Adventure Bikes

[Ship]

Anyone ride these? My son just bought a Honda Africa. I rode it about 40 miles and I must say it was pretty nice. Plenty of power with I believe 125hp. The only drawback on the highway you sit up high so it catches a lot of crosswind compared to my Heritage. It has a ton of power though. It isn't a light dirt bike. It's 500 lbs so I don't know how much off-roading I could actually do with one. Harley is coming out with the Pan America which I believe is 150hp. I am considering trading my Heritage in on one.

[Alumicraft145]

I see a lot of adventure bikes go by the house. They seem pretty versatile. Few guys on my route have them. They seem to sit a lot and don't get rode. Police chief in town has BMW ADV and rides every day rain or shine. A lot of choices in ADV bikes. I'm a kawasaki fan but the ktm and husky bikes look nice. I would prefer something lightweight and midsize. I wouldn't be doing any off road riding but maybe a seasonal road now and then.
"Adventure" is what you make it. It all starts with trying to find the right one.

[I.P. Freely]

I’ve had a few Adventure bikes and Harleys and currently ride a 2014 Suzuki Vstrom 1000. ADV bikes have Better suspension, acceleration, handling, braking and lighter weight compared to a cruiser. They’re also quite comfortable. I wouldn’t want to do any single track riding with an ADV bike but some people do. I like riding Forest Service Roads and exploring the less traveled N. Ga Mountains roads.

I lived in Lafayette Louisiana for 35 years, the roads down their, saying it nicely, are chit lol. The new Pan America is nice. I’m sure it’ll handle all the pot holes down there just fine compared to a cruiser.

Here’s an old pic of my Vstrom 650 riding a ten day 4,000 mile trip In Colorado.

[Ship]

You're not kidding about the roads down here. That ride between Morgan City and Lafayette is pretty bad. I'm retiring in a couple of years though Coast Guard transplant, and will return to the Oregon coast. An adventure bike might suit me well out there.

[Alumicraft145]

I did a quick buzz thru Craigslist and dealers last night. ADV bikes, dealers had nothing. Showrooms seem pretty empty. (Web search, might not be updated). Craigslist had a good selection and some not so crazy prices.
Aftermarket gear for ADV is amazing. They got everything covered. Learned a new term... " motocamping". I watched a guy at a campground pull everything out of those metal trunks.
If your worried about height, lowering kits available. Some real nice ADV tires out in 2021 too. Seems to be a lot of hype about the ktm 490 ADV due out sometime. Along with the husky ADV. If I was looking, I would prefer something in the lightweight or middleweight class. 100+ hp on a seasonal road doesn't seem required. But I don't see me 2 up riding or doing any long trips either.
Klr 650 always been on my wish list. I let one slip way once. My friend has an old ktm duke from the 90s for sale. (3k$), interesting bike. Has a lot of possibilties.

[Skeet'r89]

Watched a video of a guy riding the Africa on a motocross track with a coupel of other motox bikes.

[ecoast]

had my harley's; this is like a swissarmy knife in terms of rideability...fun, super comfortable


dl1000.jpg

[n2ratfishin]

I didn’t have the top case on that day. BMW F800GS

[Ship]

Seriously looking at a 2018 Africa. Only 3k miles on it and looks to be in New condition. Crash bars and all the storage installed.

[Alumicraft145]

Sounds like a good deal. Hope you get the best price possible.

[Luke]

i would love to have one but i wouldn't get rid of my Harley for one. but i do think they are really cool.
personally in my opinion i think Harley made a big mistake with the Pan America. if i were to buy an ADV bike it wouldn't be from Harley as KTM, Honda, BMW have been making ADV bikes for years. Going to be very hard in my opinion for Harley to compete in that market.

[Ship]

Yeah I'm trying to hold on to my Heritage and put this second bike in the garage. Gonna go check it out tomorrow. I can get this mike for about 10k and the Pan Am is at least 20k if you can even find one in stock. Then you know Harley's storage and crash bars Etc. aren't cheap.

[Alumicraft145]

Quick price check. Ktm 890 ADV 13k. Awesome engine!! Kawasaki klr 650ADV 8k. Redesigned for 21. Prices new.
They would be on the top of my list.

[basnbran]

Buddy just got a tenere 700. Good bang for the buck.

[Alumicraft145]

Fortnine has a great YouTube video on new tires. He talks about ADV tires. He also has a great video on trying to break a klr 650. Interesting to watch. now I want one!! He has quite a few adventure themed videos.

[286pro]

IMG_2792.jpg6 weeks right at 4000 miles, and loooving it

[Ship]

IMG_2792.jpg6 weeks right at 4000 miles, and loooving it

That is a nice bike. What is it?

[286pro]

pan am now.jpg 2021 Harley Davidson Pan America Special

[Ship]

pan am now.jpg 2021 Harley Davidson Pan America Special

Sweet man. Haven't seen a black one in the wild. Love it though, beautiful.

[Alumicraft145]

Great looking bike. I've seen a huge increase in ADV bikes going by the house. Motocamping/ mototravel seems pretty popular this year.