Four new motorcycles you may have missed (and weren't expecting)

2022 BMW CE 04

After teasing the CE 04’s basic design as a concept, BMW Motorrad finally released the C evolution’s successor. Meet the CE 04, BMW’s $12,000 urban electric scooter with 42 horsepower and a range of 80 miles (estimated).

Riders can track the scooter’s vitals, along with their navigation and phone alerts, using the sprawling 10.25-inch display. The 8.9 kWh battery is flat and low in the frame, which means the scooter’s cargo storage can be accessed from the sides, not the top, like most other scoots. The CE 04 tops out at 75 mph and charges in two hours on a Level 2 charger.

“The BMW CE 04 is our new electric star for the city,” says Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW AG.” It combines an e-drive with emotion and motorcycling fun. The latest technology, and the best battery cells, which also provide power in the BMW iX. Just like the CE 04, all future new BMW Motorrad models for urban mobility will be pure electric.” Additional CE models may follow if the 04 sells well.

BMW claims the diving board of a seat is fine for most scooter riders, as urban riders rarely exceed eight miles per day, according to their research. Several seat designs are available with small “backrest” bumps in different locations. There’s even an optional graphic kit to replicate the orange and white concept model. Base models start at $11,795. Learn more here. 

2022 Yamaha YZ125

The off-road and motocross world still has its committed two-stroke fans, but they usually have little to get excited about during new motorcycle introduction season. This year, Yamaha gave them some news. After a decade and a half, Yamaha decided to update the YZ125 with an all-new engine and a modernized chassis, along with some other upgrades that push this model to the front of Japan's eighth-liter MX class. The bike weighs a scant 209 pounds ready to ride.

Meant to combine the worlds of dirt beginners and the 125 motocross class, the YZ125 gets a new carburetor and a streamlined intake design for boosts in mid and top-end power. Upgraded brakes and new Kayaba suspension sharpen the handling, with a flatter seat and thinner profile to suit the bike's new direction. Graphics are embedded in the plastic for long life. Scoop yours for $6,899. Learn more here.

2022 MV Agusta F3 Rosso

"Affordable" and "MV Agusta" don't often appear in the same sentence, but the Italian company started its entry-level Rosso line in 2019 for buyers who do have to ask about the price. These motorcycles have the same styling and dimensions as their spendier stablemates, except they're slightly detuned and only available in plain red. MV's Dragster, Brutale, and Turismo Veloce got the Rosso treatment over the last two years, and now it's time for the final (and most anticipated) model yet: the F3 Rosso.

MV Agusta's F3 is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful sporting motorcycles available today, and the F3 Rosso has all the looks and most of the performance for €16,400 (around $19,400). That's almost $4,000 less than the upspec F3 RC.

But is it enough of a bargain to draw MV's target customers for the Rosso line, mainly younger buyers, into showrooms? The Rosso's 798 cc triple was only detuned by six horsepower to a respectable 147 ponies, so the performance drop is negligible. And aesthetically, there are some (myself included) who'd rather have the F3 in solid red than any other paint job. Learn more here. 

2022 Yamaha Zuma 125

We've seen "adventure scooters" before. After all, it's not that hard to spoon some knobbies on a scooter's wheels. But how often do you see variable valve timing on a scooter? Yamaha's Zuma gets both for 2022. Although its Blue Core engine has variable valve timing, liquid cooling, four valves, fuel injection and a compression ratio of 11.2:1, the Zuma is still the least expensive street-legal motorcycle in Yamaha's U.S. lineup and also the most affordable one on this list, at $3,699.

More obvious changes in the aesthetics department give the Zuma its ADV edge: knobby tires, sharper bodywork, and asymmetrical, adjustable headlights that recall BMW's early GSes. The new Zuma would probably fare best in an urban environment with rough roads, like RevZilla's home city of Philadelphia.

The underseat storage accommodates one full-faced helmet or two smaller lids. The Zuma's fuel economy of 101 miles per gallon nets a range of around 150 miles. Who will be next to join the ADV scooter trend? Learn more here.

See anything you like?

These are fringe motorcycles in the United States, no doubt. That doesn't make them bad bikes. If you had to have one, and you couldn't sell it, which of these also-rans would you be riding?