Starting Friday, Sept. 8, and resuming Monday, Sept. 11, we’ll be announcing two MOTY finalists per day, with the big reveal of Rider‘s 2023 Motorcycle of the Year winner on Friday, Sept. 15. So bookmark this page and keep checking back. –Ed.
If Rider’s Motorcycle of the Year, now in its 34th year, were a person, it would have graduated from college or completed military service, launched a career, got married, bought a house, and started a family. It would have a couple motorcycles in the garage, perhaps a cruiser or sport-tourer for the open road and a dual-sport or adventure bike for exploring the backcountry.
In other words, it would be like the rest of us: a dedicated motorcycle enthusiast.
Rider has been bringing you “Motorcycling at Its Best” for almost 50 years. We’ve tested nearly every street-legal motorcycle on the market, with an emphasis on real-world bikes that are within reach for most of us. For every $100,000 Arch 1s we review, we test dozens if not hundreds of motorcycles you’ll find in dealerships and garages across America, from sea to shining sea.
Rider’s 2022 Motorcycle of the Year: The 2022 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ (Photo by Kevin Wing)
Unlike car dealers, most motorcycle dealers don’t offer test rides. Demo rides are great, but they are few and far between and often involve parade-pace conga lines that don’t allow riders to experience a motorcycle’s true capabilities. We know you count on us to provide honest, in-depth reviews to help you make informed purchase decisions – or to just keep you up to date on the latest and greatest bikes on the market.
Every year, we ride as many new or significantly updated motorcycles as we can and evaluate them within the context of their intended use. Then we put our collective heads together and identify those that best fulfill their intended purpose and advance the state of motorcycle design, performance, and function.
For 2023, there were more than 80 eligible contenders. We narrowed them down to 10 finalists and one winner. Starting Friday, Sept 8, and resuming Monday, Sept. 11, we’ll be updating this post with two finalists per day, with the big reveal of this year’s 2023 Motorcycle of the Year winner on Friday, Sept. 15. So bookmark this page and keep checking back.
Without further ado…
2023 Motorcycle of the Year Finalists:
1. BMW R 18 Roctane
BMW R 18 Roctane (Photo by Jörg Künstle, Markus Jahn)
The fifth member of the R 18 family is a unique alternative to the ubiquitous American V-Twin. It’s powered by the BMW 1,802cc “Big Boxer” Twin and features blacked-out styling, a midrise handlebar, a 21-inch front wheel, and hard saddlebags. The Roctane has admirable curb appeal, good comfort and handling, and high-tech features including Rock, Roll, and Rain ride modes.
CFMOTO has been on the gas lately, expanding its motorcycle lineup from seven to 10 models, including two versions of the Ibex 800 adventure-tourer powered by a 790cc parallel-Twin adapted from the KTM 790 Adventure. The top-of-the-line Ibex 800 T is comfortable, capable, and packed with useful features yet retails for an accessible $10,499.
The 2023 CFMOTO Ibex 800 T is more geared toward on-road touring, but it comes with standard features that make intermediate backroads a whole lotta fun as well. (Photos by Aaron Crane)
CFMOTO is no stranger to off-road vehicles. In fact, many of you may be more familiar with CFMOTO ATVs and side-by-sides, which the company has been selling in the U.S. for more than 20 years. Its first foray into the ADV market was the street-focused 650 ADVentura, announced in June of last year as part of the 2022 lineup. More recently, the company released the 2023 CFMOTO Ibex 800 T and Ibex 800 S, with the 800 T designed for “when the blacktop turns to dirt” – fitting since the bike is named after a wild mountain goat.
MSRP for the 2023 CFMOTO Ibex 800 T is $10,499. Our test bike was equipped with the optional centerstand ($279.99) and pannier set ($1,699.99), for an as-tested price of $12,479.
Both the Ibex 800 T and S are powered by a liquid-cooled 799cc parallel-Twin with DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder borrowed from the previous-generation KTM 790 Adventure that makes a claimed 94 hp and 57 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip/assist clutch (the T also adds a quickshifter to the mix). Both bikes are equipped with throttle-by-wire and have two ride modes (Sport and Rain) and cruise control.
The Ibex 800 S ($9,499) rolls on cast wheels (19-inch front, 17-inch rear) and is aimed at street-focused riders. The Ibex 800 T ($10,499) has spoked wheels and is equipped with several upgrades, including a skid plate, heated grips, a heated seat, a quickshifter, and both USB and 12V outlets. Our Ibex 800 T test bike was equipped with the optional centerstand ($279.99) and pannier set ($1,699.99), for an as-tested price of $12,479.
The Ibex 800 T has a KYB inverted fork and rear monoshock, both fully adjustable.
When I fired up the Ibex 800 T for the first time, I found the aural quality of the engine to be kind of chirpy, but once you get moving, the billy goat gets gruff, producing a satisfying growl and a surge forward with some nice grunt in the midrange. However, the throttle-by-wire needs some fine tuning. In Sport mode, response was a bit too snatchy. This can be mitigated in Rain mode, but when the roads are dry, this seems more like a workaround than a feature. The throttle-by-wire also led to issues in the dirt, but more on that shortly.
As this is an adventure-touring bike, it seemed fitting that my first experience on the bike was about 50 miles of interstate – and 3,000 feet of elevation gain – to my house. The 800 T has an adjustable windscreen, and it was quite effective at preventing buffeting for my 6-foot frame. I kept the windscreen at the highest position, but for those wanting it somewhere else, height adjustment is tool-less and quick, offering about 2 inches of range.
The skid plate and heated grips and seat are nice up-spec features the Ibex 800 T has over its 800 S stablemate.
The Ibex 800 T rides on Maxxis MaxxVenture MA1 tires, which CFMOTO says are manufactured specifically for the bike. Their tread pattern is that of a 90/10 (road/off-road) tire, and as such, I felt the tires performed admirably on the pavement. They offered a smooth ride and weren’t noisy at high speeds, and when combined with the fully adjustable KYB suspension (6.3/5.9 inches of travel front/rear), they inspired more confidence than I was expecting when cornering. Even with the 37 lb of the accessory aluminum top and side cases added, I definitely enjoyed the ride when I was able to get it off the interstate and onto some state highways with more sweepers.
The accessory aluminum top case has a 36-liter capacity – big enough for a full-size helmet – and like the other cases, it has a lockable lid and quick-release mounting system.
CFMOTO Ibex 800 T: In It For the Distance…Mostly
There were a couple issues I noticed during those first miles on the Ibex. First, there was something about the aerodynamics of the bike that caused a high pitched, near-constant whistle between 65 and 80 mph. Thinking it might’ve been the cases (it sounded like it was coming from behind me), I pulled them off and tested again after I got home, but I still got the same result. I’m not sure what could be done to remedy this, but I would want to get it solved if this was my bike.
The Ibex 800 T comes with LED headlights, taillights, turnsignals, and fog lights.
Another minor issue is the cruise control. The buttons are large and easy to reach, but it tops out at 80 mph. In my home state of Utah, that’s the interstate speed limit, a speed that it seems like only the semis do…sometimes. The Ibex is a bike that feels steady at higher speeds, and I took it easily above 80 on a few occasions when I needed to overtake someone, but I was limited if I wanted to peg the cruise.
The Ibex 800s have the same liquid-cooled 799cc parallel-Twin as the 2019 KTM 790 Adventure.
Otherwise, this is a bike that is comfortable for the distance, especially on the highway. Its handling was a pleasure – even more enjoyable when I tested it without the added weight of the cases – and the handlebar is set at a good height and sweep and combines with an approachable 32.5-inch seat height (and a relatively wide and cushy saddle) for an upright position that matched my frame and 32-inch inseam. On a longer trip I took, I stopped every couple hours for gas, but there wasn’t any inordinate stiffness in my body as I stepped off the bike, and I was ready to hop back on as soon as it was filled up.
This Ibex 800 T has a 5-gallon tank, and we averaged 44.2 mpg and 224 miles of range. (Photo by the author)
The 7-inch TFT is clear and easy to read. The home screen includes everything you might want to see without feeling too cluttered, and the submenus offer a plethora of options, including three levels of heated grips and heated seats, handy features when I was climbing to higher elevations. Getting to the various submenus, however, requires a combination of long and quick pushes of several buttons that is reminiscent of the starting sequence of Furiosa’s rig in Mad Max: Fury Road, which can get a little cumbersome if you’re wanting to turn on those heated grips on the fly…or during the apocalypse. Once you get the sequence down, it’s pretty intuitive, but sometimes I got sent back to the main menu by accident, and there were times the menu froze up entirely for a moment.
The 90/10 Maxxis MaxxVenture MA1 tires were great on the pavement, but serious ADV riders will want to fit something more off-road ready.
The bike’s navigation feature is also a little clunky. On my longer trip, I paired the bike to my phone with the CFMOTO Ride app and set a destination. The app offered a couple alternate choices to the main route, but when I selected one and set off, the navigation kept trying to take me on the original route, attempting to reroute me every time I ignored it. Also, even though the automated voice in my helmet was giving distances in miles, the display was giving me kilometers. My colleague Allison Parker had similar issues with the navigation feature on a different CFMOTO (see her 2023 CFMOTO 300SS First Ride Review here). At least I wasn’t being given distances in inches like she was, but there are certainly a few kinks to be worked out with the app’s navigation settings.
The 7-inch TFT means there is plenty of room for everything you want to see without feeling cluttered. (Photo by the author)
However, I appreciated that all the home screen information was still displayed across the top of the navigation screen. And when it comes to connectivity and charging, the Ibex has two USB ports and a 12-volt port just below and on either side of the TFT display.
The windscreen offers 2 inches of height adjustment and provides good wind protection.
And ‘When the Blacktop Turns to Dirt’?
This is my first time on an ADV bike, and while I enjoyed the new experience, I think the Ibex 800 T in stock form won’t provide the adventure that more experienced ADV riders seek, although there are accessories that would take it up a notch. At a minimum, mounting more off-road-ready tires would be smart if you want to get dirty.
The design of the Ibex 800 T provided a comfortable standing position for my 6-foot frame with having to lean over.
While enjoying a highway tour on the bike, I spotted a dirt road in the distance that left the pavement, heading off into the hills between the sagebrush and pinyon junipers. It was a two-track intermediate dirt road, not too sandy, rutted, or rocky. I was comfortable in the standing position that suited my height without feeling strain in my back, and I rode relatively conservatively. However, I felt hindered from pushing myself a little more by that snatchy throttle. I may have been physically comfortable standing at steady speed, but slight rolling on or off of the throttle threw me off balance.
Being able to take the Ibex 800 T on this trek off the beaten path made my appreciate my first foray into the ADV bike segment. (Photo by the author)
After I came to a turn-around point on the dirt road, since I was enjoying this newfound freedom – I kept thinking about how there was no way my Harley Softail would’ve taken me on this adventure – I decided to see if putting it in Rain mode would allow me to take the pace up a little.
Some of you may see where this is going.
For stopping power, both Ibex 800 models have J.Juan components, with radial-mount 4-piston calipers biting dual 320mm discs up front and a 2-piston floating caliper pinching a single 260mm disc in the rear. The brakes did a great job on the pavement, shedding speed when necessary without feeling too grabby. Both bikes also have cornering ABS, which is where I ran into a problem in the dirt.
J.Juan radial-mount 4-piston calipers and dual 320mm discs provide confident stopping power on the pavement.
Unlike some other ADV bikes on the market, ABS cannot be turned off and there’s not an off-road ABS mode (which typically has less intervention on the front wheel and disables ABS at the rear). As I rode down the dirt road in Rain mode, even at slow speed, applying the front brake lever made the front end shudder as ABS kicked in. Down I went.
The accessory aluminum top and side cases add 37 pounds to the overall weight, but the 99 liters of total capacity are great for touring.
After I hefted the 546-lb bike back up on its rubber, I switched back to Sport mode, as I hadn’t noticed the ABS issue when riding with that setting. So for the rest of my novice dirt adventure, I was caught between wanting to push myself a little more but not feeling confident with the snatchy throttle responses.
Right on the Cusp
Even with the accessory cases, the Ibex 800 T confidently carved out the sweepers in Sport mode and made for an exhilarating ride.
Besides not having switchable ABS, most of my nits to pick with the Ibex 800 T are pretty minor and will hopefully work themselves out in future models – or at least with a Utah version that ups the cruise control limit. When all is said and done, this is a fun bike that feels like it’s right on the cusp of staking its claim as a solid adventure-touring bike for a reasonable price.
2023 CFMOTO Ibex 800 T Specs
Base Price: $10,499
Price as Tested: $12,479 (centerstand [$279.99] and pannier set [$1,699.99])
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