2019, April

Base Price: $6,249

Never heard of Ubco? This utilitarian New Zealand import is an oddity, but one worth knowing about. Let’s get one thing out of the way first—the fully electric 2x2 has a top speed of 30 mph, so you can forget about riding one of these on your favorite motorcycling road. The neat thing about the 2x2 is that, as the name suggests, it has two-wheel drive for serious off-road traction. Ubco says it can climb a 25 percent grade with a load up to 220 lb.

The Ubco has a range of 75 miles and, like most electric vehicles, uses brake regen to help charge the battery pack. The 2x2 would be a handy machine to have as a work vehicle on a ranch or job site, as the company says you can use the bike as a portable electric charge station for, say, tools or other devices. The bike is quite light at just more than 140 lb and, thanks to the low 31.5-inch seat height, just about any rider can handle one of these. You can get the bike in any color, too, as long as it’s white.

Base Price: $4,999

These are glory days for anyone seeking small-displacement sporty bikes with budget-friendly price tags. The Yamaha YZF-R3 has filled that niche since 2015. Now the R3 is redesigned for ’19 with sleek new bodywork that makes it look like its bigger, more powerful siblings. A redesigned fuel tank should help riders nestle in behind a more aerodynamic front fairing. There’s a clean new LCD dash pod, too.

Power comes from the same sweet 321-cc twin-cylinder engine, backed by a six-speed. Yamaha improved the R3’s suspension with an inverted KYB front fork that is said to dole out a smoother ride and increased capability on tight corners. Like most small bikes, the R3 is a great one for shorter riders thanks to its 30.7-inch seat height.

Base Price: $5,999

The Royal Enfield brand has 100 years of history behind it, but the name hasn’t held much sway with American bikers in recent years. The reason is twofold: middling build quality and an incomplete product lineup. But lately the motorcycle company based in India has been eager to expand and has doubled down on quality.

Early next year, Royal Enfield will offer its first twin-cylinder motorcycles in a long time, and will do so at a very reasonable price. The 650-cc Continental GT and Interceptor models are all new from the frame up and promise to be far more robust than any Royal Enfield that has come before. The Continental GT looks like it rolled right out of the 1970s. We dig it. And because Royal Enfield has largely operated under the radar, buying one means you probably won’t see many others parked at your local bike hangout.

Base Price: $8,499

Okay, so this isn’t really a motorcycle. It’s a trike. But here’s the thing: Can Am has been building trikes for a decade and the new Ryker is its first truly affordable model, shaving about ten grand off the price of last year’s least expensive Spyder.

More significant to those who like to hustle through twisty roads, the Ryker has been designed to be far sportier with a lower stance and improved handling dynamics. You sit seriously low in this thing. The seat height is just 23.5 inches above the tarmac. The base model uses a 600-cc twin from Rotax, but a more powerful 900-cc triple is also available.

The Ryker just looks cooler and more modern than the older touring-oriented Spyder. There’s even a Rally Edition model for around $11,000 that wears a slightly raised suspension and tires meant for mild off-road adventures.