What's THE bike to be on in 2026?

[Dodgy69]

A funky munkey,if dodgy's to be believed.

Insurance would be a killer, but excellent choice.

[Trinity765]

Obviously a white 2020 CB1000R

Or a black 2025 one.

[David]

Slightly patinated LE mk111.

[IccyV2]

The modern adventure bikes are huge. A pal bought a Super Tenere and I couldn't even pull it up from the sidestand.
He's just bought a Ducati Scrambler and that's huge as well.

Both around 250 kgs

They were still popular a few years ago, not sure about now, but I was in a bike shop where I know the owner and he was watching a bloke my size struggle to pull away on a massive Adventure bike and he was shaking his head, the bike was way too big for him but he said people do insist on buying them because they were the bike to be seen on back then. I don't see so many about now though and the middleweight MT07 stuff seems like a good shout.

[Ditchfinder]

My return to biking after a long break started on a Duke 390 which was a great balance of fun and easy handling, it was also 2k cheaper new than I would have had to pay for a Ducati scrambler or xsr700 at the time. If I was in the same position today I'd probably go for a Bear 650.

[Dodgy69]

I think the sub 700cc is gonna become more popular than ever. Our roads have too many cars and too many holes in them. Yes, multi bike owners will have bigger in the garage, but the daily riders will be on smaller bikes.

We do like a bigger bike for touring and maybe trackdays but there's so much fun to had on smaller, lighter bikes, I can't see it going any other way. Possibly maybe.

[weeksy]

I think the sub 700cc is gonna become more popular than ever. Our roads have too many cars and too many holes in them. Yes, multi bike owners will have bigger in the garage, but the daily riders will be on smaller bikes.

We do like a bigger bike for touring and maybe trackdays but there's so much fun to had on smaller, lighter bikes, I can't see it going any other way. Possibly maybe.

LOL i've been saying that since about 2010 when going to KTMs and especially 690s or even XT660s. Why the XT660 isn't something built now is an utter mystery to me.

[IccyV2]

My XT660 is probably one of the most capable and easy to ride bikes I've ever owned, I don't remember selling it and that might be a hint at why I sold it, because it didn't bring out any emotion in me, like the KTM390, very nice little capable bike, but the cliche of it being like a sewing machine really fits. I went to work on it when my lad went off back to the UK to join the army and it was good at that, but I never had a single thought of going for a ride just for pleasure on it.

I think I sold the XT when I bought GPs/Couchy's CBR600 - and that nearly killed off biking forever for me, that was so good at everything I couldn't ever think of any bike for a good few years that would do anything any better, so I thought I was stuck with it for life. Then one day a bloke walked up to me and offered me a really good price, so I sold it literally there and then on the spot, then asked him to drop me off at the Royal Enfield shop and I bought the display 650 they had in the window. I did have to get a taxi home because we needed to sort out insurance and registration though.

[Skub]

I think the sub 700cc is gonna become more popular than ever. Our roads have too many cars and too many holes in them. Yes, multi bike owners will have bigger in the garage, but the daily riders will be on smaller bikes.

We do like a bigger bike for touring and maybe trackdays but there's so much fun to had on smaller, lighter bikes, I can't see it going any other way. Possibly maybe.

How small are we talking here?

[Bustaspoke]

I think the sub 700cc is gonna become more popular than ever. Our roads have too many cars and too many holes in them.

It probably helps that I'm a shortarse so I don't need a physically big bike but that's the reason I ended up with a 675R Street Triple & a couple of SV 650's.

[Ditchfinder]

LOL i've been saying that since about 2010 when going to KTMs and especially 690s or even XT660s. Why the XT660 isn't something built now is an utter mystery to me.

It was 180kg anyway and you'd need tighter emissions controls so another Cat and ABS adding on it won't be far off the weight of a T7

[weeksy]

LOL i've been saying that since about 2010 when going to KTMs and especially 690s or even XT660s. Why the XT660 isn't something built now is an utter mystery to me.

It was 180kg anyway and you'd need tighter emissions controls so another Cat and ABS adding on it won't be far off the weight of a T7

It wasn't light, but it carried it well and was a great fun bike for B road blasts. It kept up nicely with actual SMs etc... You could have easily dropped 10kg out of it though if weight was an issue.

[Supermofo]

I think small bikes are also increasingly popular as middleweight - big bike prices keep increasing. The reality is that biking is largely a fun past time now and a lot of even fairly run of the mill bikes, good as they are, are £12-13k start price which is a lot to have sitting in the garage doing fark all Nov - March and then mainly used only on the odd sunny Sunday. With the increased costs of living, having a 4-5k Triumph 400 sitting in the garage collecting dust is easier to justify I'd guess.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I rode the MT03, same engine as XT, it was a nice bike but lacked character, would have been better with more aggressive power delivery.

[weeksy]

I rode the MT03, same engine as XT, it was a nice bike but lacked character, would have been better with more aggressive power delivery.

Agreed, it was about £350 for a Power Commander and air filter mods that gave it a pile more grunt, really could notice it actually.

[Dodgy69]

I think the sub 700cc is gonna become more popular than ever. Our roads have too many cars and too many holes in them. Yes, multi bike owners will have bigger in the garage, but the daily riders will be on smaller bikes.

We do like a bigger bike for touring and maybe trackdays but there's so much fun to had on smaller, lighter bikes, I can't see it going any other way. Possibly maybe.

How small are we talking here?

[Dickyboy]

Thinks you need to teach the new rider a lesson, riding what's "in fashion" is there even such a thing at the moment? Vs riding what's suitable for him are two entirely different things.
I bought a 15yo BMW GSA with just 2500miles on it because the owner had bought it to be cool & it was too big for him, when I sold it the new owner dropped it at the first junction and came running back for me to help him pick it up! Ask him what he wants from biking & point him in the direction of what will suit that & him - he might want to be a Harley boy for all we know.

[Rockburner]

IMG_20260204_172323_272~3.jpg (1.66 MiB) Viewed 363 times

Whenever i see "fashion" mentioned in regards to biking i always think of this old cartoon.

[Dickyboy]

IMG_20260204_172323_272~3.jpg

Whenever i see "fashion" mentioned in regards to biking i always think of this old cartoon.

The cartoonist Paul Sample only died last week