Wayno’s BOOTY awards for 2025

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Wayno’s BOOTY awards for 2025

That’s right, folks. It’s Booty time. Welcome to my bikes of the year. As you know by now, these are my picks of the bikes I’ve reviewed this year. The ones I’ve had my backside on. This year, I’ve gone a step further than previous years, and I’ve broken it into two categories:

Bike (On-road) Of The Year
Bike (Off-road) Of The Year

See what I’m doing there..? Booty? Backside, the acronyms? Yeah, I was pretty happy with myself too.

Now, just to be crystal clear, these are not MCNews’s bike of the year – Trev doesn’t go in for those sort of shenanigans for reasons he’s elaborated on previously (see here), this is purely my thoughts on what I’ve sampled.

So sit your Booty down and let’s review the year… ok, I’ll ease up. Maybe.

We eased into the year with a couple of lovely little Hondas. The CB650R e-clutch version was a bit of an eye-opener and arguably a sign of future tech to come. Then the little CB500 Hornet reminded me just how great that 500 parallel Honda twin can be. Why they haven’t dropped it into a proper CRF Rally chassis yet still amazes me. Surely that’d be like printing money.

Then I rode the LAMS MT07 back from Sydney, getting utterly drenched and nearly struck by lightning for my trouble. That was possibly the heaviest rain with the deepest standing water I’ve ever ridden through. Good times! Quite the Sporty little number, actually – and an excellent all-rounder to boot. The tuning fork mob have done well with the LAMS map – it didn’t feel hobbled like some LAMS bikes can.

From there, we shifted up a gear. I jumped at the chance to join Michele Pirro, the guy who gives Marc Marquez riding advice, on the new Panigale V4S at the Buriram MotoGP circuit. Days don’t come much better. Or hotter! Sweet Jesus, I was sweating more than a one-armed roofer. I might have been a bit rusty on track, but the Panigale had me covered with its exceptional ‘skill boosters’ (rider aides). Particularly, the linked braking that trails the rear brake into corners for you. What a machine. ‘Utterly glorious.

I tried out BMW’s R12S (‘for special?’), and we timed the afternoon just right for Rob to get some absolutely stellar shots down by the bay. Quite the funky retro thing from the boys and girls at Motorrad. But it turns out they still had more up their sleeves for later in the year… we’ll get to that.

A couple of Suzukis came next, the venerable SV650 and the updated 8S. Both are typical Suzuki. Really nicely built. Great boxes. Solid performers. Maybe not mind-blowing in any specific area, but with no real shortcomings. The 8S remains my favourite Japanese naked bike in that class. Lovely engine.

And then I had a launch in my backyard! CFMoto launched its 800MTX in Victoria’s Otway Ranges just down the road from my front gate. I could have ducked home for a cuppa! After putting it through its paces through the forest, I managed to nab one for a few extra weeks and have a cracking ride up through the sand in Hattah. In terms of bang for buck, the MTX hits just as hard as its little 450 brother, which got my gong last year. Could it be two in a row? It’s in the shortlist…

Honda returned to their absolute best with the superb CB1000 Hornet SP that I fell in love with instantly. What a cracking bike. The soul of a blade in a totally usable road-sports bike chassis that works brilliantly on the road. Fun, fast, really well specc’d and a price that I still wonder how they managed to produce it for. Welcome back, team Red. Bravo.

The comparison to the S1000R Race that I had immediately afterwards was interesting. Faster, more powerful, and I’d suggest ultimately more capable than the Hornet. But on the flip side, it didn’t feel as accessible and came at a price premium that put it very, very close dollar-wise to the astonishing M1000R… which I don’t think I could turn down for similar money.

KTM returned with the rev-happy 390 Enduro and Adventure bikes; we had a blast pedalling around the hills in southern NSW. Lightweight, nimble, capable. The 390 engine demands to be ridden hard to get the best from it. And I reckon they’re probably the basis for the best lightweight offroader if you were to firm up the suspension a little further…

I then got my hands on another bike from the Austrian team. The 990 Duke proved to be brilliant on Aussie soil. I liked it so much that it stayed in my shed. Damn near perfect as a naked street bike with one of the best front ends I’ve ever sampled. And mine will be even better with a full system and tune in it… More Duke Diaries to come as soon as I get it back from getting that fitted!

Then it was time to jump back on some more outstanding Beemers. I found my new favourite R1300-engined BMW in the glorious R1300RS on the Aussie R1300 launch (where I also tested the RT and the R). That RS is a bike, I feel that, arguably, a big chunk of road-only riding GS owners would be better off owning. It’s better than the GS on the road. Comfortably. Excellent dynamics from a proper Sport Tourer. Looks mint too.

That was followed by the surprise packet of the year. BMW knocked it not just out of the park, but out of the postcode with the R12 G/S. Single-handedly, the most fun bike they’ve ever produced (that I’ve sampled anyway). Looks great. Rides great. I was gushing in the video…

And then I finally got a chance to throw a leg over Royal Enfield’s Himi with the new Himalayan Mana Black. And now I get what the fuss is all about. A brilliant all-rounder. With suspension that is surprisingly well-tuned. I’m still amazed at how well it handled some properly steep logging tracks up around Bright; And yet was quite the comfortable thing on the road too. Nicely done RE.

I finished off the year aboard the updated Honda Transalp XL750 that copped some useful updates over the earlier version. Suspension and tech in particular now make what was already the best Japanese all roads Adventure Tourer in the segment a more serious prospect away from the sealed stuff.

Even found time to do a bit of an odd couple ‘Old v New’ comparison of the Transalp with my old Tiger 800XC which while being 300,000 kms older and from a different manufacturer, has surprisingly similar stats and was aimed at a fairly similar buyer.

So it was a solid year with a great mix of bikes.

In the end, I had to pull together a shortlist to help me make a decision. The shortlist was easy enough:

In the end, it was a close thing, but… I managed to whittle them down to two.

Both are a bit niche. But they also serve as benchmarks from each manufacturer in terms of rider engagement, accessibility, and downright fun. These are both joyous bikes to ride. I’m sure that anyone who gets the chance to ride them will agree there’s a secret formula at play in both of them. And at a time when we have sportsbikes with a gazillion horsepower and tech coming out of their wazoo, coming back to the joy of riding should be applauded.

So without further delay:

Bike (On-road) Of The Year goes to the remarkable Honda CB1000 Hornet SP ahead of the BMW R 1300 RS. I’ve opted for the Hornet SP because, in addition to being exceptional, Honda has delivered it at an incredible price point. This is big red back at their very best, and my congratulations go to the team at Honda.

Bike (Off-road) Of The Year goes to BMW’s cracking R 12 G/S ahead of the CFMoto 800 MT-X. Frankly, I wasn’t prepared for just how fun the G/S is. It completely blew me away. Yes, it’s capable (moreso than you’d expect a bike with ‘only’ 210 (F) and 200 (R) mm of travel to have), but it’s oh so engaging. And it looks just… wow. Bravo Bee-Em double Vee. Bravo.

Thanks to everyone for their support again this year – and of course, Trev, the big dog, for his continued encouragement. I hope I’ve made your year a little brighter and less tedious in some way. I know I’ve had fun. Have a great break, folks – here’s to doing it all again in 26!

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