And similar to that, we’re watching an thrilling new 12 months, presumably the 12 months after we see a real turning level for bikes. And I’m not simply speaking about incremental updates or one other special-edition paint job – the 2026 crop of bikes hints at deeper shifts in how bikes are designed, powered, and positioned.
Whether or not it’s inside combustion being pushed in new instructions, electrification discovering extra convincing use instances, or manufacturers revisiting legacy nameplates with recent intent, 2026 is shaping as much as be a 12 months the place producers take actual dangers as a substitute of taking part in it secure.
Listed here are 5 bikes we’re genuinely enthusiastic about heading into 2026, and why they’re value watching.
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield Himalayan 750
It’s been a very long time coming – it appears I’ve been listening to rumors a few greater, parallel-twin Himalayan for years now. It began with spy pictures from the Himalayas, and ultimately 12 months’s EICMA, we lastly noticed an official glimpse of what Enfield has been engaged on.
First issues first – the Himalayan 750 shall be positioned as an journey tourer, versus a correct journey bike, and that’s roughly confirmed with the 19/17-inch tire setup. Not simply that, it would grow to be Royal Enfield’s first-ever 750cc motorbike, and that’s a giant hat to put on. The motor shouldn’t be totally novel – it is developed from the present 648cc structure that powers the likes of the Classic 650, the Interceptor, and the Bear 650.
From its tease at EICMA 2025, we noticed options like an upswept exhaust, knuckle guards, twin two-piston sliding calipers with a twin-disc setup, and a luggage-ready rear rack. It’s additionally more likely to include an energetic adjustable rear suspension – successfully changing into the primary RE mannequin to supply this diploma of tunability.
Anticipated launch: Late 2026
Ducati
Ducati Monster+
From India, we transfer to Italy. However this one is nearer to launch than the previous. The Ducati Monster will obtain its much-anticipated improve, as a fifth-gen mannequin, as early as subsequent month!
The Monster+ will begin at round US$13,995 and can come powered by the brand new 890 V2, which options an Consumption Variable Timing setup. The motor cranks out about 111 hp and a peak torque of 67 lb-ft (91 Nm) – all whereas trimming down the heft by 8.8 lb (4 kg).
This has helped Duati trim the general weight to about 386 lb (175 kg), whereas additionally, you will get a extra accessible, decrease seat peak – all whereas providing options like a 5-inch TFT, a number of journey modes (Street, Sport, Moist, City), lean-sensitive ABS, traction management, quickshifter, and wheelie management.
Anticipated launch: February 2026
Honda
Honda WN7
I believed lengthy and arduous about which Honda to incorporate on this checklist – the thrilling V3R 900 powered by an electronically-blown pressured induction V3 motor, or the WN7, Honda’s first correct electrical providing. Contemplating the V3 isn’t anticipated by 2027 on the earliest, I went with the electrical.
It runs on a 9.3-kWh lithium-ion battery that gives a variety of 87 miles (140 km). It’s CCS2 speedy charging suitable, which juices up the battery from 20 to 80% in half-hour. And in case you’re at residence, a CCS-2 AC 6-kVA charger can take it from 0 to full in lower than three hours.
Powering the e-moto shall be an 18-kW water-cooled motor that produces a torque of 73.8 lb-ft (100 Nm). With Honda suggesting 600cc-like efficiency ranges, journey modes (Customary, Sport, Rain, and Econ), ABS with IMU, together with a 5-inch TFT show with Honda RoadSync, the WN7 IS maybe probably the most thrilling motorbike launch of 2026.
And that’s not solely as a result of it’s an electrical in a sea of ICE launches, however as a result of it would mark a turning level for the Japanese bikemaker. It’ll first arrive in Europe, being priced at £12,999 (roughly $17,700) earlier than making its strategy to different markets.
Anticipated launch: First half of 2026
KTM
KTM 790 Duke
Bare bikes have been an integral a part of KTM’s existence ever for the reason that first Duke was launched within the mid-90s. The 790 Duke isn’t precisely an entire new vary; it’s what the 890 lineup was born out of, which additional remodeled into the 990 Duke. Because of the oldsters over at Motorrad Magazin, now we have spy pictures popping out of Australia that give us a variety of clues about what we will count on from the manufacturing model mannequin.
Visually, it seems like its greater siblings – the 990 and 1390 Tremendous Duke. The engine, too, is the recognizable LC8c in-line twin, which, by the seems of it, appears largely unchanged, too. So you possibly can count on related numbers: 105 horsepower and 64 lb-ft (87 Nm) of peak torque.
So what’s new? Many of the enhancements appear to be centered on the rear of the bike – a refreshed rear body, alongside a brand new rear suspension setup, in addition to a brand new exhaust muffler. It ought to nonetheless get a lot of the electronics you’d count on from a premium KTM machine, together with all rider aids, a 5-inch TFT display, dual-channel ABS, wheelie management, and the like.
So what makes this an attention-grabbing launch? Effectively, apart from the truth that the 790 Duke is on the point of making a comeback, it would as properly go on to outline KTM’s fortunes, which appear to have dwindled of late. Can one bike do it alone? Most likely not. But when completed proper, it’ll kick issues in the correct path for the Austrian model.
Anticipated launch: EICMA 2026
BMW Motorrad
BMW F 450 GS
We began this checklist with an journey bike, and we’ll finish it with one other ADV. If that doesn’t counsel simply how common this motorbike phase actually is, nothing else will. And BMW’s F 450 GS might be probably the most anticipated journey motorbike in the meanwhile.
For starters, it’s a completely recent motorbike from scratch – together with an all-new 420cc parallel-twin engine that produces 48 horsepower and 32 lb-ft (44 Nm) of peak torque. That’s extra energy than probably the most predominant bikes on this class, all whereas weighing much less, too (393 lb/178 kg).
It takes on the identical styling as the larger GS, and every little thing from the {hardware} to the electronics on board is kind of top-notch. That features KYB suspension, ByBre braking, and the Straightforward Journey Clutch, which eliminates the necessity for handbook clutch lever motion like Honda’s E-Clutch system.
BMW is planning to begin deliveries in Europe by late 2026, with different areas following subsequently. Within the UK, the Trophy version will begin at £7,760 (about $10,100 per direct conversion). I doubt that’ll be the value tag you’ll see when it does arrive within the US, with my estimations inserting its numerous trims within the $5,000-$8,000 vary.
Anticipated launch: Late 2026
Sources: Royal Enfield via Instagram, Ducati, Honda, Motorrad Magazin, BMW
