Standard Motorcycles
Standard motorcycles include the Ducati Monster 696, Kawasaki Z1000, Aprilia Shiver 750, Honda CB1000R, and Triumph Street Triple R.
While sportbikes and cruisers get the lion’s share of the attention, standard motorcycles might just be the best mix of both. Appealing to beginners and veteran riders alike, standard-type motorcycles have a riding position that falls between the forward-rotated position of a sportbike and the reclined arrangement of a cruiser, putting the rider in a very natural position not unlike a low dirtbike. Standards generally offer a good mix of comfort and visibility, which can make them an ideal choice for commuting and city riding. Standards often have little or no fairing and limited bodywork, and many are appropriately termed as Naked bikes. Naked standards have long been popular in Europe and in recent years more have been produced for the North American market.
While sportbikes and cruisers get the lion’s share of the attention, standard motorcycles might just be the best mix of both. Appealing to beginners and veteran riders alike, standard-type motorcycles have a riding position that falls between the forward-rotated position of a sportbike and the reclined arrangement of a cruiser, putting the rider in a very natural position not unlike a low dirtbike. Standards generally offer a good mix of comfort and visibility, which can make them an ideal choice for commuting and city riding. Standards often have little or no fairing and limited bodywork, and many are appropriately termed as Naked bikes. Naked standards have long been popular in Europe and in recent years more have been produced for the North American market.
View all ReviewsStandard Motorcycles Reviews
2012 Confederate X132 Hellcat Preview
Hellcat, the most affordable motorcycle in Confederate’s portfolio, enters 2012 as a new model with reduced complexity and increased performance. Among the upgrades is a 2,163cc V-Twin engine of unit construction, with cases milled from billet aluminum.
2012 Honda NC700X Preview
American Honda will import its most recent all-new model, first seen at last fall’s EICMA show in Milan. Unveiled today at the New York International Motorcycle Show, the NC700X is a multi-purpose, versatile machine with a big emphasis on utility.
Top 10 Hottest Bikes of 2012
Recession be damned, 2012 looks to be one of the most highly anticipated years in the motorcycle industry in years. From the looks of things it would appear as though the bottom of the economic turmoil is behind us.
2012 KTM 200 Duke Review
The KTM 200 Duke is a special motorcycle, just as comfortable puttering around town as a zippy commuter bike or being thrashed while you attack your favorite section of twisty tarmac
2012 Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow Review
Along with its 26.8-inch seat height, the SuperLow, powered by the venerable 883cc air-cooled Harley-Davidson V-Twin, holds the honor of possessing the lightest claimed dry weight in Harley’s stable in 2012.- 2012 Triumph Street Triple R Review Sharpened styling along with some internal revisions reinforce the STR as one of our faves
- 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS Review: First Ride [Video] An evolved Strom emerges with a host of People's Choice improvements
- 2011 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Review Lots of show and a little go add up to a unique cafe racer
- 2011 Suzuki V-Strom Review & 2012 Preview Get your year-end blowout before the 2012s arrive
- Triumph Unveils Three New Models for 2012 A 1200cc Adventure-Tourer among the highlights
- Ryca CS-1 Review Innovative kit transforms Suzuki Savage cruiser into a cool cafe racer
- 2012 Ducati 848 Streetfighter Review - First Ride Less displacement, lower price, same amount of sexy nakedness
- 2012 Yamaha and Star Motorcycles Model Preview It's evolution, not revolution, for Yamaha and its cruiser brand
- Motorcycle.com Best of 2011 Awards Some of the best motorcycles ever built
- 2012 Harley-Davidson Models Updates New Switchback and updated V-Rods lead changes to Harley's 2012 lineup
- 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS Preview Okay, NOW it's official
- 2011 MV Agusta Brutale 920 Review The black cheap of the family
- 2011 Honda CB1000R Review Honda brings us an Italian-built streetfighter
- 2011 Ducati Monster 1100 EVO Review More power, standard ABS and traction control with no price increase
- 2011 Triumph Speed Triple 1050 Review An original hooligan gets sharpened
- 2011 Hyosung GT250 Review The third player in the quarter-liter market...from Korea!
- 2010 Hyosung GT650 Review Has fuel injection increased the appeal of this Korean-made motorcycle?
- 2011 Yamaha FZ8 Review - First Ride An 800-class offshoot from the R1 family tree
- 2011 BMW F800R Review Naked roadster sized just right
- Top 10 Hottest Bikes of 2011 The 10 most Interesting new motorcycles you need to know about
- 2011 Yamaha FZ-16 Review An impressive new sporty commuter bike
- 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review - First Ride We taste test Kawi's newest Ninja
- 2011 Aprilia Shiver 750 Review Getting (re)acquainted with Aprilia's middleweight naked
- 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Preview A fully faired Z1000 for big-bore street burning
- 2010 Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler Review India gets another naked sportster from Big Red
- 2011 Ducati Monster 796 Review Splitting the difference
- 2011 Yamaha FZ8 coming to the U.S. Will 800 become the new 750?
- Motorcycle.com Best of 2010 Awards We select the cream of the crop, including our pick for Motorcycle of the Year
- 2011 Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow How Low can you go?
- 2010 Honda CBF1000 Review More forbidden Canadian Fruit
Standard Motorcycle Videos
2012 Confederate X132 Hellcat Preview
Hellcat, the most affordable motorcycle in Confederate’s portfolio, enters 2012 as a new model with reduced complexity and increased performance. Among the upgrades is a 2,163cc V-Twin engine of unit construction, with cases milled from billet aluminum.-
2010 Triumph Street Triple R vs. 2011 Ducati Monster 796 Shootout
Triumph’s Street Triple R was our favorite of all bikes last year. Does the STR still have what it takes to remain one of our most loved motorcycles after we pit it against Ducati’s all-new 2011 Monster 796 in a naked middleweight duel?
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2011 Naked Middleweights Shootout
The list of unfaired motorcycles available in the United States is expanding. We decided to see which one was best by having Yamaha’s FZ8, BMW’s F800R, Aprilia’s Shiver 750 and Triumph’s Street Triple R duke it out in our 2011 Naked Middleweight Shootout.
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2011 Triumph Speed Triple 1050 Review
For almost two decades, Triumph’s raw, naked and all-together spritely Speed Triple has redefined the boundaries between standard and sport-type motorcycles. For 2011 this naked beauty has been given a significant makeover.
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2012 Yamaha and Star Motorcycles Model Preview
As the 2012 model year arrives and the economy is struggling to pick itself up, Yamaha and its cruiser line, Star Motorcycles, is erring on the side of caution with next year’s street lineup.
View all ComparisonsStandard Motorcycles Comparisons
![2012 Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow vs. Triumph America [Video]](/images/content/2012-Triumph-America-Harley-Davidson-SuperLow-Feature1_rdax_166x83.jpg)
2012 Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow vs. Triumph America [Video]
If you’re eager to have a user-friendly cruiser that won’t break the bank and yet still offers reputable performance and is welcoming of new and/or returning riders, then gaze upon the Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow and Triumph America.
Six-Cylinder Streetfighter Shootout of the Future: Honda EVO6 vs BMW Concept 6
Both Honda and BMW have built concept motorcycles around six-cylinder motors – the Honda EVO6 and BMW Concept 6. We thought it would be fun to do a virtual comparison of these streetfighters of the future.
2011 Literbike Streetfighter Shootout
A finer collection of liter-sized standard motorcycles you’re unlikely to see. We pit Triumph’s revised Speed Triple, Kawasaki’s Z1000 and Honda’s new-to-the-USA CB1000R against each other in what we’re calling a Literbike Streetfighter Shootout.
2011 Gentlemen Sportbike Shootout
Here are three ways to satisfy a thirst for a powerful sportbike without the pretzel-ed legs and sore wrists: the Kawasaki Ninja 1000, Yamaha FZ1 and Suzuki GSX1250FA. Read on to see who wins this three-way battle.
2011 Hyosung GT650 vs. Suzuki Gladius Shootout
While the Hyosung GT650 shares a very similar engine architecture with the Suzuki Gladius, these two naked middleweight funsters are far more different than we originally thought.
The Best Literbike for the Street
We recently had to chance to pit Kawasaki's new Ninja 1000 against a Kawasaki ZX-10R that had been modified for greater comfort to try to figure out which bike offers the best combination of power, performance and comfort for everyday riding.
2011 Naked Middleweights Shootout
The list of unfaired motorcycles available in the United States is expanding. We decided to see which one was best by having Yamaha’s FZ8, BMW’s F800R, Aprilia’s Shiver 750 and Triumph’s Street Triple R duke it out in our 2011 Naked Middleweight Shootout.
2011 Aprilia Shiver vs. 2011 Ducati Monster 796 Shootout
We didn’t ride Ducati’s new Monster 796 and Aprilia’s updated Shiver 750 on the same day, but our time on each was so close together, and their performance so similar, we came up with a quicky 2011 Italian Roadster comparison anyway.
2010 Triumph Street Triple R vs. 2011 Ducati Monster 796 Shootout
Triumph’s Street Triple R was our favorite of all bikes last year. Does the STR still have what it takes to remain one of our most loved motorcycles after we pit it against Ducati’s all-new 2011 Monster 796 in a naked middleweight duel?
2010 Oddball Sport-Touring Shootout: Ducati Multistrada vs Honda VFR1200F vs Kaw...
With an odd collection of three motorcycles we set out to answer the unanswerable: What bike do you really need for sport-touring? The Ducati Multistrada, Honda VFR1200F and Kawasaki Z1000 may just fit the bill.Find A New Standard Motorcycle
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Featured Standard Motorcycle Specs
 2012 Harley-Davidson Sportster® XR1200X |  2012 Yamaha FZ 8 |  2012 Suzuki TU 250X |  2012 Ducati Streetfighter S |
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Standard Motorcycles Forums
- Kawasaki Forum This is an up-and-coming resource for Kawasaki owners and enthusiasts where they can voice their advice and opinions on Kawasaki bikes.
- Aprilia Forum This site is an up-and-coming resource for Aprilia riders and enthusiasts where their can voice their advice and opinions on Aprilia bikes.
- Buell Motorcycle Forum This is an up-and-coming resource for Buell owners and enthusiasts where they can gather and discuss the latest in Buell news, events, tech information, & more.
- Ducati Monster Forum Ducatimonster.org is the leading forum for Ducati Monster riders where they can voice their opinions on all things Ducati Monster related.
- Ducati Forum This site is dedicated to Ducati owners and enthusiasts where they can trade their thoughts on the latest Ducati news, tips, tech and performance, & more.
- Triumph Motorcycle Forum Triumphrat.net is the #1 site dedicated to Triumph riders with discussion on all things Triumph related from news, events, modifications, & more.
- KTM Motorcycle Forum This site is dedicated to KTM owners and enthusiasts where they can trade stories on the latest KTM news, tips, tech and performance, & more.
- Kawasaki Forum Kawiforums.com is the leading forum for Kawasaki enthusiasts and owners where they can voice their opinions on all things Kawasaki.
- Suzuki Motorcycles Visit the Suzuki section on Twowheelforum.com for information on Suzuki motorcycle news, performance, tech, events, & more.
- Yamaha FZ6 Forum A website for motorcycle enthusiasts dedicated to all things FZ6.
