5/07/23
This past week the Cycle World crew headed into the hills in search of snaking strips of asphalt on three 2023 naked bikes—the Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory 1100, KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo, and Yamaha MT-10 SP—marking the start of a multi-part shootout that will see a total of five bikes duking it out on street, track, dyno, and test strip. Many days of riding and writing are still ahead, and you can expect to see the first installment in June, but I thought it would be a great idea to bring you up to speed on the five machines in this battle—each at the top of its manufacturer's line-up.
Aprilia’s Tuono V4 Factory 1100 comes into this contest with multiple Cycle World Ten Best awards and continues to impress. KTM has the 1290 Super Duke R Evo, which might be the best motorcycle on the planet for wheelies. Yamaha has upped its MT-10’s performance with an SP model, that brings the only Japanese-manufactured naked in this test up to par in this highly competitive class. These three bikes will compete in part one of this showdown, because, while these three machines are absolutely bonkers, BMW and Ducati have escalated this arms race to an insane level.
BMW’s M 1000 R and Ducati’s Streetfighter V4 SP2 are both dripping in carbon fiber, titanium, and aggression.They both cost considerably more than the other three machines and pump out big HP numbers. We’ve decided to have these two “supernakeds” go up against the winner of the first part on the track and street for the title as the ultimate naked motorcycle.
Check out the reviews below to get all the details of each naked in preparation for one of Cycle World’s biggest shootouts this year.
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
