10 New Motorcycles We Can t Wait To Ride In 2026 Ducati Honda Triumph More
Now Tim and I spent the back end of last year pacing the halls of many a motorcycle show
looking for the best new bikes for 2026 and so in this video we'll talk about some of the bikes
we're really looking forward to riding. I've drafted Tim in because I've ruptured my Achilles
so it'll be Tim looking forward to riding them for the first few months and hopefully
me after that. We've chosen five each so we're going to go through Tim's first and then we'll
go through my five and see if there's any crossover if any married up or if we've got
a different idea of what makes for a good motorcycle and we've also allowed each other
a couple of bonus bikes that are maybe a little bit of a curveball let's say. So number one Tim
what have you gone for? First one is the Norton Maxx-R for very obvious reasons because it is
so new and kind of unknown it's just exciting to me because I just don't know what that looks like
I know what the handling is like from other bikes that I've ridden of theirs and they never
disappoint me with the handling so I'm just curious to see how this one fares. Yeah you get
a lot of like um evolutions or incremental bikes where it's just updates to an existing model but
I always get super excited as well when it's just uh I mean it's not quite a blank canvas because
they had the V4s before that but they said it's been rebuilt from the ground up and the other
thing as well is like I'm never a massive fan of like sports bikes that are super track oriented
because we do most of our riding on the road and they said they specifically designed this to be
awesome on the road so I think that's a good choice there for number one mate. Yeah I think
that's what drew me to it as well was just because they did make a big point about saying that it's
not like really hard edged and that maybe that becomes a little bit more usable from some of
the bikes that we've tried on the road that just aren't really made for the road they're more for
track use so that was my first choice. Best looking bike of the of 2026 new bike? Probably
yeah I wasn't so taken with the adventure looking bikes there's the Atlas yeah um but the Manx
definitely I mean it's it's yeah they went into a lot of depth over the specific reasons for the
sort of design language of it as well and all of it does make sense it didn't just feel for the
sake of it to kind of just like pump it up a little bit genuinely you can see the amount of
attention to detail they put into it so yeah definitely very pretty. That new modern minimal
brand reflected in the products as well good choice number two then. Number two for me is the
Desert X or the new Desert X from Ducati yeah because I've not ridden it yet and I think you
told me that you did enjoy it and it's always been a bit of a curiosity for me because I know that it
it kind of does in a way set the benchmark for that kind of mid to large capacity adventure bike
I think from the stuff that I've heard from other people so it's definitely got that air of
curiosity to me and there's a few improvements I think to this one is it lighter is it more
powerful I think from the newest version? They've only shown the concept so hopefully it will be
with us within the year it's their centenary as well Ducati their 100th anniversary so
hopefully there'll be a few interesting bikes from them over the course of the year
um but yeah this concept bike takes that v2 engine that we sampled uh over 2025 in a few
models like the Panigale v2, Streetfighter v2, Multistrada v2 all of them thought the engine was
like a standout point and so it's just like like you say it's a a market leading bike in terms of
capability already the Desert X or it's certainly up there and then now with this new v2 engine
which I just absolutely love I think it will be a banger so hopefully it does come before the end
of the year but we'll see fingers crossed on that one I did say yeah I wasn't really sure I was
trying to do research as to which ones were definitely coming out this year but if not then
the following year and it will be early the following year then that will be high on my list
top yeah like you say the Panigale v2 for me was one of my standouts of last year as well because
it was yeah usable on road again we tried the uh the v4 on the same day and for me the v2 engine
is uh kind of I guess it's not the jewel in their crown so to speak it's not like the top dog of
their bikes but probably better in a few different ways for me at least because you can use more of
there's you know the fact that it's better suited to road riding and if we're honest better suited
to our abilities mate fair enough yeah I was trying to be courteous to both of us there
so the next one on my list is the bmw f450gs yes mate has to be in there yeah I'm assuming it was
one you're considering as well um because I've always thought always felt from people who do
more of that kind of riding as well always been told that smaller bikes you just have a little
bit more fun on when you're taking them off road and taking it a bit more seriously so for
actually using the thing off road it really appeals to me I know you probably echo that as
well yeah definitely I recently had some good experiences with like the um scrambler 400x
see off road I really enjoyed that day even though it wasn't the most capable bike
it really allows you again to make more of your limited riding abilities and make you feel like
you're in control of the bike and riding it rather than being uh couriered along by a super capable
uh overpowered bike so yeah really looking forward to the 450gs as well for that reason
although I probably guess it will be actually more capable uh than something like that 400xc
and therefore maybe even is beyond my limit but at least I feel like I'll be able to find out
whether that's the case as opposed to knowing full well I won't be able to use all of it before you
can get on it I feel like in that class as well the small capacity or smaller capacity um adventure
bikes I think this probably will be one of the top dogs in that field because of its unique kind
of engine as well and again that's a new kind of thing uh untested to myself at least it will be
bit of an odd firing interval yeah um we also really enjoyed recently the new 390s from KTM
especially in dual road but also the adventure yeah uh and so it's definitely going to be head
to head with that it'll be great to see which one comes out on top yeah next up though next up I
would assume is a bit of a surprise to you because I was I'm gonna say cold on it when we first saw
it but the BSA Thunderbolt unbelievable unbelievable I saw you glancing I was wondering if you're like
what the hell is that doing on there yeah I know I when you showed me I was like man yeah
it didn't grab me yeah and then we just walked around it and actually on the day I was kind of
like all right I'm warming to it but I can't I just can't come back on there on my opinion on
that I'm gonna you dug in too firmly you're like I'm not a fan and I was quite excited about this
one um funnily it nearly made my list I was thinking about it but then it didn't quite
make the cut so no I figured it needed it it deserved the shout out because I think this is
one of those ones that people aren't really gonna notice and I think one of the main reasons I'm
excited for that is because it probably in terms of my own budget not to go into my finances but
probably is something that I could realistically own yeah I love the idea again of having something
that's you know the BMW is fantastic but we know it's gonna be more expensive especially in its
kind of bracket whereas the BSA undoubtedly is the other extreme of that and makes it quite
affordable and yes it's not gonna have the same sort of performance but for chucking that thing
about off-road and just using you know the wheels off of it it's gonna be a good shout surely yeah
and the price on the BSA Bantam was like three and a half grand which undercut even Enfield
yet with the the Thunderbolt um I feel like you're getting something perhaps a little out of the
ordinary certainly for now anyway you won't see as many of those on the road versus Himalayans
which are probably the most comparable bike but it looks great I think it's it looks cool
like the spec is actually fairly decent for off-roading I wonder if the engine's gonna be
enough to make it like a really versatile usable bike but either way I'm I'm also looking forward
to riding it so that's a great shout for sure next up number five last one I gotta throw in
a proper curveball and I'm using this as almost probably a platform to to ask for a go on it yeah
exactly but was also promised a go on it by the uh the creator so Chris I believe his name was
at Motorcycle Live when we saw him the Langen Lightspeed Langen I'll say it properly Langen
Lightspeed uh is pure exotica and it's one of those things that maybe a lot of people aren't
really paying attention to because it's not one of those ones that most people are going to own
but it is one of those pin-up bikes that not only looks amazing is incredible with its sort of power
as well the delivery and it just makes me very curious to try that thing and also a little bit
tentative I would be going into it with a lot of respect for the bike before you know just ripping
it out but uh yeah very excited just like handcrafted details all over it and the spec
looks amazing as well and the engine it's the 1190 v-twin from the Buells yeah um I'd even love to
get a go on one of the new Buells there is someone who imports them uh not too far from here down in
the southwest so like even just to experience that big is it 185 horsepower v-twin yeah I believe so
about that yeah sounds quite fun um but certainly the the Langen is like one of those like you say
low volume beautifully designed handcrafted like dream bikes really isn't it and so I can totally
see why it made the list is that the extent of it was that your bonus bike that was my bonus bike
yeah because it's a bit of a wild card right I I did five and a bonus but uh let's rattle through
mine number one uh Triumph Trident 800 yeah I'm surprised that didn't make yours it did make my
list and I thought I just can't do that to you because it's it's your bike yeah it's your bike
man you have the Trident so it makes sense for you to have it uh I I think it after riding the 800
Tiger Sport you'd think it's like um a slightly beefed up version of the 660 but that engine is
it's like 30 something more horsepower but for some reason it it just transforms it into this
kind of slightly hooligan bike I don't think the Trident 800 is going to feel that similar
actually to the 660 I think it's it's gonna be way more aggressive and like lively and fun and
playful and kind of boisterous naked bikey and I think the ergonomics are going to feel a little
bit more um yeah focused but without all of that being so focused there's something like a street
triple I think it's gonna be right in that sweet spot of like seriously quick but playful at the
same time so I think it's just gonna make for a banger I also put a Ducati v2 on my list um but
this time I went for the monster which is mad because you're the monster guy yeah to be fair
yeah the one I actually I won't say with the one I was considering instead but um yeah but that
would be on my list it should be on my list it's the one of the new v2 bikes that I think will
just make for a brilliant road bike so the hypermotard for example also got moved over to
this new engine that I love hypermotards are really tall quite highly strung it's got a time
and a place of course like they're they're almost unparalleled in terms of like how much of a
hooligan bike they can be but I think the monster is just gonna be a great all-round naked bike
that can really go quickly as well and it will be super lightweight and it'll have that attention
to detail that you get from the Ducati so although you'll undoubtedly pay more than the competition
something like the trident 800 for example is gonna be down near nine grand isn't it or something
like that uh yeah it's still gonna be a brilliant bike the monster v2 and so that's why it's up
third i've got two i cheated here i had like six bikes um i've got the honda cb 1000 gt and the cb
thousand f so two new flavors of their cb thousand hornet that i'm looking forward to in equal
measure the gt being a bit taller a bit of wind protection it's all about already sorry being
launched um in portugal or somewhere like that just just before christmas the the write-ups were
good for it they said it's basically a super bike crossed with like um an armchair sort of thing and
we all like a bit of that and then the cb thousand f i mean the hornet a brilliant bike for the money
but it's not one you'd look at and say it's got the desirability perhaps no nailed it's nice to
put a bit of a more pleasing skin to it really yeah it's this i mean some for same fundamentals
and it's never a bad day to be on a cb thousand anyway yeah in whatever kind of skin it's got on
it so the only other thing they've changed is made more space for a passenger not that bothered
about that although given my current state if it doesn't heal up yeah you can go back i'll go on
the back um and then also the ergonomics are a little more set up i didn't find the hornet super
aggressive when i reviewed it last year but um yeah i think anyone who's looking for that slightly
more retro riding experience is probably going to prefer to be a little more upright you know
number four on my list is the cf moto thousand mtx so there's the 800 mtx already that's based
on the ktm 790 this just notches it up a bit and i thought it looked you know really well specced
yeah uh lots of tech it'll be at a good price point yeah and for some reason these mtx aggressive
adventure bikes are just some of the best looking bikes they make you know a lot of chinese bikes
come off as like cheap copies maybe of others you see that on some of the stanza
um motorcycle live i can't remember i think it might be qj who have a bike that looks like an
mv agusta with a triple exhaust right yeah but it's like a 500 or something you just think come
on do your own thing like create your own identity and that's something that cf moto have done really
well yeah agreed number five on my list mv agusta brutally seri oro the new 950 again you know
previous brutalities are a riot to ride uh but they are very much up in the top end of the rev
range where the fun is to be had and they're very focused very sharp quick turning not necessarily
super comfortable all those factors they've retained like the desirability you look at it
and you're like that looks incredible they've retained all that desirability but they've just
pulled back a little bit on the revviness it's got more mid-range the riding position it's a
little more easy going the geometry it's a little bit longer a little bit more stable and so i think
that's going to be phenomenal that's one i had to film at eichmann when you had to dash to the
airport and i was just rushing around at the end trying to capture him so you didn't i don't know
if you got to see that one in the flesh i saw no we did we walked past the mv stand for sure
an engine on display as well so yeah the five cylinder that's the one yeah yeah that they don't
didn't really shout about they just kind of plonked it in a case and went like you know if
you know you know um yeah no definitely saw their stuff and wouldn't even need to to know that it
would be exquisite to look at well yeah exactly it's as detailed as well designed as anything
else they do my bonus sad times mate we just bought the bloody tiger 900 rally before christmas
we went and picked it up and shot a video picking it up we've got loads of mods planned for it
and i'm not going to be able to ride it now for i reckon three months is like very much
best case scenario worst case scenario six months if i don't re-rupture it yeah yeah during the
rehab sure worst worst worst case scenario yeah could be into 2027 and if it's i mean depending
on when we get the invitation to see langan might depend on whether you know you have another
accident you know leading into it i don't know you might just be unlucky yeah it's really weird
there's like oil all over the step outside the office someone's just spilled some slippy stuff
yeah um there's that there's the bonneville we got the tank painted here oh my god i can't wait
to finish that all the mods we got planned there's a big pile of boxes over there i was so looking
forward to the the process of customizing it and then getting that first ride when you've
like pimped your bike and you know what normally you incrementally modify your bike right you put
like yes i don't know a new handlebar on some exhaust and it gets better and better but
it's i don't think i've ever done this where i've had all the parts ready to go it's bone stock
and in one day hopefully it's just going to be transformed into this like beautiful
not custom but heavily modded let's say bonnie um but yeah it is what it is and it's something
to use as motivation for like all the physio and stuff um the last one on my bonus list is my other
personal bike uh and it's my clapped out shitty sv650 and i think that just goes to show how much
i'll be looking forward to getting that's where you are yeah but at least it gives us time to get
that back up to spec as well because that's been sat in the office for like two years
and not running so we'll get there bud anyway thank you so much for watching today i'd love
to know your most anticipated bikes of the year as well so do leave a comment down below
we'll make a playlist maybe of some of the bikes we talked about today with our walkarounds from
eicma so you can check them all out and get the details before we review them or tim reviews them
anyway uh do hit subscribe if you want to see those reviews as well as all the latest motorcycle
news that we cover every week a massive thanks for watching this one and we'll see in the next video