10 Bikes That Prove You Don’t Have To Choose Between Comfort And Thrills

Specialization. The corporate world definitely loves this: the more you know about something, the more of an expert you become, and the higher up you’ll end up. This is the case with most things; we have a perception that the more specialized something is, the better it is. And this has filtered down to motorcycles as well.

While this is definitely true for certain types of motorcycles – sports bikes spring to mind – while they get better at that one primary thing, they become progressively worse at everything else. This is sad, because we all would like a fun bike that can be ridden under multiple conditions. Thankfully, the motorcycle manufacturers have been listening and have been churning out models that can both be easy on the derriere and put a smile on your face. Here are ten bikes that prove you don’t have to choose between comfort and thrills.

To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from authoritative sources such as Honda Powersports, Ducati USA, and Triumph Motorcycles.

10

Honda CRF450RL

Price: $10,099

The CRF450RL is a 450 cc dual sport bike. That usually means a thrill a minute, and a ride that is cut short if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. However, Honda has made this 450 cc dual sport a little different. It is docile when you need it to be, and can plaster a wide grin on your face when you twist the throttle. It does this thanks to a combination of big power and light weight. The 53 horsepower single cylinder engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox, and there is weight saving in different places. It has an aluminum twin spar chassis, a titanium fuel tank, and a Li-ion battery. There is also all LED lighting and fully adjustable Showa suspension.

9

Honda CB1000 Hornet SP

Price: $10,999

The CB1000 Hornet SP is priced really well for what it is. It is a full-size naked that is styled a lot more aggressively than the CB1000R. It backs this up with hardware. The performance is blunted for the US market thanks to noise and emission regulations, but globally it puts out around 160 horsepower, which is plenty. Since it is the SP, it gets quality suspension items, including full adjustable Showa SFF-BP inverted front forks, and an Öhlins TTX36 rear shock. The front brakes are also Brembo units with a radial master cylinder, so the potential to have fun is really high with this one.

8

Aprilia Tuareg Rally 660

Price: $13,799

The Tuareg 660 is one of our favorite motorcycles because it combines so many different desirable elements in a single package. It is good-looking, light, manageable at low speeds, handles really well at high speeds, and has one of the best electronics packages in its segment. The Tuareg Rally takes these elements and adds bits and bobs to make it more off-road focused. It gets more aggressive tires, wheels, and suspension rates that are more suited to off-road riding. Oh, and a distinguishing look inspired by Aprilia’s rally racing bikes.

7

Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+

Price: $14,399

The GSX-S1000GT is a traditional sport tourer. That means it’s a sports bike that is toned down to up the comfort level for long rides. Suzuki has played it intelligently and assembled it from old GSX-R bits like the chassis and the driveline, thus keeping down development costs and ensuring it is dead reliable despite the performance. 150 horsepower is available; you just need to rev it a little to get it going. The feature set is also impressive: traction control, cruise control, ABS, a 6.5 inch TFT color display with Bluetooth and navigation, and standard luggage.

6

Ducati Panigale V2

Price: $16,495

The Panigale V2 isn’t like the Panigales of old; this isn’t a high-strung Italian that requires 110 percent commitment from you every time you swing a leg over it. This is one of the new generation of Ducatis that take reliability and usability very seriously. It thus has a rider triangle that doesn’t break your back after ten minutes, and the engine’s valvetrain is a conventional one with variable valve timing on the intake valves. This makes it an unusually usable Ducati sport bike – but it retains the old school Ducati performance on a racetrack. This time around, it does it with less weight rather than more power, and it works really well.

5

KTM 1290 Super Duke GT

Price: $20,499

If you want a lot of ‘sport’ in your sport tourer, then the 1290 Super Duke GT is where you need to be. It is light, thanks to its trellis frame and V-twin engine. It is filled to the brim with electronics, so all the safety and performance enhancement you could want is present. And it is a KTM, so it will stand out in a crowd. Despite the massive 173 horsepower and 104 pound-feet, this is a comfortable tourer with some wind protection as well, so it can do the ‘comfort’ thing pretty well, too.

4

Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST

Price: $23,999

The Low Rider S has the traditional downtube frame and large-capacity V-twin engine. However, it also includes inverted front forks, twin front brake discs, a six-speed gearbox, and a six-axis IMU. That means you can go low and slow, or crank it up and let the High Output Milwaukee Eight engine have its way. The Low Rider ST adds a frame-mounted fairing and luggage, so light touring can also be done. A Harley cruiser’s comfort is never in question; the Low Rider lays to rest any questions about the thrills it can provide as well.

3

Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT

Price: $26,295

Triumph has four words for you: world’s largest motorcycle engine. At nearly 2.5 liters of displacement, this is a huge engine for a production motorcycle, and the figures back it up. You get 180 horsepower and a stankface-inducing 166 pound-feet of torque. All of this is sent to the rear wheel via a shaft drive and a six-speed gearbox with a two-way quickshifter. A six-axis IMU helps keep all that fury in check; all you need to do is hang on for dear life, we expect. But you can also cruise around if you so choose to, which is what makes the Rocket 3 so unique.

2

BMW K 1600 GTL

Price: $27,745

Full-dress tourers are known to be extra. They have extra power, extra features, and extra comfort. There are very few that do it better than the K 1600 GTL, which has all the creature comforts you’d expect from a full-dress tourer. Those features include automatically leveling electronic suspension, keyless ignition, cornering headlamps, and reverse assistance. The most unique feature has to be the 160-horsepower inline six engine, which is the only engine of its kind in the world. It is otherworldly smooth, loves to be revved, and this behemoth can get surprisingly frisky on a good road as a result of the German engineering that has gone into it.

1

Ducati Multistrada V4 RS

Price: $39,995

The Multistrada V4 in any form is a quick motorcycle for its size and weight, but the Multistrada V4 RS focuses a lot more on speed than you’d expect a sport tourer to. It ditches practicality for power, using the Desmosedici Stradale engine with Desmodromic valves for 180 horsepower. It also has a single-sided swingarm, and along with its superbike-level electronics package, can embarrass sport bikes at a racetrack. And then ride home in comfort.