Game Changing Bikes Of 2025

2025 was another interesting year for Indian bikers with a hoard of new launches across the spectrum. EV sales have risen at a good pace despite subsidies diminishing making them more mainstream than ever. In the EV space, legacy players have started to stomp their authority while for startups barring Ather, the going has been slow. Sales for ICE bikes were going decent with a marginal improvement, however the big change came when GST rates were slashed and this festive season saw record sales for a lot of brands. In this article we are listing down the game changer products for the popular manufacturers in 2025. 

Aprilia Tuono 457

Starting with Aprilia, yes, we got the new SR 175 this year, but honestly it was the Tuno 457 which had a bigger impact. The Tuono 457 is basically the naked version of the Aprilia RS 457, which won the 2025 TOTM Bike Of The Year. While its styling is a bit radical, what makes it so appealing is the performance of the bike. The twin-cylinder engine offers thrilling performance with wonderful refinement making it stand out amongst its peers. The only negative is the GST price revision, which will make the bike more expensive starting 2026 as Aprilia was absorbing the GST tax hike up until now. 

Ducati Panigale V4 

The Ducati Panigale V4 was always among the echelons of two-wheeler performance ever since it made its debut. However, the new Panigale V4 has pushed the performance bar even further. While the engine now pushes out more power, the double-sided swingarm has played a key role in improving the handling dynamics of the bike. Other improvements include redesigned winglets and the riding posture has been made more comfortable, thereby allowing the rider to explore the performance of the flagship Ducati sportbike even more. 

Harley-Davidson X400 T

The Harley-Davidson X440 showed a lot of promise but it failed to deliver when it came to sales. Some of the key reasons for the above were its styling and quality levels. To address the above, Harley launched the new X440 T. The revised styling tweaks have made the bike look more pleasing to the eyes, while the quality and finish levels have improved drastically. The new bike also gets electronic goodies such as ride modes and a traction control system making it a more wholesome package. So can the 440 T help improve Harley sales is something we will have to wait and watch, but the engineers and designers have ensured that the shortcomings of the predecessor have been addressed. 

Honda CB 125 Hornet

One of the biggest surprises of 2025 was the Honda CB125 Hornet. Nobody expected Honda to enter the sporty 125 cc segment as it dominates the 125 cc commuter space, but its first attempt caught everyone by surprise. The styling of the CB125 Hornet is very in-your-face and loud, which should work in its favour as youngsters are the target audience for the bike. It was the first motorcycle in its segment to feature a USD fork and the sporty DNA is clearly visible in its form and performance. 

Hero Xtreme 250R

The Hero Xtreme 250R was a huge statement from the largest bikemaker in the country. The styling of the motorcycle is brash and modern, while the engine specs are among the best. In fact, the Xtreme 250R is the quickest accelerating bike in its category. What made us love the bike even more is its handling dynamics which is sharp, enthralling and joyful. The chassis balance is spot on and even the ride quality isn’t bad for a motorcycle offering such performance. What made the deal even sweeter is the aggressive pricing of the Xtreme 250R and it’s no surprise to see a lot of bikes on the roads already. 

KTM 390 Adventure

Indian bikers had a lot of expectations from the Gen 1 KTM 390 Adventure and it turned out to be a huge disappointment. It was basically the KTM 390 Duke with a bit of more travel and no wonder then it failed to find many takers. The next generation KTM 390 Adventure is an all-new beast and what a wonderful motorcycle it’s. All-new from the ground-up, the new bike is more than capable off-road, the new engine offers you loads of grunt for commuting or clocking miles while touring and the adjustable suspension and electronics goodies make it an unbeatable package. 

Royal Enfield Hunter 350

The Hunter 350 has been a great success story for Royal Enfield with respect to sales but it had its own set of flaws. The biggest of which was the harsh ride quality offered by the rear suspension, the company addressed it with the new updated model giving it more travel and changing the springs. On the cosmetic front, the 2025 Hunter 350 received new colour shades and also an LED headlight. The other notable upgrade was the inclusion of a slipper clutch, which makes the bike effortless to ride in city traffic thereby making the new Hunter 350 a more well-rounded motorcycle.

Suzuki Access 125

The Access 125 is the most popular 125 cc scooter to be sold in the Indian market and in 2025 we saw the updated version of the scooter making its debut. The biggest change lies in the cosmetic end with an all-new styling which makes the Access 125 look fresher and modern. Improving the aesthetics are the new colour shades which makes the scooter more appealing. It is now also more practical than ever. It gets a bigger underseat storage space, plus dual front pockets, and a marginally larger fuel tank of 5.3-litres.

Triumph Thruxton 400

Triumph rode in the much awaited cafe racer on the 400 cc platform in the form of the Thruxton 400. The styling of the bike is its biggest draw as cafe racers as a segment is niche and the Thruxton 400 is among the most affordable bikes in its class. Triumph engineers didn’t plonk just a new body kit on the bike but also improved the mechanicals of the bike, giving it a higher tune than the stock 400 cc engine. 

TVS Ntorq 150 

While all eyes were on TVS’s first ADV offering, the Apache RTX, what really stole the show in our opinion is the Ntorq 150. For many years, TVS Ntorq 125 owners have been waiting for an upgrade for their scooter and while TVS took its own sweet time, it did deliver and how. The styling of the 150 cc scooter is sporty, sharp and radical with loud colour schemes to make it pop out. Then there’s the new 150 cc engine, yes it’s air-cooled and produces less power compared to its rivals, but the Ntorq 150 is also much lighter and owing to which it offers peppy performance. What makes this performance even more appealing is the refinement of the engine as it feels very understressed and there’s hardly any vibes even at 100 kmph! All the above and a bunch of features at a price point which undercuts its rivals, no wonder then the TVS Ntorq was crowned the 2026 Acko Drive Bike Of The Year. 

Ultraviolette X47 Crossover

The Ultraviolette F77 has always remained a very impressive motorcycle, but its committed riding stance and performance-oriented approach meant its target audience was very limited. In 2025, Ultraviolette rode in its second product in the form of the X47 Crossover, which was India’s first production electric ADV bike. The upright riding stance, long travel suspension and spacious seat mean that the X47 was a more approachable bike for many bikers and also came at a more competitive price point than its sibling. The performance of the bike is exciting, handling is fun and it’s the only made-in-India bike to feature blind spot detection and radar, so with respect to technology too the X47 is very impressive. 

Also READ: 10 Upcoming Adventure Motorcycles Coming In 2026

Vida VX2

On the EV side, one scooter that really impressed us was the Vida VX2. The VX1 showed a lot of promise, but with the VX2, the company upped his game and how. The styling tweaks are marginal, but the battery pack is all-new (still removable), thereby offering better range, while the improvements to the motor have bumped the performance of the electric scooter. The Vida VX2 also comes with BaaS which has reduced the pricing of the scooter massively and it isn’t surprising that sales for the VX2 have boomed ever since its launch. 

Yamaha XSR 155

Ever since the Yamaha XSR 155 broke cover in 2019, Indian bikers have been waiting anxiously for Yamaha to launch it in the Indian market. However, for reasons best known to the Japanese manufacturer, the XSR 155 never landed on Indian shores despite the fact that the Yamaha R15 and the MT15 are manufactured here. However in 2025, the XSR 155 was finally launched, but the excitement for the bike has diminished a lot. Still as a product the bike offers you stunning looks, good performance, agile handling and yet remains extremely frugal.