The 2025 Triumph Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400

 

Motorcycle product planners and engineers can’t have it easy—especially when it comes to building attractive, budget-friendly, entry-level motorcycles. It’s one thing to capture the imagination with a liter-class sportbike that makes 220 hp, uses MotoGP-derived technology, and sells for $30,000; it’s another thing to devise an equally desirable small-capacity motorcycle that puts out less than 40 hp and sells for under $7,000.

 

Where OEMs strayed in the past was building beginner-friendly motorcycles “in the style of (fill in the blank).” The resulting motorcycles may have looked like their big siblings, but that’s where the similarities ended. If it were a sportbike, for example, it likely had no business anywhere near a racetrack; nor could it be ridden too vigorously in the twisties. In short, they kind of came across as cheesy. Make that “cheezy”—like “pasteurized processed cheese products” are to, you know, real cheese.

 

Our top picks for small bikes with big-bike appeal were developed to do the thing. Yes, they have budget-friendly components, and each costs less than $7,000, but they’ve been carefully designed to perform in their niche. That means we’ve got a sportbike with appropriate spring rates for track riding, a hooligan-tinged naked bike with Supermoto ABS, and an adventure bike with 7.9 inches of wheel travel and baked-in Google Maps navigation. And that’s not all.

 

Underpinning their success is the quality of the latest budget equipment: dialed-in nonadjustable suspension, lightweight chassis, solid braking components. Equally significant, technologies developed for big bikes, like cornering-ABS and traction control, are trickling down to these affordable entry-level machines. A few years ago, TFT displays and LED lighting were reserved for premium motorcycles. No longer.

 

There’s no doubt, the small-displacement, entry-level category is in a renaissance.

 

The Sportbike: Aprilia RS 457

 

The 2025 Aprilia RS 457

 

The Aprilia RS 457 is a motorcycle from an exotic Italian marque with a winning MotoGP program and an envied grand prix pedigree. As cool as it gets. It earned a spot on CW’s Ten Best list in its debut year with good reason. Not only does it resemble the larger RS 660 and RSV4 superbike in looks, it’s been developed using the same design concepts. As such, it uses its all-new 457cc parallel-twin engine as a stressed member, fitting it into a trick aluminum twin-spar frame that’s the only one of its kind in the category (steel tubes are the norm). The four-valve-per-cylinder engine revs to around 10,500 rpm, and Aprilia claims over 80% of its torque is delivered as low as 3,000 rpm. On the chassis side, appropriately taut damping on the shock and upside-down fork provide ample braking support and front-end feedback; braking performance is equally impressive. The RS 457 ($6,899) has three ride modes with three levels of traction control (and off) and two levels of ABS intervention. Other big-bike details include full LED lighting, a TFT dash, and backlit switch gear.

 

The Adventure Bike: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

 

The 2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

 

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 uses the all-new 452cc single-cylinder Sherpa engine—the company’s first with liquid-cooling. Producing a claimed 39.6 hp at 8,000 rpm and 29.5 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 5,500 rpm, it supplies 65% more power and 25% more torque than its 411cc air-cooled predecessor. The Himalayan (starting at $5,799) uses a Showa inverted fork and monoshock with 7.9 inches of travel; their performance is also light-years ahead of the units used on the original Himalayan. Further modernization includes the use of ride-by-wire, which enables four combinations of power delivery and ABS intervention. The classy TFT dash even uses Google Maps as its navigation engine, which is something we’d love to see on bikes three times as expensive. The Himalayan’s modern remake has transformed it into a competent, accessible (both in seat height and price) adventurer. Just like big, expensive ADVs, it’s designed to blur boundaries and give riders plenty of reasons to not turn around.

 

The Naked Bike: KTM 390 Duke

 

The 2025 KTM 390 Duke

 

From the aggressive LED headlight to the beautiful sculpted aluminum subframe, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish the KTM 390 Duke ($5,899) from its angry big siblings when it passes in traffic. The Austrian brand’s “Ready to Race” philosophy extends to this beginner-friendly naked bike, giving it genuine performance aspirations. The thing even has a pit lane limiter to drive the point home. Almost inconceivably, the 390 has lean-angle-sensitive traction control and ABS, selectable in three ride modes. It wasn’t long ago that that kind of tech was reserved for only the highest-end motorcycles. While it may be a beginner-friendly motorcycle, the 390 has Supermoto ABS, which allows riders to turn off ABS in the rear. It should come as no surprise that the 399cc LC4c single is good for charging past the ton. A TFT dash and LED lighting give the 390 more ammo when competing for your cash.

 

The Retro Roadster: Triumph Speed 400

 

The 2025 Triumph Speed 400

 

According to Justin Dawes, Cycle World’s executive editor, the Triumph Speed 400 “sits near the top of the best motorcycles I’ve tested in the last couple of years.” That’s quite the commendation considering Dawes tests just about every bike under the sun. On top of that, the retro roadster, built in India in partnership with Bajaj, costs just $5,195, making it the most affordable bike on this list. And it’s a Triumph, so it oozes style and top-quality fit and finish. The Speed 400 uses a DOHC liquid-cooled single that Triumph claims produces 39.5 hp at 8,000 rpm and 27.7 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,500 rpm. While it doesn’t have ride modes or an IMU, it does have TC and ABS. The Speed 400 exhibits just how good today’s budget componentry can be: The ByBre radial-mount caliper provides true sport-oriented performance, and the suspension (adjustable for preload in the rear only) gives exceptional damping control. They conspire to make the Speed 400 a legit canyon carver. As Dawes says, “It’s epic, it’s a steal, it’s a motorcycle you can grow with and perhaps never part with.” And if you’re more into scrambler styling and would like to venture off-pavement, check out the Scrambler 400 X.

 

The Cruiser: Honda Rebel 500

 

The 2025 Honda Rebel 500 ABS SE

 

OK, the Honda Rebel 500 doesn’t have a surprising tech package like the KTM 390 Duke or the Aprilia RS 457; nor does it have the bang-for-the-buck shock value of the Triumph. What it does have is Honda’s proven 471cc liquid-cooled parallel twin and tons of cruiser styling. Cruisers have long been favored for beginners, thanks to their low-to-the-ground saddles, and the Rebel 500 is true to form with a 27.2-inch seat height. LED lighting and an LCD display add some contemporary style. The Rebel 500 starts at $6,499; the ABS version increases to $6,799; and the ABS SE, which has a small fairing, increases to $6,999, making it the most expensive motorcycle on the list. In truth, we’d love to see Honda add some more bang for the buck, but we dig the neo-cruiser style and the solid performance.

 

The Dual-Sport: Kawasaki KLX300

 

The Kawasaki KLX300

 

The Kawasaki KLX300 ($5,449) may have fairly basic equipment—no-ride-by-wire or TFT dash here, thank you—but that’s appropriate for a dirt-flinging dual sport. At a hair over 300 pounds, it’s the lightest-weight bike on this list despite 21/18-inch spoked wheels and DOT-approved running gear. The KLX uses a 43mm inverted cartridge fork, adjustable for compression damping, with 10 inches of travel, and a Uni-Track gas-charged shock, adjustable for compression, rebound, and preload, with 9.1 inches of travel. Kawasaki claims the 292cc liquid-cooled single produces 18 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,000 rpm—plenty for off-road high jinks. Usable torque throughout the rev range means it’s capable of blasting up hills off-road or charging away from stoplights.