I was fortunate coming from 30 years of dirt riding and transitioned into Adventure/road riding. I bought the ATASes DCT, and absolutely love it. I agree the transition from dirt to ADV is not so difficult. We ride Rockies, forestry roads (two track) and highways across BC. I would not buy an Africa Twin if you are just learning dirt! It will be a handful for a new rider. Same as DCT. I love it, but if learning to ride, learn a clutch, thresh hold braking ect, first. Great discussion BFE! Cheers from Canada :-)
I just stumbled across ur channel as iv been researching machines for my next bike as the klr has treated but I'm wanting something a bit more road oriented after after cruising coast to coast to and from the start and finish of the t.a.t. glad to see another fellow S.I. rider. And I feel like ur advice is spot on.
Would you suggest a small ADV or a small dual sport for a first bike? I was thinking Honda CRF 300L because I like the idea of being able to explore, go anywhere and know the bike can do it esp. at slower speeds, but I will likely be on roads more often. I do want to learn both styles of riding though, and one bike is ideal. A lot of people seem to say the 300L or the KLX's are the perfect first bikes, but Honda reliability is hard to say no to. Without any riding experience, the ADV bikes seem way to street biased and heavier (KTM 390 ADV, BMW 310 GS, etc.), and I know more weight is not fun off road. Doing all my research I'm so surprised to see people with even 700cc bikes off road loaded with like 100 pounds of crap.. That seems like it would be a nightmare to manage/work when riding, not to mention pick up if you drop it. Also, unrelated question, but I've heard people say things about KTMs and them being quirky or difficult mechanically to maintain. Is that actually a thing and if so why?
All great questions! Based on the context of your questions, it sounds like you prefer a more off-road biased bike. If so, and you plan not to ride much highway, you are on the right track with the 300s or a WR250R! KTMs have that stigma, but I think all bikes are reliable when properly maintained!
Nice job. Road an xr650 for years. Did everything with it. Currently have an Africa Twin, T7, and a Wr250r. Jumping on an AT and riding dirt without the background or skill set is just not a good idea. Start with a lighter less powerful bike.
Kitted out "adventurized" KTM 690 or an Aprilia Tuareg 660? Im worried the KTM wont make a great city bike nor a good 80mph interstate bike. Im worried the Tuareg will be too heavy on moderate jeep (2 track) to easy single track. Most of my riding will be solo either around town or a 2-5+ hour road trip to get to good trails, not planning on touring. Im not the strongest guy at 150lbs so leaning toward a lighter bike. I grew up riding a fair bit in the dirt across the midwestern states and owned a few liter bikes for the street. I took a 5+ year break from riding when I lived in NYC but I want to get back into it now. Do you have any thoughts, Id value your input? Thank you for the content.
Honestly, I would think about how often you were taking a trip more than two hours. If it is extremely often and you don’t have a way to trailer the bike, I would go with the Tuareg. Anything two hours and under, the KTM will be better in almost every way. The KTM will make a great city bike. It is a hooligan machine. If you were just sticking to 2 track, either will be fine. If you intend to do more easy single track or flowing stuff - 690 all the way. The middleweight bikes are pretty darn good at everything. However, they are not great for either of the extremes. I would just look at what you were going to be doing most often and choose based on that. I personally don’t typically ride more than two hours to get to a riding spot. So, the 690 is it for me. I like to ride Trails that would be difficult on a bigger bike. When we do training tours in Tennessee, or Arkansas, I am definitely going to be throwing the bike in the back of the truck or on the trailer.
@@bfeadventures Thanks again, I purchased a fully adventurized 2020 690 today in no small part to your content and response. I have the Rade Garage fairing too, have you considered getting a windscreen extender or have any suggestion on what can get the wind above my helmet on the interstate? It gets a good amount off my chest but my helmet is just getting blasted. Also any suggestion on tires, I have the original tires on the bike with just over 1,500 miles but they feel pretty knobby on the street. For city riding and the occasional weekend moderate two track thought I might swap them out. Maybe I should just ride these down. Appreciate your insight.
@@C11raider congrats on the new ride! I’m sure you will love it! I am short, so the rade fairing dumps clean air on my helmet and it seems fine. Just a simple clip-on lip has worked great for me in the past on my Super Tenere! I had an MRA X-screen on the Africa Twin and LOVED it. I do t think they make one small enough for the race fairing though. The wheel sizes of the 690 tend to lean toward aggressive tread patterns. I personally do not like to sacrifice traction off-road, so I’m biased. That being said, I really like the Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires on my GS. They were a decent street tire AND a decent dirt tire. They still get loud when worn down though. Another great 50/50 tire would be the Mitas E07+. Good dirt tire, but definitely no knobby. Lastly, I’d heavily consider the Dunlop Trailmax raid. That’s a newer tire getting rave reviews. I have no personal experience with those though. I had the missions and they were a great DRY 50/50 tire.
What would you advise me? I'm living in the Netherlands and coming from a Kawasaki ZZR600. My ambition would be to start with gravel roads but before i get to any offroad roads i would have to drive to Sweden or France or something. So most miles would be asphalt. I'm drawn heavily towards the Africa Twin for the same amount of horsepower and creature comforts (android auto, cruise control) but the Tenere700 looks like a decent option too. Would be cheaper, lighter, for android auto i can always use a navigation system, but probably less comfortable on the road. The bike would mostly be used for long roadtrips in the summer or for weekend drive with a tent (just as i do with the ZZR now but hopefully adding the option of gravel roads and a more straight up sit to alleviate wrist and back)
Hi, Edwin! I’d advise toward a bigger bike like the Africa Twin. Sounds to me like you’ll have a road bias. The Africa twin will be much more comfortable than the T7 out of the box. If gravel roads are the most off-road you are going to get, the T7 may be too off-road oriented for you. I can ride my AT easily at 50+ mph on gravel and it cruises nicely on the highway.
@@bfeadventures congratulations on the newest member of team BFE Hope all is well and look forward to the new videos. Brought a 2022 cb500x after watching your review and I'm pretty surprised at what it can do. It's a ripper of a bike for the price.
I was fortunate coming from 30 years of dirt riding and transitioned into Adventure/road riding. I bought the ATASes DCT, and absolutely love it. I agree the transition from dirt to ADV is not so difficult. We ride Rockies, forestry roads (two track) and highways across BC. I would not buy an Africa Twin if you are just learning dirt! It will be a handful for a new rider. Same as DCT. I love it, but if learning to ride, learn a clutch, thresh hold braking ect, first. Great discussion BFE! Cheers from Canada :-)
I just stumbled across ur channel as iv been researching machines for my next bike as the klr has treated but I'm wanting something a bit more road oriented after after cruising coast to coast to and from the start and finish of the t.a.t. glad to see another fellow S.I. rider. And I feel like ur advice is spot on.
Really enjoyed your candor... will look into touring with you in the future
Hope to catch you out there!
Love the explanations - keep up the good work!
Thanks!
i like the twin . my frind just got a bmw 1250 and that thing is slick i would love to spin the twin,
Being brutally honest about what you actually wanna do will save you a lot of time and energy pretending to be something you're not.
Would you suggest a small ADV or a small dual sport for a first bike? I was thinking Honda CRF 300L because I like the idea of being able to explore, go anywhere and know the bike can do it esp. at slower speeds, but I will likely be on roads more often. I do want to learn both styles of riding though, and one bike is ideal. A lot of people seem to say the 300L or the KLX's are the perfect first bikes, but Honda reliability is hard to say no to. Without any riding experience, the ADV bikes seem way to street biased and heavier (KTM 390 ADV, BMW 310 GS, etc.), and I know more weight is not fun off road. Doing all my research I'm so surprised to see people with even 700cc bikes off road loaded with like 100 pounds of crap.. That seems like it would be a nightmare to manage/work when riding, not to mention pick up if you drop it. Also, unrelated question, but I've heard people say things about KTMs and them being quirky or difficult mechanically to maintain. Is that actually a thing and if so why?
All great questions! Based on the context of your questions, it sounds like you prefer a more off-road biased bike. If so, and you plan not to ride much highway, you are on the right track with the 300s or a WR250R! KTMs have that stigma, but I think all bikes are reliable when properly maintained!
Nice job. Road an xr650 for years. Did everything with it. Currently have an Africa Twin, T7, and a Wr250r. Jumping on an AT and riding dirt without the background or skill set is just not a good idea. Start with a lighter less powerful bike.
Great words of wisdom, and nice stable!
You have the perfect set up.
Another great video with great advice.
Kitted out "adventurized" KTM 690 or an Aprilia Tuareg 660? Im worried the KTM wont make a great city bike nor a good 80mph interstate bike. Im worried the Tuareg will be too heavy on moderate jeep (2 track) to easy single track. Most of my riding will be solo either around town or a 2-5+ hour road trip to get to good trails, not planning on touring. Im not the strongest guy at 150lbs so leaning toward a lighter bike. I grew up riding a fair bit in the dirt across the midwestern states and owned a few liter bikes for the street. I took a 5+ year break from riding when I lived in NYC but I want to get back into it now. Do you have any thoughts, Id value your input? Thank you for the content.
Honestly, I would think about how often you were taking a trip more than two hours. If it is extremely often and you don’t have a way to trailer the bike, I would go with the Tuareg. Anything two hours and under, the KTM will be better in almost every way. The KTM will make a great city bike. It is a hooligan machine. If you were just sticking to 2 track, either will be fine. If you intend to do more easy single track or flowing stuff - 690 all the way. The middleweight bikes are pretty darn good at everything. However, they are not great for either of the extremes. I would just look at what you were going to be doing most often and choose based on that. I personally don’t typically ride more than two hours to get to a riding spot. So, the 690 is it for me. I like to ride Trails that would be difficult on a bigger bike. When we do training tours in Tennessee, or Arkansas, I am definitely going to be throwing the bike in the back of the truck or on the trailer.
@@bfeadventures Thanks again, I purchased a fully adventurized 2020 690 today in no small part to your content and response. I have the Rade Garage fairing too, have you considered getting a windscreen extender or have any suggestion on what can get the wind above my helmet on the interstate? It gets a good amount off my chest but my helmet is just getting blasted. Also any suggestion on tires, I have the original tires on the bike with just over 1,500 miles but they feel pretty knobby on the street. For city riding and the occasional weekend moderate two track thought I might swap them out. Maybe I should just ride these down. Appreciate your insight.
@@C11raider congrats on the new ride! I’m sure you will love it!
I am short, so the rade fairing dumps clean air on my helmet and it seems fine. Just a simple clip-on lip has worked great for me in the past on my Super Tenere! I had an MRA X-screen on the Africa Twin and LOVED it. I do t think they make one small enough for the race fairing though.
The wheel sizes of the 690 tend to lean toward aggressive tread patterns. I personally do not like to sacrifice traction off-road, so I’m biased. That being said, I really like the Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires on my GS. They were a decent street tire AND a decent dirt tire. They still get loud when worn down though. Another great 50/50 tire would be the Mitas E07+. Good dirt tire, but definitely no knobby. Lastly, I’d heavily consider the Dunlop Trailmax raid. That’s a newer tire getting rave reviews. I have no personal experience with those though. I had the missions and they were a great DRY 50/50 tire.
What would you advise me? I'm living in the Netherlands and coming from a Kawasaki ZZR600. My ambition would be to start with gravel roads but before i get to any offroad roads i would have to drive to Sweden or France or something. So most miles would be asphalt. I'm drawn heavily towards the Africa Twin for the same amount of horsepower and creature comforts (android auto, cruise control) but the Tenere700 looks like a decent option too. Would be cheaper, lighter, for android auto i can always use a navigation system, but probably less comfortable on the road. The bike would mostly be used for long roadtrips in the summer or for weekend drive with a tent (just as i do with the ZZR now but hopefully adding the option of gravel roads and a more straight up sit to alleviate wrist and back)
Hi, Edwin! I’d advise toward a bigger bike like the Africa Twin. Sounds to me like you’ll have a road bias. The Africa twin will be much more comfortable than the T7 out of the box. If gravel roads are the most off-road you are going to get, the T7 may be too off-road oriented for you. I can ride my AT easily at 50+ mph on gravel and it cruises nicely on the highway.
@@bfeadventures thanks!
Welcome back from Australia I've been looking out for your videos.
Got a little carried away with a new baby! We are going to be getting back after it though! Thanks for looking out!
@@bfeadventures congratulations on the newest member of team BFE Hope all is well and look forward to the new videos. Brought a 2022 cb500x after watching your review and I'm pretty surprised at what it can do. It's a ripper of a bike for the price.
@@bh.76 thanks!
And that’s great! Glad you like it!