#adventure

While Dunlop was in town to show off its new Elite 4, it went ahead and dropped its new Adventure bike tire on us too: The new Trailsmart replaces the long-running Trailmax TR91.

We’ve traveled down this path before when we asked what types of bikes our readers have owned. What we learned there, frankly, didn’t surprise us too much. You’ve owned a bunch of different motorcycles. That makes you a lot like us. We like motorcycles – all motorcycles. As an industry friend once said about our profession, “All motorcycles good; we investigate.”

What it is, really, is a street-going knobby for big, heavy adventure bikes, which are all the rage lately in case you hadn’t noticed. The leader of that dusty, BMW R1200GS-riding pack has for years been the Continental TKC80, which Michelin had squarely in its sights with the new Anakee Wild, as well as your Metzeler Karoo 3 and Heidenau K60 Scout. The Anakee Wild (not to be confused with the Anakee 3) cleans all their clocks, according to Michelin (as well as being good at cleaning itself in mud).

From the undeniable truth in the blanket statement “Motorcycles Don’t Suck,” one can journey down many a rabbit hole and come to many a contradictory conclusion, depending on what you want from your bike or where you happen to be riding. However, just as much as the answer to ‘Do Choppers Suck?’ tends to be a resounding “Yes!” for most situations, the answer to “Do Adventure Touring Bikes Suck?” almost always tends to be “No!” This is a fact more and more riders are learning first-hand as sales in the category continue to outperform the broader motorcycling landscape. And it’s no mystery why, really, as today’s adventure-touring formula relies on the strengths of several platforms to produce vehicles that can convincingly perform in every non-competition role for which a motorcycle can be used. There be bags, and performance, and comfort, and wind protection and maneuverability, and ground clearance, oh my!

Almost every year I make a motorcycle pilgrimage up from the U.S. to Canada, and the reason is simple – unbeatable riding. The Eastern United States has some incredible riding, to be sure. There’s the famous Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina, and also the state-straddling Blue Ridge Parkway. Even in my home state of Ohio we have the infamous and snaky Triple Nickel OH 555. Yet as incredible as each of these roads are, there is a wildness, an openness, and ever-surprising element to Canada, in this case specifically Ontario, that can’t be beat.

Two weeks ago we had fun with Rad Brad Banister’s Rally Raid KTM 690. Last week we lathered up a lovely little bone-stock Honda CRF250L – to which alert MO reader sgray44444 posted this thing in the Comments: a Rally Raid-modded Honda CB500X.

AJP released this teaser video today of its latest model, the PR7, a 600cc Adventure model slated to be released in September 2016 as a 2017 model. For those unfamiliar with AJP, the company was founded circa 1987 in Portugal by Antonio J. Pinto, a seven-time Portuguese National Enduro champion. The company has had extensive off-road racing success, having won the Portuguese National Enduro championship from 1996-2000 and the Portuguese National Off-Road series in 1996, 1997, and 2000.

Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield revealed its much-awaited adventure bike, the Himalayan. Powered by a new 411cc Single, the Himalayan was designed to be a lightweight, uncomplicated motorcycle that can go anywhere, including the rugged terrain of its namesake.

Last year’s Ultimate Sports-Adventure-Touring Shootout – a six-day, nine-bike extravagasm – pitted some of the lesser dirtable models (Versys 1000 LT, Multistrada S, S1000XR) against some of the industry’s more formidable off-roaders (1290 Super Adventure, 1190 Adventure, R1200GS) as well as a few inbetweeners (Caponord, V-Strom, Tiger Explorer). With this year’s introduction of Honda’s Africa Twin, Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 Enduro, and Triumph’s Tiger Explorer XCx, three more off-roady models have emerged.

The 2016 Africa Twin is the first model to feature Honda’s next-gen Dual Clutch Transmission, and the only ADV bike in the world equipped with such technology. This is a significant achievement not for the sake of new technology, but because the technology works pretty well, which is why my initial review – and this video – focuses on the DCT’s use and performance. However, the story was a little light when it comes to other areas of the bike’s performance. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to address a few omissions.

The Africa Twin is one of the most beloved Hondas to never have been imported to the United States. In 1986, the NXR750 Africa Twin factory racer made its debut at the then Paris-Dakar Rally. The bike was powered by a V-Twin engine, while the rally largely took place on the African continent – hence its Africa Twin namesake.

Benelli introduced a new adventure touring model at EICMA called the TRK 502. With its wire-spoke wheels and longer suspension travel, the TRK looks to be a bit more off-road capable than the 471cc Honda CB500X, but at a claimed 463 pounds (dry), is significantly heavier, weighing about a pound more than the BMW F700GS (.

Triumph has diversified its 1215cc Tiger Explorer lineup, following the pattern established by its smaller Tiger 800 siblings announced at EICMA last year. Like the 800s, the Tiger Explorer will be available in six trim levels, each offering a different balance between adventure and touring.

Ducati revealed a new, more adventure-ready version of the Multistrada, dubbed the Multistrada 1200 Enduro. Unveiled at EICMA, the Multistrada 1200 Enduro is designed to handle off-road terrain more rugged than the odd fire road, putting it up against the likes of the KTM 1290 Super Adventure and BMW R1200GS Adventure.

Already popular in Europe, the Honda VFR1200X receives important updates for 2016 and will now be available to American customers, joining the previously announced 2016 CRF1000L Africa Twin. Honda also announced that the NC700X and CB500X receive aggressive new styling for 2016, and that the U.S. debut for all four 2016 Honda adventure models will be at the November 20–22 International Motorcycle Shows stop in Long Beach, California.