Upcoming Motorcycle Launches in 2025-2026

In 2025, we have the widest variety of motorcycles to choose from in almost all segments. And some categories are even witnessing a bit of resurgence with some motorcycles making a comeback, like the Honda CBR600RR that returned to the Supersport class in 2024, and just a few days ago Suzuki brought back its superbike GSX-R1000R to celebrate 40 years of the name GSX-R.

And then there are some highly interesting motorcycles coming up in the remaining part of 2025 and in 2026. Let’s take a look at all the bikes that are almost certain to be launched in the near future.

BMW F450 GS

The F 450 GS concept that BMW revealed earlier. The production motorcycle looks to be as close to it as possible, but it will be more road-biased.

One of the most anticipated motorcycles, the BMW F 450 GS is not only awaited by people who are keen to buy a motorcycle in the sub-500cc segment, but also by those who are experienced with larger and more powerful motorcycles. Powered by a completely newly-developed 450cc parallel-twin engine, the F 450 GS has been declared to make 48 PS of power and equally impressive torque at all engine speeds. I think we can confidently assume that the performance will be extremely satisfying for the segment. May as well be the best.

Handling-wise too the expectations are very high, obviously because it’s a BMW but also because the G 310 GS handled extremely well. It was fun, involving, and compensated for the not-so-impressive 312cc single-cylinder engine. The F 450 GS is being developed as an all-new motorcycle with chassis and suspension completely new. The motorcycle will be built in India by TVS (just like the G 310 GS, G 310 R, and the G 310 RR). On that basis, we are hopeful that the pricing, at least in India, shall be competitive enough, although we still expect it to carry some premium because - well, it’s a BMW and majorly because there’s a twin-cylinder engine involved.

Make no mistake though, the F 450 GS will be highly sought after once it's launched and could turn out to be one of the BMW’s best ever. And none of it will be surprising!

Royal Enfield 750cc lineup

Royal Enfield's next generation Himalayan has been seen testing in the high altitudes of Himalayas. Sports a dual-disc brake setup at the front and the engine is likely the 750cc parallel-twin. The design looks like an evolution of the Himalayan 450.

The next-generation of Royal Enfield’s parallel-twin motorcycles will likely began with the introduction of the Continental GT 750 whose spy shots have been actively circulating on the world wide web.

However, the next Interceptor (750) was also spotted a few months back. And, of course, there will be the Himalayan 750 as well which was recently seen being ridden by Royal Enfield's top management guys.

These upcoming 750cc motorcycles have been seen with front dual disc brakes, but with traditional telescopic forks (except the Himalayan 750). Although, we would like to believe that the suspension (this time) will be tuned better for a more planted and confident ride quality that will also improve the overall handling characteristics of the motorcycle.

Like the supposed Himalayan 750 pictured above, there are the Continental GT 750 and the Interceptor 750 also lined up for launch soon. All these upcoming REs have dual disc setup up front. The biggest concern regarding these bikes is their weight; let's hope RE will have it figured out.

The upcoming 750cc parallel-twin engine is assumed to be a bored-out version of the current 650cc engine and not a new engine by any means. But any more internal changes that might be there are not yet known, of course. But the current 650cc twin is highly satisfying - it is smooth, reliable, tractable, with an extremely linear and a flat torque response and we can only expect the new engine to be better.

Personally, we are very happy that Royal Enfield is finally upgrading the engine not only because the present engine has been here for a while now, but also because some of the motorcycles like the Super Meteor, Shotgun, and the Classic 650 are quite heavy (240-243 kg). It will be good to see these bikes getting the more powerful engine in the future so that the higher weight will hurt a little less! Unless, Royal Enfield finds a way to make these motorcycles lighter. That will be interesting too!

Honda CB1000F modern-retro

Honda's concept for CB1000F and CB1000F SE (with the bikini fairing). These modern-retros are based on the existing CB1000 Hornet, including the engine and the chassis. The chromed exhaust looks absolutely fitting for the theme and quite stunning. We hope that Honda releases them and that they will be global models. Pictures from Global Honda

Retro theme-based motorcycles are on the rise, and they’ve been successful as well so far, such as the Kawasaki Z900RS, Yamaha XSR range (especially the XSR 900), and even Suzuki has joined this trend with its recent GSX-8TT and GSX-8T.

Honda too is likely to launch a new modern-retro motorcycle - CB1000F - for which Honda has created a lot of buzz as a concept motorcycle. However, the bike’s recent showings, especially at Suzuka 8 hours, indicate that Honda might be serious about launching it as the bike is equipped with license plate holders and that it is based on the latest CB1000 Hornet.

The engine, chassis, and suspension appear to be carried-over from the Hornet, although, some tweaks and changes will be there. But we can expect power and torque to be around 150 PS and 104 NM, respectively. Also, the CB1000F sports an extremely appealing chromed-out single-sided exhaust to perfectly match the retro theme.

The biggest highlight of the CB1000F will be its design with the fuel tank and the extended tail section properly reminding us of the motorcycles from the late 20th-century. Add to that those striped graphics that further enhance the old-school feeling. There’s also a CB1000F SE version that was displayed which has an added bikini fairing surrounding the headlight.

If (or when) Honda actually releases the CB1000F and the CB1000F SE, their success will largely depend on their availability in all major markets around the world. We are hoping that these motorcycles will be global models, not just Japan-only, and will be brought to India as well.

TVS 300cc adventure tourer - RTX 300

TVS's first ever adventure-tourer - RTX 300 - will be powered by TVS's all-new, developed in-house, 300cc liquid-cooled engine.

TVS has been gearing up to launch its first ever adventure-tourer motorcycle, RTX 300, any time now. The motorcycle was showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year and it looked production ready. Although, personally, I found the colours dull on what was shown.

That said, the highlight of the RTX 300 is going to be that it will not sport the existing BMW-developed 312cc reverse-inclined engine. Instead, the bike will come with an all-new 300cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine that was unveiled last year during the TVS MotoSoul event. Called the RT-XD4, this new engine measures 299.1cc and gets liquid-cooling (along with oil-cooling jackets), DOHC, as well as 4-valve setup. It is conventionally forward-inclined unlike the existing 312cc engine which is reverse-inclined.

The new engine makes 35 PS of power @ 9,000 RPM and 28.5 NM of torque @ 7,000 RPM. It’s accompanied by a 6-speed gearbox, a slip-assist clutch, and ride by wire throttle.

Yamaha’s updated R3 and MT03?

This is the 2025 Yamaha R3 mimicking the front of the R7 and the R9. No idea at all if or when it will come to India.

Now these two are really special, or at least Yamaha wants us to believe they are. I mean I would like to believe they’re great motorcycles but I don’t know for sure. Because their presence in India is irrelevant! And that is by Yamaha India's own doing.

The phrase “you live in your own world” fits perfectly to Yamaha India. Their expansion strategy in India is something that I don’t understand. The R3 and the MT-03 were launched in India in 2023 and since then, I haven’t seen a single one of them on the road, at least not in Delhi and NCR. I don’t believe that Yamaha hasn’t sold a single R3 or MT-03 since then, but they’re clearly so rare that they’re virtually non-existent.

The 2025 MT-03 gets subtle design refinements, especially at the tail section. Although mechanically it is more or less unchanged, it and the R3 have now got a slip-assist clutch, as well as new colours. Once again, no idea at all when will it come to India.

Now Yamaha has already updated the R3 internationally with fresh styling with especially the front now mimicking the R7 (and the new R9) design language. The MT-03 has been updated as well and both motorcycles now sport a slip-assist clutch (which the ones selling in India don’t have). And it is quite unknown when we will get to see these updated models here in India. Moreover, you can’t just go to a Yamaha showroom and see those bikes because Yamaha doesn’t keep them on display (forget about taking a test ride).

Updated Honda CB300R maybe?

Honda CB300R is possibly the best 300cc single-cylinder motorcycle in my opinion. However, it is possible that Honda may update it soon to make it appear more up-market.

The Honda CB300R is a fantastic motorcycle and I would say that it’s the best single-cylinder motorcycle among its competitors. It looks great, has the best fit-n-finish and build quality in its category. But I feel that the CB300R might be due for an update considering how Honda has been updating all its motorcycles and scooters recently, giving them the TFT screens and OBD-2B compliant engines.

The CB300R currently is OBD-2A compliant and sports an LCD console. And though I personally do not care about the TFTs as such, I naturally expect Honda to update the CB300R with the same. And though the bike hasn’t done much numbers against the likes of the KTM Dukes, it is still a brilliant little motorcycle to ride. One of its major highlights is the 146 kg running weight. Also, the CB300R has a typical Honda reputation of long-lasting reliability and smooth-running components. I would mostly like to see some nice colour schemes on it. Currently, it tends to look a bit dull now and then.