\[OC\] Buying a new motorcycle in 2026 is probably one of the most frustrating things I've done in a long time!

What should have been a simple process of finding a bike I liked somehow turned into months of spreadsheets, test rides, YouTube rabbit holes, owner forums, dealership visits, and endless comparisons.

I rode and considered almost everything in the segment.

The KTM 390 Adventure S, CFMOTO 450MT, Honda NX500, Himalayan 450, Kawasaki KLE 500 and the F450 GS.

I rode each of these machines again and again and again to the point were the showroom folkes were almost done with me showing up at their door step. Somewhere along the way I started looking at used motorcycles too. The logic seemed simple, if new bikes are getting more expensive every year, why not step up a segment and buy used?

That led me to the Versys 650, the F850 GS, and the Transalp. For a while, the used route made perfect sense. More power, more capability, more motorcycle for the money.

But then reality stepped in! Fuel regulations, future compliance concerns, the uncertainty around ownership costs. The possibility of restrictions and changing norms down the line.

Suddenly, buying an older motorcycle didn't feel as straightforward as it once did and that's when I realized something. This is genuinely a terrible time to be buying a motorcycle. Prices have climbed. GST has made everything more expensive.

Every motorcycle I rode was a compromise in one way or another. The Himalayan was tempting, the NX500 was sensible, the 450MT was incredibly interesting. The larger used bikes offered capability that no small-capacity motorcycle could match.

Yet somehow, after all the comparisons, all the calculations, and all the second-guessing, I kept coming back to the same bike. The KTM 390 Adventure S.

Not because it was perfect, not because it was the most powerful, not because it was the cheapest. But because every time I looked at the alternatives, it felt like the motorcycle that made the most sense for the kind of riding I actually do.

So after months of searching, comparing, and overthinking, I finally booked one.

The funny thing is that after evaluating almost every option on the market, I ended up right where I started.

Now comes the easy part.

Finding excuses to ride it.

Such a Frustratingly Rewarding process!