2020 has been a good year for us dirt bike riders. It seems the slowing down of R&D by some manufactures has been given a hard nudge with Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, and KTM/Husqvarna releasing some new models this year. So we thought we would give you our picks and why for the best new models to hit the dirt.

It is a great time to be alive and there has never been a better time to start riding dirt bikes. The phrase, "‘it’s too late for me’ doesn’t exist when dirt bikes are involved. Some of these new models that we have picked - you may not agree with. There are no MX bikes in this line up and some of you might even turn your nose up at what we think rock’s for 2020. But hopefully we can get you thinking about more that just horsepower and going fast. Because lets face it - dirt bikes are about that, but they are also about a whole lot more than that.

Kawasaki KLX230R

In no particular order, we start off with Kawasaki’s all-new KLX230R. Now this may not spin your wheel but the wheels have been spinning on the 230 game for a very very long time - with Honda and Yamaha having cornered the market of trail loving/learner friendly/farm working machine. The 230 really can do it all.

It is the perfect bike to learn on. It has usable, smooth power with no aggressive hits. It is pretty low to the ground with a low center of gravity, and it is virtually bullet proof. And the edge the KLX has over the CRF or TT-R is that it has a disc brake on the rear, is fuel injected and it looks cooler too. A cocky can use this to round up the ladies and hit the local trail ride he next day.

We’ve said it before - the 230 is probably the most underrated dirt bike on the market. Welcome Kawasaki to the 230 game. It’s about time.

Learn more about the 230 and its Dual Sport brother HERE.

Yamaha YZ125X

Yamaha are no stranger to the off-road world, having a strong line up of their ‘X’ model bikes, in the form of the 250FX, 450FX and 250X two-stroke. The addition of the 125X completes the range - something that Yamaha needed to do. KTM and Husqvarna have basically cornered the off-road, small-bore two-stroke market with their 150 machine. And with 2020 seeing the 150 going to TPI, even with how good this 125X will be, it is still going to struggle against the Austrian brands.

Having said that, the YZ125 motocrosser, which this X is derived from is one of the best overall 125 packages you can get, which is impressive seeing as it’s well over 10 years old in its design. The addition of the 18-inch wheel, side stand and engine refinements should have made the snappy MX racer into a bush weapon for the up and coming juniors. It may not seem like much by Yamaha fans will now have something to take on the Austrians with, that wont take bugger all modifying.

Learn more about the YZ125X HERE.

HONDA CRF250F

Now following on from above, and the fact that the 230 is an incredible bike when it’s used under its design matrix, Honda may have just changed the game with its new 250F model. The air-cooled, 250cc engine and perimeter frame will outmatch the 230 straight away. The larger forks and fully adjustable rear shock also leaves the 230 behind, making this bike the next evolution in the 230 world.

It is the end for the mighty 230? The real answer will come in about a year when a farmer has done 1000 hours and never removed the head on this thing - cause that is what a 230 can do. And at under $1000 more expensive, the extra amount of bike will far outweigh the extra cash leaving the pocket. This is in our 2020 pick because we never thought there would be a 230 killer - this might be it.

HUSQVARNA TX300

Having ridden the 2019 Husqvarna TX300, the excitement we received by finding out that for 2020 the TX was going to go injected was off the chain. In our opinion, the Husky bikes have surpassed KTM in the looks department and this version, with the split side panels looks beautiful.

But it’s not just beauty - it’s the rest of it too. You get the WP air forks, which seem to be the best air forks on the market. That is proven with nearly every other manufacturer scrapping their air forks for the traditional spring. The cool new expansion chamber that is said to be tougher will help, and the TPI engine will smooth out that 300cc hit and give you oodles of riding pleasure like never before. We are especially excited to ride this bike.

KTM 790 ADVENTURE R

Where would the list be without the 790 Adventure R? Probably a crap one. The amount of media traction this bike has received all over the world is no coincidence. Adventure riding will forever be transformed with the likes of the 790. A bike that can perform as good on road as it can off.

Assuming you’re a good ride that is. Truth be told, probably around 80% of the riders of this bike will no be able to use it to its full potential. You see videos of Chris Birch and other KTM official racers launching this thing off banks and climbing steep hills - stuff the people who actually buy this bike will not be doing. So that malarkey is kind of irrelevant really and a gimmick if you will. What is relevant is that the mid-sized capacity makes Adventure riding more accessible to more riders, and that is why the likes of the 790 will make its mark in history. The first real ‘big’, capable, dual-purpose bike for everyone. People struggle on 1290s and 1090s - which are really road bikes in disguise. The 790 is the perfect in between.

NOTABLE MENTIONS

Yamaha T7

Other notable mentions would be the new Yamaha T7 (Tenere 700) that is yet to be released. There have been a lot of pre-ordered machines so they better be as good as they look. Personally we think the T7 looks cooler than the 790, but it has that more aggressive off-road look about it. And we are The Dirt after all?

What we also like is that it doesn’t come with much fruit. Unlike the 690 or 790, which has fancy screens and buttons and knobs that do all sorts of things, the T7 has ABS and that is about it really. It will be a bit of a ‘raw’ ride and I think I like that about it. Sometimes too many electronically controlled features can take away from the experience of riding. But the proof will be in the pudding. One order of desert please.