2016 Wire-Wheel Adventure Shootout
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- The one overriding edict in choosing this year’s consortium of adventure bike players is obvious from the story’s title - spoked-hoops, which essentially demonstrates a manufacturer’s commitment to the off-road worthiness of its bike. The introduction of Honda’s new Africa Twin has the potential of re-racking the pecking order in motorcycling’s hottest category, so we gathered five of its likely competitors that are either top-rated or recently updated. The Honda bridges engine displacements, ranging from Triumph’s 800cc Tiger XCx to Yamaha’s 1199cc Super Ténéré ES, and we also included ADV icons like KTM’s 1190 R Adventure and BMW’s what-will-they-think-of-next R1200GS Adventure, plus Ducati’s radical A-T entrant, the new Multistrada Enduro.
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I'll agree with everyone else. Not sure why you guys would spend so much time and go so in depth with all of these bikes without prepping them all the same. TKC-80's for all and matching skid plates & bark busters etc.
There's not a bad bike in that group... they're all great bikes and the choice really depends on what you're looking for.
A big reason why the Africa Twin delivers only 95hp is because the engine can handle some the worst fuels in the world like that kind you get in Africa or Central Asia. The Ducati might get in trouble after a couple of thousand miles on that fuel you get in Bangui or Douala.
Diet Double DEW not to mention service network and overall reliability. Try to find Ducati or Bmw parts in Uzbegistan LOL. Honda is the way to go around the world. McGregor and Charlie had 3 trucks carrying parts....LOL
Say that again
Why in Christ's name would you do such a comprehensive off-road comparison without cladding every bike with knobby tires?
I was glad they didn't. When i buy my AT it won't be coming stock with knobbies...
Exactly! Or at the VERY LEAST put the same type tires on all the bikes! "Comparison Reviews 101"...
They need to test it exactly as it's sold.
If you say that, you can say: why didn't they all put better offroad suspension on the cheaper models? It'd be nice if they all had same knobby tires, I agree, but they have to look at it as it exists on the showroom.
not all those bikes came with knobbies stock.
Obviously they are not all sold with knobbies. That's because the manufacturers are cheap. The KTM used to come with slicks but now comes with TKC 80s. These bikes are all tested with the same skilled rider on the same dirt and for that matter with "wired wheels" they should all be tested with the same tires as these are most commonly changed.
If you're going to compare put knobbies on all the bikes for Christ sakes.
Do they come stock with knobbies?
None do. It's the most common tire on adventure bikes and would make a more accurate comparison.
Actually, the KTM's knobbies are standard equipment.
Why stop at tires, then.. Why not put after market filters, pipes, bar Risers, etc.. On the bikes? The bikes were ridden on the tires they come off the show room floor with. This is fair. It gives a pretty concise direction into where the manufacturer is targeting these bikes.
Ktm Does.
Awesome Video Guys !!! I love the Africa Twin .
I think I may need an Africa Twin.
Thanks for this thorough and insightful review showing how broad the adventure spectrum has become, and how many great options are available to suit each rider's individual priorities. I do wish all the bikes had been wearing off-road capable tires to remove that variable from the equation. On a side note, I have come to the realization that I need that Africa Twin in a bad way. It looks like the bike I had expected my old F800GS to be from the beginning!
To be fair the Tenere does come in a trim with a bash plate and electronic suspension. They just chose not to use it. lets be honest 80% of people that buy these bikes never go off the beaten path, so why make it standard (except BM and Ducati) for that price i want a massage and a bash plate.
Loving these adventure videos.
Geez haven't you guys figured out yet that when you do a test ride with multiple bikes at least use the same tires!!!! Every bike is gonna act differently mainly because they're all running different tires so of course you're going to get way different results if you use the same tire on all the bikes at least you have one level testing ground
That's only half true. Most manufacturers develop bikes around certain tyres so changing their tyres to another make or compound would mean it may lose its characteristics.
off road characteristics demand the appropriate tires, get real mate. As they were rating them on their off road "feel" the tires should've held presidence
BCBOYS92 Maybe read my comment again. Manufacturers develop bikes around certain tyres and its characteristics. At launch day Honda shod their AT's with TKC80 off road tyres. That is perfectly acceptable and this team of reviewers should have changed it but they say their criteria was to test the bike exactly as they come out of the showroom floor even though I can see two bikes that are shod with non factory tyres.
Hey chaps! Idea for next year - take the 2017 KTM 1190R (or 1290R?) and compare it to the Africa Twin, both on proper off road rubber, and see which one is best off road :) There doesn't seem to be a single comparison test out there of these two bikes on an equal footing!
hoow
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A lot of good information here. Those bikes are humongous for offroad.
For that kind of riding, on road, off road, I think would take the Africa Twin. Yep that's my choice.
Just purchased a brand new 2016 Super Tenere in California for $14,300.00 out the door. Love this bike.
The honda is awesome!
why did you guys fail to neutralize the tires... cheapness? laziness? didn't think it mattered?
"Honda woulda been my favorite it it would've had knobby tires..." So why the crap didn't you put knobby tires on these bikes????!!!!!
Getting six bikes and six riders available at the same time isn't always as easy as it sounds, and that's the reason why most publications don't do big shootouts. The bikes in this shootout were requested to be in stock condition, and that's pretty much the way they came except for the Ducati. That means all bikes except the KTM and Ducati were tested without knobbies, which is the way they come off a dealer's floor. All had stock skidplates except the Duc.
Changing tires from stock equipment is often frowned upon by the OEMs, as manufacturers develop their machines around specific tires and their specific characteristics. For example, Yamaha enjoyed a competitor's superbike shootout in which all bikes were put on Bridgestone rubber, which is the brand fitted as stock to the R1, but other OEMs were less happy with the choice of rubber and the effect it had on the rankings of the bikes. We spooned on Pirellis for our SB shootout, and the R1 wasn't rated nearly as highly in our test as it was in the other pub's test.
I'm confident in our findings that the KTM and Africa Twin are the best off-roaders in this group, and the Multi is also right in the hunt. These results are also backed up by our riding impressions from bike launches, in which the AT and Multi Enduro were ridden on knobbies as well as street rubber.
Kevin Duke thanks for that detailed explanation. I enjoyed the comparison... keep on doing what you do, and I'll keep watching!
Glad you enjoyed the comparison, and thanks for understanding some of the backstory! Far more info on the bikes can be seen in our article, so I encourage you to check it out.
Now these are my kind of bikes. Sadly at 65 I can't afford them. I better do the KLM. Good enough for solo camping in the desert of Texas. Good work!
Buy used then, you can pick up a V-strom (which is 90% as good) for a lot less money than these bikes.
Like always, have'd a good time with you. Excellent. Thanks
I will be going for the Honda Africa twin.
I want an Africa Twin soooooo bad, time to upgrade from my vstrom650!
If you like the vstrom pork you will get a lot more with that AT!
i've just read some of those comments below an i suggest that you guys try some bike before buying. You can be surprise how things change when you put this machine at test in different type of sutations.
Good luck
what about the 1000 v-strom?
awesome work guys!!
Not bad guys.
I just completed Rawhide's adventure motorcycle class. And I have been torn for days about which bike to get. I was super impressed with the BMW's going through the course.
But still not sure what bike to get.
I think this video, after the hundreds of comparison videos I have watched, just convinced me to go with the Africa Twin.
Of course I still need to rent one, and see if it really is for me.
Went on a offroad trip to Marocco last month, riding the 1200 GSA and I think the number one bike of the bunch was the African Twin, it did everything wihout problems at a lower price. So if you are looking for dust, go for it :-)
Did you rent the bike in Morocco?
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I can't believe that you would call this a shoot out when you took an Africa Twin CRF1000L with street tires on it, into the dirt, rocks...whatever. You're supposed to be experienced riders with knowledge of Adventure motorcycles....Guess what that's a sorry excuse for what you call a "shootout". If you would have put knobbies on the Twin you could have confirmed just how much better the Africa Twin really is, off road.
I'd love to trade one of my Harley's and get into this type of riding, I'm jealous
I sold my Ultra Classic. Bought a Super Tenere. Should've done it years ago. Do it! Side note: you will not be in the HD club anymore. No more waves from HD riders. However, riding in the woods, I don't see many HD dudes.
Just out of curiosity, why didn't you put the same off road capable tyre on all the test bikes? The Africa Twin tyres were road tyres and then you complain about it's off road performance. As a magazine I am sure you can get the tyres for free from a manufacturer and yet you seem to lazy to do it for a proper test.
All of these bikes in my opinion are insane choices for dual purpose riding.
If I was only ever to have one bike, it would be one of these.
They NEVER get the bash plate for the Super Tenere, and this is the second review I have seen where all the other bikes have it, and even though you can get a Super Tenere with one, they never seem to have it installed.
it is a good review, but why didn't you consider suzuki v strom in the pack for a complete adventure bike review..??
Surprised Caponord Rally wasn't included.
the music soundtrack is fantastic
I ride a 2013 Tiger 800 xc and having tested both the Ktm and Honda I think the Africa Twin is a much more rounded machine
The price deferential of these bikes is significant when considering which to buy, as well as bash, tires and maintenance/repairs. Eliminate the $20k bikes and the options are greatly reduced.
I have to admit that I laughed pretty hard whenever they said the Africa Twin was "Primative"
How about you throw a KLR650 in there and show real Primative riding.
Thumbs down for not doing basic things like knobby tires and skid plates for ALL bikes when testing in such off road conditions. Not all of those bikes came with knobbies and skidplates as standard equipment, which means you guys added them to some of the bikes. And it doesn't even matter; if you're testing off road performance, the minimum you should do is knobbies and protection.
Where was the Aprilia Capanord Rally? It's a 1200cc ADV bike with wire wheels.
I love my Africa Twin! I had an 1190 Adventure R, prior to the my Honda, and that bike was a beast.
I'm thinking about those two bikes. I earlier rode and R6 and ZX10R but want an adventure bike now. Why did you change from the KTM and whats the pros and cons?
+Claes Nørskov Well, my change from the KTM was forced because I picked up a nail on my front tire during a commute home from work, and that caused a caused a low-side on an exit off the highway. The bike was totaled, and to be honest I was kind of glad to let it go. It's reliability was pretty shitty. On top of the stupid little things, I had to spend good money to fix a couple of serious issues that should not have been so in the first place.
The Africa Twin ownership experience has been much more enjoyable. The bike is fun, lively, and totally reliable! After two European bikes, it's nice to have a motorcycle that starts the first time, every time.
Makes sense. There's a lot to think about.. Maybe I should take all of the for a spin. Thanks mate :)
If you don't mind, what year was your 1190 Adventure R? I've been debating on either switching to the KTM brand completely... or half and half...
For sport touring I'm either going- Kawasaki depending on what their new sport touring bike being released in 2 days is or KTM's Superduke GT. I have quite a few KTM shops where I live here in Texas.
ADV bikes it's definitely between the KTM or Africa Twin but I'm leaning heavily towards the AT.
There was a bit of Morricone beginning.
Great bikes!!! Btw Heisenberg wants his crystal ship back ;)
Intro was cool
Why do you not include the Moto Guzzi Stelio 1200?
So how thick should a bash plate be to be considered "good".
I like the Honda but worried that its not enough power for highway freeway speeds in California passing power etc
I still prefer my KLR
I think the Africa twin would be great wjth pirelli scorpion tyres on
why wouldn't you have the Vstrom 1000 Adventure in this shoot out?
why does noone ever add the vstrom in shootouts. I think its a huge winner in regards to price vs performance and so much lighter.
OBVIOUSLY there is no interest in saving money with this particular group...preaching to the wrong audience
The Africa twin was keeping up in the dirt with road tires on it......👀 goes to show what a 21 inch wheel is capable of compared to a 19 I guess.😕
Bla bla bla bla ... and we all know that the GSA is the best bike here for someone whose really like to spend a lot of time on the bike. Duc is a nice bike but very hard seat, clutch and suspension ... and looks like much heavier than GSA ... great video guys
Is that 2n01 or 2n04 forest road to burns canyon from Big bear to Pioneer Town?
I read on the Africa Twin forums, 50mpg and 120hp with exhaust\intake\power commander, but man 511lbs wet, that is a big ole bike! 14,000$ is not cheap, ouch!
Did you even see the prices of the bikes in this class. People pay 20+k for adventure bikes. The Africa Twin is cheap for what you get.
v-strom was out because the qualifying feature was wire wheels. next time, the strom will be in like flynn.
kevrider v-strong XT has wire wheels , bash plate and crash bars.
i'm aware, i've thought about buying one of those. i should clarify what i meant... Vee was disqualified due to cast wheels. i think the Wee was disqualified due to being wee. as i read it, the comparo was about the AT and how it stacks up to its competition. sounds like they didn't deem the 650 as a direct competitor:
"The introduction of Honda’s new Africa Twin has the potential of re-racking the pecking order in motorcycling’s hottest category, so we gathered five of its likely competitors that are either top-rated or recently updated."
personally, i wouldn't consider anything that costs $20k as a direct competitor, either.
I one a Tiger xcx an I've try the AfricaTwin and i found the it was feeling heavy and lousy on the road. I've try to change rapid changing course, like i use to do with my Tiger an is was at way out of the Tiger for the Handling. I've took some hole in the pavment an the rear suspension was not as efficient as the Tiger. After this try, i was disapointing about the Twin...so much things as bine said that i was expecting something much greater than that. Good point about it. strong front breaks an smooth engine....but no emotion.
put same tyre in every bike...African twin is the best offroader in the world
The "little" honda with a litre engine, LOL. Glad to see that Honda didnt dissapoint, honestly, a lot of people was specting just another "motorcycle SUV".
Is there a way to switch off the music in the talking bits. Can hardly understand what is being said.
Where is the KTM 1290 Super Adventure? I know it is HUGE, but not any more so than the BMW GS. I find it odd that very few (if any) comparo shoot outs include it in the fleet. (?)
Japanese sets the touring machines a low compress ratio in purpose. For example, African twin 10:1 and my Vulcan s 10.8 :1. Advantage: low stress cycle, engine more reliable and lower octane gasoline requirement. Disadvantage: low extract power from cylinders, low torque and power. It is wise to build engines in purpose for what they are standing for.
0:38 Turn signal!
????
How does BMW F800GS compare with the rest of the adventure pack? Thank you
my knees prefer the ktm, Im 6'4", and I have several ktms and the 1200gsa,which is a great road bike.
those all sporting the same tires?
What about the VFR1200X?
That is another on road bike
By the way. ..if you do a shootout or a try test like this one an you go off road....i sugest that you put knobby tires on it. On all if you expecting to have a real an thrue feed back for us.
Sorry for my english.
Thank's
I used to ride desert races back in the late 70s... and because I hate the electronic crap... the Honda would be my choice.
God, I wish I lived in the USA
Doesn't the KTM 1190 Adventure R have 150 hp instead of 119 as you guys showed?
V Strom 1000 should be here also....
I think its 94 or 96hp on Africa Twin
The GSA feels like it has a lower COG because it has a lower COG because of the boxer engine
Wow ...KTM really screwed up dumping the 990s....they were the kings of all the off road adventure bikes....
but where is the VFR1200X tho?
Africa Twin forever.
And why did you left the road on the Super Tenere without bash plate? It is quite stupid go offroad with a bike with no skidplate, nosense; so no problem of the tenere but your fault
xtz 1200 ???
There's an elephant in the room you don't discuss though, Tom doesn't appear to be wearing trousers...
Seems clear to me, if you want a bike to do day trips and want good off road capabilities then the African Twin is the best choice. However if you are going to be touring long 300+ miles a day the BMW is still king. Yes other bikes do some things better, but all around the Beemer is hard to beat, they got the recipe down pat.
Any bike can handle those fire roads you guys were on. Basically nothing more then unpaved roads. Get on some trails and the Honda smokes them all hands down off road. Wow off road tests with street tires.
Why not the "normal" GS? Its 30 pounds lighter and all the GS benefits.
All wire wheeled bikes need either tubeless tires or a centerstand. I wouldn't even consider buying one that didn't have one or the other. Have a flat out in the middle of the desert with no way to fix the tire, and you're buzzard food. Since the big BMW has tubeless tires, it should be no big deal for any wire wheeled bike to have them.
Why the hell would you do that ride w/o 50/50 tires on every bike?
where is aprilia caponord?
African Twin with proper rubber eats up the Ducati on dirt,comparing apples with oranges
What about reliability, Super Tenere woud probably come top, it is a work horse. Cost of maintenance BMW tops it all,Ducati and KTM also expensive to mantain, Triumph not very reliable. So overall Yamaha wins it all.
Agree. Super Tenere or V-Strom 1000.
How about Honda VFR1200X
That's really just a sports touring bike in disguise.
why 1190 adventure R and not 1290 super adventure??
A bit surprised that they left out the new Triumph Tiger Explorer. I bet that'd match the GS and perhaps the Ducati for electrickery.
You guys missed the ole Kawi KLR. ya ya its a small CC bike but its wire wheel hahaha
Why was the Honda VFR1200X not in this comparison instead of the Africa Twin? Seems odd to intentionally leave out the direct competitor to the BMW, KTM, Ducatti, and Yamaha.
The VFR1200X is essentially an on-road only bike, it is huge and heavy compared to the other bikes, and feels even more so when you are actually riding it. Comfy tourer, but useless on anything other than a smooth gravel road in my opinion.
Once you ride the VFR line up... Including the sport touring models... they all share a common issue.. They are heavy as hell... The VFR1200X was Honda's way of rectifying their piss poor screw up of the VFR1200F.
Fun bike, but small gas tank, heavy as hell, SOHC, and shaft driven... so most of the stuff people had an issue with on the F were carried over to the X, but the stuff people loved about the F or 800 wasn't translated to the X...
Africa Twin is definitely more of the competitor here in the ADV bike arena... and it along with the KTM are the only real ADV bikes in my eyes
"The closest you get to a dirt bike with a multi cylinder bike" Aprilia RXV?
Shame theres no caponord and all the same tyres big test but not comprehensive.
One thing I hate about reviews... here's a bunch of bikes for you to review. Not... here's a bunch of bikes that YOU HAD TO BUY!!! Hmmm... let's see, I could buy TWO Africa Twins or ONE BMW or Ducati.
You guys test these bikes as though the tires can't be changed.
Not a valid "shootout"
JonoZ meh. Go do your own and post it. I'm waiting! GET ON IT!!
why do they test all these bike if they all have different tires???? invalid comparison.
makes no sense.
WHY.. why .. and why not the Triumph 1200??? Thats just stupid.
Thats the one from them in the same class as the rest of the bikes.
Weeee!