A Dozen Must-Ride Motorcycles For 2018
As the calendar ticks over to 2018, I’m looking at the new motorcycles I want to ride in the coming year. I’ve already had a good number of rides on outstanding 2018s, and here’s a list of the motorcycles announced by 1/1/2018 that I am eagerly anticipating riding in 2018.
Keep in mind that I leave the superbikes to Arthur, Ron, and Nic, and the motocross motorcycles to Chris, Ty, and Brandon, so that’s not why the latest, greatest, and fastest aren’t on my list.
Most of the motorcycles on the list are 2018s, though there are three ’19s that are on the horizon. Although I’ve numbered them, it’s a fairly arbitrary sequence—I want to ride them all!
8. 2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCA. As a fan of the Explorer 1200, I look forward to getting out on the new Triumph Tiger 1200 XCA (the top of the six-bike Tiger 1200 line). It has just about every feature you can imagine, including six ride modes and a titanium/carbon-fiber Arrow muffler. It’s lighter than before, and should be an amazing ADV touring machine.
9. 2018 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR. I love triples and mid-size sport bikes, so the MV Agusta 800 RR is a natural for me. The styling is pure moto-porn, and stirs the blood just looking at photos. Delving into the list of upgrades, including a 140 horsepower motor, makes this a must-ride sport bike in 2018. Like Royal Enfield, MV Agusta seems to be gathering steam with a reliable importer.
10. 2018 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX. This motorcycle looks to be completely over-the-top, in true supercharged H2 fashion. I wasn’t particularly interested in riding the H2 or H2R, as they far exceed my capabilities. I suspect the same is true of the H2 SX, but I can’t wait to see what Kawasaki thinks sport-touring aficionados need in a high-horsepower motorcycle. Our first look was certainly enough to pique my interest.
11. 2018 BMW G 310 GS. Small-displacement adventure motorcycles are getting more and more attention, with good reason. They have easily manageable weight, power, and height, making them a great way to get going in the ADV world. BMW invented the ADV genre, so I definitely want to ride BWM’s take on the 300 class. This one was supposed to be a ’17, but got delayed until 2018. Here’s a rundown of the G 310 GS.
12. 2019 Yamaha Niken. I’m set for rides on the Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder in the next couple of months, so I will leave them off this list. Instead, I’ll go with this totally wild three-wheel Niken. While the three-wheel design has obvious appeal to new riders, the MT-09 based motor will provide plenty of excitement as I find out just how hard I can push that front end in corners. I have absolutely no idea what to expect.