1702 DT final

We often get the question – as the socalled
experts – what’s the best adventure
bike to buy? It’s not easy to answer
so we went for a ride to look for some
inspiration – which in turn led to a hearty
debate recently on our trip out to Jericho
Rock. 3 of us were on nimble little 650’s
(a Husky Terra, an oldish GS650 Dakar
and a Yammie XT660R). The other two
riders were on a big BMW 1150GS and a
Triumph 1200 Explorer.
Guess who had the most fun in the
thick sand? And we won’t even discuss
who did not ride to the top of the rock…
Why do you think Dakar bikes are limited
to 450cc’s? but then - who enjoyed the
open freeways more?
Today there are adventure bikes from
500cc with nothing more advanced than
electric start through to 1290cc with
more electronic gadgets than James
Bond and Inspector gadget combined.
Disregarding enduro bikes, we have
counted 55 adventure models available
globally, from Aprilia to Zero. If you
include the Ural Ranger outfit, it’s 56, and
if you just want some light dirt road riding,
you should probably also include some
of the scramblers. Soon there will be a
couple of new adventure niches when
Honda introduces its adventure scooter,
Kawasaki the little Versys, Zuk has made
the 250 V-strom and the BMW G 310 GS
is on its way...
IF the prices are right, these bikes
should make the adventure market grow
even more because they will appeal to
less-skilled off-road riders, women and
shorter people who are currently nervous
about the tall, heavy and powerful
adventure bikes. And they make great
commuters to work and back.
So what’s the best adventure bike?
The bad news is the answer is not easy,
but the good news is there is a bike
available that will fit your exact needs,
however, you should first seriously
examine your off-road skills and your
needs before walking into a dealer and
thumping down your hard-earned shekels
DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2017 6 3