Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542014
P184 FEATURE I 2025 FAVORITE BIKES OF THE YEAR Honorable Mention #1 2025 CFMOTO IBEX 450 I spent more time on the CFMOTO IBEX 450 than any other bike this year, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The performance, fea- tures and build quality are great, especially when you consider the MSRP is just $6500. The motor has enough power to have fun, and it sounds very cool. The KYB suspension works well, the brakes are good, and it is comfortable to ride on or off-road for hours. Straightforward design features like an ad- justable windshield and a simple ABS/trac- tion control on/off button get bonus points. It is not as fast as larger displacement, more expensive ADV bikes, but it is a lot of fun. Honorable Mention #2 2025 STARK VARG EX Stark markets the new Varg EX electric bike as a street-legal dual sport bike, and in my opinion, the battery does not provide the range necessary for highway or high-speed trail or fire-road use. We got a maximum of less than 60 miles of open trail riding, and less than that if you dial up the power and twist the throttle a lot. But if you want to ride slower speed trails and limit your rides to less than four hours, this bike will surprise you with ease of use and performance. You don't need to worry about shifting or stalling, and the power is tunable to suit any riding conditions. We primarily rode it in the 25- to 35-horsepower levels (far from the 60 max) and found that to be the sweet spot. The KYB suspension is tuned for more ag- gressive riding than most dual sport or trail bikes, and the chassis feels very planted. The Stark Varg EX is breaking new ground, and for the right type of riding, it is fun and will surprise you with how easy it is to ride. That is why I put it on my list of favorite bikes. I have put over 20 hours into the Varg EX so far, and we will have a long- term test in an upcoming issue.