Cycle News Staff | December 31, 2021
Motorcycle of the year. Can there really be just one? We don’t think so, there are just too many great motorcycles out there to pick just one, so we asked each member of our Cycle News staff which motorcycle got their blood boiling most in 2021. Their answers proved our point; each one chose a different bike. Surprised? Not us.
By the Cycle News Staff
Bike of The Year stories are so boring. They’re often nitpicked based off stats and spec sheets—very few of them are decided primarily by pure emotion, which is the overriding factor when choosing a new motorcycle.
So, for our BOTY, we got the testing crew together at Cycle News to find what bike made the top of the 2021 test list based purely on how it made us feel. Stats, price, that stuff was thrown out the door. This list is limited to bikes we have ridden and is only about what bike tickled each of us just right, plus two honorable mentions. Time to jump headfirst into the rabbit hole.
Jesse Ziegler | Age: 44
Bio: I’ve been a motorcyclist since age 5 and professional motojournalist since 2005. I love off-road, motocross and adventure, the latter of which lets me feel that thrill on longer distances in bigger places. I’m not stopping anytime soon.
Jesse’s Bike of The Year
Harley-Davidson’s adventure machine has done a lot of eye-opening this year. As one of the biggest skeptics of Milwaukee’s foray into adventure land, I was pleasantly eating my hat after a few minutes on-board. This bike is more than surprising. It’s outstanding. In fact, it’s a quick shifter away from phenomenal, in my opinion.
The H-D Pan America is a homerun from the Bar & Shield house into an ADV space in which they’ve rarely dabbled, and it harkens back to/revives a time when the ADV genre was led by massive, ground-crushing adventurous weapons. I’m here for it! But as the industry goes more midsize, one does wonder if this is truly the right play.
More than simply nostalgic and the best entry into a segment we’ve seen in years, the Pan America brings big tech gains and unpredictable high-performance right in the face of segment stalwarts. Lowering ride height at a stop and adjusting laden-weight preload is ADV gold. And Harley brought that and great engine performance to the full-size adventure touring class. I’d give it a standing ovation, but this bike is so damn good I’ll just do burnouts in the dirt for a few weeks instead, thanks.
Honorable Mention
Getting to ride factory machinery is amazing. And this is the best purpose-built racing tool I’ve ever put my hands on. From power delivery to handling and chassis ergonomics and componentry, everything is set to win GNCC Championships, which is exactly what Ben Kelley did. I merely survived.
Honorable Mention Runner-Up
Few bikes bring the heat like riding a 250 two-stroke. Not as engaging as a 125, sure, but we haven’t had our chance to rip the new Yamaha small-bore just yet. If the YZ250’s remodel is any indication, the entire Yamaha two-stroke MX lineup is enjoying a long-overdue revival. Easier to ride than ever, better looking than ever, just as badass as ever. Take my money, Yamaha.
Ryan Nitzen | Age: 26
Bio: I classify myself as an intermediate-level motocross and off-road racer. I began riding at 3 years of age but didn’t start racing until I was 14. These days I hit the moto tracks about once a week and occasionally come out of retirement for a race. And I love a good weekend camping in the desert with bikes.
Ryan’s 2021 Bike of The Year
The 2022 Yamaha YZ250 takes top honors as my favorite bike this year. This is the first time since 2005 that it’s received any major updates, and the redesigned cockpit and easy-to-ride engine character re-sparked my love for two-strokes. I grew up riding two-strokes for their low cost and ease of maintenance but was simply never skilled enough to ride them in that pipey meat of the power.
The new YZ fumigated all my old two-stroke memories of razor-thin power bands and shift points that felt like Morse Code. A flatter, more neutral seat gives the bike a modern feeling; like you are riding on the bike, not in it. A streamlined air intake under the seat allows the engine to make heaps of linear and usable power in every rpm range.
The lightweight YZ still has that two-stroke flickability and is equipped with the KYB suspension found on the YZF models. It’s simply a blast to ride, and I was clocking laps that were nearly two seconds faster on this bike compared to its 250cc four-stroke counterpart. If I were to buy one bike this year, my money would be on the 2022 Yamaha YZ250.
Honorable Mention
The 2022 CRF250R was the most anticipated 250 motocrosser of the year. In my opinion it lived up to the hype. A ground-up redesign made it better in every way and I’m eager to see where it stacks up in our shootout.
Honorable Mention Runner-Up
When you hear the words “Factory Edition” you know it’s going to be good. This year’s KTM is bolted up with every part you could ever want on a motorcycle including a phone app. Aside from the pure cool factor, it’s one of the easiest bikes to go fast on.
Rennie Scaysbrook | Age: 39
Bio: Riding since I was 3, racing from 8 and still at it. I’ve been a full-time motorcycle journalist since 2008. I’ll ride anything, but I predominately ride on the road and track. I also do a fair amount of ADV riding and occasionally off-road. Wish I could ride motocross as much as I like watching it.
Rennie’s Bike of The Year
Choosing a winner was far more difficult than I thought. I’ve ridden so many incredible bikes (38 this year!) but the combination of new radar tech, blind-spot detection, a superb chassis and that awesome V4 engine made me want to keep riding the Ducati Multistrada V4 S.
It’s such a well-executed bike and ticks all the boxes. It handles light off-road duties well, but it’s such a good street bike it just makes the rider feel like a king.
Ducati hit the sweet spot with the Multi and the V4 because in Streetfighter form, the motor is an absolute animal. Put it in the Panigale and it’s damn near useless unless you’re at a racetrack, but in the Multi, it’s approachable with excellent low-down torque matched to a top end that simply eats other big-ticket ADVs.
And the fact it was the first bike to come out with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Blind Spot Detection software, making the ride a little safer, deserves special mention.
The point is, I did not want to stop riding the V4 Multi. It looks bad ass as hell, will ride for days in comfort, go off-road, and when you happen to find a deserted road (or racetrack), it’ll happily play there, too.
Honorable Mention
Man, what a superbike. I have always loved the RSV4, but the 2021 edition is a behemoth of performance. That motor and chassis combo is so spot on for fast lap times straight out of the box. It’d be my pick of the year if the Ducati wasn’t that damn good.
Honorable Mention Runner-Up
This is my sport-touring pick of the litter in 2021. The H2 is uber-comfortable and hides its girth so well. It’s also as stable as a bullet at speed. And having supercharged power in your right hand with a change of clothes in the side cases is a naughty feeling I couldn’t get enough of.
Kit Palmer | Age: 60
Bio: I was first let loose on a motorcycle when I was about 10 years old. I literally pulled weeds at my local Suzuki shop to earn the $750 I needed to buy my first “real” motorcycle—a shiny new 1974 TM125. Because of that bike, I’ve been hopelessly hooked on motorcycles—dirt and street—ever since.
Kit’s Bike of The Year
Nothing put a bigger smile on my face in 2021 than the Beta 200 RR did.
My motorcycling roots run deep in the dirt, and the Beta 200 RR has everything I want from a dirt bike. Best of all, it’s a two-stroke, need I say more? And it’s a 200cc two-stroke, which means you can often hold the throttle wide open at length, and when it’s “on the pipe,” oh man, it’s music to my ears and I just want to keep it there.
The Beta is plenty fast when it’s pinned, too. In addition, the motor works just as good at slow speeds as it does at high speeds because it has excellent bottom end and torque, and it rarely stalls. Perfect for the real technical stuff.
The Beta feels ridiculously light and nimble. I also love the Beta’s easy-pull hydraulic clutch, no-brainer oil-injection system, effortless push-button starting, and its back-up kickstart lever option. I also like that it has a headlight; with its excellent range, many of my desert rides on the Beta lasted last longer than the sun. And, to top it off, the Beta looks sexy.
The only thing that would make this bike better is a license plate.
Honorable Mention
Performance-wise, the 2022 Kawasaki KLR650 might not wow me in any one area, but it did make me want to just go out and ride even more than usual. It’s a simple motorcycle that does many things well but, perhaps above all else, it is just so dang comfortable.
Honorable Mention Runner-Up
Royal Enfield INT 650
I only rode it for a few miles recently, but, man, the small and spunky Royal Enfield INT 650 left a deep impression on me. It’s a down-to-earth, cool-looking motorcycle that has an old-school feel with a modern edge to it. It is without question on my must-ride-more list.
Sean Finley | Age: 52
Bio: I have been riding motorcycles for most of my life both on the dirt and street. I spent much of my 20s, 30s and early 40s riding or racing at the local motocross tracks and have slowly transitioned to mostly riding off-road and ADV bikes. I love exploring new terrain.
Sean’s Bike of The Year
The 2021 KTM 890 Adventure R is my bike of the year. I had one in my garage for three months this spring and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the dirt and paved roads around my house in Prescott, Arizona.
You will have a difficult time finding a more versatile or fun motorcycle. The 890 Adventure R is a blast to ride on the road with the optional quickshifter, great brakes and upright riding position allowing me to ride aggressively on twisty pavement. The suspension can be a little harsh with a bit of small chatter on the road but that is the tradeoff for dirt performance. The cruise control is a great feature for long highway sections and with well over 200 miles of range, you can see a lot of this country in just one sitting.
On the dirt, the 890 Adventure R is equally impressive. The more I rode it, the more I realized that I could push the limits on rough terrain. The suspension is tuned perfectly for my 165 pounds. It allows me to ride it aggressively at both high and low speeds.
The $14,199 price tag is not cheap, but it is well worth it in terms of performance.
Honorable Mention
The Husqvarna TE300i is an amazing off-road bike. The fuel-injected two-stroke Husky includes an electric start and enough performance to tackle technical trails or race an enduro. The suspension is a little soft for high-speed whoops or large jumps, but it will eat up small chatter and provide a comfortable ride for a long day on the trails.
Honorable Mention Runner-Up
It is hard to beat a day at the motocross track with friends, and a good bike makes it even better. I got to ride all the 2021 250 and 450 MX bikes and the one that rose to the top for me was the Kawasaki KX450. It feels balanced on most tracks, and the power, ergonomics and suspension felt like it was built for me.CN
