The Luimoto Comfort Awards: What Is The Most Comfortable Factory Motorcycle You Can Buy in 2025?

Summary:

The 2025 Luimoto Comfort Awards highlight how subjective motorcycle comfort can be, with riders nominating a surprising number of Japanese street bikes over traditional touring models, including the Suzuki GSX-8TT and Honda CB750 Hornet. Expert insights also pointed to versatile mid-range adventure tourers like the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro as rising stars. Ultimately, comfort comes down to factors like ergonomics, seat quality, suspension, and vibration control. These are elements any rider can enhance with the right upgrades.

Motorcycle comfort is completely subjective. It depends on your riding style, individual ergonomics, and preferences. But the fact remains that for most of us, some bikes are inherently more comfortable than others.

So which one tops the heap this year? We asked, and you answered.

Here are the top choices from Luimoto Riders, plus an opinion from an industry expert to help balance things out. You’ll also find tips on how you can make every motorcycle ride more comfortable, no matter what bike you have.

Reader’s Choices: Japanese Street Bikes Top the List

We’re as surprised as you are. When we put this project together, we assumed most of you would write in with road sofas like the new Harley Road Glide or Indian Roadmaster Elite. If we saw a Japanese bike, we expected it to be a Goldwing.

Boy, were we in for a surprise.

This year’s responses were overwhelmingly dominated by street bikes, from sport bikes to naked bikes and retro café racers. What’s more, only one bike that wasn’t Japanese made the list (and when you see which one it is, you probably won’t believe it).

But to each their own! Without any further ado, here’s what you told us gave you the most comfortable ride this year.

Winners: The Suzuki GSX-8TT & The Honda CB750

Duking it out for the number one spot on our list, we have two Japanese motorcycles that are similar in terms of engine displacement, but extremely different in terms of their character:

Suzuki GSX-8TT

Category: Retro Café Racer

The GSX-8TT takes the proven GSX-8S platform and adds retro-touring style with a slightly longer wheelbase and comfortable upright ergonomics. Its well-padded tuck-and-roll style seat, mid-set pegs, and smooth twin make it a bike you can spend hours on without fatigue.

• Best suited to riders who want a relaxed upright position with stability on longer rides

• Plush seat and balanced suspension make it friendly for commuters and weekend tourers

• Slightly heavier feel means it’s less ideal for new riders who want something ultra-light, but rewarding for riders who value stability

Shop Suzuki Seat Covers Here

Honda CB750 Hornet

Category: Naked

The CB750 Hornet leans toward a sportier naked-bike stance with a slightly lower seat and lighter curb weight. Its slim frame and agile handling make it nimble in the city, while the seat is supportive enough for medium-range rides, although it’s notably less plush than Suzuki’s. That’s probably why some of you specifically suggested upgrading this one with one of our gel seat inserts.

• Comfortable for riders looking for agility and sporty handling in urban and backroad settings

• Lower seat height makes it approachable for shorter riders and newer riders

• Best for riders who prioritize sharp handling and responsiveness over all-day touring comfort

Shop Honda Seat Covers Here

Want to learn more about this model? Check out this review on YouTube by RevZilla:

Specs at a Glance

Contenders in Other Categories: From Suzuki Middleweights to BMW Track Monsters

Some bikes aren’t designed for everyday comfort, but they still beat the competition in their own particular categories.

So here’s a quick list of the models that won plaudits for comfort in different segments this year. To see why, check out our detailed coverage of each one in the category-specific Comfort Awards articles we’re publishing throughout fall and winter 2025:

• Most Comfortable Supersport: BMW S1000RR

• Most Comfortable Sport Bike: Suzuki GSX-8R

• Most Comfortable Retro Café Racer: Suzuki GSX-8TT

• Most Comfortable Naked Bike: Honda CB750

And remember, these results are based on your submissions! So if you feel like any (or all) of these are crazy choices, there’s no one to blame but yourselves. We encourage you to hash out your disagreements in our Instagram comments (just try to keep things civil; we all know how passionate riders can get about their favourite bike brands).

Expert Opinion: Why Amanda Quick Chose the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro

Amanda Quick is an avid rider, a PR specialist for Buell motorcycles, and an occasional contracted contributor to leading motorcycle publications such as webBikeWorld.com. Much of her work focuses on identifying industry trends and using them to predict future changes to the motorcycling industry. She also has a deep personal interest in shining a light on the grey areas of the powersports world, where the needs of specific riders are sometimes overlooked or misrepresented.

We sat down with Amanda to get her take on the most comfortable motorcycles of the year. Here’s what she had to say:

Disclaimer: The views expressed below represent Amanda’s personal opinions and are in no way intended to represent any organization for which she is employed.

Amanda: So I want to preface this all by admitting that I haven't tried the GOAT bikes for comfort out there: cult faves like the Honda Gold Wing, HD Road Glide, BMW’s adventure touring line, etc. But I would say that any list of the comfiest bikes of 2025 should include more versatile bikes than previous years, meaning models that offer comfort both on and off the road.

We all know we have different types of bikes in our industry because nobody can agree on the same equation of ideal rider triangle (seat, handlebars, footpegs, and the placement of each) for absolute comfort, and that’s okay. But within that equation, there is a sweet spot that tends to attract a larger crowd following, and stats have shown the preferred rider ergonomic to be slightly more neutral.

Within those rather grey parameters, it’s kind of true that money will get you whatever your heart desires in the motorcycling industry, but even I’ll admit that the trophy should go to mid-range models. In 2023, I tried the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, and the extra cushion of the Deluxe Touring saddle was next level.

I've also really enjoyed my time on a few mid-sized adventurer tourers, which I feel are the real trending bikes to carry into 2025 for comfort this year. I mean, it doesn’t get better than newest-of-the-new dash tech, long-travel suspension with increased potential for bumpy shenanigans, and a saddle designed for hours of long-distance yoinking.

Add to that the idea that mid-range adventure tourers are also comfy on the freeway without breaking the bank, and I’d say that my current favorite bike for comfort in 2025 would be Triumph’s Tiger 900 GT Pro. If you’re a bit more spicy, I’d go for the Rally Pro for slightly more spirited riding.

I also LOVE the fact that dual-sports are currently trending super hard and starting to merge with the adventure category; this is a super new movement, similar to what we saw with generic adventure bikes moving toward the touring category a few years ago, and I can’t wait to see what the industry does with that particular lean.

In my humble opinion, there’s huge potential in the coming years for duals to merge with ADVs, creating a machine that’s both comfy with modern tech and offering sleeker aesthetics, bigger potential for gas savings, maneuverability off the paved road… like I said, all of the good stuff.

Shop Triumph Seat Covers Here

Want more? Here’s another quick opinion on the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro by Moto Film on YouTube:

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro Specs

What Makes Your Ride Comfortable?

At the end of the day, the motorcycle you find most comfortable will be the one that supports your body and riding style. You might find a Ducati Monster more comfortable to ride around in the city, due to its light weight and versatility, but you’ll probably want a touring bike like a Harley for long cross-country rides (especially if you’re taller and don’t like folding your long legs under you for hours at a time).

Numerous factors can play a role in reducing fatigue and enhancing your riding experience. Here are a few of the most important ones:

• Seat quality: A well-padded, supportive seat helps keep you from getting sore on long rides. Learn more in our article on Buying a Motorcycle Seat Cushion vs. Using a Gel Pad.

• Ergonomics: The triangle between your bike’s seat, bar, and peg positions should allow you to reach the controls without getting T-rex arms or aggressive hip and knee angles. Some tighter setups lean riders forward for extra control, but this generally causes more fatigue. Learn more in our Rider’s Guide to Motorcycle Ergonomics.

• Suspension setup: Smooth, adjustable suspension absorbs bumps when it’s properly adjusted to your weight. Suspension can also impact your handling though, so be careful adjusting it.

• Wind protection: Fairings and screens cut fatigue by reducing wind buffeting. This is why naked bikes are often comfortable for short city trips but exhausting on longer rides at highway speeds.

• Weight balance: A stable chassis with predictable handling lowers rider effort and stress. Heavy bikes may feel more comfortable for larger riders, while smaller riders often prefer lightweight models, especially at parking lot speeds where the weight is more apparent.

• Vibration control: Engine balancing and damping reduce the amount of buzz you’ll feel while riding. Bar weights are one easy way to improve this when it comes to your hands. Luimoto’s Gold Gel inserts can also reduce vibrations through your seat.

Get the Best Comfort Your Bike Can Offer with Luimoto

Luimoto makes premium aftermarket seat covers for a huge variety of popular makes and models, including the ones listed above. These covers use materials that offer superior comfort, longevity, and weather resistance to the ones in most OEM options.

For even more comfort, consider adding a Luimoto Gold Gel pad or insert to your seat, which helps soak up vibrations and provide extra saddle support. Upgrades like these can improve the comfort of any motorcycle, so that you can feel like a Comfort Award winner no matter what you ride.

Shop our entire collection here.