SINCE the rebirth of the café racer concept a few years back and the boom of the hipster in recent years, the retro motorcycle market in the UK and abroad has gone from strength to strength.
No in 2020 there is a bike that mixes classic styling and modern technology in pretty much every major manufacturer’s range. With everything from learner legal 125cc machines, to 1200cc performance nakeds, the choice of bikes, engine configurations sizes if vast and wide.
In this top ten, we take a look at the best learner legal, A2 licence and full-size retro naked motorcycles you can but in 2020.
Best learner legal retro motorcycles
Honda Monkey - £3,749
Taking its styling from the original Honda Z50s of the 60s and 70s, the modern-day Monkey uses some of the frame and chassis components from the MSX125 giving the 2020 bike truly dinky dimensions.
Classic looks aside, beneath the skin the Monkey is a thoroughly modern machine, boasting LED lighting, IMU controlled cornering ABS and a newly developed air-cooled SOHC engine.
Read the review here: visordown.com
Bullit Hero Racing - £2,495
Looking every inch the retro desert racer, the Bullit Hero 125 is another bike with a decent level of kit bolted on to it that would be as at home on the commute as it would hacking down a light trail.
It has USD, long-travel forks, a mono-shock rear suspension set up and a combined braking system for extra peace of mind. Like the AJS above, it’s just a shame the engine doesn’t make a little more of the power output the CBT laws allow, as the bike only makes 11.5bhp of the 15bhp available in this segment.
Best A2 retro motorcycles
Triumph Street Scrambler (A2 restricted) - £9,300
Producing 64bhp in standard trim, the Street Scrambler is a prime full-size (and weight) bike to drop down to an A2 legal 47bhp. It’s would then be one of the coolest looking A2 bikes on the road, with its authentic-looking Triumph parallel twin producing an equally authentic soundtrack.
Another added bonus with this bike is its multi-purpose nature making it as good on a green lane as it is on an urban commute. Tie that to the fact that once your A2 licence period is complete, you can revert the bike to full power trim and the Street Scrambler really is a win-win!
Read the review here: visordown.com
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 - £5,699
Making bang on 47bhp, the new twin-cylinder Interceptor is the A2 licence classic machine of choice for those that don’t want to fiddle and fettle their bike to conform. With enough torque to entertain and a sweet-handling chassis, the Interceptor is a decent handling bike for newer riders and has styling that’s absolutely bang-on for the brief.
Read the review here: visordown.com
Best mid-weight retro motorcycles
Yamaha XSR900 - £9,347
The XSR900 is a retro bike that has had its DNA copied and pasted over from one of the 21st centuries best naked allrounders, the MT-09. With a torque-rich and revvy, crossplane three-cylinder engine that produces over 100bhp, the XSR900 takes the retro bike theme and adds a dollop of much-needed performance and modern-day dynamics.
Read the review here: visordown.com
Kawasaki Z900 RS - £10,399
Another bike that borrows its retro garb from a more modern-styled sibling is the Z900 RS which is effectively a Z900 in a Mary Quant outfit strutting down Carnaby St. It’s matched to the same great chassis as the Z900 too, meaning you get top-spec suspension and brakes in a truly awesome looking package.
And its some of the styling features about this bike that really stand out, with the level of detail meaning even the stippled effect of the badging is identical to that on the original Z900 from back in the day.
Read the review here: visordown.com
Best 1000cc or above retro motorcycles
Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport - £12,395
Featuring top-spec cycle components from the likes of Öhlins and Brembo, the latest Scrambler 1100 Sports is the performance end of Ducati’s retro naked range.
The bike also gains Ducati traction control, cornering ABS, riding modes and new graphics for 2020.
Triumph Thruxton RS - £13,000
Like the Street Scrambler a little higher up this page, the Thruxton RS is Triumph doing what Triumph do best, a big thumping parallel-twin engine nestled inside a retro-looking chassis.
We were lucky enough to ride this bike on the launch in Spain earlier this year and we were genuinely impressed by its poise and handling even on the fastest twisties. It’s also the most powerful Thruxton to date, producing 103bhp and 83ft-lb of torque all backed up by that unmistakable Hinckley soundtrack.
Read the review here: visordown.com
