What is a Perfect Adventure Bike?

What makes a great lightweight adventure bike?
- It must be capable off road
- It must be light - for me, the lighter the better.
- It must also be capable of sustaining decent speeds on the tarmac.
- It must be capable of carrying luggage
- Maintenance and servicing should be easy
So why do I say the KTM EXC 450 is the perfect lightweight ADV bike?
Well, it is for me. It’s very light - much lighter than bikes such as the Honda CRF250L or 300L and the Suzuki DRZ400. It’s massively lighter than bikes such as the DR650 or the Yamaha 700.
It’s very powerful for its size. I don’t ride this bike fast on the tarmac, but if necessary I can cruise at 70mph on it.
So I’ve never felt that I need more power. I’m not tempted by bikes such as the KTM 690 or the Husqvarna 701, simply because I don’t need the extra power, and that power comes at the cost of more weight. I’d rather have less weight.
With the mods I’ve made to this bike (see separate video) I have a great fuel range and the bike is extremely comfortable.
So I cannot think of any other bike that would do a better job of what I use this bike for.