Ten Best Motorcycles 2019

We freely admit that any motorcycle is a good motorcycle. If you see one you like, buy it, and ride all the time. You won't be sorry. But since 1976, Cycle World has been on the job testing as many bikes as possible in a given year to honor those engineers, designers, and test riders who get to work early and clock out late to bring us better machines. Here, in 2019 and for the 44th time in a row, are the Ten Best Bikes.

It's long and low with a menacing demeanor, is powered by a massive V-twin engine, and it's Italian. Wait. What? That's right, the Best Cruiser of 2019 is straight outta Bologna. Revamped for 2019, the Diavel 1260 S gets a 1,262cc Testastretta DVT engine that cranks out 139 hp and 85 pound-feet of torque on the Cycle World dyno, but thanks to its DVT variable valve timing, that power is just as usable cruising down Main Street as it is sucking the doors off the local doctor's Corvette.

Unlike any other Ducati, the Diavel has a relaxed yet not totally laid-back seating position, and unlike most power cruisers, the 1260 S can hustle through corners. Cornering clearance is abundant compared to what's available in the rest of the cruising world, which the Ducati needs because its Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires and Öhlins fully adjustable suspension assist in sportbike-inspired handling levels. But that doesn't mean the Diavel 1260 S can't cruise; just back it down and let that 90-degree V-twin thump out its patata-patata. Just as this previous Ten Best winner did before, the Diavel again pushes the boundaries of what it is to be a cruiser.

While chasing KTM's Adventure badass Chris Birch across the Moroccan desert—at a speed that was more appropriate for dirt bikes—we quickly realized the 2019 KTM 790 Adventure R is the new high mark of the adventure segment. The long-travel WP suspension eats terrain that would damage other bikes, a low-slung fuel tank provides light and flickable character, a snappy 799cc parallel twin is surprisingly controllable, and svelte and compact ergonomics enhance rather than hamper aggressive riding.

All of it makes for an absolute weapon in the right hands. But that weapon is also eminently accessible and usable in the hands of all riders. The intersection of a powerplant that isn't overbearing, like KTM's big-bore twins, and a lighter, more nimble chassis hits the bull's-eye of the middleweight adventure so true and definite, it nearly makes open-class machines irrelevant.

KTM's "ready to race" slogan flows through all its motorcycles, and the 2019 500 EXC-F lives up to that as much as a dual sport can in the face of toughening emission and noise rules. In reality, you could ride the 500 EXC-F to a GNCC, remove the mirrors and license plate, compete, and ride home—at least, if you lived within range of its 2.5-gallon fuel tank.

WP Suspension's Xplor fork and PDS (Progressive Damping System) shock are more than up to plowing over and through crunchy roots and rocks or pounding desert whoops, and the torque-rich power delivery from the SOHC single makes for control and poise in technical terrain. Then it rockets you forward when the trail unwinds. Slim ergonomics and the lightest weight in class just further the big EXC-F's capability. You may not be racing, but it's good to know you can.

Motocross is about building the most focused tool for speed, period. Sometimes it might be an amazing engine that stands out—or plush suspension or razor-sharp turning ability—and the rest of the bike just comes along for the ride. This year is about balance. The new-for-2019 Kawasaki KX450 (no more "F") takes the prize as Best Motocrosser for this very reason.

The strength of Kawasaki's total rework of the bike is that it retained the prior generation's positive qualities of stability and great ergos, but the new coil-spring Showa fork (replacing the previous air fork) has improved the KX450's turning ability while giving it a plush, comfortable feel. Its powerful but easy-to-ride engine hits hard off the bottom, to the point that you can run it a gear high in a lot of situations, but it still pulls strong on top when it's time to run. The additions of electric starting and a hydraulic clutch—a Japanese moto-bike first—are just a bonus. It's a phenomenal motocross bike that does, in fact, have a standout feature: a lower lap time.

"Dynamic headroom" is an audio term that explains how an amplifier can punch above its weight when asked to. Think when hushed movie dialog is followed by massive explosions or something similar. We borrow the term here for the Kawasaki Z400 because few under-500cc motorcycles have ever been so easy to approach for a newer rider while also absolutely ripping when asked to, up to and including shredding a racetrack. This high-level competence makes everyday riding at any speed confidence-inspiring. Need to grind out a 60-mile-a-day commute? No problem, and it'll throw in phenomenal fuel mileage.

The 44 peak horsepower measured on our dyno is complemented by a broad, flat torque curve, meaning power delivery is smooth and controllable. An easy-pull slipper clutch, light, neutral steering, and a comfortable riding position help make this $4,799 ABS-equipped naked(ish) bike one that could easily serve as your first and only motorcycle for a very long time. So ride as fast or as slow as you like—you'll never have to worry about being able to turn up the volume.

Three consecutive wins is a nicely coincidental achievement for one of the greatest inline-triple powerplants ever devised. Sometimes we think the 765cc three-cylinder engine's siren sound would be enough on its own to put it on top of the middleweight class. And maybe it would. But the Triumph Street Triple R (and its lower-cost S and higher-spec RS siblings) bring so much more to the table than just great sound.

The Street Triple has one of the most precise, confidence-inspiring chassis of any streetbike, with a riding position and light feeling that help it excel as a dashing daily commuter, but to only commute on this bike would be like using fine scotch as paint thinner. Take the Street Triple R to the track and be amazed at the depth of flavor and buzz you get from this awesome all-around bike. About the only thing we think might improve the Street Triple at this point would be some choice mods brought over from Triumph’s 765 Moto2 racer. Yeah, Triumph Street Triple 765 Moto2 has a nice ring to it.

Sport-touring motorcycles are often an understated, button-down, tragically not-so-hip affair. Think ­Maroon 5 piped directly into your Schuberth helmet. The 2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT is not that. It's more like diving deep into the circle pit of a Black Flag show. It's rowdy. It's fast. It's aggressive. But just like a now-middle-aged punk, it has grown up and can act accordingly when necessary.

Heated grips, hard bags, a large TFT dash, electronically controlled suspension, plus lean-sensitive traction control and ABS tick all the requisite boxes to cover miles in comfort and safety. But just underneath bristles a burly 151 hp from a stonking 1,301cc, 75-degree V-twin. Jettison the bags, select Track mode and the supermoto ABS setting, and jump in the pit. You'll be blackening the eyes of the young punks in short order.

Triumph's Scrambler 1200 XE looks the part of a street scrambler with its dual megaphone high pipes emanating from a Bonneville 1200 engine. The classically styled fuel tank, long bench seat, and wire-spoke wheels are a throwback to the '60s. But look deeper, and you'll find a pair of long-travel, dual-­spring Öhlins shocks, and a Showa fork with suspension travel eclipsing that of the most hard-core adventure motorcycles. Electronic wizardry such as lean-sensitive traction control, ride modes, turn-by-turn navigation via Google, and the ability to control a GoPro camera from the bars makes you wonder exactly which segment it belongs in.

The Scrambler 1200 XE's ease slicing up the twistiest of asphalt on one day and then bouncing across sand-covered Baja roads the next just confuses the matter. The thing is, it's what a standard motorcycle should be: a jack-of-all-trades. It does it all well, and in an era when many motorcycles have become more niche and specialized, that's anything but standard.

We are firm believers that just about any motorcycle can make a decent touring rig. Editor-at-Large Peter Egan recounts the Honda CB160 he didn't think twice about riding through Canada, for example. But some motorcycles do make the job of covering a lot of ground in comfort and confidence easier than others. This year, we were shocked to find how much the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure had changed with the new ShiftCam flat twin and its newfound power. But it is also way more luggable and precise when pounding rocks at crawling speed.

Seating is spacious and comfortable, so you won't mind burning up a full 7.9-gallon tank of fuel as you rip or cruise asphalt or dirt. As we said about the GS-A in our comparison test: "It's the winner, not because it doesn't need to stop when the road ends, but because it makes the rider never want to stop regardless of the roads. It's a motorcycle with heart—the sort that makes even ordinary journeys feel a bit special."

Ducati has claimed a lion's share of Cycle World Ten Best Superbike accolades since 2008. The MotoGP-derived V4 Desmosedici RR streetbike offered an early prelude to the current Panigale V4 platform. Five years ago, the carbon-fiber-frame 1199 Superleggera V-twin captured lightning in a bottle, redefining class performance, albeit at a hefty cost per pound saved. While the odds of owning such exotics would be likened to having a big-game cat caged in your garage, last year's Panigale V4 S Best Superbike selection spoke more—or at least hollered distantly—to mainstream sport enthusiasts. The homologation-special Panigale V4 R has upped the ante with engine and chassis performance upgrades wholly focused on World Superbike competition.

While endowed with the most powerful production engine Ducati has ever offered, the winged wonder also possesses the most adept race-derived electronics we've yet experienced. Whether chasing a fast lap or ridden at any given comfort level, the Panigale V4 R instills a priceless degree of rider confidence, and at half the cost of the exotic predecessors.

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