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Top 5 middleweight big bikes worth buying in the Philippines

Looking to upgrade? Consider these five options in the middleweight segment with exceptional performance and value.

Earl Lee Earl Lee on Dec 31, 2022
Top 5 Middleweight motorcycles

Not too heavy, not too light, just right. That’s the phrase that the team uses whenever we get to review or test a bike in the middle to the heavy-middleweight segments of the market. Whether it's us writers or our video host, we think there’s room for a 650 to 900-ish displacement bike in your garage if you love riding no matter what kind of ride you enjoy, whether adventure or on track. 

The middling segment of the market is filled with a ton of options now, and the competition has gotten quite fierce over the years. Brands are chiming in left and right trying to one-up each other with every new model. Of all the bikes in the market, however, there are a few that present an exceptional value proposition, but here are five that we believe can give you performance and fun with a worthwhile price tag. 

CFMOTO 700 CL-X Sport and Heritage

CFMOTO 700 CL-X Sport

To kick off this list, let’s go with another one of CFMOTO’s runaway successes. While the 650 NK presents a great value proposition for riders who want a no-frills sport-naked motorcycle, the 700 CL-X offers a lot more in the way of looks and features plus the option to go for a scrambler or a cafe racer. 

Related:
2022 CFMOTO 700 CL-X Sport Review

The CL-X lineup deserves a big shout-out for making cruise control standard on all its variants whether it’s the Heritage or the Sport, along with a competent and decent twin-cylinder engine. While the CL-X series doesn’t have a ton of power, it has respectable figures, making 73.75 hp and a decent 68 Nm of torque. After that, it’s a feature fest depending on what variant you get. If you find yourself on gravel, the Heritage offers a comfy riding position, along with pliant suspension and scrambler tires as OEM equipment. However, if performance is the name of the game, the Sport variant is where it is at with its double front disc brakes that are clamped by a pair of Brembo calipers. All of this is wrapped in CFMOTO’s neo-retro design language. With a starting price of P369,800 for the Heritage, it sets a nice baseline of features that we like to see in the middleweight segment of the market. 

Yamaha MT-07

Yamaha MT-07

Considered one of the staples in the middleweight segment and the motorcycling industry in general, the Yamaha MT-07 is a no-frills and fun middleweight bike with a character that will never get old. It may not have the most padded spec sheet, nor the most powerful engine, but you can’t really quantify fun or character, can you? 

Its 689cc parallel twin is legendary even with just 74 hp and 68 Nm of torque, and its characterful power delivery is enough to land it a spot on this list even if it only comes with ABS and a slipper clutch. It’s not well-equipped at all since it features standard right-side-up forks, no traction control, and a basic digital gauge cluster, but all that is small potatoes compared to the amount of fun that you can have on the MT-07. Priced at P459,000, this is a bike that’s definitely worth a test ride. 

Triumph Trident 660

Triumph Trident 660

Triumph knows a thing or two about middleweight motorcycles. Thanks to its experience with the Street Triple 765, and prior iterations of the nameplate, the British motorcycle brand knows what makes a great middleweight. For many, however, the Street Triple is quite an extreme and expensive purchase, and it was a great move on the brand’s part to make a more sedate and more approachable middleweight in the form of the Trident 660. 

Related:
2021 Triumph Trident 660 Review

Consider it a more forgiving Street Triple but with classy neo-retro looks all around. It may be a bit of a step down from the well-equipped Street Triple, but it’s perhaps just what the brand needed since it’s gone on to become Triumph’s best-selling model in recent years. With a 660cc inline triple-cylinder engine, it has an exhaust note that’s quite addicting to wring out, but with a powerband that’s not as intimidating as its bigger brothers. Traction control, ABS, and ride modes help smoothen out the 80 hp that you will get from this motorcycle and it’s definitely a fun ride with a rather low and approachable seat height. Prices start at P506,000 and it goes up from there depending on the colorway that strikes a chord with you. 

Honda CB650R

Honda CB650R

The Honda CB650R is what many consider to be the quintessential big bike with the signature big bike sound. With its inline-four engine making 94 hp, but not a ton of torque at 64 Nm, it’s smooth when you need it and a screamer when you want it. When it comes to exhaust notes, the CB really sings an addicting tune, and it's got Honda’s Neo-Retro Sports Cafe design language along with Honda build quality and reliability. 

It makes the list because it’s one of the only four-cylinder middleweight bikes left on the market for a price that’s close to half a million Philippine pesos. While other brands are looking to field middleweight twins in the coming years (Honda included), we hope that the CB650R stays in the market or gets an update down the line. It’s hard to picture a world without an inline-four Honda screaming into the sunset, and for P519,000, it’s definitely something that’s worth considering. 

KTM 790 Duke

KTM 790 Duke

The price-to-performance ratio is off the charts with the 790 Duke. For just P599,000, you get a ton of power, torque, agility, and features that no other middleweight motorcycle can offer at this price. The 799cc 75-degree parallel twin is a gem of a motor, creating 105 hp and 87 Nm of torque which is governed by a six-axis IMU, which allows features like cornering ABS and cornering traction control to be a part of its spec sheet on top of so many more things. 

On top of that, it comes equipped with a TFT gauge cluster, great lights, an aggressive exhaust note, built with a slim profile all around, a quick shifter, and WP suspension that makes it more agile than any other bike on this list. The KTM 790 Duke is an absolute weapon on a winding road or out on the track. The twin-cylinder engine is also a compact but absolutely lethal powerplant that’ll give you a rush with every twist of the throttle. KTM’s built a precise and focused naked bike that’s definitely worth the money if ride performance is at the top of your list. However, the bike lacks creature comforts like a charging port, and we wished that it came with adjustable suspension (though the setup of the Duke is one of the best nonadjustable suspensions we’ve tested so far). The other con is that it’s not a recommended model to buy if you’re an absolute beginner rider. The 790 Duke is definitely not a “first big bike” since it’s so capable and has the ability to ride wild, but man what a steal it is for just a thousand under P600,000. If you’re looking to upgrade to the 790 Duke, definitely check it out and give it a test ride, but think twice if you’re a rather inexperienced rider. 

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