Modern Nakeds

Modern nakeds are the answer to "what bike should I actually buy?" for most riders. They're sportbike engines minus the fairing, with more relaxed ergonomics and roughly half the price. The MT-09, Street Triple, Z900, and CB650R cover the meat of this category — 650-1000cc, 90-130bhp, parallel twin or triple, upright, easy to live with.

The big shift in the last decade has been the move from inline-fours to triples and big parallel twins. Lighter, torquier, cheaper to build, and arguably better on the road. The MT-09 triple essentially defined the modern naked formula in 2014 and everyone followed.

If you only want one bike that can commute, tour, attack a backroad, and still cope with a passenger, this is where to look. The current crop are the most polished motorcycles ever made, full stop.