Dmitry Pavlovsky

A good luggage system is essential for motorcycle riders, especially on bikes without built-in storage.

Kawasaki Z400 is an affordable, beginner-friendly naked bike with a playful parallel twin engine.

Triumph's lineup of adventure bikes is nearly peerless, but knowing which one to pick is the real tricky part.

Motorcycle riders are pretty spoiled these days. Most major bike manufacturers have a massive variety of models on their sales floors. And it can be hard, especially for newer riders, to really zero in on what's a good option for them. Honda, for example, has over fifty models on sale today, if you include mini and dirt bikes. How's anyone supposed to decide from that?

If you're into sports bikes, chances are you're fully aware of what brands like Ducati, BMW, and Kawasaki are capable of delivering when money is no issue. Their halo bikes ( like the BMW S 1000 RR, the Ducati Panigale (V4 or V4 R), and the Kawasaki Ninja H2) are lusted over by millions of riders. The sad reality, however, is that most of us can't afford them. The starting price of Kawasaki's Ninja H2 ABS, for example, is $32,100 and the V4 R is well over $45,000. That's an expensive toy, costing as much as a typical car, in a market that treats motorcycles as hobbies (and not a main mode of transportation).

Harley has a loyal following among older riders, evident from its average customer age of over 40 years

The cheap cruiser market has never been hotter, and this back-to-basics bike may end up ruling them all.

The popularity of a certain style of motorcycle tends to come and go, like any other cultural aspect of our society. Sometimes it's sports bikes that get to shine. Other times it's cruisers. And if we're unfortunate enough, it can be choppers as well. These days, it's the adventure bike's turn. These do-everything, Swiss army knives of motorcycling, seem to be at the very height of their popularity. Every major motorcycle manufacturer has an option for us to choose from, be it Triumph, Yamaha, or even CFMoto.

Today's average commuter has a wide variety of vehicles to choose from. There are thousands of used cars on the market for just about any price. There are newer hybrid and electric options, pushing the boundaries of technology ever further. And even the popularity of pedal-assist bicycles, e-scooters, and ride-share apps is on the rise. But what's not open for debate is what vehicle you'd get the most amount of smiles per mile from. Spoiler alert, it's motorcycles.

Today's motorcycles hardly resemble the machines of yesterday. They've come a long way from shed-built, wooden bicycle frames with engines, to modern-day track missiles that would scare our ancestors to death. Not only do they look different, but the bits and pieces underneath all that plastic are now more advanced than the computers that took us to the moon. But things like smart traction control, cornering ABS, and ride-by-wire are common enough these days that your average rider will be fully aware of them.