Top 5 Motorcycles You Want Us To Review in 2024

New year, new motorcycles. So which ones do Motorcyclist readers want to see us review? Last year’s list brought a bit of controversy, with some readers skeptical over the bike choices we listed. It’s a golden age for questioning authority, so nice job staying engaged and mistrustful.

This year, Motorcyclist’s dedicated team of data scientists and content engineers pored over countless reports and secret intelligence to figure out which motorcycles you wanted us to review in 2024. Here are our findings.

Liter-beaters have a tough life. Riders often start on 600cc supersport bikes, running them into the ground with deferred maintenance and drops. These sportbikes finish their nasty, brutish lives as suburban stunt bikes and basket cases. But then riders get older, start doing trackdays, and wonder where all the fun, flickable 600cc bikes went. Go figure.

The venerable Suzuki GSX-R600 is practically an institution, second only to another vestigial mainstay, the GSX-R750. And while the inline-four party won’t last forever, the GSX-R600, Honda CBR600RR, and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R are still playing quarters in the kitchen, ready to take on freshmen. No traction or wheelie control plus the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector modulating power adds up to the Mad Max equivalent of “the last of the V-8s.” A novice bike with over 100 hp and a curb weight of 412 pounds means freedom and responsibility in equal measure. When the GSX-R600 gets discontinued, you’ll really miss it.

With this in mind, we’re guessing readers see history unfolding and want Motorcyclist to ride the GSX-R600 in anger and review it for future generations. Like with smoking in bars and trans fats, riders in the future will shake their heads and wonder, “Those were legal?” We’ll keep you updated on possible reviews.

Our September first look/preview of the 2024 Suzuki GSX-R1000 must have whetted reader appetites for classic superbike reviews. The GSX-R platform turned 40 this year, but the GSX-R1000 is largely unchanged, save for two new color schemes. Glass Matte Mechanical Gray and Metallic Matte Black No. 2/Glass Sparkle Black are your new options. Otherwise, little about the 2024 model indicates a big anniversary. A much-loved 999cc liquid-cooled inline-four cylinder mill puts out 200 hp, with variable valve timing and a now-standard bidirectional quickshifter borrowed from the GSX-R1000R.

Readers might have been more intrigued by the 2024 Suzuki GSX-R1000R, the more sporting variant. Although it shares many of the same rider aids, like traction control, an IMU, and Motion Track ABS, the GSX-R1000R gets launch control and upgraded Showa suspension. Either way, Motorcyclist shares its readers’ desire to log road miles and track time on a GSX-R1000. Or at least read about it. For Midwestern readers, recent “news” that Grattan Raceway in Michigan is still open for business begs a tantalizing question: How good is the exclusive 10-mode Motion Track Traction Control System on the infamous off-camber turn 4? Here’s hoping we find out in 2024.

This made the list last year and, true to our word, Motorcyclist reviewed the Yamaha TW200. But science and data tells us you want another review. Or perhaps you want to see the TW200 catch some air over some sick berms and take on some proper dirt whoops?

For folks skeptical of the Yamaha TW200′s charm or unfamiliar with Yamaha’s 37-year old classic, here’s the basic premise: Big chunky tires, a low-compression single-cylinder engine, simple carburetion, and a 278-pound curb weight equals stupid simple fun. It’s basically a coelacanth on wheels. It’s got a trapezoidal speedometer, exactly three idiot lights, and no fuel gauge. But most importantly, it’s got a 31.1-inch seat height, making it a great choice for novice riders. And if you spend lots of time on large, challenging motorcycles, riding the TW200 is a welcome breeze.

More to the point, they don’t sit on showroom floors long (or at all) and used examples have a freakish hold on their value. In the tri-state Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana area, exactly two are currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace: a 2024 model selling for $2,000 above MSRP and a 1992 model for $3,000. That’s just $1,999 less than new, if you can find one. Regardless, we’ll work to satisfy your insatiable appetite for Yamaha TW200 reviews (again) in 2024.

Let’s stick with stupid simple fun for $400, Alex. The Grom certainly didn’t invent stupid simple fun, but it arguably helped raise it to an art form. Now in its 10th year of production, the beloved Grom got a slight refresh in 2022. The 124cc thumper got a slightly longer stroke and smaller bore (now 50.0 x 63.1mm versus 52.4 x 57.9mm), along with higher compression (now 10.0:1 versus 9.3:1) and a larger 38T rear sprocket, up from 34T. A fifth gear also got added, effectively giving riders “overdrive.”

Otherwise, the 2022 Grom introduced new bodywork, with four easily removed (and customizable) body panels. ABS became an option in 2018 which is always a fine idea, as is linked braking, especially for novice riders. But for you aspiring stunt riders out there, save yourself $200 and stick with the base model without either brake feature. Being 2024, the base Grom comes in new colors; Blue Raspberry, Pearl White, and Nitric Orange. Honestly, that’s way more interesting than the 2023 options of Matte Black Metallic, Cherry Red, and Force Metallic Silver.

All this begs an interesting question. While Motorcyclist has numbers and data that tell us which bikes readers want us to review, we don’t know exactly why. Are existing Grom lovers looking to upgrade their 2014–2022 rides? Or are readers potential first-time Grom buyers? Do they like seeing 6-foot-tall Senior Editor Adam Waheed riding small bikes? Share your theories in the comment section.

Introduced with great fanfare at the Barber Motorsports Festival in October, the redesigned  BMW R 1300 GS was big news. It was narrower, lighter, and more powerful than the R 1250 GS, according to our review. The newest iteration of BMW’s GS concept impressed everyone, and we declared the R 1300 GS Motorcyclist’s Motorcycle of the Year. So why is the BMW R 1300 GS on this list? Because by late summer/early fall, we’ll see what else BMW has up its sleeves for the 2025 R 1300 GS.

Traditionally, BMW has released an official “Adventure” version a year after initial model launch. Rumors have swirled over a new R 1300 GS Adventure iteration, most likely with a larger tank, standard crashbars, and other extra bits. Spy photos of disguised possible Adventure variants have given us tantalizing clues, but no solid evidence. ADV forums offer a clue as to why reader interest is high. Some are waiting for the new variants to drop, rather than take a flier on a first year completely redesigned motorcycle. When and if this happens, we’ll be there.