15 Best Retro Motorcycles 2019

Now that it's May, most of the major motorcycle manufacturers have launched their 2019 bikes in time for the weather picking up, so it's a good time to take stock and have a look at some of the best retro bikes on the market this year. Here's my top 15. This year Suzuki brought back their Katana based on one of the most iconic motorcycles of the 80s. Essentially what you're getting here is a GSX-S1000 base bike but with some modifications to the styling to give it a retro look and for that privilege you'll be charged an extra £1000. I can see this bike appealing to owners of the original and anyone with a real nostalgia for the 80s but otherwise the cheaper GSX might be better value. In a similar vein, Kawasaki's Z900RS is a restyled Z900 but as I mentioned in my video from the London Motorcycle Show which you can find a link to in the description below, there's a few more functional changes like a redesigned fuel tank and a longer beefier subframe in order to give it a silhouette that's closer to the Kawasaki Z1 of the 70s rather than looking like their current lineup with angular tanks and short tail units. I particularly like this Yoshimura edition which was on display at the show especially for the paint job which was done by Surrey Customs. Now you might be noticing a bit of a pattern here, the monkey bike is essentially a restyled Grom. Are the Japanese manufacturers cashing in on the retro scene and just trying to make a quick buck? Either way, Honda did a great job on the monkey bike. There's often one in yellow parked outside my office and I've got to say they look great in the flesh especially when you remove the big chrome heat shield and swap it in for something like the Yoshimura slip-on. Royal Enfield can't really be accused of the same repurposing of existing models. They've launched a brand new 650 twin in two forms, the Interceptor and the more cafe styled Continental GT. I've yet to have a go on one of these bikes but the other reviews seem conclusive and apparently it's a great bike for the money. I'd be particularly interested in comparing it to my Triumph Street Twin, it seems like the Interceptor is a direct competitor and the 270 degree firing order should give it a similarly awesome sound. Originally just a skunk works project at the CCM headquarters, the Spitfire range has become a runaway success. It's taken a few different forms including a tracker, a bobber and a cafe racer but the Spitfire 6 is a slightly different take in that it allows you to select from a wide number of paint options, anodized parts and equipment choices so that almost any combination is going to result in a bike like no other. These two examples were on display at the London Motorcycle Show earlier this year and I've got to say the stand was really busy with a constant stream of punters wanting a sit on the bikes. Indian caused a stir with the original FTR 1200 concept bike which promised a bigger road going version of their beautiful competition flat track bike the FTR 750. The end result with all of its concessions to homologation requirements has been met with a bit of disappointment on a few fronts but after taking a closer look at the bike myself I thought it was quite nice. It's well equipped, puts out about 100 horsepower and the fuel tank's located under the seat which should lower the center of gravity improving handling so for the right person it looks like it'll be a great bike. Like other bikes mentioned at the beginning of this list Yamaha's XSR 700 and 900 are retro adaptations of their existing bikes the MT-07 and the MT-09 but they've been hugely successful and Yamaha have updated them for 2019 with a color scheme that they say is inspired by their GP bikes of the 70s and I think it looks rather nice. Another bike with some styling updates for 2019 comes in the form of the BMW R9T but these are a little bit more substantial. The option 719 range offers a bunch of pretty striking paint jobs, some bling looking billet parts like reservoir caps and engine covers, a forged wheel option and a bench seat. All these parts can be applied to any of the R9T models on the bike builder on their website and that can lead to some pretty unsavory combinations but if you choose carefully and tastefully this might be a way to make your R9T stand out from the pack. As for something entirely new for 2019 we've got the Triumph Scrambler 1200 which comes in both the road orientated XC model as well as the off-road biased and slightly higher specced XE. Triumph openly said that they aim to build something genuinely capable off-road with Ernie Vigil slated to ride a race version of this bike at the Baja 1000 this year and from the reviews that I've seen of the bike off-road it seems like they've done a good job. Although the 1200 motor is the same high power variant from the Thruxton and Speed Twin with a slightly torquier tune, the chassis and styling are all new and it's a beautiful looking retro bike. It also packs a lot of technology in terms of rider aids and comfort and as a Triumph owner it's definitely a bike I'm keen to test ride at some point this year. The Scrambler's been around for a while now and it's a staple of the retro scene but the 2019 model gets a whole host of pretty compelling updates like cornering ABS as standard, a hydraulic clutch, an LED headlight with daytime running light, self-cancelling indicators, fuel level and gear position included in the instruments and a few styling tweaks to boot. The price has gone up a bit since the last model but that seems fair given the amount of upgrades. At roughly 8 grand it seems like a decent bike and to be honest, if I had to swap my Triumph Street Twin for another bike to get around London, this would probably be it. Another option would be Kawasaki's W800 which has also been updated for 2019. Although it visually appears similar to the previous iteration at first glance, Kawasaki said that they're 90% new with a whole host of changes like the motor being redesigned to meet Euro 4 emission rules, a new chassis, new brakes including a disc on the rear for the first time, ABS and LED lighting. The W800 comes in both the street version as well as the fared cafe. Personally I'm not sure I could ever come to terms with riding a brown motorcycle but overall it looks like a decent advancement in this line of bikes for 2019. I uploaded a walk around and review of the specs of the new Norton Rangers from the NCN show a couple of months back and to be honest, I was surprised at just how popular that video was and the levels of enthusiasm in the comments. It seems like Norton have hit upon something special, perhaps owing to the slightly more accessible price of these two bikes when you set them against the rest of their range. The looks are certainly distinctive, the equipment's well and the high-revving 650cc 270 degree twin motor which is essentially half of the engine from their V4 superbike seems to put out decent power of 84 horsepower especially when you consider the bike's slender weight at just 178 kilos dry. Norton are aiming to start delivering these bikes in the second half of this year and I'm looking forward to hearing how they ride. One of my favourite bikes of the show, the MV Agusta Superveloce Concept will in my opinion be the best looking bike money can buy if and when it hits the market. It's essentially an F3 with different fairings, wheels, exhaust and subframe but what a bike. I especially like the round headlight and the pointy tail section and I can only hope that homologation requirements like mirrors, indicators and a number plate holder won't ruin this spectacular design. Only time will tell. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to go on the launch of Moto Guzzi's brand new classic endurance bike, the V85 TT. We had a full day of riding around the incredible twisties in Sardinia and I just love this bike. You'd expect it to be tall and cumbersome and bouncy but it handled really well in almost any situation. The suspension's well set up, the Brembo brakes have good bite and the 850cc transverse V-twin had plenty of grunt and was good fun if you can keep the revs up. I particularly like the yellow, red and white paint job inspired by the Moto Guzzi Dakar Rally bikes of the 70s and it could be a good option for someone looking for an adventure tourer with a bit of Italian style. And finally I have saved for me the best for last. As a street twin owner I was keen to find out whether the new 1200cc speed twin would deliver on some of the shortcomings that myself and other street twin owners have found like a lack of grunt at motorway speed and poor braking. It was snowing when I took the speed twin out for a spin and it was probably one of the coldest rides of my life but I've got to say I love this bike. Way more power, substantially better braking, firmer suspension and a sportier riding position all combined to make a bike that was a hoot to ride and I think it's a real good looking machine too. Anyway that rounds out my list for today. I'm sure there are bikes that I've overlooked so let me know in the comments if you think there's anything that I should have included and if you're new here and you want to see more videos like this hit subscribe and I'll see you next time.