The Moto Ref
Empty mountain road winding through a misty valley at sunrise

Compare motorcycles. The numbers decide.

I score every bike out of 100 from its published specs, and I show the working. No sponsors, no press trips, no home-crowd calls.

35
bikes in the database
107
head to head comparisons
100
points, six categories
0
sponsored scores

Build a head to head

Pick any bike, then one of its real rivals. Same class, same scoring, one winner.

Featured matchup

Supermoto rider pulling a wheelie

KTM 390 SMC R vs Suzuki DR-Z4SM

The A2 supermoto fight of the decade: KTM's spec-sheet bully against the return of an icon. I scored both from the published specs; the bars on the right are the whole argument.

Read the full comparison

Engine and performance

out of 25
390 SMC R
18.8
DR-Z4SM
6.3

Handling and chassis

out of 20
390 SMC R
10.3
DR-Z4SM
14.0

Value

out of 20
390 SMC R
15.0
DR-Z4SM
5.0

Practicality

out of 15
390 SMC R
9.8
DR-Z4SM
4.1

Technology

out of 10
390 SMC R
8.3
DR-Z4SM
4.9

Reliability and ownership

out of 10
390 SMC R
6.1
DR-Z4SM
7.9

Head to head

Popular comparisons

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Ownership

Service intervals and running costs

All 35 bikes compared

The cheapest bike to keep serviced in each class, plus the newest arrivals: oil and valve intervals from the service book, and what scheduled servicing costs per 10,000 km on my published workshop rates. Each row opens the full guide with the schedule, first service and per-visit costs.

Service intervals and estimated servicing costs for the cheapest bike to service in each class and the newest arrivals
BikeOil serviceServicing / 10,000 km
DucatiHypermotard 698 Mono maintenance guideCheapest supermoto to service15,000 km~€210
TriumphSpeed 400 maintenance guideCheapest naked bike to service16,000 km~€155
KawasakiNinja 500 maintenance guideCheapest supersport to service12,000 km~€250
KTM890 Adventure R maintenance guideCheapest adventure bike to service15,000 km~€215
Husqvarna701 Enduro maintenance guideCheapest enduro to service10,000 km~€250
HondaCB1000 Hornet SP maintenance guideNew for 202612,000 km~€200
KTM390 Enduro R maintenance guideNew for 202610,000 km~€250
KTM125 SMC R maintenance guideNew for 202610,000 km~€255
ApriliaTuono 457 maintenance guideNew for 202610,000 km~€300

Rankings

Best of 2026

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How the points work

100 points, six categories, fixed weights. Every input is normalized within the bike's class, so a commuter is never punished for lacking superbike power. No editorial thumb on the scale: same data in, same score out. Boring, exactly the way a referee should be.

25
20
20
15
10
10
  • Engine and performance 25
  • Handling and chassis 20
  • Value 20
  • Practicality 15
  • Technology 10
  • Reliability and ownership 10
Read the full methodology