The 10 coolest bikes under £10k

You may have noticed that everything costs too damned much. That includes motorcycles. It’s becoming increasingly common to find bikes with asking prices in excess of some people’s annual salary.

The Ducati V4 RS, for example. That is an EXCELLENT motorcycle by all accounts, but will set you back £32,795. For comparison, the starting salary of a train driver is £27,000 a year. A Band 5 NHS worker - usually someone with a university degree and a few years of experience under their belt - starts with a wage of £31,048.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great bikes that can still be found for less. And they don’t have to be generic machines. There are bikes with real character and style to be had for not too much money.

Setting the bar at £10,000, here are top 10 picks - with many of the bikes coming in well below budget. In no particular order, they are:

Yamaha MT-07 - £7,704

More than a decade ago, Yamaha rewrote the ‘bang for your buck’ playbook with its MT-07 and MT-09 models. Affordable and delightful, they changed the game and forced every other manufacturer to play catch up.

Sadly, the MT-09 has priced beyond the £10k mark since then, but the MT-07 remains comfortably within range. Powered by one of the most enjoyable parallel-twin engines currently on the market, this 689cc beauty promises peak power outputs of 72.4 bhp and 50.1 lb-ft of torque.

If you’re willing to step up to £8,054, you can get the bike equipped with Yamaha’s acclaimed AMT automatic transmission.

Honda CB1000 Hornet - £9,099

Yamaha may have redefined value back in the 2010s, but these days its Honda putting everyone to shame with its unfathomably affordable CB1000. There’s so much bike here, for so little money.

The bike’s 1000cc inline four pumps out a very respectable (though, admittedly, not class-beating) 155.5 bhp, and 76.7 lb-ft of torque. When Toad rode it, he described it as the best value bike on the market.

And if you’re willing to go just a little bit over budget, Honda offers the deliciously high-spec CB1000 SP for just £10,099.

Triumph Speed 400 - £5,245

Offering markedly less power than the CB1000 (but also costing quite a bit less) is the no less game-changing Triumph Speed 400.

There were some people in the motorcycling world (sheepishly raises hand) who thought Triumph was making a bad decision when it first unveiled its 400cc machinesr. Man, were we wrong. Offering up peak power outputs of 39.5 bhp and 27.6 lb-ft of torque, the Speed 400 - and slightly pricier Scrambler 400 - have gone on to become some of the best-selling motorcycles in the UK. Toad has ridden both and spoke highly of them.

Triumph’s 400s have also helped to set the sub-500cc market on fire, with a number of manufacturers now jumping in, including Honda and BSA.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 - £6,599

Before Triumph brought out its 400s, Royal Enfield was dominating the sub-500cc class with bikes like the Himalayan 450 and HNTR 350. Those are great machines in their own right, but for our money, if we’re looking at a Royal Enfield, we’re pining for the more powerful Interceptor 650.

Powered by a modern - but still air/oil-cooled - 650cc twin cylinder unit that produces an easy-to-ride and A2-compliant 47 bhp, the Interceptor has a retro authenticity that’s hard to beat. Visordown spent a full year with one; here’s what we found.

Largely unchanged since its 2018 introduction, the Interceptor is now offered with cast wheels, which means tubeless tires - thereby resolving many riders’ sole complaint about this otherwise stylish and easy-going platform.

BSA Scrambler 650 - £5,999

Slightly less powerful but still aesthetically authentic, the BSA Scrambler 650 offers another take on retro riding. Driven by a 652cc single, claiming peak power figures of 45 hp at 6500 rpm and 40.5 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm, the Scrambler 650 is a bike that I found to be a whole lot of fun in the right conditions.

It’s possibly not as all-round versatile as the Royal Enfield (or, in fact, any of the other bikes on this list), but the single-cylinder engine offers a unique and engaging experience.

Moto Guzzi V7 Special - £8,900

Speaking of modern retro machines: with a history stretching back roughly 60 years, Moto Guzzi’s V7 platform is, quite simply, iconic.

As of this writing, Moto Guzzi offers three modern takes on the V7: the V7 Stone, V7 Sport, and V7 Special. Each is powered by a transverse, air-cooled 853cc V-twin that claims 67.3 hp and 58.2 lb-ft of torque. The experience of a Guzzi is the sort of thing that inspires some men to try their hand at poetry. And when Phil West tested the V7 Sport, he offered it up as competition for Triumph’s popular Speed Twin 900.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we’re particularly fond of the V7 Special’s paint scheme and overall aesthetic, which harkens back to the V7 platform’s early days - when it was actually driven by a 700cc powerplant.

Kawasaki Z650RS - £7,799

If you want retro styling but genuinely modern performance, Kawasaki’s Z650RS has to be at the top of your list.

Clearly influenced by bikes of the ‘70s but not playing dress-up, the Z650RS’s 649cc liquid-cooled parallel twin offers up 67.3 bhp and 47.2 lb-ft of torque.

Launched in 2021 as a 2022 model, the Z650RS has often found itself in the shadow of its bigger and equally sexy sibling, the Z900RS. This is a shame, because the 650 is a pleasure in its own right.

Suzuki V-Strom 800RE - £8,899

Let’s be honest: £10,000 may not go as far as it used to, but it’s still a lot of money. As such, you may be looking for a bike that can do a little more than some of the machines above - something that’s more of an all-rounder.

The V-Strom platform has never really been 'cool' in an obvious way, but has earned respect from riders for being so dependable and utilitarian. You won’t win a lot of admiring looks at a bike meet, but you will be able to ride to Athens and back without incident.

Powered by a 776 liquid-cooled parallel twin engine boasting peak power outputs of 83 bhp and 57 lb-ft of torque, the RE is the road-focused V-Strom 800. When Matt Robinson rode it for Visordown, he described it as “well worth considering.” 

Voge DS900X - £8,499

Chinese manufacturers have made progress by leaps and bounds in recent years. Add to that a suite of rider aids and technowhizzbangery that would cost far more on a bike from a ‘traditional’ manufacturer and you can see why they are seriously threatening the old way of doing things.

Made by the same people who actually build the engines for BMW’s F 900 GS (Loncin Motor Co.), and using the exact same powerplant, the Voge DS900X has been turning a lot of heads since its arrival in the UK market in 2024.

With an 895cc parallel-twin engine that offers up 93.9 bhp and 70.1 lb-ft or torque, the Voge DS900X was described as “the best Chinese motorbike yet” in our 2024 review. 

Kove 800X Rally - £9,499

The most expensive bike on this list, the Kove 800X Rally is arguably also one of the best. Whereas the Voge and Suzuki are good adventure bikes that are generally intended to be kept on roads, the 800X Rally has been winning kudos from serious adventure riders who enjoy pushing their machines far off the beaten path.

Kove is another Chinese brand, started by former professional moto-cross and enduro rider Zhang Xue. Those foundations mean the brand is more dedicated to the off-road side of things.

Making use of the same 799cc parallel twin engine that CFMoto produces for its 800MT-X, and KTM’s 790 Adventure. Maximum power is 95 bhp (although Kove’s UK website incorrectly states 130 bhp) and 59 lb-ft of torque.