10/30/22
For as many years as I’ve been on this earth (46 now, though my gray hairs say it’s much longer than that), Cycle World’s staff has discussed, debated, and even argued the merits of our annual nominees for Ten Best Bikes. Since that first list in 1976, the task of picking 10 motorcycles to represent the very pinnacle of each category has been our honor and obligation to the reader, one we take very seriously, though of course we still have a lot of fun testing. Over the years, the categories have changed to fit the current state of motorcycling. Will there soon be a Best Electric Motorcycle, or should they compete head-to-head against ICE bikes? Some of our deepest debates every year are about categories.
The Cycle World team of editors and contributors goes through countless hours of riding, writing, photography, and video. Then there’s CW’s performance testing, compiling dyno charts, quarter-mile times, acceleration figures, and stopping distances. And naturally, long bull sessions are held to evaluate the ever-important intangibles. In the end, all of this serves to sort out the very best of the year.
This, then, is Cycle World’s Ten Best for 2022, 10 machines that won our hearts and minds by best exemplifying the soul of riding. Of course, they’re not the only motorcycles worth mentioning; in the coming weeks we will be adding Editor’s Choice awards to more models in our extensive buyer’s guide. These bikes might not have made the Ten Best cut, but are still machines our staff enjoyed and connected with. Keep an eye out.
As always, there’s more than we can fit into this email. Check out cycleworld.com for additional tests, reviews, and news.
Ride on,
Justin Dawes
Executive Editor
