The Paso XF300 is the best looking bike you can buy in Australia for under $7,000.
There. It's out. A naked, lightweight, nimble retro scrambler the way a scrambler is meant to look. LAMS approved, $6,950, and powered by a CFMoto engine that punches well above its price tag.
Now, before the comment section sharpens its knives, a quick disclaimer. This is one rider's opinion and it's meant to be a bit of fun. I love bikes. All of them. I respect every brand on this list and every rider who throws a leg over one. And to make this interesting, I'm not just lining up bikes at my price. I'll happily put the $6,950 Paso up against rivals costing thousands more, because if it still looks better than bikes nudging $10k, that tells you everything. So let's walk the field and I'll tell you exactly why none of them knock the XF300 off the top spot. Prove me wrong.
CFMoto: the brand that makes our engine
Let's start with the one I can't talk much trash about. Not just because we use their engine in the Paso XF300, but because there honestly isn't much bad to say.
The CFMoto 300NK, 300SR, 450NK, 450SR, 450CL-C, 450MT and 700CL-X are great bikes. Ask any experienced rider who actually knows their stuff and they'll happily tell you how far CFMoto has come. They win races and put smiles on faces. In fairness, I don't have a bad word to say about them on performance or styling.
Personally, I like naked, light and nimble (don't get me wrong, I like heavy sometimes but not in this context). CFMoto's lineup isn't trying to be that, so it's not really a fair fight on looks. The 450SR is a cracking sports bike if sports bikes are your thing. The CL has bigger moulded plastic and a chunky exhaust that just isn't to my taste. The 700CL-X is a lovely retro naked, but it'll cost you the better part of ten grand. And the 450MT is a big unit. If you want a lightweight daily that can still get dirty off road, the Paso is the easier bike to live with, and it's cheaper than most of the 450 range too.
No shade. Just a different style.
Royal Enfield: great value, built like a tank
Slow and steady wins the race, apparently. But slow and steady doesn't get the adrenaline spiking or have you ripping through the gears at high revs.
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350, Classic 350, Meteor 350 and Bullet 350 are heavy bikes with low-revving engines. Brilliant if your idea of a big day out is your nan riding down to grab milk because her mobility scooter's battery is flat. The trouble is, if one of these tips over, good luck picking it up, because they weigh a tonne. The looks kind of match the weight: heavy moulded plastic, big lights, big mirrors, chunky seats.
The Scram 411 has been discontinued, which is a shame because it was a cool looking thing, but that 411cc engine never really had any punch.
The Himalayan 450 has solid specs on paper, but I don't think you're turning heads on it, and unless you're heading to a rally race every weekend it's probably more bike than most people need. They've also got the Bear 650, which I do like, but at nearly $12k and 214kg it's out of our price bracket and not exactly built for hitting jumps.
Genuinely good value bikes for the right rider. Just not topping my list for looks.
Honda: bulletproof and forgettable
The Honda range under $7k is thin, and nothing in it is really comparable on style.
The CB125, CB300R, CL300, GB350, CB500F and CMX500 Rebel are exactly what you'd expect from Honda. Reliable, sensible, will run forever. But no one is stopping you at the lights to ask about your CB300R. No one's pulling out their phone. They're appliances. Excellent appliances, but appliances.
Yamaha: sharp bikes, wrong position
Yamaha brings some genuinely nice looking machines, I'll give them that. The YZF-R3, MT-03, XSR125 and MT-125 all photograph well.
The R3 has you folded over the tank, straining your neck just to see traffic ahead. That's a rough spot to be in, especially as a learner. Being bent over for a ride doesn't suit everyone. Give me an upright scrambler riding position any day. Better visibility, better reaction time, and a lot more comfortable when you're actually using the thing.
Kawasaki and Suzuki
Same story across the Kawasaki Z500, Ninja 500, Z650 LAMS, Eliminator 450 and Z400, plus the Suzuki GSX-8S LAMS, DR650 and V-Strom 250. I love the DR650, for the record, but good luck getting a new one anywhere near $7k.
There are some decent cruiser and road options in there, but they just don't have the punch you get from the power to weight ratio we run in the Paso XF300. Capable, sure. Head-turners in this price bracket, not really.
KTM: not for me
The KTM 390 Duke, 390 Adventure and RC390 are quick and capable and a lot of people love them. I'm just not one of them. The looks don't do it for me. That's about as diplomatic as I can be.
Triumph: lovely bikes, but not a scrambler
Now this is a proper brand with real heritage, and the Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X are nice, reliable bikes.
But I wouldn't call the Scrambler 400 X a scrambler in the way I mean it, and I don't think anyone's going to crowd around it when you try to show it off. They also cost a fair chunk more, with the Speed 400 starting around $8,990 and the Scrambler 400 X closer to $9,990. That's up to three grand more than the Paso, and with the XF300 there are no upgrades needed to get the best looking version. It already is the best looking version.
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401: so close
At a glance you might be fooled into thinking this is the cool one. The power's there. But it doesn't quite hit the spot for me, and it's missing a bit of excitement. People might tell you it looks great, but are they just being polite?
So, prove me wrong
Here's where I land after walking the whole field of LAMS bikes under $7,000.
The Paso XF300 is light at 138kg, nimble, naked and upright, the way a scrambler should be. It's got a punchy CFMoto 300cc engine, Bosch EFI, ABS and a slipper clutch. It comes in three head-turning looks: Original Gold, Black Gloss and Blacked Out. It's LAMS approved, backed by a 3-year warranty, and it's $6,950 with Australia-wide delivery.
Best looking bike under $7,000. That's my call, and I'm sticking to it.
Think I'm wrong? Tell me which bike beats it and why. I'm all ears.
