Remember me
We were kicking it after hours this week and returned to a conversation that comes up every year around this time—the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE (obviously). As per usual, I repeated my closing argument that it’s, without a doubt, the motorcycle I would buy across all segments if someone else were footing the bill.
But after that, I got to thinking, what is the Scrambler’s competition in this fairytale scenario—and why cap a hypothetical situation at just one bike? After all, there are seven whole days in a week, and you haven’t experienced everything in motorcycling until you’ve mastered tarmac, mud, snow and sand. So without further ado, join us for a brief ride beyond the bounds of reality, where the garage has (at least) seven motorcycle bays and money is no object.
Adventure — 2027 KTM 890 Adventure R RallyHow do you choose a favorite in a segment that encompasses all types of travel and terrain? For us, the crux of the issue is where the pavement ends, because without the whoops, ruts and rocks, why not just have a touring bike? While there are loads of enticing options out there for aggressive ADV machines, for us, the one that’s impossible to ignore is the KTM 890 Adventure R Rally.
Just a month ago, KTM announced the latest iteration of its restricted-entry ticket to the world of professional rally-raid. Built in strictly limited numbers, as few as 700 in previous years, it’s a machine that prioritizes all-out off-road prowess over long-haul comfort. The chassis is anchored by the WP XPLOR PRO suspension—hardware directly derived from the machines ridden by factory racers in the Dakar Rally. Unlike the standard components found on high-end rivals, this competition-spec setup utilizes proprietary Cone Valve technology and offers a massive 270 mm [10.6 inches] of travel. This allows you to aggressively glide over jagged rock gardens, square-edged washouts and desert whoops at speeds that would send you careening on lesser ADVs.
Beyond its ground-leveling suspension, the 2026 Rally edition screams exclusivity through a build sheet that prioritizes raw durability, weight savings and premium finishes. It comes standard with a lightweight Akrapovič slip-on exhaust, heavy-duty EXCEL wheels with Mitas rubber, factory racing footpegs and carbon fiber tank guards. The heart of the beast remains the punchy 889 cc parallel-twin producing 106 PS and 100 Nm of torque, but here it is fully optimized by the factory-installed Tech Pack, which unlocks the aggressive Rally Mode and multi-level adjustable traction control. Draped in the latest Red Bull KTM Factory Racing livery, this bike is the ultimate flex for the uncompromising rider: a street-legal weapon that is mechanically overqualified for almost every trail on the planet. [KTM—Buchner D., VISUS STUDIOS]
MSRP — $22,649
Cruiser — 2026 Buell Super CruiserSo you want a cruiser? Something with neutral, straight-arm ergos to tool around the city on. Nothing embodies the cruiser lifestyle like a thumping V-twin, but that doesn’t mean that you have to trade hooliganism for a skull cap and chaps. Boasting 175 hp, FOX suspension and 17-inch alloys, the 2026 Buell Super Cruiser is a pavement punisher that blurs segment lines—and your vision.
Born from a high-profile collaboration with Roland Sands Design, the Super Cruiser is the embodiment of having your cake and eating it too. It’s a cruiser on paper, but the spec sheet suggests its classification is more of a matter of semantics. At its core is Buell’s 1190 cc liquid-cooled ET-V2 V-twin, producing a staggering 175 horsepower and 94 ft-lbs of torque. But what truly separates it from the pack is its mass: the bike tips the scales at an incredibly lean 485 pounds wet, thanks to its lightweight chromoly tubular frame.
Beyond its tire-shredding output, the 2026 Super Cruiser screams exclusivity through a premium, low-production build sheet that completely rewrites the cruiser playbook. The cyclegear Buell used on the project reads like a speedfreak’s wishlist: 17-inch wheels designed for sticky, Dunlop Sportmax rubber, Buell's signature massive perimeter braking and a custom-tuned FOX Factory suspension setup built to handle the violent forces this bike generates.
While it’s certainly a machine that could back a loud aesthetic, Buell had its ears to the streets when it came to the finishing touches. It’s wrapped in monochromatic, FXR-inspired bodywork, consisting of a café-style fairing, a Saddleman seat, bar-end mirrors and a 4.0-gallon fuel tank bearing the Buell name. For the rider who demands the absolute apex of American V-twin performance, the Super Cruiser is engineered to dominate canyons, lay patch and embarrass (most anything) from stoplight to stoplight. [Buell]
MSRP — $25,900
Scrambler — Triumph Scrambler 1200 XEOur love affair with the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE is well documented, and how can you blame us? While the transcripts were never released, the impetus for this model feels a bit like someone approached the board and proposed some radical changes to the 1200 X while under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs. Boasting timeless aesthetics, 89 hp and 250 mm of travel on both ends, it’s the type of machine that feels like it’s breaking unwritten rules.
There was a sensible origin to the madness, and if you dig deep enough into the 1200 XE, you’ll find the 1200 X’s chassis and 270-degree Bonneville parallel twin. From there, Triumph went off the deep end, installing Showa 47 mm USD forks and a longer fabricated aluminum swingarm with twin Öhlins shocks with piggy-back reservoirs. That bumps suspension travel up from 170 mm [6.7 inches] to 250 mm [9.8 inches], and if you need a real-world comparison, that’s as much travel as a 2026 KTM 690 Enduro R. Pair that with a 21-inch front wheel and an aluminium bash guard, and you’re talking about a setup that outrides any scrambler ever built.
To remind you that it is (in fact) a scrambler, the 1200 XE is fit with a timeless steel 4.0-gallon fuel tank, scrambler saddle and a jaw-dropping high-mounted, brushed dual exhaust. The brakes seem to have missed that memo, as the XE is fit with superbike-spec Brembo Stylema radial calipers. The advanced IMU-based electronics suite features the XE-exclusive Off-Road Pro mode, which completely disables the ABS and traction control to hand you total, unfiltered mechanical freedom in the dirt. If money is no object, you buy the XE because you refuse to compromise between timeless Steve McQueen cool and modern, earth-chewing performance; it is the ultimate gentleman's hooligan machine. [Triumph]
MSRP — $16,595
Superbike — 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 RIf you’re looking for the mother of invention, the place where the next generation of motorcycle tech is born, you have to look at the superbike categories. And I say categories, because for our purposes of ‘money-is-no-object,’ would you really opt for a practical CBR600 when you could have something with exactly twice the horsepower? If you’re chasing the nth degree of street-legal superbike technology, and you’re particular about aesthetics, the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R is your steed.
The Panigale V4 R isn't just a flagship motorcycle; it is a thinly veiled World Superbike homologation special wearing headlights strictly for legal compliance. Its pedigree stems from an uncompromising infusion of pure MotoGP DNA, anchored by the screaming 998 cc Desmosedici Stradale R engine that can unleash a mind-bending 239 horsepower in full track trim. New for 2026 is the revolutionary Ducati Racing Gearbox (DRG), featuring a true factory N-1-2-3-4-5-6 shift pattern and a dedicated neutral lockout lever on the handlebar.
Another big change for 2026 is the departure from Ducati’s iconic single-sided swingarm. Its replacement is a highly engineered Hollow Symmetrical Swingarm, designed alongside a flex-tuned aluminum frame to maximize mechanical grip at elbow-dragging lean angles. Wrapped in aggressive carbon fiber aerodynamics—including unprecedented MotoGP-derived Corner Sidepods that generate massive downforce—this machine physically pins itself to the tarmac. Stopping power is managed by elite Brembo Hypure calipers, while the ride is dictated by fully mechanical, WSBK-spec Öhlins NPX25/30 pressurized forks.
When you get down to brass tacks, the Ducati Panigale V4 R is the type of motorcycle that can only be ridden to its full potential by a tiny subsect of speed freaks, and I’m not that guy. But even so, I’d look better snubbing out a Desmosedici Stradale engine than an Evo. [Ducati]
MSRP — $49,995
Sport Touring — 2026 BMW M 1000 XRSport bike technology eventually trickles down into everything, but the BMW M 1000 XR is a bit like spilling a glass onto a live electrical wire. With 170 hp, 6 inches of suspension travel and 17-inch aluminum wheels, the S 1000 XR is already pushing the bounds of what you can reasonably call a sport touring machine—and then they handed it off to the M division.
The 2026 BMW M 1000 XR is what happens when German engineers decide that long-distance comfort and superbike-level violence are not mutually exclusive. After fiddling with the 999 cc ShiftCam inline-four ripped from the S 1000 RR, the M division final numbers for the 1000 XR are a jaw-dropping 201 horsepower and a 14,600 rpm redline. Those numbers, combined with a 492-pound curb weight, are enough to propel the XR from 0 to 124 mph [200 km/h] in 7.2 seconds, and it’ll hit 170 mph flat out in sixth gear.
Visually and mechanically, the M 1000 XR shows its pedigree through a motorsport-derived build sheet that prioritizes ruthless aerodynamic efficiency and unsprung-weight savings. The most striking visual addition is the massive, downforce-generating M Winglets, which are strictly necessary to keep the front wheel physically glued to the tarmac under terrifying acceleration.
When outfitted with the premium M Competition Package, the bike sits on featherlight M Carbon wheels, utilizes blue-anodized M braking hardware and barks through a titanium Akrapovič slip-on exhaust. Combined with a flawless bidirectional quickshifter and Marzocchi’s semi-active Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) suspension, which keeps the chassis perfectly settled, the handling is razor-sharp despite its upright, touring-friendly ergonomics. For the rider who demands a little more than sensible, leisurely weekend trips, the BMW M 1000 XR is a machine that can devour hundreds of miles of highway in premium comfort, and then mercilessly gap dedicated, clip-on-wearing superbikes the second the road turns into a canyon. [BMW]
MSRP — $25,595
Dual Sport — 2026 KTM 500 EXC-F Six DaysAdmittedly, we’ve been tracing the ragged edge of these segments, with scramblers that are more like dirt bikes and touring machines with sport bike DNA. But as far as I’m concerned, a dual sport is still a dual sport, and that hasn’t changed since the infancy of XRs and XTs. In the realm of dirt bikes with the bare essential street-legal equipment (a segment near and dear to me), it’s the 2026 KTM 500 EXC-F Six Days that reigns supreme.
While other motorcycles in this segment heavily compromise their off-road capability in the name of street comfort, the 500 EXC-F Six Days refuses to apologize for its dirt-first DNA. KTM and Husqvarna’s 500 cc offerings boast a significant power advantage over their 450 cc peers, and the EXC-F’s 510 cc SOHC four-stroke single churns out over 60 hp, while weighing just 65 pounds. Shoved into a lightweight chromoly chassis that tips the scales at an incredibly lean 253 pounds dry, you’re buying a literal race bike engineered to violently blast through technical single-track and absolutely dominate rock gardens.
Beyond its sod-shredding performance, the 2026 Six Days edition is riddled with premium, factory-racing components designed to survive the grueling International Six Days Enduro. It comes loaded out of the crate with hand-adjustable, competition-spec WP XACT closed-cartridge front forks and KTM's signature no-linkage PDS rear shock for massive bottoming resistance. It ditches standard off-the-shelf components for top-tier factory hardware, including orange-anodized CNC-machined triple clamps, a heavy-duty composite skid plate, a solid rear brake disc and a map-select switch that puts advanced traction control right at your thumb.
While the 2026 livery may be a bit on-the-nose, features like the SUPERSPROX sprocket, frame protection and gripper seat make the Six Days edition worth the extra spend if you’re looking for the single most capable street-legal machine from the showroom floor. [KTM]
MSRP — $14,699
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