Lord protect us from Motorcycle News specials (Adventure Bike of the Year, 19 March 2014)

[special one]

Erm, 229kgs wet? I don't think so mate. http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/us/en/ind ... &notrack=1

Err... that's the Adventure model you've pointed at :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

The 1200 GS when introduced was something like 199kg dry (the model I owned), then it increased to 203kg, and now the latest LC model is 212kg.

Wet weight are 229kg for the older 1200GS, 238kg for the LC and 256kg for the Adv.

Yes and you cherry picked the lightest one for your reply to the last post, the average 1200cc adventure bike weight is around 250kgs wet.

[Tim Cullis]

Yes and you cherry picked the lightest one for your reply to the last post, the average 1200cc adventure bike weight is around 250kgs wet.

You accuse me in error. I definitely didn't cherry pick, au contraire, I chose the two bikes that I know very well, the 1200 GS because I owned it (and the GSA version) and the F800GS because I owned the F650GS twin which was very slightly lighter than the F800GS (only had one front disc).

People look at the F800GS, the Tenere, and so on as being mid-weight bikes, and in comparison to the 1200 GS they are most definitely not. The off road advantage of the Tenere over the 1200 GS is mainly down to the longer travel suspension and ground clearance.

At 199kg the 1200 GS was a breakthrough in weight, I well remember the photos at the time of the launch ten years ago of a 30kg lump of metal that was kept on the desk of the project leader in a standing reminder of just how much they wanted to shave off the weight of the rather lardy 1150GS.

[beasty]

Bloody annoyed

Adventure bike may or may not be the same as an Off-road bike. Just because the Mags gone downhill with all the Knobbly and green Lanes stuff grrr

This is my adventure bike and I'm proud of it (thumbs)

PICT0232_2014-03-23.JPG

IMAG0097.jpg

Nice one, miss mine, why didn't they use that engine for the S10


£6.5k new 2008 Yam TDM900 and does everything I want it to. 90% on road 10% forest lanes and a bit more. Never dropped it yet off-piste (or on for that matter) so yes it'll be expensive, but that's my (high or low) risk fingers x'd Road tyres Avon Distanzia 6-8k miles for a back tyre.

My, your, anybodys adventure bike is what I, you, or they make of it - not what the Comics and Pr men and TV docu's want us to think they are
Now, where's my coat :laugh:

[Sleepy]

Double Post

[Sleepy]

rather lardy 1150GS.

Oi! you leave my lardy 1150GS out of this...

[NeilEvans]

KTM 1190 Adventure R comes close to my old KTM 950 Super Enduro

[adieboy]

I have to say that MCN have fallen for the manufacturers PR stunt in categorizing these bikes as ADV and in that sown the seed for debate. Our bikes to us are all things, whether you use it for touring, commuting, adventures (which can be anything to anybody) or a Sunday blast. The article in MCN is aimed at those who follow the medias take on the MC industry putting bikes in certain categories in the hope that we all just follow the leader. Because a bike is taken off road in the UK doesn't make it an off road type bike. MCN seem to think that if you take your bike onto a camping site to settle for the night you must be an adventurer and need a ADV style bike, it's a way for them to categorize you and push you in a certain direction.
I have a bike, I commute, I tour and I go for Sunday rides out, I don't class myself as anything other than a biker and if I at some stage buy a sports bike, an adventurer or a touring bike I will always be a biker. I don't give a toss for this categorization, if the bike fits my needs well then that's what I'll have...roll on the debate

[africajim]

Well, I own a Crosstourer and consider it a superior road bike to the majority of knobbly tyre wearing off road bikes discussed on this site. It has a belly pan fitted so I can traverse stoney tracks to get to the campsite etc so meets my requirements. I know which bike I'd pick to cover miles on an autobahn, and that's the Crosstourer.
But hey, let's all prattle on about how your nobbly tyred DRZ's so much better at crossing a field than my Crosstourer, and that makes it so much better than my bike???? Aye, in yer dreams.
Roll on summertime, perhaps the forum will have less of these pissing contests.

[minkyhead]

here is the top bikes voted for by owners in ride magazines adventure bike
catagory

in decending order top 20

trumph 1200 tiger

super10

1200adv bmw

800xc

800 non xc

multistrada

1200gs

capanord

ktm 990 supermoto??

1150gs adv

650 strom

varadero

800gs

1150gs

ktm 990adv

1000 strom

tiger 955

1100 gs

stevvio

f650gs

im amazed by this ....
i vcan only surmise that the likes of seteos .. 690s are in a duel sport catagory ???

it obvious to me that out of that list of twenty the ktm 990 is head and shoulders the best bike there ..and where is the 800gs ???
it obviuos that the vast majority of buyers ..want big engines and dont give a dam about going off road ....

to class a explorer above a ktm 990 for rugged road work is nothing but a joke


anyway these are the bikes that win ..... voted for by the owners

[ross dean]

I own a 'road bike' at the moment and will have some great adventures on it B)

In my opinion, there is a type of bike that could be classed as an Adventure Bike and here is a field test: if, after suitable training and/or experience, you can ride the bike with all the gear you need for your trip via all types of road (a road being an established route connecting one settlement to another by land and used by people with some kind wheeled assistance e.g. a donkey cart), it is in the Adventure class. In my experience, bikes that qualify include the BMW F800GS and the KTM 990 Adventure provided they are fitted with genuine dual-purpose tyres such as TKCs. A peaked helmet is optional

Classifying bikes has been a marketing tool for at least the past 35 years and the Adventure class is now being thoroughly diluted (or expanded, if you are in the marketing business). This is a very long way of saying, 'Tim, I agree!'.

It occurs to me that the above was achieved by a man on an R1 a while back ... so here is a challenge: if you have an 'Adventure Bike', get some training, fit some dual purpose tyres and take it somewhere challenging. If its too expensive to damage, stop pretending and sell it.

I'll get my coat.