Top 10 Sportbikes of 2019
2019 offered up some truly incredible, versatile, and exciting sport-oriented motorcycles for every possible shade of rider. Check out RideNow’s list of Top 10 Sportbikes from this past year. Enjoy!
One of the most appealing things about the Kawasaki Ninja 400 is how incredibly easy it is to ride. I did my very first track day aboard the Ninja 400, and I can attest to its approachability, smooth and predictable handling, and ample power. It’s more than capable of doubling as a beginner bike, or a versatile machine for more experienced riders.
The non-ABS 400 starts at $4,999, while the ABS equipped model ranges from $5,299 to $5,499. It’s powered by a liquid cooled, fuel injected 2-cylinder engine that was brand new for the 2018 model-year and is still the largest in its class. Power is sent through a sweet shifting six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch. Another ace in the Ninja’s sleeve is curb-weight – the ABS model weighs 366 pounds, while the non-ABS version rings in at 361.6 pounds.
Yamaha’s version of the small displacement is this, the YZF-R3. Like the Ninja 400, prices start at $4,999 and rise to $5,299 if you opt for ABS. Also similar to the Ninja 400, the YZF-R3 is a small, lightweight motorcycle that has been engineered with enough potential and performance characteristics to appeal to the newest rider looking for their first bike, or to a seasoned rider looking for something they can customize or strip down and wring out at the track.
The R3’s 321cc inline twin-cylinder engine has eight valves, fuel injection, and will return a respectable 56 mpg in combined fuel economy. Providing the stopping power are single brake discs front and rear, and keeping things plant are a telescoping fork and a single rear shock. Combine the R3’s unintimidating curb weight of 368/375 pounds for the non-ABS/ABS models and it’s low 30.7-inch seat height, and you have the recipe for a winning machine.
Moving up a rung in the Yamaha sportbike hierarchy brings us to the YZF-R6, one of the most accomplished and recognizable Japanese sportbikes of all time. Known for its sweet handling, bulletproof reliability, and plethora of parts and aftermarket support, the Yamaha R6 has been the premier choice of amateur and professional road racers alike for decades. With looks that could kill, a rich racing pedigree, and a sweet menace of an engine, the R6 practically defines the 600cc Supersport class.
It features a 599cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine with titanium valves, and makes just over 123 horsepower and nearly 50 pound-feet of torque. There’s a KYB fork up front, and a KYB adjustable shock out back. Slowing things down are twin 320mm discs at the front and a single 220mm disc aft. It uses an aluminum frame, magnesium subframe, titanium exhaust, and aluminum gas tank to help keep things light and improve handling. Prices for all this goodness start at $12,199.
Next up is Honda’s starter machine and smallest member of the legendary CBR line, the CRB300R. A competitor to the Yamaha R3 and Ninja 400, the 300R is designed from the ground up to be a simple, easy to ride, nimble motorcycle that can appeal to more than just the brand new rider. One immediate advantage it has over its rivals is base price – The Honda is $4,699, several hundred dollars less. It looks good too. It clearly borrows styling from some of the larger bikes in Honda’s stable like the iconic CBR600RR
Under the skin is a 286cc single-cylinder motor that’s liquid cooled and fuel injected. The engine uses a counterbalance shaft which assists in keeping the engine’s character smooth. While a single-cylinder might seem a little underwhelming, it packs plenty of power and helps keep the 300R light, simple, and narrow, all pluses when you’re learning to ride. At both ends of the bike are single brake discs (296mm at the front, 220mm at the back), you can get it both with and without ABS, it has a low 30.7-inch seat height, and will return an EPA-estimated 71 MPG.
Have you always loved the way sportbikes look, but aren’t comfortable getting full-fledged rocket as your first motorcycle? If that’s you, you’re seriously in luck – every manufacturer on this list makes a terrific machine. The Suzuki GSX250R is the smallest of the bunch on this list, and is geared specifically to be a pure entry-level machine, and makes for an approachable and fun gateway to bigger and better things.
This diminutive machine looks like a sportbike and wears the same iconic ‘GSX’ nameplate as its pure-blood brethren, but is true small displacement entry-level motorcycle if there ever was one. Powered by a liquid cool, fuel-injected parallel twin engine, the 250R starts at $4,599 and climbs to a still very reasonable $4,899 for the ABS model. One interesting feature of the 250R is its large fuel tank. At four gallons, the 250R has a genuine range of over 250 miles (not that the average butt would last that long).
Much like its Ninja brother, the Kawasaki Z400 packs a lot of motorcycle into a little package. How little? How about a curb weight of only 364 pounds? The 399cc parallel twin produces 44 horsepower and 28 pound-feet of torque – not astounding figures by any stretch, but plenty of power for the application
If you’re thinking that the Z400 and the Ninja 400 sound and look awfully similar, you’re not wrong. The Z400 is actually based on the Ninja and the two bikes share the vast majority of components (as well as starting price), with the primary difference between the two being the Z400’s lack of fairings. Kawasaki debuted the Z400 at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy in 2018, and Cycle World recently crowned it the ‘Best Lightweight Streetbike of 2019’. Not too shabby.
Like the Yamaha YZF-R6, the Honda CBR600RR is a true stalwart of the Supersport category and is routinely in the conversation of best motorcycle in its class. The 600RR is endlessly modifiable, a proven chassis and motor, and hugely powerful. I remember the first time I saw a 600RR as a kid and thinking it was about the coolest thing on the planet. Read nearly any review of the modern 600RR, and my original feelings from way back then aren’t too far from reality.
The 600RR’s powerplant is a 599cc inline four-cylinder (how could it be anything other than that? It’s a classic!). Other goodies packed into the Honda include Tokiko calipers that squeeze twin 310mm discs, a twin spar aluminum frame, large 4.8-gallon fuel tank, Honda’s effective and safe Electronic Steering Damper, and two sets of fuel injectors for low and high rpm performance. Starting price for the 600RR is $11,799.
Bridging the gap between the world of 600cc Supersports, and the manic land of wild-eyed literbikes, are motorcycles like the Suzuki GSX-R750. It combines the sweet, nimble handing of a smaller motorcycle, with a more powerful motor to provide a truly unique (and incredibly exciting) riding experience.
Under the bodywork beats a gem of an engine – it’s a 750cc four-cylinder with forged pistons, fuel injection, titanium alloy valves, advanced electronics, and acres of usable performance. The genesis of the R750 is at the racetrack, and the newest model still benefits from race-derived components and engineering like an aluminum alloy frame, cast aluminum swingarm, aluminum wheels, Showa Big Piston front fork, Brembo Monobloc front calipers, and adjustable rider modes. The price of entry to the GSX-R750 is $12,499.
In a similar way that the GSX-R750 spans the performance and price distance between 600 and 1000cc machines, the Honda CBR500R fills the distinct – and potentially intimidating – gap between its CBR300R, and its high-performance CBR600RR. Enter the CBR500R.
Powered by a 471cc parallel twin-cylinder engine, the 500R is a motorcycle that has genuine performance chops, but won’t blow you away, and can would make a great first motorcycle for a more confident rider. Your $6,999 will get you double overhead cams, fuel injection, ABS, a steel tube frame, lightweight wheels, and enough style to make big bikes jealous. The 500R would be just as comfortable cruising the streets and backroads as it would be leaned way over on a racetrack – it’s up to you where adventure takes you!
The final 600cc Supersport motorcycle on our list is Suzuki’s popular GSX-R600. Suzuki’s GSX line has received a lot of attention and improvement over the last few years, and the R600 is a genuine competitor and rival to its other Japanese brethren. Prices for the GSX-R600 start at a reasonable $11,399.
The beating heart of the R600 is a 599cc inline four-cylinder motor with a race-derived over-square bore/stroke, forged pistons, chrome-nitride coated components, titanium alloy valves, and aggressive camshaft. The net result is a powerful, smooth engine that really defines the riding experience. Other components including an aluminum frame, adjustable Showa suspension, a stainless steel exhaust with titanium muffler. And it looks the business, too. There’s nothing quite like a Japanese sportbike!