10 Best new bikes for 2023!

One of the most significant new bikes for 2023 is surely Suzuki’s all-new version of its hugely successful middleweight VStrom adventure bike/all-rounder. The original, 650cc V-twin version arrived in 2004 based on the SV650 V-twin engine and proved a huge success for its road-orientated adventure bike practicality and decent value. That popularity lead to a facelift and update in 2011 then again in 2017 but, although charming, the 71bhp V-twin motor has finally been pensioned off to be replaced by an all-new 776cc parallel twin producing 83bhp. There’s also fully adjustable suspension all round, new electronic rider aids including four riding modes, quickshifter, 21/18in wire wheels, five-inch, full-colour TFT dash and, of course, all new styling.

There’s not just one exciting new middleweight Suzuki twin for 2023. Launched alongside the new VStrom 800 is an equally new sisterbike launched around the same new 776cc parallel twin engine. The GSX-8S is a naked roadster surely aimed to emulate the success of Yamaha’s MT-07 700cc parallel twin (as is Honda’s equally new 750 Hornet, see below) and looks set to have all it needs to be just as popular. The new twin cylinder motor puts out 83bhp compared to the Yamaha’s 72, it has a meaty but nimble chassis featuring inverted forks and twin disc brakes, electronics including three riding modes and switchable ABS all controlled through a new, 5-inch, colur TFT dash plus there’s LED lights all round all wrapped up in minimalist, aggressive bodywork. Perhaps best of all, though, being a Suzuki, it’s almost certain to be competitive with the MT-07 on price, too!

Another already brilliant, class-leading bike that arguably didn’t need anything morte – but for 2023 is getting it anyway. Italian performance legends Ducati redefined the power cruiser concept when it launched it first V-twin Diavel in 2011. With superbike-derived performance including 162bhp, track-spec electronic riding aids, top spec cycle parts and yet a laid back cruiser style, it was a cruiser that went as fast as a superbike, in the process redefining what most thought a so-called ‘cruiser’ was capable of. Updated since with the addition of the X-Diavel and an uprated 1260 version in 2018, Ducati is now, for 2023, giving it a complete makeover once again, primarily by replacing the old V-twin with the latest, ultra-sophisticated 168bhp V4 engine from the Ducati Multistrada. With a new chassis to match, uprated electrionics including four rider modes, cruise control and quickshifter, top spec cycle parts from the likes of Brembo, the new Diavel looks set to retain its crown as ‘top hot rod’ for the forseeable future.

Historic brand Moto Guzzi remains unique among Italian motorcycling for its heritage (it dates back to 1921) and its signature transverse V-twin engine layout, which has powered such iconic bikes as the 1970s Le Mans sportster and California tourer. Unfortunately, however, it’s also mostly languished since the ‘70s with under-developed bikes and repeated financial woes. For 2023, however, that finally looks set to change with the launch, to conincide with its delayed centenary, of the all-new V100 Mandello. Named after the marque’s iconic home town on the banks of Lake Como, the V100 is based around an all-new transverse V-twin (the first in living memory) which is not only liquid-cooled for the first time, has also had its cylinders cleverly rotated 90 degrees to aid legroom and combustion, boasts the latest electronics and looks set to propel Guzzi back into the big time. An upright, sports-tourer all-rounder, the Mandello produces a competitive 115bhp, has top spec cycle parts and equipment including a TFT screen, is handsome, beautifully built and, if goes anywhere near as good as it looks, is the best Guzzi in decades.

Yamaha’s quarter-litre junior sportster has almost universally been considered the best ‘learner’, A1-class sports machine, ever since it was launched as the YZF-R125 way back in 2008 thanks to its combination of class benchmark performance, quality touches, MotoGP style and enough novice-friendly characteristics to make it a learner bike that works as well as it looks. Three comprehensive updates, facelifts and even a name change since and the best is being made even better once again for 2023. The most obvious change is further updated styling, this time modelled on Yamaha’s middleweight R7, complete with R7-alike LED lights and 5-inch TFT dash. But there’s also new switchgear, smartphone connectivity, traction control, new colour schemes and more.

Unless you’re a die-hard cruiser fan, most Europeans would admit the most tempting bike currently offered by revived American brand Indian is its hotted-up, tuned, V-twin Scout-derived, US flat track-inspired FTR1200 naked. With a punchy 123bhp, engaging, nimble handling, quality spec (depending on whether you go for the base model, upspecced S with adjustable suspension, modes and TFT dash or top-of-the-range Carbon models) and distinctive, US styling which sets it apart from your typical ‘naked’, the FTR has it all. And, for 2023, with the introduction of the new Sport model, which replaces the S, it has even more again. The new Sport not only gets new, more aggressive styling and colourschemes, there’s also a new, round, 101mm touchscreen display, new sports exhaust and uprated brakes.

The biggest of the Japanese ‘Big Four’ manufacturers, Honda, has arguably come up with the biggest selection of exciting new bikes for 2023. The first, the CB750 Hornet, not only revives a historic Honda name from the ‘90s, it looks set to be an impressive rival to Yamaha’s hugely successful MT-07 roadster (and Suzuki’s new GSX-8S, above). Like the Yamaha (and Suzuki) it’s a lightweight, straightforward, affordable parallel twin naked roadster but what sets it apart is that its all-new 755cc engine produces an impressive 90bhp while its lightweight wet weight of just 190kg combines with this to give a claimed class-leading power-to-weight ratio – so it should be lively! On top of that there’s inverted forks, twin discs, a 5-inch colour TFT dash, electronics including three riding modes and switchable traction and striking, lean styling. The middleweight roadster class is set to be super-competitive in 2023!

Almost as exciting as the new Honda Hornet 750 is its new ‘sister’ adventure bike, which has been launched, in a similar way to Suzuki with its new VStrom 800 and GSX-8S, at the same time. On face value, Honda’s new mid-weight adventure offering compares closely to the new Suzuki VStrom, but in its favour it produces the same 90bhp as the Hornet, revives one of Honda’s iconic names from the 1980s and ‘90s and looks to be slightly more premium with a slick 5-in TFT display, four riding modes, five-way traction control, rear rack and slick new styling and colourschemes which evokes memories of the original Transalp. With that performance and spec it looks so promising, in fact, it makes you wonder why you might need Honda’s larger CRF1100 Africa Twin!

Finally from ‘Big H’ for 2023 – well, as far as we know! – comes another new mid-range machine. Actually, the CL500 isn’t ALL new – it’s based on Honda’s already prioven and successful, A2-licence compliant 500 twin family (which already includes the CB500F roadster, CBR500R sportster, CB500X adventure bike and the detuned, lower seat, different framed CMX500 Rebel cruiser). The new CL500 is based on the latter, complete with lower slung frame and 46bhp and inspired by Honda’s CL scramblers of the 1960s 1970s, including the CL350 and CL360, to align with today’s fashion for scrambler-style retro roadsters. As such it has 19/17in wire wheels, blocky tyres, high scrambler style handlebars, signature upswept twin silencers in the style of the original CLs and should have lots of appeal to younger, style-conscious A2 biking newbies.

Indian-owned Royal Enfield are currently on something of a roll. After decades of producing solely budget, old fashioned, retro singles, over the last decade or so the historic British brand has had new global emabitions, particularly in the light-to-middleweight retro and roadster classes. A new development centre has been opened in the British midlands headed by ex-Triumph designers to come up with new models; Harris Performance was bought to develop chassis and an increasingly impressive, modern and well-built series of new models has ensued, starting with two popular 650 twins, the Continental GT and Interceptor in 2019 and most recently by the 350 Meteor cruiser and 350 HNTR roadster. The latest, for 2023, marries those two families in being a Meteor cruiser but with the 47bhp A2-compliant powertrain from the 650 twins and should be a great value alternative to bikes like Triumph’s Bobber and Kawasaki’s Vulcan S. Quality, specification and styles loooks to have improved again, too.

Browse all the new bikes on Auto Trader Bikes here.