Best & Worst Motorcycles of 2025: Daily Rider Leaderboard Revealed

2025 Motorcycle Leaderboard Recap

• 🏆 The Honda CB750 Hornet secured the top spot on the 2025 Daily Rider leaderboard, praised for its well-priced, fun-to-ride, and practical mid-size naked design.
• 🥈 Following closely was the Triumph Tiger Sport 800, noted for its practicality and wind protection, though ultimately edged out by the Hornet's overall performance.
• 🥉 The CF Moto Ibex 450 claimed third place, impressing with its capability as an adventure bike despite its smaller engine and budget-friendly price point.

Top Performers and Disappointments

• 💡 The Suzuki GSX 8R was also recognized as a solid motorcycle, ranking fifth, and noted for its similar performance to the CB750 Hornet, highlighting the close competition at the top.
• 💔 The Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid was a significant disappointment, despite its cool concept and technology, due to a feeling that the components weren't fully integrated or optimized for rider enjoyment.
• ⚡ The Can-Am Pulse electric motorcycle and the Honda Dax 125 minibike also landed at the bottom of the leaderboard, with the Dax being a joy to ride but limited in scope, and the Pulse's placement reflecting its hybrid counterpart's issues.

Notable Mentions and Future Outlook

• ✨ An honorable mention goes to the Husqvarna Svartpilen 1, celebrated for its elemental, pure riding experience that connected the rider to the core joys of motorcycling, despite its imperfect design and polarizing looks.
• 🤕 The host, Zack, shared that his crutches were due to a serious accident in October where he broke his neck, ribs, and ankle while testing a KTM 990 RCR, which impacted the production schedule for 2025.
• 🗓️ New Daily Rider episodes are expected to resume in early March 2026, following Zack's recovery, with suggestions for bikes to test in the upcoming year encouraged in the comments.