Supermoto
While the outlook for riding during the winter period is typically grim in the UK, the turn of the new year is an exciting time as most motorcycle manufacturers choose to unveil and launch their newest motorcycles. If you intend on doing lots of proper off-road work they still offer a version called the R1200GS Adventure (R1200GSA) which has a larger tank, lots of drop protection and more ground clearance although it's another 20kg heavier and is due a major update soon.
A lot of off-road gear focuses more on breathability or the ability to wick away moisture. The expensive bikes tend to be heavier and more specialized, and their performance and weight are often intimidating for new adventure riders. A carbon fibre frame and fork keep the weight low and, as we'd expect from an adventure bike, the head angle is slacker than that of a road bike.
Stories of travel and adventure, Rider Skills, industry pros, tech, tips, and much more. Our fleet of motorcycles have been customised for comfort, to a touring specification which makes them turnkey ready for any of our tours in South Africa. It's got a nice and powerful engine, a nice 22.2 inch saddle height, and seems to tick all of the relevant adventure motorcycle boxes - but this is really a road motorcycle wearing off-road clothing.
While there's no single blueprint that adventure bikes follow, they generally sit between an endurance road bike and a cyclo-cross race bike, if anything leaning more towards the former. All our new Tiger motorcycles are born to give you maximum adventure. And sorry but a drag race has nothing to do with whether a bike is good for New Adventure Riders or not.
Great for him but that doesn't mean scooters are ideal bikes for that kind of travel. For instance, the Honda CL350 Scrambler was a variation on the Honda CB350 street motorcycle with high exhaust pipes, a larger front wheel, dirt-oriented tires, and lower gearing.
A great bike for him yes, but utterly impractical for someone like me. My spin on adventure riding is multi-day camping rides through remote places full of challenges, river crossings, hill climbs and similar gnarly things that make the GS1200 far far too big for me to consider.
That's not to say the previous iteration wasn't a good bike, far from it, but with the inclusion of a TFT dashboard, six riding modes, a redesigned switchgear with backlit buttons and LED lighting, this new model is looking more in line with what's being expected from bikes in this modern age.
PhilWestNew Former Editor of Bike, ex-Road Test Editor of MCN, ridden more bikes than he can remember. The wait is almost over, for at the Eicma 2017, KTM proudly presents the prototype of such a super lightweight adventure bike designed all around the brand new 2-cylinder LC8c engine.
We don't need to wax lyrical about how good KTM's adventure motorcycles are, because the company's trophy cabinet can do all the talking. Most of today's large displacement ADV bikes come standard with a host of performance altering bell and whistles, including traction control, ABS, and riding modes for various terrains or weather.
We also restricted the list to reasonably priced Adventure Bikes, so you won't find any Ténéré 660's, Transalps', F800GS' or Tiger 800's that cost $10,000 or more. Co-Hosts - Sam Manicom, Graham TET UK Field, Shirley Hardy-Rix, Brian Rix, Grant Johnson and Adventure Rider Radio host Jim Martin.
When your road suddenly turns to muddy ruts it's often enough to make some riders turn around and head back the other way. These motorcycles are usually heavier and more durable than the models derived from off-road motorcycles. Typical lightweight adventure bikes normally weigh in at sub 140 kg (fuelled without gear).