10 Hot Bikes Worth Waiting for in 2024

An interesting thing I noticed is that, unlike previous years, the number of novelties seems to have been much greater. From electric motorcycles to scooters, there was a little something for anyone with an interest in this industry.

Seeing how 2023 is about to end (under two months separate us from the end of the year), we thought it would be a good idea to give you a sum up of the most anticipated motorcycles for 2024. Because EICMA is just wrapping up, many of the bikes you'll read about here come from there. Others are a bit older, having been presented over the past few months, but that doesn't rob them of their appeal.

As a fair warning, this story is not about certain types of motorcycles but includes all of the most high-profile model announcements for the new model year. And just a quick glance at them all has us convinced the next 12 months will be a hell of a time to be a motorcycle rider.

10. Zero Model S

Electric motorcycles are already a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Not only do we have an army of new startups ready to meet success, but some of the older ones have grown so big they're borderline mainstream now.

Despite all this, motorcycle shows still lack a large enough number of electric motorcycles on their floors. This year's EICMA, for instance, might have well ignored electric motorcycles if it weren't for Zero.

The Americans used the opportunity to present to the world the new Model S, a bike based on the lessons learned with the SR/F and SR/S models, which it now joins in the lineup.

What the two-wheeler brings to the table, and the reason we're excited enough about it to include it in our list, is the thing's powertrain. It's a 14.4 kWh battery pack tied to a brand-new electric motor that delivers 68 horsepower.

The bike can move on a single charge for as much as 154 miles (248 km) in city riding, and at speeds as high as 104 mph (167 kph). Recharge times are estimated at almost ten hours.

Zero already has the S available for purchase, and the asking price is not bad at all: $14,995.

9. Yamaha Tenere 700 Explore

All the way back in 1983 Japanese bike maker Yamaha birthed something called the Tenere. The moniker came about as the XT600Z Tenere, a motorcycle inspired by the successful Japanese two-wheelers that took on the Paris-Dakar races of the era.

A complete rebirth of the name happened however in 2019, when the modern-day Tenere was born as the 700. Since that time the range has increased to no less than five variants. A sixth was added by Yamaha for the 2024 model year in the week of the EICMA motorcycle show.

The new bike is called 700 Tenere Explore, and all the goodies it packs are hidden in the name, really. It's a machine meant to serve riders during long trips into the wild.

The bike is powered by the standard engine of the range, the 690cc, but it comes with several extras that make it both suitable for its purpose in this segment, and exciting enough to be included in our list.

The seating position, for instance, was lowered by 15 mm to 860 mm (compared to the standard version). The height of the windscreen was raised to provide significantly more protection against wind. Most importantly, the suspension system is a tad stiffer, with 20 mm less wheel travel, to a total of 180 mm.

Sadly for Americans, it appears Yamaha will only offer the Explore on the Old Continent. Pricing and availability for it at the time of writing are not known, but we will update this entry as soon as we learn more.

8. Moto Guzzi Stelvio

Because it took place right in the heart of Italy, the 2023 EICMA show was the perfect opportunity for local bike makers to show off their best stuff for the coming year. For Moto Guzzi, that meant the Stelvio.

Named just like a certain Alfa Romeo after a mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, it has nothing to do with the dual sport bikes made under the same name between 2007 and 2017. This one is, instead, an adventure touring based on the V100 Mandello.

The ride relies on a 1,042cc twin-cylinder, 90-degree transverse engine to move around, and it does so under the power provided by 115 horsepower and 105 Nm of torque. The engine is cradled inside a new steel tube frame and spins wheels sized 19 inches at the front and 17 inches at the rear.

What makes the Moto Guzzi Stelvio something to look forward to for 2024 is the fact it is the first bike in the company's portfolio to use something called PFF Rider Assistance Solution. I'm talking about a system that uses 4D imaging radar sensors installed front and rear to feed data to the bike's rider assistance systems.

The Moto Guzzi Stelvio will be available in two color schemes, Giallo Savana and Nero Vulcano. We will update the story as soon as we learn how much the company will be asking for each of them.

7. Aprilia RS 457

First shown in digital form in September, the Aprilia RS 457 finally made its public debut this week in Milan, at the EICMA show. It may not be as exciting as all the other bikes on this list for experienced riders, but because it is the most powerful bike you can ride with an A2 license, it's worth at least a closer look.

The machine is powered by a liquid-cooled parallel twin-cylinder engine that delivers the maximum amount of power you're legally allowed to have in an A2 machine, 47 hp.

The relatively tiny punch is packed in a body that resembles the ones on racing motorcycles – a double front fairing to hold the full LED headlight, and extensive covers for the frame and engine wrapping around the frame and engine. It is also fitted with all the gear it needs to satisfy riders: 17-inch wheels running a more than decent suspension system, a 2-in-1 exhaust system, and Brembo brakes.

The RS 457 has been listed as ready for the road by Aprilia since September, but we still have no info on pricing and availability. As soon as we will know more about that, so will you.

6. MV Agusta LXP Orioli

Generally speaking MV Agusta is a more niche bike maker than many others in the industry. But I never thought we'd get from that to calling it a maker of luxury motorcycles.

Yet we might be forced to, now that the Italians introduced to the world the LXP Orioli. That would be an all-terrain bike that has the attribute of being luxury. That's right, luxury.

I've gone through all the details MV Agusta released about the ride and to be honest I failed to detect what exactly is luxury about it.

The thing has a three-cylinder 931cc powerplant in its frame rated at 124 hp and 102 Nm of torque, three riding modes, and instrumentation (including a 7-inch TFT screen) designed to remind one of the ones seen on premium cars.

And that's about it, really. You could also take into account the fact the bike is named after Edi Orioli, one of the world's best rally riders, but that still doesn't make it worthy of the luxury label. Still, this MV Agusta wears a designation that makes it wacky enough to get us more than get us excited about its arrival.

5. KTM 990 Duke

It's very difficult to find a motorcycle lover who is not into naked bikes, at least to some degree. It is for these people that Austrian company KTM pulled the veils off the 990 Duke on the week of the 2023 EICMA show.

The Duke range is one of the most successful offerings in the KTM portfolio. Born in 1993 (meaning exactly three decades ago), it expanded so deep into the naked segment that it's impossible for anyone to uproot it – no less than ten models were released before this week by the company.

The 11th is the 990 Duke, a bike its maker describes as a "massive leap forward for the KTM naked range." Helping with that bold statement is the revised LC8c engine fitted in the frame (based on the one in the 890 Duke R). That would be a 947cc powerplant capable of developing 123 hp and 103 Nm of torque.

The other new things this particular KTM brings to the table are a new trellis frame, WP Apex suspension, and a new 5-inch screen to allow the rider to interact with the bike and stay informed.

The bike is already available on the KTM configurator, but at the time of writing with no info on availability or price. It's likely the sticker will read somewhere around $12,500.

4. Suzuki GSX-S1000GX

If your motorcycle cup of tea is a combination of a sport-tourer and an adventure bike, then the GSX-S1000GX is the one for you in the year ahead. The crossover machine, as it's advertised, was shown by Japanese company Suzuki at the 2023 EICMA show in Italy.

The bike is, as its name suggests, based on the GSX-S1000. What it means is that customers will get the same 999cc liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine in the same frame, with the same power levels. But there is one thing about this bike that really makes it stand out.

That would be something called the Suzuki Advanced Electronic Suspension (SAES). It's the first time the world has come across it, as Suzuki never used it on any of its other bikes.

SAES is technically a way to automatically control the suspension of the bike and change the damping and preload in response to speed, road surface, and the effects of braking on the bike's posture.

The 2024 Suzuki GSX-S1000GX becomes available for purchase in the last month of 2023, but pricing for it is not known at the time it entered our list. To give you a sense of things, know that the GSX-S1000GX it is based on sells for $18,499.

3. Indian FTR x 100% R Carbon

Because Harley-Davidson has a habit of releasing its new model year bikes in January, the established American motorcycle industry has little to show in terms of new bikes this fall. That if you consider the Indian FTR x 100% R Carbon to be nothing.

The bike is your standard FTR R, only modified with input from apparel and gear brand 100%. To that end, it boasts a series of unique enhancements. The list starts with a one-off carbon fiber tank in Blue Candy and then goes through a headlight nacelle, seat cowl and front fender, also in carbon fiber.

Mechanically the ride has been enhanced with the fitting of Ohlins front forks and rear shock, also treated to 100% looks. There is a black-finished titanium Akrapovic exhaust system in place, and a series of Gilles Tooling parts: bar-end weights, oil cap and radiator cap. The bike uses for engine the 123-hp liquid-cooled V-twin that usually powers the range.

Indian will only make 400 of these bikes, of which 250 will be sold outside of the United States. In the U.S. the price has been set at $18,999.

2. Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP Carbon Edition

For Honda the end of 2023 is important because of one key aspect: the bike maker introduced the 2024 model year version of the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, one of the most potent and appreciated motorcycles currently on the market.

We're used to seeing, more often than we'd like, makers of two-wheeled wonders refresh their lineup solely with paint jobs, but that's not what we get here: the new Fireblade has suffered changes throughout.

The engine, although still the 1,000cc inline four-cylinder we're used to, received important internal upgrades, to the point it now develops 215 horsepower and 113 Nm of torque.

The suspension system is a wonder as well, especially since this Honda is the first bike in the world to use it. I'm talking about new shocks and forks handled through the third-generation Ohlins Smart Electronic Control system.

Add to all of the above a series of carbon fiber components that lower the bike's weight by one kilogram (2.2 pounds), and you get the Carbon Edition of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.

Just 300 units of this thing will ever be made, selling for prices that have not been announced yet (we'll update with this bit of info as soon as we learn more).

1. Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30 Anniversario 916

Ducati is perhaps the largest heavy-hitter in the Italian motorcycle industry, and probably even the world's. As such, there was no way for it to miss the 2023 EICMA show.

The Ferrari of motorcycle building brought to the event something we'll probably be talking about for a long time: a tribute to one of the most beautiful bikes ever made, the 916.

The tribute bike is called Panigale V4 SP2 30 Anniversario 916 because, you guessed it, it is based on a Panigale V4 SP2. Already "the ultimate racetrack bike," as the Italians like to call it, the ride got a beauty treatment to turn it into a 916 lookalike.

Upgrades consist of the color scheme, blending white, red, black, and the three colors of the Italian flag in a unique fashion. All of that is topped off by the number 1 written on the front end, a throwback to the 916 Superbike World Championship win of 1998.

Mechanically the bike is the standard SP2, employing a 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale engine rated at 215 horsepower and 123 Nm of torque.

The Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 30 Anniversario 916 will be made for 2024 in a limited run of just 500 units. Pricing will not be disclosed, and you'll have to get in touch with your local dealer for that.