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.
2009 BMW G 650 GS Road Test
Mark Tuttle
March 17, 2009
[this 2009 BMW G 650 GS Road Test was originally published in the May 2009 issue of Rider magazine] Growing up I owned a series of Honda “thumpers”-single-cylinder four-stroke bikes-starting with an XL250 basket-case I sort-of reassembled that ran for about two weeks, to a brand-new XL600... Read more »
2009 BMW F 800 GS Road Test #2
Bill Wolf
December 12, 2008
[This 2009 BMW F 800 GS Road Test was originally published in the January 2009 issue of Rider magazine] What have we here? A middleweight version of the venerable R 1200 GS? A lighter, more manageable iteration of the long-way-around traveler? Well, not quite…. At 521 pounds gassed up and ready... Read more »
Rider’s 250-class Dual-Sport Motorcycle Comparison
Arden Kysely
September 15, 2008
photography by the author, James Norris, Roger Eggers and Kail Wathne [Rider's 250-class Dual-Sport Motorcycle Comparison including the 2008 HONDA CRF230L, 2009 KAWASAKI KLX250S and 2009 YAMAHA XT250 was originally published in the October 2008 issue of Rider magazine] 2008 HONDA CRF230L, 2009 KAWASAKI... Read more »
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Road Test
Arden Kysely
September 15, 2008
[This 2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Road Test was originally published in the September 2008 issue of Rider magazine] Have plate, will travel–that’s dual-sporting in a nutshell, and nowhere is that description more appropriate than in Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada, where miles... Read more »
2008 BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure Motorcycle Road Tests
Clement Salvadori
July 9, 2008
photography by the author and Kevin Wing A good motorcycle is like a good suit of clothes — it should fit properly and be comfortable. I have to say that this GS fits me just about perfectly, with looks that are quite acceptable at a formal occasion, and it doesn’t mind getting out and playing... Read more »
2008 Honda CRF230L Road Test
Bill Wolf
July 9, 2008
Honda certainly has a proud history of producing four-stroke powered dual-sport machines (previously called dual-purpose machines) dating back to the 1972 XL250KO. For many years the number of toy-hauler-pulling families has been expanding; during this time Honda has chosen to evolve and expand its full... Read more »
2008 KTM LC4 Singles Road Test
Rider Contributor
July 8, 2008
On the afternoon flight home from Spain via London, you head west over Greenland. The effect is that of an endless sunset, as the plane’s westbound speed is roughly commensurate with the rotational eastbound speed of the earth. It got me to thinking about chasing horizons on a bike–and how... Read more »
2008 Kawasaki KLR650 Road Test
Rider Contributor
July 8, 2008
[This 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 Road Test was originally published in the July 2007 issue of Rider magazine] I don’t know what you’ve been doing for the past 21 years, but over at Kawasaki they’ve been listening, and making lists. The company’s mainstay dual-sport, the KLR650, has... Read more »
2009 BMW F 800 GS Road Test #1
Arden Kysely
June 26, 2008
[This 2009 BMW F 800 GS Road Test originally appeared as a Ridden & Rated in the May 2008 issue of Rider magazine] The clues are obvious–chain drive, inverted fork, 21-inch front rim, tall seat. With all of that cloaked in bodywork that says, “Let’s explore,” it doesn’t... Read more »
2009 Buell 1125CR Road Test
Greg Drevenstedt
June 12, 2008
Los Angeles has the Rock Store; Berlin has Spinner-BrĂĽcke, a biergarten that has been a motorcycle hangout for 50 years. Harley traditionalists in America often look down their noses at the liquid-cooled V-Rod and sporty Buells; their counterparts in Berlin feel the same way, they just express it with... Read more »
