken straight from the R1 which is a major boon at this price point. I can’t say I’m overly in love with the look of the bike, but it has matured somewhat since the days of the praying mantis that debuted back in 2016.
Yamaha has a higher-spec MT in the range in the MT-10 SP with fancy electronic Ohlins suspension and racier paint, but for the price, the base model takes a hell of a lot of beating, especially as the conventional KYB suspension is so nicely sorted. Yamaha nailed this one.
I absolutely, categorically love the Z900RS SE. It’s one of the best-looking bikes of the last 10 years and turns heads wherever it goes, the retro styling proving how right Kawasaki got it back in the ’70s with the OG Z1.
The engine is perfectly matched to the style of the bike, but it has no old-school power delivery. This thing still hits with a proper punch—there’s torque to burn and the intake noise is a joy to hear, just like ZX-10Rs from the early days. I lament the lack of a quickshifter, heated grips or cruise control, any one of those features would have been nice on a $13,499 ride. But every time I went to the garage and saw that yellow and black paint, gold wheels and that old-school single headlight, I thought, “damn, what a rad bike.” That makes it one of my faves for 2022.
“Holy snapping duckshit, Batman!” For a company that’s never built a real ADV bike before, Ducati smashed it on the DesertX. A rider of my feeble off-road capabilities can get more out of a DesertX than many other bikes on the market, simply due to the relaxed ergos and longer wheelbase that doesn’t punish mistakes like some of its competitors. It looks amazing, it’s electronics (or should I say ease of use of the electronics) leave a little to be desired, but there’s zero denying everyone I know that’s ridden this bike loves it, and I’d take one home in a heartbeat.
Cycle News 2022 Bikes of The Year | Ryan Nitzen
Age: 27
Riding Done This Year: Countless days at the motocross track, getting my motorcycle license, off-road racing, weekend trips and starting my ADV addiction.
Of every bike I’ve ridden this year, the Stark Varg takes top honors as my favorite. I chose the Varg based on the overall riding experience and the cool factor of the newest electric bike.
In no way am I pushing the electric “agenda” here. It probably isn’t even the best performing nor the fastest bike I rode this year, but the new-ness and technology are what really stood out to me. It was my first time on an electric bike and the ride experience was unlike anything I thought it would be. Riding with no engine sound took way longer to get used to than I expected. I have a “rising tides floats all ships” mentality and think that more options and more competition is good for our industry.
The new fuel-injected two-strokes from KTM are some of the coolest to come out this year. Both the 300 SX and 300 XC rank right up at the top for me. I raced the XC at the Ironman GNCC and could honestly see owning either one. The 300 XC is light, easy to ride in the tight stuff, but still has enough bark when you open it up. I was never a fan of the former-gen TPI models, so to gain the performance of fuel injection and ditch the TPI (and carburetor) is a huge plus for me.
Not sure if it was the bike itself or being at the G.O.A.T. Farm, but I just felt fast on the new 2023 Yamaha YZ450F. The bike entered an all-new generation this year and was arguably one of the most hyped 450s of the year. The engine is faster, the chassis is lighter, and they kept the class-leading KYB suspension. Yamaha also added traction control and quieted the front-facing air box. Overall, it seems hard to go wrong with that recipe. I hope I still feel that fast once we get one to California.
Cycle News 2022 Bikes of The Year | Sean Finley
Age: 53
Riding done this year: This year included a lot of off-road, dual-sport and ADV riding in Arizona. A weekend of off-road riding in Moab, Utah. My wife and I did a multi-day two-up ride on my Yamaha Tenere 700 from Southern California to Monterey, California, to see the MotoAmerica races. A week of riding at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee.
I got to ride a lot of cool bikes this year and the GasGas EC 300 stood out most for me. But that could just as easily be its sister KTM 300 XC-W. I am fortunate to live in an area surrounded by amazing single-track trails bordering on hard enduro level, which is perfect for a 300cc two-stroke. I feel that the TPI fuel injection is not perfect, but a Coober ECU fixes everything.
The oil-injection is great for rides that require remote fuel stops and the stock headlight is good enough to push the limits of daylight. The bike only needs an aftermarket radiator fan, skid plate and mousses (foam innertubes) to avoid flat tires to be bulletproof. A gummy Dunlop AT81 tire and soft Nitromousse insert helps me climb obstacles that look impossible. That earns Bike of The Year for me.
Sean’s Honorable Mention #1: Ducati Multistrada V4 S
The Ducati Multistrada V4 S surprised me. I prefer to ride off-road and the V4 S was surprisingly capable in the dirt, but it made me enjoy twisty pavement more than any bike I have ever ridden. The motor, brakes, handling and Adaptive Cruise Control make the nearly $30k price tag seem worth it.
The Surron Light Bee X provided the most fun per dollar of any bike I rode this year. It has a suggested retail price of $4400 and is basically an electric pit bike. I spent a week riding one to lay out course for the Tennessee Knockout Hard Enduro and had a blast. It is fun, quiet and bulletproof.
Cycle News 2022 Bikes of The Year | Jesse Ziegler
Age: 45
Riding Done This Year: a lot of hard enduro, ADV riding and motocross. But mostly picking my bike up during hard enduro races
Jesse’s Winner: 2022 KTM XC-W (250 or 300, I don’t really care anymore)
I rode these bikes a lot this year. I have more hours on this model than I’ve ever put on bikes in a season. We’re talking almost 10 hours of alone time at one event here. With most of the U.S. Hard Enduro West series races and the entire Sea to Sky Hard Enduro in Turkey in our first year together, it’s safe to say the KTM XC-W and I have become awkwardly close friends. [Check out Jesse’s SuperHard enduro video series here]
The bike keeps delivering smiles and working like a champ. The KTM two-stroke platform makes hard enduro, a mistake-riddled activity for most and a complete s-show for me, as easy as possible with tractable TPI-fueled power and ultra-durable componentry. I made slight protective modifications to deflect the abuse I inflicted, and slapped on sticky, gummy tires, but that’s all it takes to go from the showroom to the hardest races in the world—even for an idiot like me. Then, in Turkey, I hopped on a 250cc version and had just as much fun. So, if it’s and XC-W, I’m into it.
Knocking off the top-dog of midsize ADV bikes is not easy. The KTM 890 Adventure R is good. But the Ducati DesertX came roaring into this fall with style and performance in a premium package. It is good enough to be the best bike in this class, for sure. Will it prove to be? I don’t know yet. But it’s damn good.
Our friends at AmPro Yamaha built out a GNCC racing-inspired Yamaha Tenere 700 ADV machine, and I got to ride it with AmPro boss Randy Hawkins! It’s not every day you get to hang out with an AMA Hall of Famer and ride with them. Plus, the simple mods to the Tenere 700 made it cooler than the pretty-damn-cool stock version. You can check out this epic ride in our 2023 ADV Guide special issue!
