Look over the specs of many new motorcycles today and you'll find features like electronic ride modes, traction-control settings, programmable ABS, phone and Bluetooth connectivity — even wheelie control. So many options! So many choices! Sounds great, right?

BY Jerry Smith  COURTESY Revzilla

Now imagine wading through a dozen menus until you find the combination that works best, and doing it every time riding conditions change. It gets worse when you buy a bike with some built-in rider aids switched off until you pay to have them switched on, or when two lines of code get into an argument and only the dealer can break up the fight, sometimes for a wallet-flattening price.

If you're one of those riders who thinks all the digital wizardry is unwanted and unnecessary, or just a cash grab that starts at the showroom and ends in the service department, you still have options, even if you want to buy a new motorcycle instead of a used one from a simpler time. There are still new motorcycles on the market that are largely free of digital gimmickry, bikes that let you control your ride the old-fashioned way — with the throttle, the clutch, and the brakes.

I chose one example from five different categories, so whatever style of motorcycle you like, here's one that's suitable for riders who aren't sold on massive amounts of tech and prefer to roll their own.

Retro/classic: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

You don’t have to be a card-carrying Luddite to appreciate retro- and classic-styled motorcycles like the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. It's a rolling flashback to a time when instead of a garage full of narrow-focus motorcycles you had just one that was good, if not outstanding, at almost any kind of riding.

Compared to modern bikes, the INT650's features list looks like a few pages have been left out, and its riding experience mirrors its bare-bones spec sheet. Its air-and-oil-cooled 648 cc parallel twin has four valves per cylinder, a counterbalanced 270-degree crankshaft, and a six-speed gearbox. Power output is low by class standards — a claimed 47 horsepower at 7,250 rpm — but because over 80 precent of maximum torque is available as far down the rev range as 2,500 rpm, the Interceptor pays its performance dues in other ways, like strong low-end power to dart through traffic or carry you and your significant other on a day ride through the hills.

The INT650 rolls on 18-inch wheels front and rear, both with spoked aluminum rims and tube-type tires. Brakes are a single 320 mm disc up front and a 240 mm rear. There's none of that racer-boy crouch in the seating department, just a handlebar-seat-peg triangle better suited to casual cruising than scraping hard parts in corners. The downside is that even short stints of freeway riding are a chore, but the Interceptor's mission statement is definitely laid back, and fighting the wind for half an hour is the trade-off for a more relaxed riding position everywhere else.

The INT650 starts at $6,149 and about the only thing that bumps up the price is one of Royal Enfield's fancier paint jobs. Yes, unlike most manufacturers, who offer you one color and an array of electronics, the Interceptor 650 comes in your choice of seven different colors.

Dual-sport/ADV: Kawasaki KLR650

Despite the rise of multi-cylinder Rally-spec racer replicas and RTW behemoths, single-cylinder dual-sport and adventure bikes just keep on selling, in large part because of the their light weight and mechanical simplicity. A prime contender for the position of leader of that pack, the Kawasaki KLR650, has been around since the Late Heavy Bombardment and has remained steadfastly — and endearingly — primitive ever since.

The newest KLR bows, but not too deeply, to modern times with fuel injection, but otherwise remains the simple, quirky, bulletproof dual-sport it has always been. Its 652 cc thumper lives in a steel cradle frame equipped with a 6.1-gallon gas tank, soft, long-travel suspension, and a marginal front brake that's better — but only marginally — than the one on previous models.

In what amounts to a poke in the eye to its bucks-up competition, most of which confront you with a dizzying array of electronic settings and readouts, the latest iteration of KLR actually deleted the tachometer. You can check boxes on the order form to add lights, luggage, and some other useful gear, but down deep it's still the same lovable lump of a bike whose ancestors have carried countless riders to as many places as any other bike of its kind — and done it for a fraction of the cost and maintenance. A 2023 KLR650 lists for $6,899. Add $300 for optional ABS.

Standard: Honda CB500F

It used to be that small bikes were the ones you started out on and quickly outgrew. Today's middleweights have taken over the "first bike" role and are good enough to stick with long past the day you trade your learner's permit for your license. The Honda CB500F is a descendant of the legendary CB/CL/SL350 twins that launched a generation of riders and for the past decade, versions of the 500 cc Honda have been ushering another generation into the fold.

The CB500F's 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin is fuel injected and serves up a generous helping of power in the 3,000-to-7,000 rpm range, abetted by a six-speed transmission. A slipper/assist clutch combines lighter lever pull — Honda says 45 percent lighter than before — with solid lockup once it's engaged. Cast wheels with tubeless radial tires are standard, as is an inverted SFF-BP fork and Pro-Link rear shock.

A pair of 295 mm front discs share braking duties with a single 240 mm rear, and both are backed up by standard ABS. The 31-inch seat height is kind to inseam-challenged riders, and a claimed wet weight of 416 pounds means the CB500F is manageable at low speed and in tight spaces. Some riders will look at it and say it lacks technical sophistication, but don't let that blind you to how much fun a simple, honest motorcycle can be.

In 2023, a new CB500F lists for $6,799.

Sport: Suzuki SV650

Sporty but not too sporty is the best way to describe Suzuki's SV650. There's no fairing, no stratospheric redline, no fetal riding position, and yet the feisty little L-twin can carve up a mountain road well enough to satisfy all but the most flinty-eyed sport riders, and carry them to and from the twisties as comfortably as a commuter bike.

Introduced in 1999, the SV650's 645 cc liquid-cooled engine has earned a reputation for a wide spread of power, outstanding reliability, and all-around goodness. There's almost nowhere in the powerband where a twitch of the throttle won't result in an instant lunge forward, making rowing through the six-speed gearbox optional at times. The 31-inch seat height makes flat-footing at stoplights easy, and the comfortably lean-forward seating position is a good compromise between boy-racer-cramped and mainsail upright.

There’s nothing fancy about the SV650's brakes and suspension, with two discs up front and one out back, a conventional fork, and a single rear shock with preload adjustment. At both ends are 17-inch cast wheels shod with radial tires. The current list price for an SV650 is $7,399 and for a $450 bump you get ABS. What you get either way is a frisky, friendly, and surprisingly competent middleweight with enough sporting blood to put a weekend smile on your face after a week of commuting.

Cruiser: Indian Scout

The archetypal chopper — a lean, stripped-down expression of rebellion — has morphed into the modern cruiser, far less anti-social in intent but still thrifty when it comes to any features that can't be chromed. The Indian Scout both honors its roots and celebrates the present.

The Scout's 1,133cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected V-twin puts out a claimed 100 horsepower and 72 foot-pounds of torque, with "yee-haw" as the sole ride mode available. A six-speed gearbox seems almost superfluous. With a seat height of just under 27 inches you sit low to the ground, and with the Scout's claimed wet weight of 561 pounds, that's a good thing. There’s a single 298 mm disc brake on both wheels, with the front caliper a dual-piston and the rear a single.

A 41 mm telescopic fork is teamed with two conventional rear shocks. A leather two-up seat and passenger pegs are standard, as is ABS. Almost the only concession to modernity is a hidden USB charging port. Otherwise, the Scout is unencumbered by digital nannies, preferring to face the world with its heritage intact and its chrome gleaming.

The Scout with the two-up seat lists for $13,249, but Indian offers seven different versions, starting with the Scout Bobber Sixty with a smaller 999 cc engine and five-speed transmission for just $10,749 if you want an even more elemental experience.

SOURCE: Revzilla

Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Biker Life posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and sometimes short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters, writers or press officers who work for various organizations, event organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Biker Life.Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Biker Life posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and sometimes short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters, writers or press officers who work for various organizations, event organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Biker Life.