Best bike character combos in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

While many players tend to stick to karts in Mario Kart, bikes have a major benefit over karts in how they’re often able to corner more tightly. But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start if you want to give some of the many bikes a go.

We’ve put a list of our seven favourite bike combos in the game. These include what we think are the most effective bike combos for small, medium and heavy characters, which ones are better for 150cc and 200cc, and even ones that just look aesthetically good. Here are our seven best bike combos in Mario Kart 8.

Best 7 bike character combos in Mario Kart 8 

Before starting, remember that vehicle character combos are generally picked to either enhance each other’s strengths or balance each other’s weaknesses. So, remember this if you want to tinker with any of our picks. With that, here are the best bike combos in Mario Kart 8:

Link and the Master Cycle

While not the best in terms of performance, this Bike and character combo is definitely the most stylish on here. The modern character model for Link from Breath of the Wild and his futuristic-looking bike make for a cool sight. You can complete the trifecta by equipping him with the Triforce Tires and the Hylian Kite glider. The performance is by no means bad, and you can definitely complete a lot of the base game content with this setup, but if you’re looking for more competitively viable setups keep reading.

Peach and Jet Bike

This combination is excellent for beginners, especially when you pair it with Slick Tires. This is because both Peach and the Jet Bike handle exceptionally well, and when you pair them with the Crimson Slim Tires, they can comfortably turn sharp corners without sacrificing speed. You can also equip the Peach Parasol to reduce some weight from this hefty machine. Once you are done mastering the basics of driving bikes with this, you can move onto other bikes and learn how to perform inward drifts.

Dry Bowser and Varmint

One recurring theme you will see throughout this list is the pairing of heavy characters with bikes that handle well. This is because heavyweight characters need a light vehicle with good stats besides top speed to compensate for their lack. This is what you get when you pair Dry Bowser, one of the fastest characters in the game, with the Varmint, a bike that handles well. It’s a combination that can reach top speeds and with the right wheels like the Rollers, can corner effectively too.

Luigi and Comet

The Comet is another bike similar to the Varmint and offers good handling and acceleration. However, this time you can pair it with a medium-weight character like Luigi instead of trying to balance a heavyweight. This allows for some of the most balanced gameplay in the game, where your stats do not lean too much in any department. With this solid all-rounder bike build, you can confidently challenge most courses up to 150cc. Pair it up with the Slick Tires for more speed or Roller Tires for even more control. 

Donkey Kong and Mr. Scooty

Mr. Scooty is one of the best bikes available in the game in terms of handling and acceleration. Its stats are very impressive, and it consistently gets used in the competitive meta. However, it has one weakness, which is its low top speed. Luckily we can mitigate this by using heavy characters who already have high top-speed stats and need a light bike with good handling to help balance them. You can replace Donkey Kong here with any other heavy character for one of the strongest combos in this list. 

Yoshi and Standard Bike

Yoshi is a medium weight character and paired with the Standard Bike makes for a truly impressive acceleration stat. This lets him perform quite well in higher cc ratings where acceleration and handling have more of an impact than reaching terminal velocity. You can do that when you pair him up with the Roller wheels and give him the Flower Glider. 

You will find that this setup will give you a performance similar to the popular Biddybuggy build for Yoshi. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, then this bike combo is for you.

Wario and Mr. Scooty

This is a classic combo that you will see pop up in competitive play as well. In fact, it might be the strongest Bike combo available in the game and makes for one of the best options in both 150cc and 200cc. Wario with Mr. Scooty is a combination that gives you a good balance in everything.

It’s a jack of all trades and master of none, with solid acceleration, handling, and top speed stats, but none of them being exceptional. Combine him with the Roller wheels and the Paper Glider for a setup that provides one of the smoothest corner performances in the game.