What Do You Look For In An Adventure Bike?

[CRAIGREVO]

It has to be a jack of all trades master of none. As soon as you master one you compromise another. My bike fits that category perfectly I think. :whistle:

[sandi]

I had sort of the same problem with 'BMW' bike shop,just came back from a stay in germany ,ec licence, money burning hole in pocket!.Wasnt allowed to test bike with a foreign licence EEC for you.Suzuki let me have a bike for a good length of time and I got it with intrest free payments so my money went further and it was cheaper and I like it very much.Only down side is its not worth much now that its 6 years old this year. But the fact that it is and it still looks and rides well is a bonus.Really like the new triumph tho.my garage is getting to small tho.B)

[mark1150]

I've watched this thread develop over the last couple of days, and I must say that the best I've read so far is Chas's excellent pyramid, however it IMHO could deffo do with a tweek here and there.
I would have added service intervals, and more importantly ease of service and repairs; bearing in mind that an "ADVENTURE" bike might end up in booniesville, without a mobile signal to request spare parts.
Reliability: no point in taking a hound or FIAT (Fix It Again Tony) of a bike that your fixing each day, unless Adventure is now spelled Snap On.
Comfort: Similar to above, I won't bother you with the crippling effects of riding say an MV amongst others, where you plan your stops around cramps, not fuel but you get the picture.
That said, there are people that find them comfortable, Nick S, and James 691's Dutch guy do RTW's on R1's! [they must be more flexible than Bendy Boy] hat's off to them as I couldn't do it if my life depended on it.
In summery, all the above to me at least, are important factors, however as this forum is testimony to an "Adventure bike" comes in CC's of 100-1200, and can be a sports, sports tourer, tourer or trail bike, it is in essence what the owners/riders want it to be, or what work they ask of their varied steeds.

[Jim Lovell]

Thanks for all your input, nice to see some Stroms in there, I currently ride a Strom 1000 and love it for the road and have done a gravel track or two.

I,m seriously thinking if i can afford it in the future to have two bikes the other being a DRZ400S with some home made racks and soft bags, but can i really justify two bikes?
or do i compromise and go for a Tenere 660? I have riden one for about 4hrs and found it a bit slow and vibey on the road. I didnt get the chance to off road it.

Just need that lotto win and design and build an all purpose simple, reliable bike for the top of the pyramid.

[ipswichbiker]

Hi Jim
I wondered right at the start of this post if you were thinking of a new bike. I didnt contribute as I didnt have much of value to say. What do I look for in an adventure bike? A xt660z. See what I mean.

I can see where you are coming from with the "a bit slow and vibey." I think it just depends on what you are used to and what your expectations are. Pootling along on a byway at 17 mph it is isnt too slow. Also if you actually have to ride to get to the byway it isnt as arduous as if you were on an xr250. So its not a motorway mile muncher and its not a nimble off road bike but it is adaptable. I find that my own riding skills are the limiting factor not the bike and it will probably be that way for a long time to come.

[ChasF]

Wouldn't it be nice if someone came up with a bike that truely avoided the need to run two bikes. I think that it will be the 650+ singles that will be developed to fill this role with the KTM 690 engine being the best available at the moment but it still doesn't quite cut it as a motorway mile muncher. The KTM690E is certainly good enough as a trail bike but misses the mark with fuel capacity, comfort and luggage lugging abilities to be a good all rounder, although there are aftermarket solutions to solve some of these problems.

[Roadcat]

Wouldn't it be nice if someone came up with a bike that truely avoided the need to run two bikes. I think that it will be the 650+ singles that will be developed to fill this role with the KTM 690 engine being the best available at the moment but it still doesn't quite cut it as a motorway mile muncher. The KTM690E is certainly good enough as a trail bike but misses the mark with fuel capacity, comfort and luggage lugging abilities to be a good all rounder, although there are aftermarket solutions to solve some of these problems.

I'm with ChasF on this. The 690 Enduro has some basic flaws as it comes off the shop flaw, but fortunately almost all of it's problems can be solved by throwing even more money at the bike. It's can be fitted with panniers, an after market seat, long-range tanks ... the list goes on. Ultimately it leaves you with a machine that is extremely capable off-road, comfortable enough to ride all day and can still cruise at 80 mph on the motorway, but has probably ended up costing an extra £2k above the purchase price

[Lairyskippy]

Got a 990 Adventure now and had a Tenere 660 before.......something in between would be great but as said elsewhere it depend on what you want to do with it. I took my Tenere up mountain tracks, through forest trails, along fast A roads and motorways and it did everything well. Not sure my 990 will cope as well as the Tenere on the dirt but time will tell I guess......

.....so what I really want is the current Tenere but with 750cc but I#'ve always been awkward :laugh:

[desert storm]

There was a lot of speculation on the XTZ750 forum when rumours about a new super tenere started. The general feeling was a 660z chassis with TDM 850/900 engine would be perfect.
Maybe a contender for Ultimate Adventure Bike (if Yamaha ever managed it) ?

[Lairyskippy]

....now that's something I'd definately buy but certainly wouldn't entertain the 1200. Had a very brief ride on one and came to the conclusion that if I wanted a long distance touring machine it would probably be excellent but the thought of taking it down even the simplest of trails scared the hell out of me.

....actually, let me think about the idea of touring on one again, nah not at that price!:ohmy: