Top Motorcycles to Make the Most of City Riding

Six bikes that can handle—or avoid—the hard knocks of city riding.

City riding on a ’25 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono.Ducati

When considering a motorcycle for urban riding, there are several prized attributes: light weight, cheap running cost, bulletproof build quality, and maybe even traffic-stopping good looks.

Commuting to the city is one thing—big bikes, like the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure or Honda Gold Wing Tour, can handle that with aplomb. But for city dwelling, where parking on the street and dodging taxis may be part of the routine, a $30,000 motorcycle, no matter how easy it is to ride, seems a bit too dear and vulnerable to the vagaries of the big city. Perhaps what’s in order is a motorcycle that can either take the knocks of city living, or that can get the heck out of the way in a hurry. In the former category, we’ve got a built-like-a-tank scrambler and an all-new dual sport. In the latter, there’s a nimble supermoto; a tech-laden roadster; a torquey electric cruiser; and—if getting out of the way requires leaving it all behind—a touring-ready crossover.

Our picks range from just above $5000 to $16,500, so there’s something for everyone. Just remember to leave room in your budget for appropriate insurance coverage and maybe a good wheel lock.

Supermoto: Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono ($13,195–$14,895)

The 2025 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono.Ducati

The sensations of riding a motorcycle can be muted in dense urban traffic. Which is why a motorcycle that offers as unadulterated of an experience as the Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono is just the ticket for maximizing urban fun.

In his first ride review, Bradley Adams says, “It’s a more lively, on-edge package than what we’ve experienced from the competition, and at the racetrack especially, it keeps you on your toes.”

At its heart is the 659cc Superquadro Mono single-cylinder engine. The oversquare (large bore x short stroke) single has ample off-bottom torque and revs like crazy to its 10,250 rpm rev limiter, which means there’s fun in store as soon as the clutch drops. Claimed output is 77.5 hp at 9750 rpm, and 46.5 lb.-ft. of torque at 8000—pretty excellent for an engine that weighs only a hair over 98 pounds. Supermotos may be wasted on wide-open roads, but in downtown, light-to-light riding, there’s nothing more fun. Cutting-edge rider aids, including a slide by brake function, are designed to help build rider skill, though it’s the communicative front-end feel that will really inspire confidence from the first brap.

With long-travel suspension, a featherweight 333-pound claimed weight, and a cooler-than-cool desmo single, the Hypermotard 698 Mono will transform the urban jungle into a concrete playground.

The Scrambler: Royal Enfield Scram 411 ($5099)

The 2025 Royal Enfield Scram 411.Royal Enfield

Based on the previous-generation air-cooled Himalayan 411, the Royal Enfield Scram 411 can be characterized as a beatnik bike, the category Peter Egan invented to describe the eccentric-cool motorcycles often seen in San Francisco.

“There’s more emphasis on off-beat utility and not so much on carbon fiber clutch covers or titanium bits,” Egan writes. “You sense the presence of a subculture that would rather sidestep the marketing world than embrace it. Cheapness and honesty are recognized virtues—as long as they have an undertone of artistic flair. A serviceable bike you find in a shed and paint with a brush may have more cachet than a perfect restoration of a known classic. Wrong handlebars are encouraged.”

We’re not sure a brand-new motorcycle can ever qualify as a beatnik bike, but aside from that prohibition, the Scram exhibits requisite beat qualities—from its stripped-down, quirky styling, to its low price tag, and “made like a gun” quality. The Scram is essentially a naked ADV bike, which is about as beatnik as it gets in 2025. Subbing out the Himalayan’s 21-inch front for a 19-inch wheel gives a more street-focused geometry for conquering the paved streets of Haight-Ashbury. At 408 pounds and producing a modest 24.3 hp peak at 6500 rpm and 23.6 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm, it would take more than a carbon fiber clutch cover or some titanium bits to make the Scram a performer, that’s for sure.

But there’s no doubt the Scram’s utilitarian build quality would look just right parked on the street in front of a co-op, or splitting lanes in downtown traffic. If you have an affinity for unfussy, happily humble two-wheeled mobility, the Scram is a no-brainer. While we haven’t asked Egan if it has his beatnik seal of approval, considering he’s the happy owner of a Himalayan 411, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to think he could be convinced.

The Dual Sport: Suzuki DR-Z4S ($8999)

The 2025 Suzuki DR-Z4S.Suzuki

As much as supermotos make sense for slaying city streets, the argument could be made that a true dual sport opens up an even wider world of possibilities. For the last quarter century, Suzuki’s DR-Z400S has made one heck of a convincing argument. Affordable, bulletproof, and capable, the DR-Z400S has been a dual sport standard bearer. Now, after 25 years, its successor has arrived, the DR-Z4S.

The 4S and DR-Z4SM, its supermoto counterpart, have a new 398cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine with DOHC, fuel injection, twin-spark ignition, a five-speed gearbox, and a slipper clutch. The all-new engine, producing a claimed 38 hp at 8000 rpm and 27.3 lb.-ft. of torque at 6500 rpm, propels the DR-Z into the modern era—complete with ride-by-wire, and a full suite of electronic rider aids. The engine is paired with an all-new steel tube frame, aluminum subframe, and aluminum swingarm. Adjustable KYB suspension and switchable ABS are optimized for trail and town performance. Weighing 333 pounds (claimed), and with tall-in-the-saddle ergos and wide bars, the DR-Z is ideal for seeing above traffic and deftly navigating through it. But given its off-road capability, there’s every chance you’ll go searching for a way out of the city.

The Roadster: Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 ($5899)

The 2025 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401.Husqvarna

The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 is essentially a KTM 390 Duke in more fashionable shapes. That means it received the same updates as its Pierer Mobility Group sibling in 2024. Which is a good thing.

The new 399cc DOHC liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine produced 38.9 hp and 23.9 lb.-ft. of torque on the Cycle World dyno, and is equipped with a bidirectional quickshifter, and a PASC slipper clutch. Its electronic rider-aids package includes two ride modes with lean-angle-sensitive traction control and switchable ABS. A 5-inch TFT display, backlit switch gear, and LED lighting give the Vitpilen modern flair to go with its roadster styling.

With its monochromatic color scheme and elegant yet muscular styling, the Vitpilen is an arresting-looking motorcycle. In the wild, the Husqvarna badge and the unique styling make it awfully intriguing, especially to non-riders who didn’t even know the Swedish brand still made motorcycles. For city riding, its reasonably comfortable ergonomics, useful rider aids, and Euro styling make it an enticing prospect. More than that, for less than $6000, there’s no doubt the Vitpilen packs a lot of technology and performance into a very affordable package. We also love the look of its scrambler sibling, the Svartpilen 401, which gets spoked wheels shod in Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber. Both bikes use ByBre brake calipers with a 320mm disc up front and a dual-piston floating ByBre caliper with a 240mm disc at the rear.

The Electric: LiveWire S2 Mulholland ($16,499)

The 2025 LiveWire S2 Mulholland.Live

If there’s one environment where electric motorcycles show to their best advantage, it’s in cities, where riders can enjoy their ease of use, low maintenance costs, and instantaneous torque delivery. At the same time, the downsides of going electric, namely limited range and lengthy charge times, aren’t so consequential as they are in other settings.

The LiveWire S2 Mulholland is a stylish way to go electric. LiveWire calls the S2 Mulholland a performance cruiser, but at least on the styling front, it doesn’t adhere too strictly to that denomination. Six-inch bar risers and mid-mount controls give it a cruiser stance, but otherwise classically cruiser design traits are scarce. Instead, it lets the electric powertrain guide its form. The electric cables visible beneath the panel where the fuel tank would be on an ICE-powered bike is an especially cool touch. The S2 platform uses a 10.5kWh battery. LiveWire claims it takes 78 minutes to charge from 20–80%, or 142 minutes to go from 0–100%. The company also claims it produces 84 hp and 194 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Mulholland has four preprogrammed ride modes—Rain, Road, Sport, and Range (think of the latter as “eco”)—and two programmable modes. Ride modes adjust throttle response, power output, ABS, traction control, and regenerative charging.

LiveWire claims a range of 73 miles at 55 mph, so it’s best if you can avoid range-sapping freeway speeds, large uphills, and extreme cold. While that shrinks the LiveWire’s—and any electric motorcycle’s—happy place, the Mulholland offers enough convenience and performance that riders may be able to overlook it.

Crossover: Triumph Tiger Sport 660 ($9695)

The 2025 Triumph Tiger Sport 660.Triumph

Remember the old Triumph Tiger 1050? With 17-inch wheels, an aluminum frame, a small fairing, and a sweet 1050cc three-cylinder engine, it was a much-loved all-rounder. Heck, only a handful of years ago, ride leaders at Triumph press launches were using them to guide journalists testing brand-new models. The thing is a workhorse. The Tiger Sport 660 follows a similar vein.

While a street focus is implicit in Triumph’s “Tiger Sport” designation, from there Triumph leaves it up to the rider to define its breadth of purpose. It’s a commuter-cum-tourer, a sportbike-cum-grocery-getter. Based on the Trident 660 roadster, the Tiger Sport 660 uses the same chassis and 660cc inline-triple. Essentially, it’s a Trident 660 with added versatility—a sleek fairing and a reinforced subframe suitable for mounting luggage or carrying a passenger.

If you’ve ever visited a European city, you’ll have noticed the plethora of motorcycles used as daily transportation. In the US, motorcycles generally skew “leisure,” but continental cities are a natural habitat for two wheels. There are bikes everywhere. Bikes in airport parking lots. Bikes wedged into tight, makeshift parking spaces. Bikes covered in years of road filth with ugly top boxes. The Tiger Sport 660 is one of those kinds of bikes. That’s meant as a compliment.

Triumph claims the Tiger Sport 660 produces 79 hp at 10,250 rpm and 47 lb.-ft. of torque at 6250 rpm. At a claimed 456 pounds (wet), that should be plenty of poke. For 2025, Triumph added “optimized” cornering ABS, a quickshifter, a sport mode, and Bluetooth connectivity. And it has cruise control. Oh, and an adjustable windscreen. All for under $10,000. Pretty impressive equipment level for the price, it must be said. Triumph’s accessory catalog includes hard panniers and a top case.

For urban riding, it’s the most practical of any motorcycle on this list, and the one you’d be most likely to want to ride, not just in and around the city, but out of it. There’s something very appealing about it as a lightweight tourer. While it has ride-by-wire and modern rider aids, it still conveys a simplicity, an attitude of “just enough” that’s absent on larger, more expensive motorcycles. If you’re looking for a bit more performance, check out the larger Tiger Sport 800.

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