Why We Picked It:

Meet the Honda GROM—also called the MSX125, though a lawnmower already took that name in America, so Honda had to get creative. The result? A bike that was nicknamed after the British slang term for hooligan—and it’s grown a hell of a reputation to match that term since.

The Honda Grom has a massive cult following in the motorcycle community, and with good reason. With its high maneuverability and pea-shooting power for days, the Grom’s vibe is pure, slap-your-grandma sun-silly FUN—and you’ll find it on every pertinent motorcycle list we have, thanks to its versatility as a bike, combined with the heaps of stupid grins it’s caused with most of the motorcycle community proper.

The sweet spot of this stylin’ scoot comes mainly from Honda’s clever play with weight, balance, and power. An air-cooled 124.9cc SOHC single-cylinder engine thumps out 9.7hp @ 7,250rpm, with 7.7 lb-ft of torque @ 5,500rpm (10.5Nm), capable of a punchy start and a top speed of 62mph.

A small chainsaw produces three times as much power, but we guarantee the Grom will take you farther and make you grin wider than almost any other motorcycle out there today.

Why We Picked It:

The Kawasaki Z125 Pro was created in response to Honda’s wild success with the GROM—and many think Kawasaki hit the nail on the head when it comes to competition in the mini-moto racing category.

If we’re comparing the Z125 to the GROM, it's a bit lighter, a bit narrower, and a bit taller—but the lighter weight and adjusted power ratios settle everything up to make the Z125 a mean addition to Team Green’s fleet.

Smaller even than the GROM, the Z125 boasts an air-cooled fuel-injected 125cc SOHC single-cylinder engine, with its wee heart pumping out a strong 9.25 hp @ 7800 RPM and capable of 7.1 lbs-ft of torque @ 6,000 RPM.

Given it’s been blessed with a one-size-fits-anywhere aesthetic and cheap-to-fuel, cheap-to-insure qualities (not to mention the bargain-basement price of $3,399), this sturdy mini-streetfighter is a great option, whether you’re riding for the fun of it or as a city commuter in need of a more nimble creature to tackle the city streets.

Why We Picked It:

The KTM 200 Duke might not yet be a common sight on the streets, but based on the intoxicating acceleration and unbeatable rideability, we’re betting it’ll be up there with the Z125 Pro and GROM when it comes to making your choice of which mini-bike to buy.

Since it has been blessed with the proper-sized 390 Duke-based trellis frame, this 6-speed bit of joy straddles the bridge between the mini-moto category and the lightweight beginner motorcycle class.

For power, the 200 also has a 199.5 cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 4 valve, single-cylinder engine capable of a claimed 26hp and 14 lbs-ft of torque..

KTM has been rather silent about seat height on their website, though we can guess by the Duke 390 frame (and identical 17 inch tire size) that the seat height will be somewhere around 32 in (820 mm). Keep in mind the Duke 200 is a tad bigger and heavier than the Z125 Pro and the GROM, so low-end torque might feel a bit thin by comparison.

The long and short of it? It’s solid, it’s decently priced, and it’s fun, that’s why it’s on this list. Throw the Duke 200 around, and you’ll instantly feel the great combination of suspension and ergonomics—and with a pocket-friendly price of $4,199 USD, you’re basically guaranteed the very best of budget-hooning capabilities.

Why We Picked It:

The real reason for the GROM's original hype was this little banana-thrower, which has been around for nearly 60 years while still keeping the name Monkey throughout it all. The Honda Monkey started out a small runabout motorcycle for the civilized suburbanite, but then evolved into a public mini motorcycle for the masses with a huge following—and given that Honda’s good at solid bikes with fun reputations at a good price, we think this little chimp will be sticking around for a while yet.

The Honda Monkey is a solid bike, sporting the GROM's 124.9cc air-cooled SOHC single-cylinder engine capable of 9.7 HP @ 7,250 RPM and 7.7 lb-ft of torque @ 5,500 RPM.

While the current-day tire size is now 12 inches, a far cry from the original 5-inch ones, the 30.6-inch seat height still keeps the Monkey in fine working order for the mini-moto category; and at a below-the-belt bargain of $4,249 USD, you really can’t go wrong.

Why We Picked It:

We could have put any of a number of Yamaha bikes here, and it was a close choice between the YZF-R3 and the MT-03, but the naked bike won out for one simple reason. That reason is that while it shares its super 321cc two-banger with the supersport, it is much less aggressive, and much more forgiving, for the newer rider.

Even for experienced riders, the MT-03's 41.4 HP and 24 lbs-ft of torque is more than enough to flick it about in the canyons or commute through the concrete jungle. It also helps that it looks like it's ready to bite the head off of any other bike that approaches it, despite the fact it's a gentle beast that works more on growing your smile than anything else.

It also counts that it's $4,999, and for a bike as feature packed, with as much tech and rider aids as the MT-03 has, and that is as communicative and responsive as it is, that's a downright bargain.

Why We Picked It:

What can we say about Honda's ability to make small displacement engines work wonders? This prowess with tiny amounts of cc's is exemplified in the 2023 Honda CRF300L Rally, a dual-sport that is robust, nigh-unbreakable, and is ready to take on everything from pavement to the sands dunes of a desert.

Powered by a 286cc four stroke single, it produces 27 HP and 19 lbs-ft of torque. That sounds pitiful, you might say, and on paper it does look rather low, but once you swing a leg over and take the CRF300L Rally for a ride, everything changes. It's not designed to set world speed records, but almost all of that grunt is way down in the low and mid-range, exactly where you want it for riding off road or doing some adventure touring.

It can also haul an immense amount of weight. The bike itself is a mere 331 lbs, yet you can sling saddlebags and a top case across the back, put a bag on top of the 3.4 gallon tank, and mount a GPS unit on the handy cross bar above the dash, and it will still be able to pull you and all of that weight across even the roughest terrain. It just keeps chugging along like a little tractor as you ride the dirt road off into the sunset, the dust from your passing hanging in the air to show that another legendary Honda dual-sport has passed through...