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Death of the big adventure bike Death of the big adventure bike
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Photo by Giovanni Lamonica, Aralsk, Kazakhstan.

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Giovanni Lamonica,
Aralsk, Kazakhstan.



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  #1  
Old 8 Aug 2020
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Death of the big adventure bike
I am sure this will get a lot of comments , but as well travelled ,i feel able to talk about this .................... How many 1250's do you see off road ?
Last year i did 6000 miles in Maroc on a cb 500 x and i can say it was the best bike i have ever taken there !
Smaller bikes let you enjoy the views and are easy to handle .............. big ones get you there fast !! ......any point in that ?
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Old 8 Aug 2020
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It's nice to get there fast and comfortable, IF you have spare tyres to fit when you get there.

Otherwise I am doing 90-100kph and nursing my knobblies.
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Old 8 Aug 2020
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It's an endless cycle of fashion for the Starbucks crowd and the manufacturers marketing men. F650 because it won the Dakar. Not enough power? R1250GS SssssirrrrrR? Behemoth too heavy SssssirrrrrR? F800GS would suit you SssssirrrrrR. Not enough power? K1900GS out soon.....

Everytime they create another Moto Guzzi Quota it cycles back to a Himalayan then starts again.

There is no right answer but if there was the manufacturers wouldn't like the lost opportunity to sell you bigger, faster, lighter, simpler....

I'd agree the CB500X is closest on current technology, but the Tenere self jacking swing arm thing might prove that old and allow bigger, or Enfield might drag 40 HP out of 480cc or....

Andy
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Old 8 Aug 2020
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it's all about skills, you can enjoy big bikes as well as small
and when you got proper skills they're more universal and rewarding then small ones.




so, definitely it's not death fd big adventure bikes, just the opposite.
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Old 8 Aug 2020
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fantastic riding on new tenere T7

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Old 8 Aug 2020
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Depends on where you are and how big your support team is, I guess.

I see video like that and think: moto travelers don't really ride like that. The idea is to get where you're going with minimal risk of injury.

No one in their right mind is out there sliding the rear around the corner on a obscure lonely pass in a mountainous little country with no rescue teams and no hospitals.

So, if you want to take the back roads you'd be better off taking a smaller bike.

just my opinion, of course............shu
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Death of the big adventure bike
I feel you are looking through the lense of what you use a bike for.

The big adventure bikes, IMO, are awesome sports tourers that can handle dirt roads. This would explain why they are so popular and one of the leading sellers for companies like BMW.

Everything is a compromise. Choose the bike with the least compromises for your use. I had a CB500x and my R1200GSA and the GS handled formed and secondary/forestry roads much better than the X. The GS does have Wilburs which probably helped.

In the end the X didn’t suit the adventures that I use it for. I doubt even post covid I will be going anywhere that the X would be worth the compromises it has over the GS. I won’t be going to Africa or South America, will be doing Japan, Russia, Mongolia and Europe. The GS suits that role well I think.

Have fun and stay safe.



EDIT: just wanted to say that the enjoyment you get is not just the trip but the bike and I think we fall in love with a certain kind of bike. I was fine for years on enduro bikes and small road bikes. But then I rode big BMW’s and Yamaha’s for work and power and comfort became like a drug maybe LOL...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shu... View Post

I see video like that and think: moto travelers don't really ride like that. The idea is to get where you're going with minimal risk of injury.
you're right what proves you don't really need very light bike because you're not going to take risk anyway hence big bike will be more practical overall.
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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The big bikes aren't going anywhere if you look at the sales stats.

They're flying out and still massively outselling anything else.

However, it's fantastic to see the smaller bikes gaining popularity.

I work PT at a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer. They have a new Ninja 400 !!! I got all giddy as when I was 18, the ZXR400 was all I ever wanted.

Yamaha did a great thing with the Yamaha 700 and KTM with the 790 but I'd still love to see something at the 400-500cc lightweight class which isn't just made for racing.
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shu... View Post
I see video like that and think: moto travelers don't really ride like that. The idea is to get where you're going with minimal risk of injury.

No one in their right mind is out there sliding the rear around the corner on a obscure lonely pass in a mountainous little country with no rescue teams and no hospitals.
You have to understand that the guy riding the KTM is in a hurry. He was off on an adventure (it is the 1190 Adventure after all) and he realised that he had forgotten all his luggage so he was hurrying home to get his pyjamas and toothbrush.
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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end of BIG adventure bikes
OK .............. is an adveture doing 650 miles through spain on fast duel roads........... or say going to maroc and enjoying the the fantastic views etc........Big aventure bikes are just very fast touring machines too big to take on small roads all day and wold you want to ?
T700
WR 250 R
XT600E
NOW.. These are more like it
How many people can handle a biggy in mud and ruts ?
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Originally Posted by badou24 View Post
OK .............. is an adveture doing 650 miles through spain on fast duel roads........... or say going to maroc and enjoying the the fantastic views etc........Big aventure bikes are just very fast touring machines too big to take on small roads all day and wold you want to ?
T700
WR 250 R
XT600E
NOW.. These are more like it
How many people can handle a biggy in mud and ruts ?
For me an adventure is whatever takes you outside your normal reality - for some that will include outside the comfort zone. For some that will be going over vast distances, for others it will be going through mud, over ruts through jungles etc. This could be in your own country - your home county - or the other side of the world. Each person’s definition of adventure is unique to them.
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Originally Posted by *Touring Ted* View Post
............. I'd still love to see something at the 400-500cc lightweight class which isn't just made for racing.
I'm also a fan of bikes in that class and waiting to try the new KTM 390 adventure.

Only seen one review to date so it's a little unknown to me at the moment.
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Old 9 Aug 2020
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Bla bla bla
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Old 10 Aug 2020
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An adventure is whatever and wherever you want it to be.
An adventure can be as tough or as soft as you want it to be.
One person's adventure might be someone else's ride down to the shops.

Ditto adventure bikes.
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