How To Choose The Best Adventure Motorcycle For You
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- The latest breed of ADV bikes have been the biggest selling sector for years now, but the bikes seem to have changed a lot from the ideas of the early ADV bikes like the BMW R80 Africa Twin and Cagiva Elefant.
Yet now companies like Ducati, Honda and MV Agusta release bikes that try to emulate the look of those classic bikes of the past.
Here we ask the question What Do You Really Want From An Adventure Motorcycle?
and hopefully help you choose the best ADV bike for you.
Full article on the website here
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ok, so i spelled Ystradgynlais wrong and missed the typo until it was too late 🙂
I have trouble spelling Powys. 😅
@@Deipnosophist_the_Gastronomer and the giant Yspaddadn Penkwr ............................................... pmsl
I used a Honda CRF300L heavily modified. I travelled to Iran from Ireland on my CRF. it's cheap to run, easy on tyres, when dropped and easy to pick up. All my travel is solo.
Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂
A refreshing perspective 👍 My bike is a last of the line Honda CB500x. Bought as a solo riding platform for long term use on varied terrain. In stock trim it's good fun (but no racer), does loads to the gallon and easy to service. My plan has always been to add remote preload suspension, the forks are good but the rear shock is in need of an upgrade. You can now buy them new for £6199 which is pretty amazing
they are great value bikes and they will find their place in time 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
XRV750 is still my choice after 25 years it’s still going strong and only repair I have had to do is a new Rectifier 4 years ago after a long fast run home from Germany via Calais and then all the way up to Northumberland some 658 miles in one day
One of the real grand daddies 😊 truly great bikes. A mate in Andalucia has a ktm 990 and an XLV750R his comment. If I was seriously taking a bike around the world it would be the XLV 😊
My 2001 KLR650 and 2012 DL650 have this covered but I honestly have adventures on all of my bikes, no matter the genre. The KLR is especially simple a rugged but the VStrom is way more comfortable and refined, allowing longer rides. Niether are especially fast but I have others for that. The KLR can carry a 30 pack of beer in each saddlebag quite easily.
me too mate, i do miss my old KLR600 🙂
Low seat, low weight, low price, high reliability....
lol, you dont want much then :-)
I still remember with very fond memories the Nokia 3310 I had and wish they still worked in Australia. IMO that thing was the KLR 650 of mobile phones, very basic and practically indestructible. As for your question" What do I really want from my adventure bike" . Shaft drive, and a side car are a must for me. I'm too old ,and I don't bounce as well as I used, to have to worry about dropping a bike then trying to pick it up again. I love taking My 82 Honda VF 750 Magna and sidecar and just throwing everything in the side car that I might need for a weekend away and just heading off and if I see a dirt road I might like to check out I'm fine to do it. I know this set up won't be everyone's cup of tea but it work great for me.
and thats all that matters mate, finding what is right for you, did you see the big beemer outfit in the footage from wales?
I got a 2007 Suzuki DL650….with center stand and Givi top/side case racks…has 51K miles on the clock…payed more for my E-bicycle than for this beast. 🤣…installed new Dunlop Mission tires on it…it’s COMFY, it’s plenty fast, even two-up…has 250 mile fuel range, and it’s FRUGAL…gets about 47 MPG…it’s built like TANK….😂
Stromtrekkers always welcome :-) had mone about 17 years now :-)
As you have described, reliable practical bikes are no longer in fashion. Well said
why make bikes that dont need repairing so often when your money comes from parts and servicing? ask Triumph? theyve tried it both ways 🙂
Since many Indian riders cross the Himalayas on original 350 bullets with minimal travel and 20 odd Hp, they put our so called " adventure bikes" to shame.." adventure Riders" would be a better description but as you rightly say, the marketing blurb makes folk imagine they are almost certainly going to ride the road of bones etc.. Scramblers were road bikes with Nobbly tyres and raised exhausts and showed that a few basic changes could be made to give the bike dual roles..exactly like Honda's cl500/Cb500. I think that Honda 1100's BMW gs's etc are great for comfort which is great, but the weight involved and the tech don't lend themselves too off road adventures even if it can be done. Unfortunately the race for power and tech & prestige along with conformity to emissions has killed off the big single trail bikes like the DR KLR and XLR which were great for dual sport machines. So, the Moral of the story is fond the bike that suits, and make it into the machine you need to do the job so the adventure is what you experience! Great Video as always.
cheers as always mate, and you make a very eloquent statement :-) have a great week
I live in the South East of England not too many B.O.A.T’s around here everywhere or so it seems is being paved and built on. An ADV bike for me means covering distance in comfort, upright, reliably with power to spare - I definitely will not be going off road. To this end my latest ride is a gen 4 Triumph 1200 GT Pro / shaft drive etc., perfect for me (apart from the weight) is it sacrilege to say I really like it’s electronic suspension lol. My previous ride was a 2018 V Strom 1000, if I was riding to a very remote location hands down I’d take the Strom over the Tiger it did have that air of invisibility about it and never let me down once.
Enjoy it mate, if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
99% ADV bikes stay on the tarmac, and they're mainly used for show. Like you said any bike can be an adventure bike. Just about to ride back home to Cumbria from Long Loch after 5 days touring and days rides with my wife on my 2016 Triumph Trophy SE. We rode some small and twisty roads and the mains A roads in all weather, sunshine and torrential rain and dropping temperatures,heated seats, & grips, electric screen and decent kit, we were sorted, no need for a poncy GS.
enjoy it mate 🙂 its all about finding what suits you. i try and stick to back roads as much as poss so for me a 1200 of any sort is too big, but if we were all the same it would be boring :-) Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I suspect the low weight limit advice given for top boxes is more about the effect on weight distribution and the effects on the bikes handling. Large weights hanging off behind your rear spindle is the worst place to add any weight.
true, and maybe you are right, but it does get silly when you put a 5kg limit on a back rack and the top box weighs 3 or 4kg. as you say, weight distribution is key, and a decent back shock lol. and i do try and distribute weight evenly, but as you will see in some of the tour videos, the Vstrom gets HEAVILY loaded at times lol, we were away for 3 months on the tour before this last one, and i think we were close to half a ton rolling lol not many 200kg bikes will manage that these days. but the suspension is modded front and rear. yes it affects the handling even with weight spread properly. but needs must as they say
Mine would need to say cb500x on the side of it..😂
Not really. My cb500x is a great bkke but doesn't tick all the boxes ..Great vid. Keep up the good work. 👍
they are a damn good bike, put a high level exhaust and 3 inches of extra travel front and back and it could be a gamechanger tho :-)
Simple motorcycle works for me. I would rather have an extra gear on my bike than a TFT instrument cluster or hydraulic clutch.
Don’t get me started on TFT screens lol 😂😂😂
Most of us are all but confused about what it is we want vrs needs.... lol, this confusion is by design by those selling us whatever
dreams they can. Many times knowing what one needs requires us to go try it w/ what we have & having a baseline we can better
determine what more we'd like & what it will cost to have that? I'm still just researching, deeply bur starting to see that the less of
the high tech the better for you overall? That lends itself over to the KLR's/DR's and other simple bikes that parts are easier to get
& stuff you might be able to fix w/o a dealer? This video helps to crystalize some of those questions but ultimately I like having
things that work & I'm not talking about when something wears out - that's expected but one example is some bikes will have ya
getting the Top End of the engine checked out -n- serviced after only a short amount of time..... at $600 & the time it takes to get
in/out of the shop that adds up. I'm not pointing fingers but one bike you don't need that top end check for over 20,000 miles
instead of a much shorter check up point. I'm not that sharp so simple is better for those like me... lol, great video
me too mate lol, im a simple man :-)
cheers for adding your piece, have a great week
The older I get the more often I think that the ancient Minsk I had when I was 18 was everything I ever needed. Granted, I had to ride everywhere with a hammer, but on the plus side- it was really enough. Even spanners were optional.
I deeply regret not haing any love for it at the time, to the point I'm not even sure what model and production year it was (though the papers were in order- it was registered as a 1988 50cc Polish-made Romet, because the 90s in Eastern Europe were a magical time where everything was possible, as long as you had the alcohol to pay for it).
wild days :-) and even wilder nights :-)
I've always thought, for most, is that CBS is more suitable than ABS - as it is designed to reduce one of the most common low speed crashes
just no good at all off road in my experience, it was one of the big problems with the Varadero which was otherwise in many ways a great bike
Armstrong MT 500 hits a lot of your requirements, but would just need modifying. Different tank etc. I would advocate an oil cooler and fan too. Plus a head skim to raise compression and a small overbore too. Believe me, the Rotax lump in these would reward all these changes
Hi I think weight is king if you take roads less traveled more important if they are not tar so light option CRF 300. or T7.
T7 seat (especially passenger is torturous, COG too high and exhaust design stupid, welded subframe too. CRF just 2 small for me as a 2 up rider 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂
Another comment. I realised i needed a change of direction in my motorcycle choices when i stsrted doing roads with multiple gates along them on my fireblade..😂
lol, ive even had my FXDX up a few green lanes lol wherever the road take me :-)
Adjustable tappets, tubeless rims, shaft drive, height adjustable seat and no rider aids.
a good starting point :-)
'Adventure bike' is such a broad term i agree. I would feel very vulnerable doing solo travel on a big ol heavy GS i couldnt pick up in a pickle, and only sticking to paved roads seems like half an adventure. I watched a video about Nathan Millward riding a little Honda Postie bike from Sydney to the UK and it made me rethink what an adventure bike can be. As a result I rode my DR350 I usually only green lane on up to the Carlisle, the Dales and the Peaks from Devon and had a great time. Sacrificing some top end speed for chuckability and the capability to confidently ride anywhere that looked interesting was worthwhile trade to me.
the good old DR350 :-) have you ever seen Mondo Enduro?
@@barebonesmc yes! I actually rode with Austin Vince for few days in Spain last year on one of his Mondo enduro trips. I would highly recommend if you don't mind sleeping in bivvies off the beaten track.
@@dylanpiedot5063 i'd need a crane to get me upright in the morning if i stayed in a tent these days lol, must have been an experience though, i do keep an eye on what he does 🙂 do you have a direct contact for him? i would love to screen the outtakes on the backup channel, maybe even the full film for those who have never had the joys
Thank you for another excellent video sir. I'm looking to get back into motorcycling and for me an ideal adventure tourer is one that will survive Michigan roads and be comfortable for hours of riding for a large man to add onto your list. I want ABS and cruise control would be nice also. Ideally, a DR650 with larger gas tank, better seat and wind protection is what I want except for travelling long distances on a crowded free way which I would be find with avoiding them if I were always travelling alone or trying to go far with a limited amount of time off from work. A DL650 with ABS seems near perfect but I want to load up a bike and be able to hit the free way for hours, not sure if that's a good fit or if a DL1000 is better. I'm quite fond of the Super Tenere but along with all the comfort and luxury comes electronics that I can't fix. However, used FJR1300s are so cheap I might just throw caution into the wind and be fine with destroying the plastics when I want to do the little off road stuff I want to enjoy.
i did 6K across France Spain and Portugal 2 up fully loaded on a DL650 and im just about to do 3k France Switzerland Austria Germany Netherland on same bike, again, 2 up and FULLY loaded lol, personally, unless you spend ALL your time on highways i would say the 650 is just a better all round bike 🙂 had mine over 15 years now, series 1 are best but i think series 2 ABS is a better unit, but thats not 100% either of the Vstroms are good bikes, but i would say the 650 is just better
@@barebonesmc For touring, interstates will be for going to riding destinations to do like the clover leaf tours that Roadrunner Magazine does or for day trips. I would do some commuting but that would usually be taking an unnecessary with my life lol.
@@lazybrute the 650 is a great bike as long as you arent trying to do enduro, they are fine for most green laning, and more than enough for any roadwork, there is my 15 year review here if it helps ua-cam.com/video/HNUKtXT2GgA/v-deo.html
Spotted a magnificent old R80 GS Dakar at my local recently, so solidly built it resembled a two wheeled tank. Glorious!
great bikes, and im not a BMW fan really to be honest 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
@@barebonesmc I'm not a BMW fan either, but I like the rugged look of the bike,
@@Free_Ranger_CT110 yep, and the force is strong with the AIRHEAD community 🙂
love 'em ot hate 'em but that bike saved BMW
@@jezza117 you may be right there, i dont know what their order book was like to be honest
👍🏻
Aprilia Tuareg 660 tackles almost all boxes :)
almost. for me, the passenger seat did not make her happy, and the electronics were too complex for my tiny mind lol. ride by wire is just wrong for an ADV bike as far as im concerned, but we seem stuck with it now
@@barebonesmc to be honest my passenger is happy with seat. Mayby becouse i have optional "High Comfort seat"? Ride by wire dont bother me. But most crucial - you can simply off all Electronic addons once and forget about it. No Menü to scroll, No Option to constant change.
@@dejv667 at least thats better than the constant reset, ei do like the Tuareg in many ways, i preferred the Guzzi though, but i wanted the Guzzi with the Tuareg suspension lol
I can't believe I'd say that but Benelli imperialle 400. I tried it recently. I was amazed. 120-130 kph with no vibration is italian magic. No wooden suspensions like ALL the indians. No water cooling to go bad. It pulls like a mule and it runs like a horsey. The seating position is superb. Its light, long and ALL metal with proper gauges. Price..... 4300 Euros. 1300 up front and 285/month, cheaper than a super cab. I know 400cc sound small but I had transalps all my life and even these look bulky now.
Nice one mate, always good to hear about something people ARENT talking about. Benelli have come a long way ein recent years again
I see a flaw in your reasoning about compression ratios. Your reasoning is true, as long as the piston and con rod is exactly the same at the one with lower compression. But metallurgy has come a long way since the VXR days. And low compression in a small engine will never get you 70 horsepower. The T7 has 11,5:1 compression and makes 73hp.
Just , my thoughts mate, and yes you are right, like for like componentry matters in any comparison. and id settle for a bit less if all the other boxes were ticked lol especially if the engine was a long stroke
For me, a Suzuki DR650 or a Kawasaki KLR650 would be a better choice. You can get parts for them anywhere.
I had DR600 and KLR600 lol, i do prefer the KLR600 to the 650 though 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂
That pretty much covered it for me too I think. Sadly my riding days are very much behind me now.
Sorry to hear that mate, glad you enjoyed the video anyway, have a good un, take care
Adventure bikes are a passing fad, years ago they were called trail bikes, anyway these bikes are definitely a fad, like the sports touring bikes before them and the touring cruisers before that again,..... Whatever,.. But what I can tell you is they will either be a rat bike or maybe a street fighter, cafe racer or a hard tail chop in the future
i think after almost 50 years since the Africa Twin and Cagiva Elefant, they have gone well beyond the status of a fad really 🙂 i guess it depends what you want, all the types you mention above are niche toys, not practical everyday rides as far as i am concerned. the Vstrom will be running longer than them all, just like the early AT's will, and many Transalps (the original ones) and others. personally, i would say they have as much in common with the Scramblers of the 60s as the Trail bikes of the 70s and 80s
couldn't have said it better myself mate, well done, another common sense video about ADV's, enjoyed watching this, cheers
Glad you enjoyed it mate, and cheers for the support as always, always refreshing
I’m in the market for an ABV bike, friends have the T7s but it’s too tall for me to feel comfortable on when riding the rocky and steep green lanes.
I want long valve checks, I want about 60-80 hp, I want good ground clearance, I want simple but reliable mechanics, I need it to be affordable not only to buy but to run too.
Motorbikes are just getting too complicated and expensive in general in my opinion
agree completely mate, the T7 seat is torturous too. been lookin for a replacement for my series 1 650 Vstrom for years n still looking. the Voge 650 DSX actually seems a decent buy to me here, but depends where you are, the Vstrom is hard to beat depending HOW off road you want, the CRF300 the other extreme
Yeah I have a CRF250 that I use at the moment and I’ll keep that for the local trails but I would need a very capable off road adv due to the fact I would use it a lot for this.
Been looking at the Aprilia T660 and also the new Suzuki 800de but that is very heavy! The Aprilia is about right with what I’m looking for but there is a lot of reported reliability issues so it’s putting me off, as an out of the box choice I’m going to look at the new CFmoto 450mt, it’s a bit down on power but for £5700 here in the uk it seems like a good buy.
@@iangriffiths9930 DE800 too heavy, T660 too complicated for me lol, and it is tall but has a lot of sag. DL650 hard to beat, my 15 year review here ua-cam.com/video/HNUKtXT2GgA/v-deo.html
Correct on all point but they don’t make an ideal bike for me so I’ll have to compromise somewhere ?
Im finding it difficult to find what I want. If I was a little taller I’d just have the T7 as that’s about as close to what I want in a bike.
@@iangriffiths9930 i have a similar problem, closest for a while for me has been the V85TT, but theres only 1 particular year that suits me (after the tubeless rims but before the Aprilia electronics suite) or depending where you are, is the new version of the SWM superdual available there? old red top Husky engine with a bigger sump so it is well proven
Your specs in Gods ears!!
??? you lost me 🙂 it doesnt take much lol
Thanks!
cheers mate, for future reference, there is a donation link in the description where all the money comes to the channel instead of youtube skimming off most of what you donate. the supers make more for them than we get, but thanks anyway
Just apply KISS.
???
@@barebonesmc
The KISS principle is:
"Keep It Simple Stupid"
@@ronoldcross8189 doh lol, brain stop play, again 🙂 i was thinking of the band wondering where Gene Simmons came into it lol
Stop calling them ADV bikes, it makes no sense! Advanced Dirt Vehicle?
its a common term over here mate and see no reason not to use itc, sorry if it offends you
@@barebonesmc Not offensive, but makes no sense!
@@PhatSimey makes perfect sense to me and many others mate, its just a shortening of Adventure, a bit like calling Mathew Mat, or David Dave. hardly difficult really. but i guess we all have our pet hates, i cant stand it when people say Sportbikes, because to me, they are Sportsbikes, a subtle but important difference, but lets agree to disagree and say, there are more important things in the world for us both to worry about 🙂 have a great week mate
@@barebonesmc Sure, if you had written adv, but not ADV as that's an abbreviation (like NATO, not Nato, something else that boils my p*ss!). I watched a review where the guy constantly kept saying, "ay dee vee" which definitely makes no sense!
Hmm, know what you mean about sport bike and sports bike, but kind of on the fence about that one ;-) My latest absolute pet hate is the dumb use of and apostrophe to make a plural- battery's instead of batteries etc. That dose of f*ckery has spread faster than covid! Oh, and the random use of capital letters at the beginning of words that aren't titles or pronouns!
Anyhow, have a great week too, hopefully we'll get some good weather to go and ride and forget about all the sh1te in the world!
@@PhatSimey lol, and i think i am a pedant lol. im heading south, although it is into the mountains, so ill be trying to dodge the rain too 🙂 but at times i know therell be no choice 🙂