Adventure Bike owners feedback

J

Jcornwell101

Joined
Jan 16, 2021
Messages
27
I think once my finances level out, I maybe in the market for an adventure bike. I am just looking for some feed back
on those of you that own them. I currently ride a 2022 Triumph Street Scrambler that I use to play in the dirt and street.
I also have a 2001 Honda Valkyrie that I have for 2 up riding and long rides with my son. The 2 bikes I have are paid off
and are dear to my heart lol so this will be a third.

My question is would it be better to get a DRZ650 for something that has more ground clearance and better suspension?
Or do these newer adventure bikes work well in their current setups?

How do the triumph tigers compare reliability wise?(Scrambler has been my third triumph I love them)

Once I have my eye on to compare has been the Tenere 700, Tiger 800/900/1200, Ducati multistrada/DesertX, Honda Transalp, and Honda Africa twin, Suzuki Vstrom 800/1000.

The reason why I don't have the scrambler 1200XE on there is because I want something with a fairing for long highway rides.
 
If I was to buy a motorcycle today it would be a new Honda Africa Twin DCT. I quit riding and my last bike was an Aprilia Shiver 750. I'd take a hard look at a KTM 390 Enduro. Definitely better offload than the DRZ650 and a bit cheaper, too. I think KTM makes it in India, but that wouldn't scare me.
 
The V strom and Tenere are pretty much street bikes IMO. Of what you posted, the Honda Africa Twin is most likely the best bet for on and off-road balance. KTM is having all sorts of issues these days so I would stay away personally.
 
Last edited:
sw99 said:
The V strom and Tenere are pretty much street bikes IMO. Of what you posted, the Honda Africa Twin is most likely the best bet for on and off-road balance. KTM is having all sorts of issues these days so I would stay away personally.
Click to expand...

Good info on the KTM.
 
The big question is what type of riding do you want it for?

I’ve owned a DR650 so I can give some input but without know what the use case is I can’t help much.
 
I bought the Tiger listed in my signature last year from a local Triumph dealer. Got a great deal and it has really low miles. I love this bike but it would not be my first choice if the majority of my riding was off-road. Great power and suspension but she is top heavy. Of the bikes you listed I would go with the Africa Twin if the majority of you’re riding on this new bike will be off road. The Africa Twin is heavy as well but I think better suited for that purpose. If you want to stick with a Thumper, and I do understand if you do, consider the 800 or 900 Tiger.
 
sw99 said:
KTM is having all sorts of issues these days so I would stay away personally.
Click to expand...
Some good deals to be had and that has a value all it's own. The local KTM showroom is filled to the max. A friend has the big KTM adventure 1290. It's a bit too big for me, but I've ridden it around the block and down the road a couple of times. That is an exceptionally competent motorcycle.
 
Did you consider Kawasaki KLR and Suzuki VStrom? Suzuki now have 800cc parallel twin while still under VStrom name, in addition to 650cc and 1050cc bikes. The bikes have a bit different main uses but from what I know both are very good.
 
I am looking at possibly getting into adventure touring. The scrambler really opened up my eyes to how much fun it is, but also why I would like for it to have a fairing.
But, I am wondering if it would just be better to get something like the KLR or DR650 instead since I want to keep the other 2 bikes.
 
I've been struggling with this question for about a year. The BMW Boxer twin GS is a great on-road, and gravel road bike. But is A LOT of work, and ultimately way too big on a single track trail. Most (all?) of the ADV bikes with a fairing are more pavement focused. I was seriously considering the KTM 890 as a decent compromise everywhere, but their cam issues, and KTM's issues in general, made me reconsider.

At this point I'm considering an old, but well set-up and street-legalized XR650R a friend has for sale. It can tolerate stints on the Highway, but will still do well on the tight, sometimes rough trails I have access too. One downside is it's kickstart only.

You need to decide where you would be riding an ADV-type bike.
 
I'm looking at an adventure bike also. Top of my list is the Africa Twin Adventure Sport (2024+) with the new 19" front wheel.

My use case is one big trip (3000-6000 miles depending on destination) per year and multiple long weekend trips. The groups I currently ride with are all street oriented. I want to expand my adventures to more dirt, but not hard core dirt. I'm thinking maybe some BDR trips, two track forest roads and the like.

I'm wrestling with selling my ST1300 as the new AT has the 19" front wheel and better wind protection, so it will become my new tour bike. My NC700X commuter bike might end up a victim on under use and be sold also, if the AT works well as a commuter.

It is funny listening to YouTubers say how heavy the Africa Twin is at 500+ lbs. My ST1300 Hondapotamus is 760 lbs. For me, the AT will feel like a feather compared to the ST1300.
 
Realistically my riding would be 80% Road and 20% dirt. I am wanting to do long trips and cross country trips where if I want to get lost in hard pack I can. I don't really plan on using it as a 100% dirt bike by any stretch. I just want to stay with something with a good fairing, but not something that is huge like the new GS's.

It doesn't have to be a thumper, with my scrambler I have fallen in love with a 270 degree twin. I have owned a hayabusa, katana750, R6, VFR750, Trophy SE, and Rocket III before my current bikes. Out of all the engine configurations my favorites are the 270degree twin, v4, triple, and flat 6. If I can only pick 2 it would be the 270 degree twin and V4 for sure.
 
Jcornwell101 said:
Realistically my riding would be 80% Road and 20% dirt. I am wanting to do long trips and cross country trips where if I want to get lost in hard pack I can. I don't really plan on using it as a 100% dirt bike by any stretch. I just want to stay with something with a good fairing, but not something that is huge like the new GS's.

It doesn't have to be a thumper, with my scrambler I have fallen in love with a 270 degree twin. I have owned a hayabusa, katana750, R6, VFR750, Trophy SE, and Rocket III before my current bikes. Out of all the engine configurations my favorites are the 270degree twin, v4, triple, and flat 6. If I can only pick 2 it would be the 270 degree twin and V4 for sure.
Click to expand...
I love the feel 270 twin in my Honda NC700.
The V4 in my ST1300 is like a sewing machine. So smooth. I'll miss it for sure if I get the AT.

Not sure I would like a 180 degree twin. They are kinda buzzy.
 
With those percentages, take a look at the V-Strom. I had a 650 Wee strom that was a fantastic bike. Not the best for a lot of offroad, but 20% would be just fine. They are bulletproof and priced very competitively.
 
Thats why I considered the Vstrom because they are great bikes.
I would love to get a scrambler 1200XE, but i whish they had a fairing for longer rides.
Plus it was weird at first with both the valkyrie and scrambler to go from 6 speed transmissions to 5 speeds.
It took me a little while to not try to shift into 6th even though the scrambler has a gear position indicator lol.
 
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