#Adv

I can feel the hair raise on the back of my neck as a smile stretches across my face. The beautiful cacophonous uproar of 20 Ducati Multistradas sitting, waiting to dance their way up the ancient volcano we are standing on. Here we are on Gran Canaria for the introduction of the 2018 Ducati Multistrada and, to be honest, I don’t think the smile has left my face since.

A private school Latin teacher during the day, what does Chris “Teach” McNeil do when he’s not conjugating verbs or running a red pen through students’ tests? He’s absolutely riding the balls off of one of his BMWs. In this video, Elements, Teach shows us his interpretation of adventure riding while aboard an S1000XR.

Adventure bikes are wonderfully versatile for all types of riding, making the ADV class one of the hottest segments in contemporary motorcycling. The best of them retail at north of $15,000 and can soar above $20k. But are those heavyweights really the best ADVs? A simple tip-over off the beaten path might have you wishing you were on a bike that was 100 or more pounds lighter and much less costly to repair.

WIth EICMA come and gone, we’re hyped about all the new 2018 models we get to test, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start looking ahead to 2019 models. Case in point: while we eagerly await the press launch of the new 790 Duke, we are also excited about the upcoming KTM 790 Adventure.

BMW pulled the covers off two new mid-sized GS models, with a new 2018 F850GS and F750GS replacing the F800GS and F700GS. The new models were completely redesigned, with the F750GS as a more entry-level GS model and the F800GS for more advanced ADV riders.

A new, more adventure-focused version of the Honda Africa Twin may be on its way, offering more off-road capability and a larger fuel tank. The new model may make its debut in a couple of weeks at EICMA as a 2018 model. It will likely be based on the Africa Twin Adventure Sports Concept (pictured above) that was shown off in early 2016.

The adventure-bike market is one of the hottest segments in motorcycling, inspiring riders both new and old to seek adventures across horizons both near and far. BMW was the segment’s progenitor, debuting the oddball R80 G/S in 1980. That first G/S had a Boxer motor that displaced 798cc, just like the parallel-Twin F800GS introduced in 2008.

Michelle Christine is a comedian and writer who loves to ride motorcycles. She was first seen on these pages after taking BMW’s Off-Road Academy and writing about her experience. Then she took her first off-road trip as part of RawHyde Adventure’s Base Camp excursion in the Mojave desert. This time Michelle sets off for an adventure on her own. Being gregarious and sweet, she naturally makes several new friends along the way.

The way our Suzuki rep ’splained it, is that it’s a 2018 model if it’s being produced in 2017. Go figure… anyway, the V-Strom 1000 was new in 2015. For 2018, it’s received a few significant upgrades to make it even more likeable, not to mention safer, including the addition of the new 1000XT version in the lead image.

Suzuki summoned the usual suspects to Lake Arrowhead, California, to show off the latest updates to its excellent ADV bikes. That’s the new V-Strom 650XT in the lead photo, distinguishable from the base model 650 by its wire-spoke tubeless wheels, yellow paint, hand guards and lower engine cowl/modesty panel. An aesthetic overhaul now makes it barely distinguishable from the big V-Strom 1000; know the 650 by its silver engine cases and lack of SUZUKI on the sides of its plush seat.

A stunning blasted moonscape is a good way to describe the natural beauty of Peru’s Nasca Desert. And that moonscape makes a particularly good place to test a fast and large adventure-touring motorcycle like the new 2017 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R.

EICMA and Intermot have come and gone and the question on most American consumers’ minds is which of the wonderful new models will be making their way to the U.S.? Today, Kawasaki answered their part of the question, confirming the ZX-10RR, Ninja 1000, Ninja 650, Z900, Z650 and the Versys-X 300 for the U.S. market.

Earlier we reported about the new G310GS shown at EICMA, and now here it is in video format brought to you by the highly caffeinated Evans Brasfield. This new GS is essentially the G310R dressed up in GS garb, with a 19-inch front wheel, a beak nose and angular side fairings.

News of Honda’s CRF250L Rally came first, then Suzuki’s V-Strom 250/ABS broke cover, and now it’s Kawasaki‘s Versys-X 300 that’s come to light in Milan. The first obvious advantage is the greater displacement of the Kawi’s ADV-Bike engine.

Last year at EICMA we got our first glimpse of BMW’s smallest bike, the G310R. This year in Italy we see the roadster G310R get GS-ified, replete with mandatory beak nose, angular side panels and two-tone colorways that make it unmistakable as anything but a BMW adventure bike.