Dual–Sport + Adventure Motorcycles
Dual–Sport + Adventure Motorcycles are street–legal motorcycles that are designed for use both on– and off–road (the “dual” in dual–sport or dual–purpose). Dual–sport motorcycle guides discuss the fact that these are typically single–cylinder motorbikes with engine displacements ranging from 250cc to 650cc. Adventure motorcycles, also known as adventurer tourers or travel enduros, have larger, multi–cylinder engines (650cc and up) and are often equipped for long–distance travel with windshields, comfortable seats, saddlebags or side cases. Due to the rigors of off–road use, dual–sport and adventure motorcycles often have durable bodywork and protective elements such as hand guards, engine guards and skid plates – something to look for when reading Dual–Sport + Adventure Motorcycle reviews. Their tires often have a large–block tread pattern that provide grip on pavement and in dirt or gravel; those ridden almost exclusively off–road usually run knobby tires like those found on dirt bikes.
BMW F 800 GS Adventure – First Look
Greg Drevenstedt
May 2, 2013
Adventure touring’s rapidly expanding universe can be traced back to a Big Bang moment: BMW’s introduction of the R80G/S in 1980. Gelände/Strasse—Off-road/Road in German, or GS for short—has become much more than just a model designation. Among the BMW faithful, it has become an expansive identity,... Read more »
Comparison Test: 2013 BMW C 650 GT vs. 2013 Honda NC700X
Mark Tuttle
April 3, 2013
We aren’t normally a shiftless bunch except for an hour or two after lunch, but we recently spent the last two weeks swapping between two new “automatics”—BMW’s C 650 GT maxi-scooter, and Honda’s NC700X with dual-clutch transmission—in an effort to see which type of shiftless two-wheeler... Read more »
2014 KTM 1190 Adventure–First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
February 25, 2013
Roaring out of the fourth tight, uphill corner, one of hundreds in our aggressive ascent from sea level to the lava fields surrounding 12,198-foot Mount Teide, two things dawned on me. One is that Tenerife, the largest of the 13 Canary Islands situated off the northwestern coast of Africa, is a beautiful... Read more »
Rider Comparo: 2013 Honda CRF250L vs. 2013 Kawasaki KLX250S vs. 2013 Yamaha WR250R
Arden Kysely
January 31, 2013
The last time Rider corralled a herd of 250 dual-sports (April 2008), we chose the thriftiest models available in the face of rising gas prices. This time we went for best-in-class, grabbing Yamaha’s WR250R, Honda’s new CRF250L and Kawasaki’s KLX250S—the only return contender. The KLX received... Read more »
2013 BMW R 1200 GS – First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
January 28, 2013
Redesigning a motorcycle that established and continues to define a robust market segment, one that has been a perennial bestseller, inspires fanatical devotion and is the culmination of a design philosophy that has endured for nearly a century, is a major undertaking. After setting new standards among... Read more »
2013 Honda CRF250L: Ridden & Rated
Donya Carlson
January 3, 2013
Conventional wisdom says you can’t please everyone, but that’s not stopping Honda from trying. Its new 2013 CRF250L dual-sport has a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine derived from the peppy CBR250R. The company’s goal is to spark the imagination of returning, new and current... Read more »
2013 BMW F 700 GS – First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
November 26, 2012
When BMW decided to update the F 650 GS for 2013, it was clearly in a generous mood. The folks in Bavaria gave the street-biased enduro model more horsepower and torque, a shorter gear ratio for quicker acceleration, a second front disc brake, new switchgear and instrumentation, and updated styling.... Read more »
2012 Honda NC700X DCT ABS Road Test
Mark Tuttle
November 8, 2012
Motorcycles are not appliances. Even if your main goal in buying one is to accomplish a daily task like commuting with the lowest possible vehicle and fuel costs, few riders would be satisfied with a motorcycle that is as dull as a dishwasher. We still want performance that excites us, looks that fuel... Read more »
Rider Comparo: Honda NC700X vs. Kawasaki Versys vs. Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS
Bill Stermer
November 6, 2012
Mid-size bikes make a lot of sense. Not only because they tend to be less expensive and lighter, but also because they have become so competent. Considering competence, this trio of liquid-cooled, 650cc-class twins each has a 6-speed transmission, chain final drive and some gravel-road pretensions (though... Read more »
2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring – First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
October 25, 2012
Since its 2010 revamp, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 has been busy. It became king of Pikes Peak (spawning an eponymous model version), it helped keep the lights on during the economic downturn (thanks to sales of 20,500 units) and it grew the ranks of Ducatisti. Four out of five Multistrada buyers are... Read more »
