Here at BikeBound, we’re big fans of scramblers, desert sleds, rally bikes, and adventure machines. So are you, our readers, as several of the machines that made our list of the Top 10 Custom Motorcycles of 2022 were built as much for dirt as tarmac, running knobby tires, skid plates, and high-mount exhausts.
We decided to follow up with a list of the most popular scramblers, dirt bikes, and desert sleds we featured this year, based on traffic and social engagement — this is the most objective ranking we could achieve. Without further ado, here are the BikeBound Top 10 Scramblers and Desert Sleds of 2022, presented in alphabetical order by builder.
• Brutal Monkey Workshop: Honda CB150
• Crispy Club: Yamaha Ténéré 700
• Custommade C.A.: Honda Varadero 1000
• Good Times Racing: Hooligan Enduro Sportster
• Heiwa Motorcycle: Suzuki TU250
• Lord Drake Kustoms: Harley Sportster 883R
• Parr Motorcycles: Honda “XR680R”
• Slipstream Creations: Honda CL350
• Rodando Sur: Honda XR250
• Rusty Butcher: Harley Sportster Desert Racer
The Latest Scramblers…
Unique Classic: Yamaha TT500 Restomod - For most of the late 60s and early 70s, two-strokes dominated the off-road market. They were lighter, faster, and simpler than their four-stroke counterparts, and thumper evolution had all but stalled since the British singles […]
Glory Daze 2025: Trackers & Scramblers - Trackers, Scramblers, and Dirt Bikes from Glory Daze Motorcycle Show… We’re back with more coverage from Glory Daze Motorcycle Show 2025, which took place at the 42-acre Pittsburgh Brewing Company campus. Each year in […]
The Silver Surfer: Royal Enfield Himalayan Dirt Bike! - The Weston Beach Race on a Himalayan 411 Motocrosser… Each year the seafront of Somerset’s Weston-super-Mare is transformed to host the UK’s largest off-road motorsport event, the Weston Beach Race. More than 1000 racers and […]
Retromotard: Yamaha XT600 Supermoto - Yamaha XT600 “Funbike” from Warkot Motorcycles… The Yamaha XT600 is one of those big, beefy single-cylinder dual-sports that’s as likely to survive the apocalypse as anything on two wheels. The XT featured 10 inches of […]
“Primoris” Honda 500 Street Scrambler - Give it The Wurks: Honda 500 Street Scrambler from The Bike Shed Show… In 1980, Honda released their new XL250S trail bike to widespread acclaim. The quarter-liter thumper boasted an innovative new all-alloy four-valve […]
Desert Sled 55: 1963 Triumph Speed Twin - Built for for £4K: Dan Steward’s Triumph 5TA Desert Sled… Ed Turner — Triumph’s legendary designer and director — launched the original Speed Twin 5T at the 1937 National Motorcycle Show. The 500 parallel-twin […]
The Green Pig: “Yax Muuk” Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE - BikeBound Photographer Roberto Garagarza’s Scrambler 1200 XE… For 2019, Triumph unveiled the Scrambler 1200, which soon proved itself to be much more than a scrambler in name alone. For once, a factory had designed and […]
Built for War: Ninja “YZ150R” Dirt Bike - NDUGAL: YZ125-style Dirt Machine from Indonesia… Indonesia has become a glowing hotbed of custom motorcycle culture, spawning some of the most creative, ingenious, and truly hand-crafted machines on two wheels. Whereas many custom bikes are […]
Triumph T120 “Tambora” Bonneville - Batakastem Workshop’s British Bike Build… Triumph launched the original T120 Bonneville in 1959 as “The Best Motorcycle in the World.” The “T120” portion of the name stemmed from the bike’s projected top speed of 120 […]
DOHC Cabby: Fantic Caballero 500 Scrambler - Dave Gillery’s NC450S-Powered Caballero Scrambler… Beginning in 1968, Italian manufacturer Fantic Motor began producing dual-sports, motards, mopeds, and trials motorcycles out of their factory in Casier, Italy. In 1972, the company’s 50cc machines began arriving […]
The Feral Princess: KTM 690 Enduro R Scrambler - Home Sweet Home: David Nast Cole’s Adventure Rig… In 2009, KTM introduced the 690 Enduro R, a more aggressive off-road version of the company’s 690 adventure bike. At its core, the Enduro R is a […]
Ochre Dreams: Kawasaki 250TR Scrambler - 250cc Scrambler from Heiwa Motorcycle… The Kawasaki 250TR is a 250cc air-cooled single-cylinder retro commuter that harks back to simpler days, when fuel injection, liquid cooling, and onboard computers were reserved for only the most […]
Moto Guzzi “Gran Sasso 750” Adventure Bike - For Sale: Guzzi ADV Bike from Officine Rossopuro… Moto Guzzi launched the NTX 750 in 1988 as a shaft-drive adventure bike with the Mandello factory’s signature transverse 90° V-twin. The X Publicca Amministrazione (X PA) […]
Retro Enduro: Yamaha XT600 Vinduro - VMX-Style XT600 from Garage Esquinita… Back in 1984, Yamaha introduced the XT600, their new “go-anywhere, do-anything flagship. The 595cc dual-purpose machine could be traced back to the iconic XT/TT500 models, which had proved their […]
680R 2.0: Honda XR650R Scrambler - When Pigs Fly: Parr Motorcycles’ XR680R Scrambler… Introduced in 1999, the Honda XR650R — aka Big Red Pig (BRP) — was destined to become a legend, winning eight consecutive runnings of the Baja 1000. The […]
