Yeah alright...Lighter....stronger...better good looking....dct....and so on... In the end, I’ll stick with my good old Super Tenere 1200! Always ready for me, never failling and always giving me the best of smile and pleasure! ST always!✌️
Ownership bias. Nothing wrong with s10 they all awesome,.just some lil better than the other. Guys with lower power always say yeah it have enough power etc
I know everyone turns their nose up to the Tenere, but several things you’re missing. It has electronic suspension, it comes standard with a center stand, heated grips, cruise control and perhaps the best attribute is that Yamaha is rated as the most reliable motorcycle brand in the world. I’ve had mine since 2016 and not one issue, not one. I will also give high marks for the Suzuki Vstrom, an excellent motorcycle with no problems whatsoever. In fact, I had mine from 2008 thru 2015. I rode everywhere including an August trip to Nova Scotia from Tennessee and back, with not a single issue. Don’t get me wrong, each bike had good points and bad. I loved the KTM 1190R Adventure and had a choice between the Tenere ES or 1190R Adventure, not the R version thought. I researched both extensively, both were brand new left over from the previous year and over $3,000 off the msrp. But as I said earlier, the KTM 1190R had some major issues, issues that could strand you or ruin your motorcycle, while the Tenere had none whatsoever. The KTM have had more HP and was not as heavy, but the Tenere had many more standard items, such as cruise control, heated grips, shaft drive, electronic suspension, center stand and let’s not forget reliability. So, that’s my two cents worth. In reality it comes down to many variables, which some might be highly subjective, like the noise out of the muffler, is it too loud or not loud enough. What fun would it be if we all like the same motorcycle?
Bro, you can buy any of them, I mean non of them bad, how can you get bad in this price point, but it's not just about good, it's about which is best from all, and GS 1250GS, which is available now is doing best
@@ilearner3319 I'm looking at getting a Tenere to replace my old venture for the same reasons Tenere Traveler mentioned. It may not be quite as nice on the basic spec sheet and might not ride quite as nicely, but it's going to be as hassle free an experience as any bike you can buy. The driveshaft, the frame, the engine, all make it a bit heavier and slightly less powerful than it could be, but also make it a bike that can stand up to more abuse and if regularly maintained then serve for years a do-all daily rider. I get a lot of mileage on my bikes and like to push them when I get the opportunity to, so it's an important consideration. Plus the GS, Tiger, and Africa Twin all looking better on paper and being more popular suppresses the prices of used STs and that's really nice for me rn, being in the market for one. Seriously for what you can find on the used market the value is incredible vs those others. Only the Vstrom is in the same range and it doesn't come with all the same amenities and isn't nearly as bulletproof (though after the yamaha and the honda it's still probably the third most reliable of the group and will be durable enough once it's outfitted with all the right guarding).
I bought a new 2018 V-Strom 1000 XT last March. I've put 5200 trouble free miles on it. It's really an amazing bike, super comfortable and very sporty. I went in to buy a Africa twin, saw the v strom, after reading reviews, and seating on them talking to the dealership about the AT problems I went with the V strom. For my type of riding it fits me perfectly..
I really want to trade in my vstrom 1050xt for one. The vstrom is great but it just doesnt have the top end I want. And it's a little on the heavy side once it starts to tip.
Respect for taking effort and equipping all bikes with same type of tyres that very important and always ignored and its so important for fair comparison
I test rode one this weekend, VERY impressed. If it had cruise control that would seal the deal. It is super comfortable, plenty of power, and corners like a sportbike. I find it funny that most people like the 650 better. I felt the 650 was too soft, and didn't feel any lighter. The 1k felt much sportier but still nice and light and would be easy to manage in the dirt.
@@mrvwbug4423 it will be my first litre bike. I part exchanged my Ninja 650 with only 1300 miles on it. Im only 5ft 6. So i had to get the low seat and a lowering link.
As it is said, the Suzuki 1000 does not do everything great BUT it does everything WELL. IMHO it is a great all around bike at a good price point with infinite add ons..
In March I will buy the Suzuki XT for 11.800 euros and will put a Remus Carbon exhaust on. I havent rode a bike for 5 years and my last one was a 2007 Vstrom and I really like how Suzuki moved forward. By far best price performance rated bike.
The suzuki is the king of bang for buck in this group. Also forget the 15 grand price point. Get it without the saddlebags and its only 13,300 for the XT (for that price difference you can install a nice set of Givi cases and good aftermarket skidplate and crash bars), and they are commonly discounted, I've seen a 2018 Yellow with gold rims XT marked down to 10,200 at a dealer in this region
I have the "updated/retooled" 2014 Vstrom 1000 Adventure that I bought NEW for $8,500 with some great discounts and a repeat buyer at a great dealership (Twigg Cycle in Hagerstown, MD). Over the last couple of years I have updated it on the cheap with, yes, VERY inexpensive but GOOD bike products from AliExpress. These bikes are MADE to upgrade or at the very least customize into what you want. With an updated ECU, since the original had stalling issues, this thing is FAST (100hp), designed for low torque and pulls like a train (can you say 4th gear 25mph to over 100mph! Seriously. It pulls without sputtering/knocking). I love the hard side paniers but use soft ones for off road that also act as a soft buffer when having a horizontal episode. The same with the "accessory" bars (they hate calling them CRASH bars, but we all know. BUT if bought separate the hard bags are around $1,000) that hold my aux lighting AND I put the military type various pouches that go right on and hold small tools, extra gloves and STUFF (change for tolls,etc)-mainly softer stuff that will not puncture through anything in a lay down but WILL soften the impact and give an extra bit of height on its side for picking up. My old back does not bend very well any more. I put $10 off road pegs (LOVE EM!) shorty clutch/brake adjustable levers so not prone to bend/ breaking (broke the original). The wife actually surprised me with a tall windscreen and a skid pan (for that really exposed oil filter) I used to race MX and ride endure when I was growing up (at least to the 12 yo my wife says men stay at) and have been riding for over 40 years. I checked out all the bikes tested and still went with the Suzuki. I still dream of the BMW, Tiger and the KTM BUT the price and inexpensive upgrades able to be done on this PLUS absolutely bulletproof mechanical, seriously good handling on/off road (especially in the RAIN), easy to stand up and ride PLUS the natural sitting position is fantastic. For cruise control I have a $2 cramp buster throttle assist that works great for me. Anyway, short story long, all these bikes are great. On a retired police salary and the AMAZING following of Wee(650cc) and Vee(1,000cc) online (like Stromtroopers) for technical assistance and help/story/parts base for the Suzuk - I was sold. Over four years of trouble free riding and it just seems to always just get better. Just an FYI though it IS a PRETTY TALL BIKE (you can get the lower seat tho!).
I agree, and having owned a 2004 V Strom, I can tell you the new model is really done right. One of the things they didn't hit (I know they can't mention everything) on was dealer support for some of these bikes. As a current BMW owner my advice to a prospective buyer would be not to buy a BMW unless you can afford to fix it when it's out of warranty. I picked up mine for a steal right around $10K, but at a decade old, I have been riding for two years with the ABS light on because I don't want to spend $1200 to fix it. In terms of dealer support, I think that's where the Triumph and the KTM show their Achilles heel, aside from cost of ownership like the BMW. The Triumph triple is a great mill when it's working, and the KTM is an amazing machine if you are willing to trust it miles off road. That all said, and opinions being like a$$holes, for my money, I am going with the V Strom all the way. There are numerous 100K mile examples of this engine still running strong out there, but I think in the adventure touring realm, a lot of people buy based on their ego, an need that GS, and good luck to them. The V Strom will definitely be the next bike in my garage as soon as I can get my wife to let me buy one........
theninja001 , bought the 2018 Adventure Sports $14,599 manual transmission, still a bargain compared to the rest in this shootout. If I didn’t require a better off-road bike the Suzuki would had been #2 pic . Money wasn’t as much of a factor as just getting the right bike for myself and the rides I plan with it
I recommend the Moto Guzzi Stelvio. I rode all of these and it is the best bike of them hands down. Problem is Moto Guzzi doesn't pay for good reviews so they ignore the brand. FANTASTIC bikes!
The v Strom 1000cc is a tough contender to argue against ..a close friend owned one for a long time untill a local stream next to his house covered everything under water for a week , so his insurance company totaled out the bike ..serval of our friends ride adventure bikes and we were all sorry to see it go as on rides though the back woods roads of mostly dirt of the covered bridges of park county Indiana that gets quit interesting ..the v Strom is quit impressive .holds is own with the 955i triumph tiger , 1050 triumph tiger and a screamin eagle street tracker built with ohlins and revtech modified showa forks , apollo seamless rims roaring toys aluminium billet swingarm with metzeler tourance 170x17 rear and 120x19 front ..brembo calipers , sunstar full floater rotors
Becarefull playing around on railroad right of ways that close to the tracks as an open box car with lose banding hanging out will cut your body and bike in half like a sword ..or worse drag you and your bike down the tracks for miles and miles as you will be turned into bloody rags ...the engineer will never even know you are being ripped to pieces as there are no more caboose on the end of a train to warn the engineer as half the train can be derailed dragging on the railroad ties and the engineer does not even feel a tug are hear anything wrong for miles and miles until they come into switch yards and crash ..and it's not fun cleaning up the mess afterwards
Spot on Gerhard, I also love the reviews and find them helpful but your point is well made. I think it's refreshing that the Strom was duly noted as being a great package for the money although not necessarily the fashion followers choice of weapon which must be frustrating for manufacturers producing good quality bikes only for journos to carry on gushing about Ducati's and BM's.
Having gs's for 15 years ,test rode the v'strom 3 years ago ,really impressed,bought another gs though. 3 years on ,next is v strom. The price is just right.
I did buy the 2019 Vstrom 1000 XT and Iam riding it for 2 weeks now and I love it. Super user friendly, light, comfortable, great suspension, and tourque engine make ridding really fun. I did put Remus titanium exhaust on for sound and Suzuki LED blinkers. Cant wait to attack Austrian and Italian Alps...
Just returned from a 5000 mile road trip on my Africa Twin DCT, with barely any dirt, an amazing bike. $20 throttle lock solves the cruise control issue. it's not as good as cruise control, but it goes a long way.
In Europe we use cruise control to cope with all the speed cameras and “average speed “ restrictions A throttle lock would be hopeless. Honda are clueless imho.
Well I know Honda don’t fit cruise control, which being an owner of the new Africa Twin Adventure Sport, was a disappointing, but you can atleast now have it, from an aftermarket company in Australia, MCCruise. I’ve recently fitted it to my bike and it just completes the bike, well worth it. As for Honda, I guess their get round to it sometime, but don’t hold your breath!
I enjoyed the end-credit post edit. At the end of the day, everyone made it home after a fun day trying different bikes! Everyone seemed to be having a great time - that’s what it’s all about!
Maybe a Part 3 should be made... Wich bike would you pick if you want to go to the end of the world and (specially) back. Maybe that blue one should be the answer... The one you will never consider if you have a good road to push the throttle, or near any dealer where you have spare parts. But if you go to the those places, away from anything, you want a tank, reliable, confortable enough, handles enough, pushes enough.
If u go around the world u take old simple reliable bike like old AT or transalp, not expensive shiny toys for your middle age crysis and starbucks trips
Great material. I have a f800gs bmw, but I am considering buying something more than 1000cc. This film perfectly illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of the tested machines. Good job, very helpful. Greetings from Poland
Ivana and Manuel travelled around the world for 4 years on a Yamaha Super Tenere. They are the ones who shouls be reviewing these bikes. Google for Around Gaia, the Tenere is great bike.
These reviewers never seem to factor in the cost of ownership when they pick these winners. It bugs me, because when I was still fresh and looking for a dirt bike, I went off of reviews to make my decisions, which led me to buy a European enduro when realistically in my situation I should have just bought a bulletproof Japanese MX bike. I feel they never tell the full story with these reviews when they leave out things like maintenance intervals, warrantees, and average cost of repair parts.
Not sure if my wording is confusing, but that wasn't what I was trying to get across. I was saying for my personal situation (not having a garage was the main thing), I would have been better off going with a slightly cheaper and lower maintenance bike, such as a Kawasaki or Honda. I would have sacrificed cutting edge performance for reliability had I been better informed at the time.
3 of the reviewers chose the ATAS or VStrom (The least expensive of the bikes) and value was mentioned. I received that message loud & clear. Honda & Suzuki have good reputations of reasonable maintenance... what more do we need?
pinkiewerewolf Honda does not have a good reputation anymore. They’re still coasting off the 90s. I had a 2007 Civic that was the worst piece of shit new car I’ve ever seen. The Civic Si owners sued Honda over the ridiculous throttle lag. I knew a guy who got a 2008 Cbr1000rr that SNAPPED A CONNECTING ROD after 16 months and Honda told him “out of warranty, not our problem.” I got a 2013 CRF250L and dropped on a trail one day, snapping off a tail light. No problem, easy replacement...nope, the fuckwits in Thailand epoxied the tail assembly bolts in place for no reason. Ended up getting the dealership to remove it under warranty, but epoxying random bolts in an off-road bike is unforgivable. Honda can fuck off forever.
Cost of ownership is important. Unfortunately, they don't have them long enough to figure that out. A lot of common problems with certain bikes don't show up with road tests or short term loaners. They also might not have to actually pay out of pocket for maintenance either. There are some bikes I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole because of maintenance costs. You never hear of it from the moto scribes.
I just bought a new ‘19 AT AS. My wife rides a ‘17 650 V-Strom and a DR650 dual sport. I wanted a bike that would go anywhere she goes on either bike. My bike was delivered on the 12th, and we got 8 inches of snow on the 13. I had to leave on a business trip on the 15th, so my brand new AT is sitting in the garage until mid May when I get back home. The bike blew me away on the test ride. Having just sold my old XT600, owned and rode a KZ1000 shaft and grown up on dirt bikes, the AT is every bike I’ve ever dreamed of wrapped into one.
Silly review truthfully. Not one of those bikes are 'dirt' bikes but rather occasional fair dirt capable. I'll keep my Super Tenére.... Beautifully made & she will give me much joy till the end of my days... Just returned from 500 miles of mostly dirt in the Big Bend area of Texas. Super T was just amazing. 46mp/g.
If I had to select any other bike it would be the V-Strom. I own a R1200GS LC. It's a really good all-rounder. I took a off-road course and was really amazed at what I could do with the GS. The reality is off-road in my region is non-existent other than dirt and gravel roads (or ridiculously chewed up ATV courses). Most riders either don't have the opportunity or confidence to attempt off-road so the better choice is all-rounder at any price. If you do run into single tracks you still need highway miles to get to them.
If you can't ride a Super Ténéré it doesn't mean it's heavy. i can balance my S10 for some time before i throw my leg down just like a mountain bike. Clearly this bike is not beloved by plenty but the Ténéré is the grand father for all this segment. When you pay a 20k bike you'd better get somethimg reliable and jack of all trades. tft's and gadgets aren't a scale it's just a way for lifting prices and Yamaha is not doing it for a reason. It's their work horse.
I wonder the reason we have not seen a new Super Tenere is it would be too expensive to produce? The Super Tenere is obviously made for reliability and that costs in weight and maybe sales as most owners keep them for many years! It’s a truly beautiful motorcycle and I hope Yamaha will update it, a bit more power, a bit lighter and a parallel twin that sounds better, keep the rounded design element and they have a winner. The drawings I have seen of a 900cc triple doesn’t do it for me unfortunately, it needs to be a twin with a lot of low end grunt.
The standard Africa Twin suspension is really very good for most buyers. 90% won’t jump or race it. Mine works great for logging roads and the like. All you really need to do is upgrade the tires. I have other bikes for singletrack..
I agree with some other comments regarding more video time spent on how they produced their test. 1 day riding that many bikes seems to short of time to give a good evaluation.
Just curious; what makes the GS CC better? ( (I've never ridden a GS or tested its CC ). Without being an "orange fanatic", I find the 1290 CC to work well. FWIW.
It responds way quicker. For example, when your doing 100 and let go of the gas and activate CC at the same time, the GS just holds the 100 while the KTM falls down 10-15kph before it is really there. And then it climbs up the speedo again (quite slowly). Even if you hold the gas for a second after activating the KTMs CC, it still falls down a few kph. And the overall difference between set speed and actual speed is bigger on the KTM. 1-2kph on the GS vs. 3-4 kph on the KTM. The de-activation via the clutch-lever works smoother on the GS, as well. Minor things, for sure. But noticeable, when you compare head to head.
I think if someone were to ask them .. which bike would you take from So Cal to Alaska and back? The Super Tenere ES would be #1 for a worry-free trip. BMW is good but they've been having Shock issues. Others if they broke probably would need time for parts to arrive. For my money, Super Tenere was way underrated in this review.
Personally, I would take the V-Strom for that trip. It's the least expensive, is super comfortable, is known to be incredibly reliable, has a MASSIVE aftermarket so anything it's lacking I can add via aftermarket.
The super ten would be great if I were doing that trip on only highways, but the ten felt REALLY heavy to me when I sat on it. I've ridden a V-Strom 1k and it feels like it weighs half as much as the super ten (even though the super ten is only maybe 30 lbs heavier).
That 30lbs gives you shaft drive and 3 liters more fuel... A few more pluses for Super T ~ Pegs are dual sport vs street on the V Storm and radiator is well protected on Super T vs V Strom.
I love the shaft drives but Love my 14 Vee. The fairing around the tank actually does a great job in conjunction with the crash bars and the wide handle bars that keep it off the ground on hard stuff and soft stuff really is not as damaging. If you see my upgrades to my bike, I have great off road pegs that still work great on road for $10, Shortened levers so less chance of breaking the orig (which I did) and a ton of other inexpensive add ons like the cramp buster cruise assist for $1.50 plus a radiator guard and skid plate). Its super easy to ride standing too. I grew up in Alaska, did the Alaska Hwy to MI 13 times (down/back) in the 70s when it was still a real military road. Wash outs, DEEP sand, mud and rocks plus semi traffic that threw gravel were the order of the day. I would take my Vee today BUT I think everyone has a choice in what they buy and its what works well for them! Its fun to get together with a bunch of different bikes and ride. Anyone that is a hater of someone else's bike has a problem. Anyway, one of the BIGGEST TESTS of a bike is YES I get waves from HARLEY RIDERS!!!! I do a lot of back roads/gravel and trails here in the midatlantic now. I cant ride super hard stuff anymore since my body is broken and the Vee takes me anywhere I want to go. I am sure the T would do the same. It is a great bike . The Vee was just my choice for what I wanted to do with it. It is also my main transportation. Absolutely bullet proof in the four years since I bought it. I have been riding over 40 years.
I think a more appropriate choice for the comparison would have been the regular GS - not the adventure. More flickable on the street, and lighter in the dirt.
One question... why did they test the VStrom with luggage attached (seemed to have it attached I. Half the footage) and all the others without? I have lighter more off road bikes for the dirt, bought the same VStrom with alloys for the road touring I do. Great bike!
Do you know what the best adventure bike out there is right now? Its the one you,re riding at the moment without having to spend thousands of dollars just to keep up with the Jones,es. Buy a KLR for 2500 and you will have just as much fun.. Wont go as fast but at least you; see the scenery!!
Tenere all the way....Yami reliability is unmatched. That's worth more to me. If I were loaded and could ride 7 days a week the Bimmer is gorgeous and dreamy, but when I get a chance to ride my bike has to run flawlessly every time.
I had an r12. The ride wasn't, at least for me, so wonderful that I'd prefer it over the S10. To each their own. I did like the mudflap thing over the rear tire though, looked cool.
@@tylerhiggins6722 The 2017.5 and up ESA suspension is really something special, however price is a factor, the only reason I have a GS is I got my Rallye model with Sports Suspension new for $18k with every factory option, had I had to pay $24k then I would have looked elsewhere, not that I didn't have the money, just that I'd have been struggling to justify that much money to myself. The Tenere would be high on my list if not a BMW, because of the shaft drive, if you are going far in dirt and dust I think that's a big deal in terms of maintenance and given how quickly the sprockets wear on my Honda XR650, I can imagine a big bike loaded with luggage and supplies really being hard on the chain and sprockets in adverse conditions.
@@tylerhiggins6722 It was a17.5 year model, but I prefered the traditional instruments to the TFT screen, it's what happens when you get old, so wanted that one, all I had to get were the cases, I got the Brooks Autosport ones which I really like. I made the mistake of looking at them new, found this deal and couldn't say no. I love my XR650l, does everything I need off road and being air cooled etc. it's easy to maintain. Really looking forward to decent weather and some rides, safe riding and adventuring to you also :) The most important thing is to have a motorcycle, or two, or more, what they are, or what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.
Overall touring purpose is the question. If your going to tour long trips, looking for overall comfort 80% Road 20% dirt? You go BMW. I’m buying the GS because I need comfort with assurances I’m Ok on crappy roads. Example going to Alaska. Also need to consider support worldwide? Which bike Has parts ability out in the boonies?
Took a GS to Deadhorse last July and I'll be taking a 1290 SAR there next month. Both machines are great on the road, but once the road turns bad the KTM is leagues better. As far as parts availability, Fairbanks and Anchorage both have whatever you'll need. If you break down in the boonies on any modern bike you'll likely be towed to the nearest large city, so brand specifics are not as important as you think. Tires and oil are what you're going to be solving for 99% of the time, and you can get those almost "anywhere". Have a great trip. Cheers.
I think with these type of reviews you really need to consider the "cost of ownership" in that regard, as with just about all classes, the suzuki dominates. I have an rmx450 and that things service intervals are more than double the competition, the parts and oils are cheap, everything is bullet proof. Same with the Vstrom, everything is cheap, intervals are way longer, the motor has a huge history of performance and reliability and the thing will never let you down. Could almost buy two vstrom over a three year period for the price of a ktm.
VStrom ftw :-) I wasnt in the dirt with my new 1050xt,but on street its amazing. VStrom is the jack of all trades: not the best,not the worst. And a great engine of course
@@RoyClendaniel. Going offroad on a 80 HP is not enough.?? Basically how much more horses you need to go offroad btw? Definitely the DCT model AT and lightweight feels more at home on off road category, a 100+ HP heavier KTM is more suited for speedy on road aspects category.
Thank god you changed riders for the dirt portion of the test. The other dudes would have killed themselves and the showdown results wouldn’t have meant squat.
Honda Twin, strom and Tenere are great bikes. They all got hard for cheap strom I get it. Other 3 are about bells and whistles and the price tag that comes with it. They are also great bikes but you need deeper pockets. You picked a good motorcycle. If your the type of person to change bike every year get the ktm, have fun with it. If you plan on crossing the states, get a Tenere.
That makes two (and a lot more I know)! They don’t understand. It´s too reliable for them (they don’t own any of them, it just a joy ride of some days, so they don’t have to cope with the repair costs, the electronic glitches etc, of all the others - except the AT and the V). I much prefer the reliability and peace of mind to know it has been proven to the extreme, and will not fail, then to have a LCD display...
Uhh what? You need to rethink the format here. A few repetitive shots of jumping around, interestingly close to a railway, and then 4 minutes into an 18 minute video the guy goes "so this wraps up our test". What test? You haven't shown us the test yet...
They rode them as if they were dirt bikes, just dropped off a trailer, on an Adventure bike you are riding long distances both on and off road, so which one can do what they were depicted doing is pretty much irrelevant. If nothing else such riding is going to lead to a spill which may put the bike out of action or the rider, not something you want to be attempting on a long ride and potentially in the middle of nowhere.
Changing tires seems fair, however I would not be changing tires if I was doing adventure type riding. I would prefer all the tests be done with the tires that came on from the manufacturer. If I had to spend my money the Suzuki for performance and money, but that Honda is sure pretty.
They kept saying the BMW was the heaviest bike but that has a 7.5 gallon tank or similar, with only 4.5 gallons on board it would be lighter but feel even more so.
With all due respect to the participants this episode was disappointing. The commentary did not have any real structure as far as evaluated aspects of the motorcycles. Maybe if the participants were given pointers of what issues will be discussed it would be easier for them to share valuable observations. The biggest disappointment was the visual part. After a whole day of riding in California it seemed that the only footage you guys got was the stupid jumping next to railroad tracks.
Working in the railways I have to agree in regards to riding so close to a live running line. I do normally enjoy these episodes but I am extremely dissapointed in the decision to ride so close to Railway tracks
The "stupid jumping next to railroad tracks" had little to do with what an Adventure bike is aimed at. Riding one for an hour or so down a dirt road and on trails would have produced some valuable conclusions. Virtually no ne who buys these bikes will ride them as depicted here.
What a hoot these heavyweight adventure bike reviews have been to watch! Compliments to all of the riders and the production (behind the scenes) staff. What a tough choice to make. For an 80/20 rider like myself, I'll have to pick the BMW and just wait a little longer to save the cash, but the SuziQ is my close second! It hurts, though, to leave all those other beauties on the showroom floor. However, they're still there, waiting for all of you 20/80 (off-road) oriented raiders!
Great reviews on both videos, but yet yall need to make a video where you actually review this bikes by Maintenance cost, aftermarket parts, reliability
I love the shootout video. Keep coming back to it. Cruise control: I have a $20 piece of plastic on the grip that works perfectly. True, you pick up speed downhill and lose speed up hill, but its not a biggy and it stays in place until you roll off. One of the few comparison videos where, not only is the V-Strom in it, but nobody was trash talking it. I'm not rich, have two kids in college, and they both ride as well, so affordable and tough lets me put three in the garage and the most breakage has been on the brake lever before I got the barkbusters on them and on a peg mounting plate because catching air over a blind jump with big watermelon rocks in the landing zone will break stuff. But I'd like to talk to the engineer who thought an air filter that requires lifting the tank to change or clean was a good idea and adding insult to injury bolted it in with 12 little screws, rather than a slide out...
Would you all consider changing up the format of your videos so they are more fun to watch? The style of a bunch of dudes standing around bikes being interviewed is a lot less interesting than what Revzilla and Motorcyclist do.
Motorcyclist may end up going back to it, Ari and Zack just went behind the Motor Trend paywall so MC has to find new people. I wouldn't mind seeing Lemmy and Spurge review some of these.
I think it could work if they all sat around in a trailer/pub before hand and made a script. Is it less "geniune"? sure, but there's a reason every good motor show is scripted.
The Honda Africa twin DCT sure is another subject. I know the Japanese don’t like criticism but I got to tell it like it is. I rented one of these bikes in Ecuador last year. All the reservations were done for me. So I show up and I’m riding the Honda Africa twin DCT. For the five days I rode it The transmission really never shifted the way I thought it would took way to long to shift. The traction control made me think I was gonna throw a rod bust a chain. How hotdogging around I threw a rock up from the front wheel and put a hole in the engine case on the Dyno side of the engine.
Interesting one of the blokes didnt like the seat height on the AT and preferred the KTM. Ive sat on both and found the ktm seat that wide that i struggled to get my feet down whereas both feet are flat on the AT
very odd ride report- my 2015 tenere , R1200gsa AND my 1290 adventure have cruise control, and for comfort ( Im 6'4", 36" leg) the ktm was best followed by the GSA. I rode the AT and it felt sluggish and abit piggy off road to me. I have two ktms and Id buy another. For highway id choose the gsa simply because of the bigger fuel tank. I would like to add, i also own a 2015 Tenere and if I could afford only one bike, the tenere would be it, its stone reliable, parts are cheap and its great on road, If money was not considered , it would be my gsa.
There really should have been more focus on the only two budget friendly bikes in the test the Africa Twin and the V-strom. Odd that they made it a point to mention the lack of cruise control on the Africa Twin but did not mention that the V-Strom doesn't have it either. Also odd that they did not mention that the Africa Twin doesn't have tubeless tires while the V-strom does. Zero discussion of factory luggage options on any of them or fuel range. Disappointing review really. An engineer discussing the longevity of the life of the bikes, which would stand 100k+ miles would be helpful as well.
The V-strom doesn't have ride-by-wire throttle like the Honda does. Honda could have added CC for only a few dollars in parts, and an ECU reprogramming
@@rzu7120 The Honda Gold Wing had cruise control in 1993, it didn't get ride by wire until 2018. A better argument for Suzuki would be that none of their motorcycles have cruise control. Why start with the V-Strom? To which I would say: Well, you gotta start somewhere... There is supposedly an all new Hayabusa due in 2019, it will be interesting to see if it will have cruise control. If it does, then in true Suzuki fashion I would expect to then see it on every new model they make from then on.
This is exactly why, i Feel that Tiger800 is the best value for money. Not in context with this vieo but in general. Its light, smooth, awesome suspension and with all the latest tech wizardry.
Which one has the most narrow seat? I've ridden an Africa Twin and I thought the seat was a little too wide when I put my feet down, so I could only tip toe. I can flat foot a DR650 because the seat is narrower than the Africa twin. With bikes this heavy, flat footing is a big selling point.
The s10 seems to have one of the widest gulfs between press release reviews and word of mouth praise of any motorcycle I've ever seen, besides maybe the CB500x
It's in desperate need of an update. It was designed to be competitive with the GSA of ... 10 years ago, the class has advanced in leaps and bounds since then.
I bought a Tenere in Late 2016. Compared all the other bikes in its class. Went with the Tenere because low maintenance cost and after watching videos from Australia was sold on the bike. 20,000 miles later only issue I've had ,was losing a spoke nipple. And I ride it pretty hard in the dirt.
This always makes me laugh somehow (respectfully). Its, in fact, the oldest bike in the group, and although it has all the creature comforts you need, its just too reliable (meaning: no major innovations, gadget wise). Nobody really cares. I’m on my second SuperTenere and I wouldn’t trade it for any of the other bikes (or any other bike in the market). It’s a shaft drive, 260 kgs, heavy duty machine, tractor like machine, 70% 30% (road/dirt) bike, with no TFT dash (which is, as we all know extremely relevant in the middle of an adventure somewhere), and no ABS off button (it has the best ABS for dirt I know of, and I’ve done a lot of it on my 1st S10), and it not meant to impress anybody but the owner (take a rope with you always, so you can pull the KTM when all the electronics fail). It´s meant to be heavy, it’s meant to be tractor like, it’s meant to be reliable, its meant to not excel in anything but be able to be good in everything, and it is! Done literally thousands on thousand of kms in mine (1st - the 2nd is 3000ks) and never, ever, ever had any problem whatsoever. Ps: I bought a brand new one in August 2018!
I love my ST. It is simple, reliable, has decent power and does everything I need it to. I never felt it was heavy, its the lightest bike in my garage. I wouldnt have minded cruise control on my 2013 new leftover I bought for $8,499 but for the money, the throttle rocker works just fine and the screen tells me outside air temp and fuel mileage what else do you need?
You all forgot the biggest category. Reliability and cost of ownership. The vstrom wins hands down that 15k will get you almost a lifetime. Drop that honda and you definitely done lol. Over all good reviews! Enjoyed the video.
Best video review ever, to the point, do you want a resume or detail look another video, do you want a conclusion this and the first one are, for me BMW or Suzuki I will buy
How many times does BJ say "uh" in this segment ? Script, please. With Teleprompter ? Or...as Matt Laidlaw and others do, shoot video and record Audio separately (from Script). Then...
The question that sticks out for me is, how do you pick it up after you drop it in the desert? Any of them? None of these guys look like they're built for deadlifting such massive lumps of machinery, I know I'm not. I guess you have to travel with one or two buddies all the time. I prefer to tour on my own so I won't be buying anything that big in this lifetime; maybe 20 years ago. I can just lift my F700GS back up after spilling it on a muddy track full of washouts. Next bike will be a WR250R I think. When I can no longer pick up one of them it might be time to turn in my license.
One BMW advantage is that with the horizontal cylinders they usually don't go down flat and when resting on the cylinders are easy to pick up. As for the flat sided ones I don't know how you get those up, lifting a 300lb dirt bike that's tipped down hill on it's side is quite the ordeal.
Things to ponder: bikes that heavy with the engine as a stressed member... the bikes that have shaft drive, no chains or sprockets or lube to contend with, and all testing done in dry conditions... you try any of these on snotty clay and see your opinion change about all of them, with the possible exception of the strom. My nephew owns a 650 strom and it is the sweetest little bike ever. Only thing I would want is shaft drive. Cheers
Abel Castillo They had an S model for part 1. Not the enduro. Using the S for this off-road portion would’ve been pointless. I have a multistrada 1200S GT and I put these same tkc 80 tires on it, but with the 17” sport bike front wheel it was no bueno in sand/dirt. Pulled those tires off with ~75% tread life left. Fuck that shit.
No this doesn’t make them look worse but if Ducati inserted there bike in this shootout the Super Tenure would have easily out classed it in the dirt .
The only criticism for me is not enough talk about the most important part of bikes next to engine which is suspension. Or you could make other format like each guy would rate each bike in few categories 1-10. Like comfort, suspension, offroad, engine, fun, long cruising ability.
So conclusion is that Best street Bike - BMW R1200 GS Best Dirt Bike - KTM 1290 Super Adventure R and Honda 1100 Africa Twin (You can't go wring with either KTM or Honda, it depends on you, do u want the DCT or Manual) Best of street and dirt - Suzuki V- Strom.
Own the KTM 1290 R 2018. Waited One year, just as the 2019's were coming out and found the right price of 13,800. Yes deals are out there so be patient. The engine on KTM is reliable and a firecracker. 160HP just makes your day less mundane(-:
@@jacquesduplessis6310 Yes, very reliable! I have talked to mechanics that have worked on them and have asked them if the 1290 R has been a reliable machine. The answer, beyond reliable! A lot of the guys take these bikes to Baja and run the hell out them and experience no problems. Hey man it's an Austrian bike. KTM has won 18 straight titles in Dakar. That's how good they are! And did I mention their wicked fast and handle beautifully.
"This bike is too tall for me" - Well how tall are you??? I am looking at the Africa Twin, and I am only 5'9" am I too short? (all motorcycle pants seem to be designed for 6'3" and above. Is the Africa Twin too tall for you because you are 5'9"? Or because your are 5'6"?
I am 5´6" and ride an Africa Twin. I works fine for me. They had the Adventure Sport variant which is 2" taller. That would be at the very limit for me.
Your height has nothing to do with nothing. C'mon, the consideration is the inseam. Leg length. I used to go with a 5-7 gal with 36" inseam. Same as my 6-5 stepson.
Yeah alright...Lighter....stronger...better good looking....dct....and so on...
In the end, I’ll stick with my good old Super Tenere 1200! Always ready for me, never failling and always giving me the best of smile and pleasure! ST always!✌️
Ownership bias.
Nothing wrong with s10 they all awesome,.just some lil better than the other.
Guys with lower power always say yeah it have enough power etc
I know everyone turns their nose up to the Tenere, but several things you’re missing. It has electronic suspension, it comes standard with a center stand, heated grips, cruise control and perhaps the best attribute is that Yamaha is rated as the most reliable motorcycle brand in the world. I’ve had mine since 2016 and not one issue, not one. I will also give high marks for the Suzuki Vstrom, an excellent motorcycle with no problems whatsoever. In fact, I had mine from 2008 thru 2015. I rode everywhere including an August trip to Nova Scotia from Tennessee and back, with not a single issue.
Don’t get me wrong, each bike had good points and bad. I loved the KTM 1190R Adventure and had a choice between the Tenere ES or 1190R Adventure, not the R version thought. I researched both extensively, both were brand new left over from the previous year and over $3,000 off the msrp. But as I said earlier, the KTM 1190R had some major issues, issues that could strand you or ruin your motorcycle, while the Tenere had none whatsoever. The KTM have had more HP and was not as heavy, but the Tenere had many more standard items, such as cruise control, heated grips, shaft drive, electronic suspension, center stand and let’s not forget reliability.
So, that’s my two cents worth. In reality it comes down to many variables, which some might be highly subjective, like the noise out of the muffler, is it too loud or not loud enough. What fun would it be if we all like the same motorcycle?
Bro, you can buy any of them, I mean non of them bad, how can you get bad in this price point, but it's not just about good, it's about which is best from all, and GS 1250GS, which is available now is doing best
@@ilearner3319 I'm looking at getting a Tenere to replace my old venture for the same reasons Tenere Traveler mentioned. It may not be quite as nice on the basic spec sheet and might not ride quite as nicely, but it's going to be as hassle free an experience as any bike you can buy. The driveshaft, the frame, the engine, all make it a bit heavier and slightly less powerful than it could be, but also make it a bike that can stand up to more abuse and if regularly maintained then serve for years a do-all daily rider. I get a lot of mileage on my bikes and like to push them when I get the opportunity to, so it's an important consideration. Plus the GS, Tiger, and Africa Twin all looking better on paper and being more popular suppresses the prices of used STs and that's really nice for me rn, being in the market for one. Seriously for what you can find on the used market the value is incredible vs those others. Only the Vstrom is in the same range and it doesn't come with all the same amenities and isn't nearly as bulletproof (though after the yamaha and the honda it's still probably the third most reliable of the group and will be durable enough once it's outfitted with all the right guarding).
I would go the yamaha
I bought a new 2018 V-Strom 1000 XT last March. I've put 5200 trouble free miles on it. It's really an amazing bike, super comfortable and very sporty. I went in to buy a Africa twin, saw the v strom, after reading reviews, and seating on them talking to the dealership about the AT problems I went with the V strom. For my type of riding it fits me perfectly..
I did the same exact thing! Love the 2018 V-Strom.
I've owned a GS and AT. Now have a KTM. The 1290 SAR is incredible
Thats ktm 😍
I have KTM RC 200 im from india thats fun bike to drive 😍
Power wheelie galore!!
These guys are wrong in part - 1. It's has heart of beast ktm 1290 super duke r
I really want to trade in my vstrom 1050xt for one. The vstrom is great but it just doesnt have the top end I want. And it's a little on the heavy side once it starts to tip.
Super tenere for the win in reliability and longevity.
Respect for taking effort and equipping all bikes with same type of tyres that very important and always ignored and its so important for fair comparison
Picking up my v Strom this Wednesday. Can't wait
I test rode one this weekend, VERY impressed. If it had cruise control that would seal the deal. It is super comfortable, plenty of power, and corners like a sportbike. I find it funny that most people like the 650 better. I felt the 650 was too soft, and didn't feel any lighter. The 1k felt much sportier but still nice and light and would be easy to manage in the dirt.
@@mrvwbug4423 it will be my first litre bike. I part exchanged my Ninja 650 with only 1300 miles on it. Im only 5ft 6. So i had to get the low seat and a lowering link.
@@mrvwbug4423 that was the previous Gen 1000. The 2014+ is waaaaay better then the 650 in every way but $$$
You will NOT be disappointed! I LOVE mine. I use it for my main transportation also.
As it is said, the Suzuki 1000 does not do everything great BUT it does everything WELL. IMHO it is a great all around bike at a good price point with infinite add ons..
In March I will buy the Suzuki XT for 11.800 euros and will put a Remus Carbon exhaust on. I havent rode a bike for 5 years and my last one was a 2007 Vstrom and I really like how Suzuki moved forward. By far best price performance rated bike.
The suzuki is the king of bang for buck in this group. Also forget the 15 grand price point. Get it without the saddlebags and its only 13,300 for the XT (for that price difference you can install a nice set of Givi cases and good aftermarket skidplate and crash bars), and they are commonly discounted, I've seen a 2018 Yellow with gold rims XT marked down to 10,200 at a dealer in this region
I have the "updated/retooled" 2014 Vstrom 1000 Adventure that I bought NEW for $8,500 with some great discounts and a repeat buyer at a great dealership (Twigg Cycle in Hagerstown, MD). Over the last couple of years I have updated it on the cheap with, yes, VERY inexpensive but GOOD bike products from AliExpress. These bikes are MADE to upgrade or at the very least customize into what you want. With an updated ECU, since the original had stalling issues, this thing is FAST (100hp), designed for low torque and pulls like a train (can you say 4th gear 25mph to over 100mph! Seriously. It pulls without sputtering/knocking). I love the hard side paniers but use soft ones for off road that also act as a soft buffer when having a horizontal episode. The same with the "accessory" bars (they hate calling them CRASH bars, but we all know. BUT if bought separate the hard bags are around $1,000) that hold my aux lighting AND I put the military type various pouches that go right on and hold small tools, extra gloves and STUFF (change for tolls,etc)-mainly softer stuff that will not puncture through anything in a lay down but WILL soften the impact and give an extra bit of height on its side for picking up. My old back does not bend very well any more. I put $10 off road pegs (LOVE EM!) shorty clutch/brake adjustable levers so not prone to bend/ breaking (broke the original). The wife actually surprised me with a tall windscreen and a skid pan (for that really exposed oil filter) I used to race MX and ride endure when I was growing up (at least to the 12 yo my wife says men stay at) and have been riding for over 40 years. I checked out all the bikes tested and still went with the Suzuki. I still dream of the BMW, Tiger and the KTM BUT the price and inexpensive upgrades able to be done on this PLUS absolutely bulletproof mechanical, seriously good handling on/off road (especially in the RAIN), easy to stand up and ride PLUS the natural sitting position is fantastic. For cruise control I have a $2 cramp buster throttle assist that works great for me. Anyway, short story long, all these bikes are great. On a retired police salary and the AMAZING following of Wee(650cc) and Vee(1,000cc) online (like Stromtroopers) for technical assistance and help/story/parts base for the Suzuk - I was sold. Over four years of trouble free riding and it just seems to always just get better. Just an FYI though it IS a PRETTY TALL BIKE (you can get the lower seat tho!).
My 2017 Africa Twin was $10,950 unsold from last year! Picked it up in August.
I agree, and having owned a 2004 V Strom, I can tell you the new model is really done right. One of the things they didn't hit (I know they can't mention everything) on was dealer support for some of these bikes. As a current BMW owner my advice to a prospective buyer would be not to buy a BMW unless you can afford to fix it when it's out of warranty. I picked up mine for a steal right around $10K, but at a decade old, I have been riding for two years with the ABS light on because I don't want to spend $1200 to fix it. In terms of dealer support, I think that's where the Triumph and the KTM show their Achilles heel, aside from cost of ownership like the BMW. The Triumph triple is a great mill when it's working, and the KTM is an amazing machine if you are willing to trust it miles off road. That all said, and opinions being like a$$holes, for my money, I am going with the V Strom all the way. There are numerous 100K mile examples of this engine still running strong out there, but I think in the adventure touring realm, a lot of people buy based on their ego, an need that GS, and good luck to them. The V Strom will definitely be the next bike in my garage as soon as I can get my wife to let me buy one........
theninja001 , bought the 2018 Adventure Sports $14,599 manual transmission, still a bargain compared to the rest in this shootout. If I didn’t require a better off-road bike the Suzuki would had been #2 pic . Money wasn’t as much of a factor as just getting the right bike for myself and the rides I plan with it
@@johnmorgan4405 there are 400 000 mile examples out there.
I recommend the Moto Guzzi Stelvio. I rode all of these and it is the best bike of them hands down. Problem is Moto Guzzi doesn't pay for good reviews so they ignore the brand. FANTASTIC bikes!
v strom is just the best choice........price....comfort......lightness...... go for a v stro suzuki i own one.... best bike ever
Yes, and they don't talk about reliability. V Strom would be ahead of them all ...maybe equal with the Africa T
The v Strom 1000cc is a tough contender to argue against ..a close friend owned one for a long time untill a local stream next to his house covered everything under water for a week , so his insurance company totaled out the bike ..serval of our friends ride adventure bikes and we were all sorry to see it go as on rides though the back woods roads of mostly dirt of the covered bridges of park county Indiana that gets quit interesting ..the v Strom is quit impressive .holds is own with the 955i triumph tiger , 1050 triumph tiger and a screamin eagle street tracker built with ohlins and revtech modified showa forks , apollo seamless rims roaring toys aluminium billet swingarm with metzeler tourance 170x17 rear and 120x19 front ..brembo calipers , sunstar full floater rotors
Becarefull playing around on railroad right of ways that close to the tracks as an open box car with lose banding hanging out will cut your body and bike in half like a sword ..or worse drag you and your bike down the tracks for miles and miles as you will be turned into bloody rags ...the engineer will never even know you are being ripped to pieces as there are no more caboose on the end of a train to warn the engineer as half the train can be derailed dragging on the railroad ties and the engineer does not even feel a tug are hear anything wrong for miles and miles until they come into switch yards and crash ..and it's not fun cleaning up the mess afterwards
I like my gs better than the strom I had. The strom is a streetbike with different clothes. Suspension is not good for off-road.
@@trevorschober8769 I totally don't care about offroading so the strom Is the best bike I have ever owned...
I am seeing the V's on sale for under $11k and they thought it was great value at $15k. Makes me want to add one to my garage.
Spot on Gerhard, I also love the reviews and find them helpful but your point is well made. I think it's refreshing that the Strom was duly noted as being a great package for the money although not necessarily the fashion followers choice of weapon which must be frustrating for manufacturers producing good quality bikes only for journos to carry on gushing about Ducati's and BM's.
Having gs's for 15 years ,test rode the v'strom 3 years ago ,really impressed,bought another gs though. 3 years on ,next is v strom.
The price is just right.
I did buy the 2019 Vstrom 1000 XT and Iam riding it for 2 weeks now and I love it. Super user friendly, light, comfortable, great suspension, and tourque engine make ridding really fun. I did put Remus titanium exhaust on for sound and Suzuki LED blinkers. Cant wait to attack Austrian and Italian Alps...
Just returned from a 5000 mile road trip on my Africa Twin DCT, with barely any dirt, an amazing bike.
$20 throttle lock solves the cruise control issue. it's not as good as cruise control, but it goes a long way.
Still the lack of cruise control on the AT is a HUGE oversight. Bad enough that the V-Strom 1k doesn't have it even though its 3 grand cheaper.
In Europe we use cruise control to cope with all the speed cameras and “average speed “ restrictions A throttle lock would be hopeless. Honda are clueless imho.
Max Flight lol sure
Well I know Honda don’t fit cruise control, which being an owner of the new Africa Twin Adventure Sport, was a disappointing, but you can atleast now have it, from an aftermarket company in Australia, MCCruise. I’ve recently fitted it to my bike and it just completes the bike, well worth it. As for Honda, I guess their get round to it sometime, but don’t hold your breath!
was about to make the same point, best $20 I ever spent.
Vstrom....puts a smile on my dial.
I enjoyed the end-credit post edit. At the end of the day, everyone made it home after a fun day trying different bikes! Everyone seemed to be having a great time - that’s what it’s all about!
KTM 1290 ADVENTURE R IS THE WINNER , OHHH YEAHHH !!!
No. Africa twin won
Maybe a Part 3 should be made... Wich bike would you pick if you want to go to the end of the world and (specially) back. Maybe that blue one should be the answer... The one you will never consider if you have a good road to push the throttle, or near any dealer where you have spare parts. But if you go to the those places, away from anything, you want a tank, reliable, confortable enough, handles enough, pushes enough.
excellent point, for me it would be either the GSA or the tenere
If u go around the world u take old simple reliable bike like old AT or transalp, not expensive shiny toys for your middle age crysis and starbucks trips
You just can't argue with "Performance Per Dollar''.
Great material. I have a f800gs bmw, but I am considering buying something more than 1000cc. This film perfectly illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of the tested machines. Good job, very helpful. Greetings from Poland
Ivana and Manuel travelled around the world for 4 years on a Yamaha Super Tenere. They are the ones who shouls be reviewing these bikes. Google for Around Gaia, the Tenere is great bike.
Gnasen sorry you wrong. They made the trip on a normal Ténéré. The 660 single.
Who tf is this.
And just because someone managed to do something on it doesn't mean its best.
These reviewers never seem to factor in the cost of ownership when they pick these winners. It bugs me, because when I was still fresh and looking for a dirt bike, I went off of reviews to make my decisions, which led me to buy a European enduro when realistically in my situation I should have just bought a bulletproof Japanese MX bike. I feel they never tell the full story with these reviews when they leave out things like maintenance intervals, warrantees, and average cost of repair parts.
Not sure if my wording is confusing, but that wasn't what I was trying to get across. I was saying for my personal situation (not having a garage was the main thing), I would have been better off going with a slightly cheaper and lower maintenance bike, such as a Kawasaki or Honda. I would have sacrificed cutting edge performance for reliability had I been better informed at the time.
Serdy I agree 100% ... I nicknamed my 2001 550 Husaberg “Hike out Husaberg “
3 of the reviewers chose the ATAS or VStrom (The least expensive of the bikes) and value was mentioned. I received that message loud & clear. Honda & Suzuki have good reputations of reasonable maintenance... what more do we need?
pinkiewerewolf Honda does not have a good reputation anymore. They’re still coasting off the 90s. I had a 2007 Civic that was the worst piece of shit new car I’ve ever seen. The Civic Si owners sued Honda over the ridiculous throttle lag. I knew a guy who got a 2008 Cbr1000rr that SNAPPED A CONNECTING ROD after 16 months and Honda told him “out of warranty, not our problem.” I got a 2013 CRF250L and dropped on a trail one day, snapping off a tail light. No problem, easy replacement...nope, the fuckwits in Thailand epoxied the tail assembly bolts in place for no reason. Ended up getting the dealership to remove it under warranty, but epoxying random bolts in an off-road bike is unforgivable. Honda can fuck off forever.
Cost of ownership is important. Unfortunately, they don't have them long enough to figure that out. A lot of common problems with certain bikes don't show up with road tests or short term loaners. They also might not have to actually pay out of pocket for maintenance either. There are some bikes I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole because of maintenance costs. You never hear of it from the moto scribes.
I just bought a new ‘19 AT AS. My wife rides a ‘17 650 V-Strom and a DR650 dual sport. I wanted a bike that would go anywhere she goes on either bike. My bike was delivered on the 12th, and we got 8 inches of snow on the 13. I had to leave on a business trip on the 15th, so my brand new AT is sitting in the garage until mid May when I get back home. The bike blew me away on the test ride. Having just sold my old XT600, owned and rode a KZ1000 shaft and grown up on dirt bikes, the AT is every bike I’ve ever dreamed of wrapped into one.
Silly review truthfully. Not one of those bikes are 'dirt' bikes but rather occasional fair dirt capable. I'll keep my Super Tenére.... Beautifully made & she will give me much joy till the end of my days... Just returned from 500 miles of mostly dirt in the Big Bend area of Texas. Super T was just amazing. 46mp/g.
Salty 😂
If I had to select any other bike it would be the V-Strom. I own a R1200GS LC. It's a really good all-rounder. I took a off-road course and was really amazed at what I could do with the GS. The reality is off-road in my region is non-existent other than dirt and gravel roads (or ridiculously chewed up ATV courses). Most riders either don't have the opportunity or confidence to attempt off-road so the better choice is all-rounder at any price. If you do run into single tracks you still need highway miles to get to them.
Great 2 part review guys, enjoyed it. I need to ride a few but I'm leaning towards the ktm
If you can't ride a Super Ténéré it doesn't mean it's heavy. i can balance my S10 for some time before i throw my leg down just like a mountain bike. Clearly this bike is not beloved by plenty but the Ténéré is the grand father for all this segment. When you pay a 20k bike you'd better get somethimg reliable and jack of all trades. tft's and gadgets aren't a scale it's just a way for lifting prices and Yamaha is not doing it for a reason. It's their work horse.
I wonder the reason we have not seen a new Super Tenere is it would be too expensive to produce?
The Super Tenere is obviously made for reliability and that costs in weight and maybe sales as most owners keep them for many years!
It’s a truly beautiful motorcycle and I hope Yamaha will update it, a bit more power, a bit lighter and a parallel twin that sounds better, keep the rounded design element and they have a winner.
The drawings I have seen of a 900cc triple doesn’t do it for me unfortunately, it needs to be a twin with a lot of low end grunt.
15 grand for the Suzuki might sound good, but I got my brand new Africa Twin 2 months ago for 12!
The standard Africa Twin suspension is really very good for most buyers. 90% won’t jump or race it. Mine works great for logging roads and the like. All you really need to do is upgrade the tires. I have other bikes for singletrack..
thank you for leaving the ducati out
Nice review! My next bike: Africa Twin or Ktm.
Thank you. I enjoyed watching your review, and your collective opinions.
Great review. However, the KTM 1090 Adventure R is missing and would have been an interesting contender, esp. vs the Suzuki and the Africa Twin.
also non adventure GS
I agree with some other comments regarding more video time spent on how they produced their test. 1 day riding that many bikes seems to short of time to give a good evaluation.
V-storm value for MONEY
I watched BOTH Videos and I CANT tell you one thing that you LIKED or Disliked ABOUT the KTM .. its a HOOLIGAN BIKE .... IS THAT IT !!!!
hurt feelz lol
post apocalypse bike choice : Tenere / Vstorm
One of the best video i have ever seen for a test between adventure bikes. Congrats and thank you gentlemen. 👍👍
Btw. the KTM has cruise control... :)
Yup. On my 1290 SAR the cruise control works excellent. Weird the tester didn't see it there on the left handlebar ;-)
Yes, a pretty shitty one, as well. At least, if compared to the one of the GS. And I say that as a KTM-owner.
Just curious; what makes the GS CC better? ( (I've never ridden a GS or tested its CC ). Without being an "orange fanatic", I find the 1290 CC to work well. FWIW.
It responds way quicker. For example, when your doing 100 and let go of the gas and activate CC at the same time, the GS just holds the 100 while the KTM falls down 10-15kph before it is really there. And then it climbs up the speedo again (quite slowly). Even if you hold the gas for a second after activating the KTMs CC, it still falls down a few kph. And the overall difference between set speed and actual speed is bigger on the KTM. 1-2kph on the GS vs. 3-4 kph on the KTM.
The de-activation via the clutch-lever works smoother on the GS, as well.
Minor things, for sure. But noticeable, when you compare head to head.
I think he was referring to the AT.
I think if someone were to ask them .. which bike would you take from So Cal to Alaska and back? The Super Tenere ES would be #1 for a worry-free trip. BMW is good but they've been having Shock issues. Others if they broke probably would need time for parts to arrive. For my money, Super Tenere was way underrated in this review.
Personally, I would take the V-Strom for that trip. It's the least expensive, is super comfortable, is known to be incredibly reliable, has a MASSIVE aftermarket so anything it's lacking I can add via aftermarket.
The super ten would be great if I were doing that trip on only highways, but the ten felt REALLY heavy to me when I sat on it. I've ridden a V-Strom 1k and it feels like it weighs half as much as the super ten (even though the super ten is only maybe 30 lbs heavier).
That 30lbs gives you shaft drive and 3 liters more fuel... A few more pluses for Super T ~ Pegs are dual sport vs street on the V Storm and radiator is well protected on Super T vs V Strom.
LOL. May. Lol
I love the shaft drives but Love my 14 Vee. The fairing around the tank actually does a great job in conjunction with the crash bars and the wide handle bars that keep it off the ground on hard stuff and soft stuff really is not as damaging. If you see my upgrades to my bike, I have great off road pegs that still work great on road for $10, Shortened levers so less chance of breaking the orig (which I did) and a ton of other inexpensive add ons like the cramp buster cruise assist for $1.50 plus a radiator guard and skid plate). Its super easy to ride standing too. I grew up in Alaska, did the Alaska Hwy to MI 13 times (down/back) in the 70s when it was still a real military road. Wash outs, DEEP sand, mud and rocks plus semi traffic that threw gravel were the order of the day. I would take my Vee today BUT I think everyone has a choice in what they buy and its what works well for them! Its fun to get together with a bunch of different bikes and ride. Anyone that is a hater of someone else's bike has a problem. Anyway, one of the BIGGEST TESTS of a bike is YES I get waves from HARLEY RIDERS!!!! I do a lot of back roads/gravel and trails here in the midatlantic now. I cant ride super hard stuff anymore since my body is broken and the Vee takes me anywhere I want to go. I am sure the T would do the same. It is a great bike . The Vee was just my choice for what I wanted to do with it. It is also my main transportation. Absolutely bullet proof in the four years since I bought it. I have been riding over 40 years.
Nicely edited, great blokes with trusted judgment, a fascinating insight.
I think a more appropriate choice for the comparison would have been the regular GS - not the adventure. More flickable on the street, and lighter in the dirt.
And regular AT.
Still, the best conparison/review out there
One question... why did they test the VStrom with luggage attached (seemed to have it attached I. Half the footage) and all the others without? I have lighter more off road bikes for the dirt, bought the same VStrom with alloys for the road touring I do. Great bike!
Do you know what the best adventure bike out there is right now? Its the one you,re riding at the moment without having to spend thousands of dollars just to keep up with the Jones,es. Buy a KLR for 2500 and you will have just as much fun.. Wont go as fast but at least you; see the scenery!!
Tenere all the way....Yami reliability is unmatched. That's worth more to me. If I were loaded and could ride 7 days a week the Bimmer is gorgeous and dreamy, but when I get a chance to ride my bike has to run flawlessly every time.
As does my BMW, just a better ride.
I had an r12. The ride wasn't, at least for me, so wonderful that I'd prefer it over the S10. To each their own. I did like the mudflap thing over the rear tire though, looked cool.
@@tylerhiggins6722 The 2017.5 and up ESA suspension is really something special, however price is a factor, the only reason I have a GS is I got my Rallye model with Sports Suspension new for $18k with every factory option, had I had to pay $24k then I would have looked elsewhere, not that I didn't have the money, just that I'd have been struggling to justify that much money to myself. The Tenere would be high on my list if not a BMW, because of the shaft drive, if you are going far in dirt and dust I think that's a big deal in terms of maintenance and given how quickly the sprockets wear on my Honda XR650, I can imagine a big bike loaded with luggage and supplies really being hard on the chain and sprockets in adverse conditions.
@@fiveowaf454 that's a solid deal. I miss my old XR650l's. Have a fun and safe summer adventuring arround.
@@tylerhiggins6722 It was a17.5 year model, but I prefered the traditional instruments to the TFT screen, it's what happens when you get old, so wanted that one, all I had to get were the cases, I got the Brooks Autosport ones which I really like. I made the mistake of looking at them new, found this deal and couldn't say no. I love my XR650l, does everything I need off road and being air cooled etc. it's easy to maintain. Really looking forward to decent weather and some rides, safe riding and adventuring to you also :) The most important thing is to have a motorcycle, or two, or more, what they are, or what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.
Let's be real, the most important aspect of adv bike is looks and with that AT clearly wins 😁👍
I choose used KTM 1090r over new Honda. Honda didn't gave me a smile, Yamaha xt660z gave me a smile. But KTM gave me a laughter of joy
No Ducati Enduro?!! That bike should have been part of the group for sure!!
Smoothest episode, 18 minutes just went past without knowing.
Overall touring purpose is the question. If your going to tour long trips, looking for overall comfort
80% Road 20% dirt? You go BMW. I’m buying the GS because I need comfort with assurances I’m
Ok on crappy roads. Example going to Alaska. Also need to consider support worldwide? Which bike
Has parts ability out in the boonies?
Took a GS to Deadhorse last July and I'll be taking a 1290 SAR there next month. Both machines are great on the road, but once the road turns bad the KTM is leagues better. As far as parts availability, Fairbanks and Anchorage both have whatever you'll need. If you break down in the boonies on any modern bike you'll likely be towed to the nearest large city, so brand specifics are not as important as you think. Tires and oil are what you're going to be solving for 99% of the time, and you can get those almost "anywhere". Have a great trip. Cheers.
I think with these type of reviews you really need to consider the "cost of ownership" in that regard, as with just about all classes, the suzuki dominates. I have an rmx450 and that things service intervals are more than double the competition, the parts and oils are cheap, everything is bullet proof. Same with the Vstrom, everything is cheap, intervals are way longer, the motor has a huge history of performance and reliability and the thing will never let you down.
Could almost buy two vstrom over a three year period for the price of a ktm.
VStrom ftw :-)
I wasnt in the dirt with my new 1050xt,but on street its amazing.
VStrom is the jack of all trades: not the best,not the worst. And a great engine of course
HONDA ÁFRICA is the best of the beast
Lol. Ok.
Juan Ramirez
th-cam.com/video/djLW7gwobTU/w-d-xo.html
Its an 80 HP middleweight. It doesn't even belong with these other bikes. The KTM is the only one here worth owning for serious off-road riding.
@@RoyClendaniel. Going offroad on a 80 HP is not enough.?? Basically how much more horses you need to go offroad btw? Definitely the DCT model AT and lightweight feels more at home on off road category, a 100+ HP heavier KTM is more suited for speedy on road aspects category.
I hate to say it but the Yamaha isn’t even a thought for many looking to purchase in this category, the really need to step it up.
Thank god you changed riders for the dirt portion of the test. The other dudes would have killed themselves and the showdown results wouldn’t have meant squat.
Whatever.......
I'll stick with my 2018 Tenere ES......
Honda Twin, strom and Tenere are great bikes. They all got hard for cheap strom I get it. Other 3 are about bells and whistles and the price tag that comes with it. They are also great bikes but you need deeper pockets. You picked a good motorcycle. If your the type of person to change bike every year get the ktm, have fun with it. If you plan on crossing the states, get a Tenere.
I agree sticking with my 2016 Tenere also
I went through the whole "which bike" I should buy. After looking at cost ,package etc. I ended up with the Tenere. Great bike all around.
That makes two (and a lot more I know)! They don’t understand. It´s too reliable for them (they don’t own any of them, it just a joy ride of some days, so they don’t have to cope with the repair costs, the electronic glitches etc, of all the others - except the AT and the V). I much prefer the reliability and peace of mind to know it has been proven to the extreme, and will not fail, then to have a LCD display...
The only relatively affordable bike here with cruise control and a shaft drive.
Uhh what? You need to rethink the format here. A few repetitive shots of jumping around, interestingly close to a railway, and then 4 minutes into an 18 minute video the guy goes "so this wraps up our test". What test? You haven't shown us the test yet...
😂😂😂 Totally!!
agree
They rode them as if they were dirt bikes, just dropped off a trailer, on an Adventure bike you are riding long distances both on and off road, so which one can do what they were depicted doing is pretty much irrelevant. If nothing else such riding is going to lead to a spill which may put the bike out of action or the rider, not something you want to be attempting on a long ride and potentially in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah the "Good old boys" rode around a bit then talked in generic motorcycle review phrases. This format is SO tired.
If the price is an issue buy a low milage used machine.... Stupid not to.
Changing tires seems fair, however I would not be changing tires if I was doing adventure type riding. I would prefer all the tests be done with the tires that came on from the manufacturer. If I had to spend my money the Suzuki for performance and money, but that Honda is sure pretty.
Triumph Tiger 1200! What a bike!!! Bm... What?! Are you guys for real?!
Excellent comparison of the big adventure bikes. Well done. Thank you very much.
Nobody said a word about range. That's kinda important in this category.
They kept saying the BMW was the heaviest bike but that has a 7.5 gallon tank or similar, with only 4.5 gallons on board it would be lighter but feel even more so.
With all due respect to the participants this episode was disappointing. The commentary did not have any real structure as far as evaluated aspects of the motorcycles. Maybe if the participants were given pointers of what issues will be discussed it would be easier for them to share valuable observations. The biggest disappointment was the visual part. After a whole day of riding in California it seemed that the only footage you guys got was the stupid jumping next to railroad tracks.
Working in the railways I have to agree in regards to riding so close to a live running line. I do normally enjoy these episodes but I am extremely dissapointed in the decision to ride so close to Railway tracks
Seriously this was like clickbait. It feels like a weeks later the boss asks what happened to part 2? And this was made in an afternoon.
The same could be said of most of their content.
The "stupid jumping next to railroad tracks" had little to do with what an Adventure bike is aimed at. Riding one for an hour or so down a dirt road and on trails would have produced some valuable conclusions. Virtually no ne who buys these bikes will ride them as depicted here.
world wide the most and best selling bike its the beemer!!! the more expensive yes but in my opinion the best overall
Nah, its just like a iPhone..
The God father of motorcycles quality!!
dont forget , big bike for adventure is always soft off road
Africa Twin and Zook ought to be in mid-size category but good review!
What a hoot these heavyweight adventure bike reviews have been to watch! Compliments to all of the riders and the production (behind the scenes) staff. What a tough choice to make. For an 80/20 rider like myself, I'll have to pick the BMW and just wait a little longer to save the cash, but the SuziQ is my close second! It hurts, though, to leave all those other beauties on the showroom floor. However, they're still there, waiting for all of you 20/80 (off-road) oriented raiders!
Great reviews on both videos, but yet yall need to make a video where you actually review this bikes by Maintenance cost, aftermarket parts, reliability
And ridden by everyday riders not pros; out in nowhere reliability is king=Yamaha Super Tenere ES
Great videos! Keep up the good work.
I love the shootout video. Keep coming back to it.
Cruise control: I have a $20 piece of plastic on the grip that works perfectly. True, you pick up speed downhill and lose speed up hill, but its not a biggy and it stays in place until you roll off.
One of the few comparison videos where, not only is the V-Strom in it, but nobody was trash talking it. I'm not rich, have two kids in college, and they both ride as well, so affordable and tough lets me put three in the garage and the most breakage has been on the brake lever before I got the barkbusters on them and on a peg mounting plate because catching air over a blind jump with big watermelon rocks in the landing zone will break stuff.
But I'd like to talk to the engineer who thought an air filter that requires lifting the tank to change or clean was a good idea and adding insult to injury bolted it in with 12 little screws, rather than a slide out...
Greatest adventure motorcycle review of all time👍👍👍👍👍👍
Would you all consider changing up the format of your videos so they are more fun to watch? The style of a bunch of dudes standing around bikes being interviewed is a lot less interesting than what Revzilla and Motorcyclist do.
Agreed. I'd much rather hear them in voice over riding footage.
Even the big USA moto magazines are entirely moving away from the "category stat-sheet shootout" for the most part. Just no art to it
Motorcyclist may end up going back to it, Ari and Zack just went behind the Motor Trend paywall so MC has to find new people. I wouldn't mind seeing Lemmy and Spurge review some of these.
I think it could work if they all sat around in a trailer/pub before hand and made a script. Is it less "geniune"? sure, but there's a reason every good motor show is scripted.
Agreed, too much rambling and too little info
The Honda Africa twin DCT sure is another subject. I know the Japanese don’t like criticism but I got to tell it like it is. I rented one of these bikes in Ecuador last year. All the reservations were done for me. So I show up and I’m riding the Honda Africa twin DCT. For the five days I rode it The transmission really never shifted the way I thought it would took way to long to shift. The traction control made me think I was gonna throw a rod bust a chain. How hotdogging around I threw a rock up from the front wheel and put a hole in the engine case on the Dyno side of the engine.
Interesting one of the blokes didnt like the seat height on the AT and preferred the KTM. Ive sat on both and found the ktm seat that wide that i struggled to get my feet down whereas both feet are flat on the AT
very odd ride report- my 2015 tenere , R1200gsa AND my 1290 adventure have cruise control, and for comfort ( Im 6'4", 36" leg) the ktm was best followed by the GSA. I rode the AT and it felt sluggish and abit piggy off road to me. I have two ktms and Id buy another. For highway id choose the gsa simply because of the bigger fuel tank. I would like to add, i also own a 2015 Tenere and if I could afford only one bike, the tenere would be it, its stone reliable, parts are cheap and its great on road, If money was not considered , it would be my gsa.
8 gallons baby. Lets ride all day..
Africa Twin DCT gets my vote!
There really should have been more focus on the only two budget friendly bikes in the test the Africa Twin and the V-strom. Odd that they made it a point to mention the lack of cruise control on the Africa Twin but did not mention that the V-Strom doesn't have it either. Also odd that they did not mention that the Africa Twin doesn't have tubeless tires while the V-strom does. Zero discussion of factory luggage options on any of them or fuel range. Disappointing review really. An engineer discussing the longevity of the life of the bikes, which would stand 100k+ miles would be helpful as well.
The V-strom doesn't have ride-by-wire throttle like the Honda does. Honda could have added CC for only a few dollars in parts, and an ECU reprogramming
@@rzu7120 The Honda Gold Wing had cruise control in 1993, it didn't get ride by wire until 2018. A better argument for Suzuki would be that none of their motorcycles have cruise control. Why start with the V-Strom? To which I would say: Well, you gotta start somewhere... There is supposedly an all new Hayabusa due in 2019, it will be interesting to see if it will have cruise control. If it does, then in true Suzuki fashion I would expect to then see it on every new model they make from then on.
I think the cornering ABS of the V-Strom is more important than CC
@@thomaskaulich8549 my carpal tunnel disagrees.
U can't predict longevity.
U have expected reliability.
From best to worst
Vstrom/At/s10
Gs/tiger
Ktm
Ducati? 😂
This is exactly why, i Feel that Tiger800 is the best value for money. Not in context with this vieo but in general. Its light, smooth, awesome suspension and with all the latest tech wizardry.
The ktm 790 adventure r will kill all these!
Which one has the most narrow seat? I've ridden an Africa Twin and I thought the seat was a little too wide when I put my feet down, so I could only tip toe. I can flat foot a DR650 because the seat is narrower than the Africa twin. With bikes this heavy, flat footing is a big selling point.
That’s crazy, only one person had anything positive to say about the super tenere?
The s10 seems to have one of the widest gulfs between press release reviews and word of mouth praise of any motorcycle I've ever seen, besides maybe the CB500x
It's in desperate need of an update. It was designed to be competitive with the GSA of ... 10 years ago, the class has advanced in leaps and bounds since then.
I bought a Tenere in Late 2016. Compared all the other bikes in its class. Went with the Tenere because low maintenance cost and after watching videos from Australia was sold on the bike.
20,000 miles later only issue I've had ,was losing a spoke nipple. And I ride it pretty hard in the dirt.
This always makes me laugh somehow (respectfully). Its, in fact, the oldest bike in the group, and although it has all the creature comforts you need, its just too reliable (meaning: no major innovations, gadget wise). Nobody really cares. I’m on my second SuperTenere and I wouldn’t trade it for any of the other bikes (or any other bike in the market). It’s a shaft drive, 260 kgs, heavy duty machine, tractor like machine, 70% 30% (road/dirt) bike, with no TFT dash (which is, as we all know extremely relevant in the middle of an adventure somewhere), and no ABS off button (it has the best ABS for dirt I know of, and I’ve done a lot of it on my 1st S10), and it not meant to impress anybody but the owner (take a rope with you always, so you can pull the KTM when all the electronics fail). It´s meant to be heavy, it’s meant to be tractor like, it’s meant to be reliable, its meant to not excel in anything but be able to be good in everything, and it is! Done literally thousands on thousand of kms in mine (1st - the 2nd is 3000ks) and never, ever, ever had any problem whatsoever. Ps: I bought a brand new one in August 2018!
I love my ST. It is simple, reliable, has decent power and does everything I need it to. I never felt it was heavy, its the lightest bike in my garage. I wouldnt have minded cruise control on my 2013 new leftover I bought for $8,499 but for the money, the throttle rocker works just fine and the screen tells me outside air temp and fuel mileage what else do you need?
finnaly,after so long they uploded part 2
excellent review
You all forgot the biggest category. Reliability and cost of ownership. The vstrom wins hands down that 15k will get you almost a lifetime. Drop that honda and you definitely done lol. Over all good reviews! Enjoyed the video.
Congrats for the content!! Love it!
Best video review ever, to the point, do you want a resume or detail look another video, do you want a conclusion this and the first one are, for me BMW or Suzuki I will buy
You guys should make a medium size adv bike shootout (650-800cc)
How many times does BJ say "uh" in this segment ? Script, please. With Teleprompter ? Or...as Matt Laidlaw and others do, shoot video and record Audio separately (from Script). Then...
The question that sticks out for me is, how do you pick it up after you drop it in the desert? Any of them?
None of these guys look like they're built for deadlifting such massive lumps of machinery, I know I'm not. I guess you have to travel with one or two buddies all the time.
I prefer to tour on my own so I won't be buying anything that big in this lifetime; maybe 20 years ago. I can just lift my F700GS back up after spilling it on a muddy track full of washouts. Next bike will be a WR250R I think. When I can no longer pick up one of them it might be time to turn in my license.
One BMW advantage is that with the horizontal cylinders they usually don't go down flat and when resting on the cylinders are easy to pick up. As for the flat sided ones I don't know how you get those up, lifting a 300lb dirt bike that's tipped down hill on it's side is quite the ordeal.
The multistrada called in sick when he heard you were going offroad
Things to ponder: bikes that heavy with the engine as a stressed member... the bikes that have shaft drive, no chains or sprockets or lube to contend with, and all testing done in dry conditions... you try any of these on snotty clay and see your opinion change about all of them, with the possible exception of the strom. My nephew owns a 650 strom and it is the sweetest little bike ever. Only thing I would want is shaft drive. Cheers
did Ducati really pull there bike? Did they feel they couldn't compete? This makes them look worse
Abel Castillo lol I agree the ninja 1000 could to the same as a Duck
rrandydduke engrish preeze
Abel Castillo They had an S model for part 1. Not the enduro. Using the S for this off-road portion would’ve been pointless. I have a multistrada 1200S GT and I put these same tkc 80 tires on it, but with the 17” sport bike front wheel it was no bueno in sand/dirt. Pulled those tires off with ~75% tread life left. Fuck that shit.
No this doesn’t make them look worse but if Ducati inserted there bike in this shootout the Super Tenure would have easily out classed it in the dirt .
Ducati conveniently didn't have a Multistrada Enduro available for this test. They sent a 1260S ringer in for the road portion.
Missed out on the Honda Crosstourer.....should be included in this review.
Vstrom best bang for buck
No doubt
Depreciation is not your friend when its worth about $5k in next to no time based on used ones I've seen around here.
The only criticism for me is not enough talk about the most important part of bikes next to engine which is suspension.
Or you could make other format like each guy would rate each bike in few categories 1-10. Like comfort, suspension, offroad, engine, fun, long cruising ability.
No kawasaki Versys ? For me KTM would not be considered just because of engine maintenance and reliability
My ktm has been bulletproof
So conclusion is that
Best street Bike - BMW R1200 GS
Best Dirt Bike - KTM 1290 Super Adventure R and Honda 1100 Africa Twin
(You can't go wring with either KTM or Honda, it depends on you, do u want the DCT or Manual)
Best of street and dirt - Suzuki V- Strom.
Own the KTM 1290 R 2018. Waited One year, just as the 2019's were coming out and found the right price of 13,800. Yes deals are out there so be patient. The engine on KTM is reliable and a firecracker. 160HP just makes your day less mundane(-:
Reliable?🤣🤣🤣
@@jacquesduplessis6310
Yes, very reliable! I have talked to mechanics that have worked on them and have asked them if the 1290 R has been a reliable machine. The answer, beyond reliable! A lot of the guys take these bikes to Baja and run the hell out them and experience no problems. Hey man it's an Austrian bike. KTM has won 18 straight titles in Dakar. That's how good they are! And did I mention their wicked fast and handle beautifully.
"This bike is too tall for me"
- Well how tall are you???
I am looking at the Africa Twin, and I am only 5'9" am I too short?
(all motorcycle pants seem to be designed for 6'3" and above.
Is the Africa Twin too tall for you because you are 5'9"? Or because your are 5'6"?
I am 5´6" and ride an Africa Twin. I works fine for me. They had the Adventure Sport variant which is 2" taller. That would be at the very limit for me.
Your height has nothing to do with nothing. C'mon, the consideration is the inseam. Leg length. I used to go with a 5-7 gal with 36" inseam. Same as my 6-5 stepson.