#adventure

We’ll admit this is an unusual ADV test. There are any number of competitors we could have lined up against the new-and-improved 2020 Honda Africa Twin. Honda’s dirt-focused ADV bike has received a host of changes to make it even better both on-road and off, but it has always felt most at home when the paved path turns to the loose stuff.

I’m a gear nerd. Have been, and hope to always be. I nerd out on unique materials, armor, and the latest and greatest of motorcycle gear. That makes me a sucker for KLIM’s heavily researched and developed garments. Toward the end of 2019, I had the chance to join the folks at KLIM for a 2020 product launch and an inside look at some of the materials technology that was being developed and tested at the Gore Labs in Maryland. It was akin to touring Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. 

Any motorcycle reviewer will tell you it takes a long ride and several miles to really understand how good – or bad – a motorcycle is. This is especially true when the motorcycle in question is a model refresh and not an entirely new machine. But this might be the first time I can remember where just riding from my house to the stop sign at the end of my street left an impression that would last my entire time with the bike. The updated, 2020 Honda Africa Twin is good. Really good.

Yeah, well, maybe it is kind of a ridiculous comparison, but who went on a nice day-long adventure ride while you were locked down? Ryan Adams and I did, that’s who. Really it’s not even that ridiculous. The KTM 790 Adventure R sells for around $13,500; the 390 Adventure’s less than half that at $6,200. Ryan came back from the 790’s launch in Morocco last year calling it the best adventure bike in the world. Then it won a three-bike comparo starring Eric Bostrom…

We can hardly believe it. The long…no, interminably long wait is over. The 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 is finally on American soil. No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The motorcycle that fans of middleweight adventure touring motorcycles have been waiting for since 2016 is here. In case you doubt the sincerity of our excitement, we’ve written about the Ténéré 700 no less than 8 times here on MO. Back in May 2019, Ryan penned a thorough piece on his experiences riding the European model. Because of that, we’re not going to reinvent the wheel here. So, for the deep dive into the specifications and what it is that makes up the Ténéré, go to that story. Instead, the focus here will be on riding impressions and information not available at the time of the previous first ride.

I don’t know why I assumed the new baby KTM 390 Adventure would be more of a milquetoast little beginner bike, like most of the other wannabe ADV bikes in its class, but I kind of did. It’s nothing of the sort. We’ve seen the photos (and maybe I failed to read the words), but in the flesh at KTM’s Murrieta, California, HQ, I was a little surprised. Say, this mini-Adventure looks like a full-size ADV bike, not a kiddie toy. Personally, I’d prefer something a bit lower, but as it turns out, looks can be deceiving. Though the 390 looks a lot like the acclaimed new 790 Adventure, it is way lighter.

If you’re making a tire in the sport-touring category, you probably have one of the most difficult jobs in the entire tire business. Where racers want the grippiest tire they can find, longevity be damned, and the touring set seek high-mileage with modest grip, the sport-touring crowd wants the best of both worlds. Oh, and it better have good wet weather performance, too. No easy feat.

Motorcycle touring, traditionally, means we’re sticking pretty much to pavement. Though you can wear any of these for Adventure riding, we have a whole other list of  suits more suited to life off the beaten path, designed for the most part with even more freedom of motion and impact absorption. Every suit here, from the one-piece Aerostich to the jacket/pants combinations of the others, are a bit closer-fitting for reduced drag at highway speeds, with plenty of ventilation but not too much, and with enhanced abrasion resistance as well as armor. When you’re caught out in the rain after dark, you’ll be glad to find yourself inside any one of them.

How can any red-blooded American not love Suzuki, the blue-collar working motorcycle so many of us thrashed as youths, left parked in alleys with no loss of sleep, covered in fur for a brief period there in the (I think) ’90s… In spite of all the abuse we dished out, Suzuki’s loyalty was never in question.

Triumph announced two special edition versions of the Tiger 1200 inspired by desert and mountain landscapes. The Desert Edition and Alpine Edition models are based on the mid-tier Tiger 1200 XCx and XRx, respectively, but add titanium Arrow exhaust, shift assist and, of course, special edition paint and graphics.

A management presentation prepared by KTM‘s parent company Pierer Mobility reveals GasGas will introduce at least three streetbikes, including two 800-class models, a naked bike and an adventure-tourer, plus a 250-class naked bike.

Well what did you expect? Faster, lighter, torquier, more technologically advanced and cleaner, that’s what you get – and in five different flavors: Your regular Tiger 900 is the new “road-focussed” Tiger, with a major step forward in capability beginning with a heavily revised 888 cc inline triple complete with new firing order.

EICMA has come and gone, but at least one manufacturer still has a major model announcement to come.

Harley-Davidson announced the Pan America adventure bike and Bronx streetfighter are nearing production, both powered by the company’s new Revolution Max engine. The Pan America 1250 and Bronx 975 will be arriving in late 2020 as 2021 models.

Suzuki has been stringing us along with short teaser videos for a new model set to debut next week at EICMA 2020. The first video was laughable, showing friends having a meal countryside – there wasn’t even a motorcycle! The second video revealed a dark, shadowy silhouette of a motorcycle. Finally in this, the third teaser video, Suzuki has revealed the new machine – the 2020 V-Strom 1000.