#adventure

The main items are that the new 853cc air-cooled 90-degree two-valver – the “eight and a half” – delivers maximum power of 80 horses and 80 Nm at 5,000 rpm, with 90% of said torque available at 3,750 rpm. Guzzi also says this is the first Moto Guzzi small block that can easily reach 8000 rpm. Titanium intake valves!

Ducati‘s smallest “multibike” is designed to provide all the excitement of the Multistrada in a more accessible package. Designed to put performance within everyone’s grasp, says Ducati, the new Multistrada 950 is for those who want to get in some touring – possibly with a passenger and some luggage – and those who want an agile, fun bike that’s ideal for everyday use. Not to mention fashionable.

Way back in January of 2015, Shoei introduced the Hornet X2 helmet, and our man, Tom Roderick, attended the event, coming back with a shiny new helmet for his efforts. Flash forward to this past August as I was preparing to take our somewhat annual adventure tour, and I noticed that my trusty Shoei Hornet had been manufactured in 2012, making it about a year older than we recommend wearing a helmet. So, I decided to see why Tom liked the Hornet X2 enough to say that it was his favorite ADV helmet.

In America, some might consider owning and riding a Harley-Davidson to be patriotic. But in Italy, Ducati is revered and more closely synonymous with religion. Hardcore Ducatisti take motorcycles, their performance, style, and love of their red rockets seriously, and the 2019 Multistrada 1260 Enduro is no exception. With its high-performance/racing pedigree, adventure touring and/or off-road riding is rarely (if ever) the first thing that comes to mind when the Italian marque is mentioned. The update and introduction of this new 2019 Multi aims to change all that, and it started with the goal of making the 1260 Enduro more accessible and intuitive to operate, easier and more enjoyable to ride, all while increasing its overall performance.

Slightly overlooked in this year’s Intermot insanity was Moto Guzzi’s announcement that its V85 TT is officially on the way. We first remember seeing this one at the EICMA show last November, but now it’s production-ready and quite the looker.

Now we know why Ducati wouldn’t let us borrow a Multistrada 1200 Enduro for our Adventure-Touring Shootout, as this new 2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro was right around the corner. —Ed.)

Hot on the heels of our 2018 Big-Bore Adventure Touring Shootout, where the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R took the top spot in our dirt portion and third in our street test, we’ve chosen the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R as our Best Adventure Motorcycle of 2018.

The Suzuki V-Strom 650XT has proven popular with fans of middle-weight adventure touring motorcycles. Couple that with a plethora of accessories available directly from Suzuki and the aftermarket, and you’ve got a flexible mount for either commuting or racking up the miles. Still, some people don’t want to bother with outfitting their bike with accessories, preferring that the essentials be installed directly at the factory. The release of the 2019 Suzuki V-Strom 650XT Touring should make these people very happy.

By now, hopefully you’ve already read our street installation of this two-part test. If not, STOP! Please do check it out because it outlines and dissects each and every bike in great detail, and it very well might answer a slew of questions you might have that aren’t addressed here, in the off-road portion of the shootout.

After CARB filings and a leaked video tipped the world about their existence, BMW has officially announced the 2019 R1250GS and R1250RT featuring a 1254cc Boxer engine with a “ShiftCam” variable-valve timing system.

UPDATE: the leaked video has been taken down, but the news is now official, as BMW has announced the Shift Cam system for the 2019 R1250GS and R1250RT. We expect they’ll be joined by the R1250GS Adventrue, R1250R and R1250RS at Intermot.

It’s not that I didn’t want to go on the big Adventure Bike Shootout a couple weeks ago; it’s just that I didn’t want to die a hot, thirsty death in the middle of nowhere. My perfectly legit excuse, though, was that as a team player, I want what’s best for MO, and having anybody less than a guy who really knows how to ride 600-pound motorcycles over terrain Marines would refuse to assault would be a disservice to both the manufacturers and MO’s faithful readers. Am I right? Of course I’m right. I know people who can ride a Triumph 1200 Explorer up and down vertical single-track trails; I’m not one of them.

On a humid and hazy southern California morning our cast of misfits began to stir to life from all stretches of the LA basin. Showers were had (by some), coffee was made and consumed, gear was donned. We seven fortunate souls set out on what would be our first true challenge of the next 72 hours, the first gauntlet that our machines would be subjected to, weekday traffic in Los Angeles with a destination of none other than Starbucks. The unofficial meeting place of adventure riders the world over, yet, for so many, the journey’s end before it ever even begins.

For most of us, once we bring a new bike home the first thing we start planning are upgrades. Swapping stock parts or just bolting new ones on, it’s time to start customizing your bike to make it your own.

For a long time, I didn’t get the adventure boot thing. They’re not off-road boots, nor are they purely street/touring boots. Adventure boots are a combination of the two, though they tend to resemble their off-road counterparts. After putting more than 1,500 miles in the Sidi Adventure 2 adventure boots, I get it. They’re not trying to be motocross boots, and they can be more versatile in certain situations than street-biased footwear.