Dual-Sport & Enduro

Mar/Apr '15

2014 Yamaha Super Ténéré: Rugged, Yet Refined!

> Many motorcyclists have discovered that adventure-touring motorcycles offer an excellent combination of on- and off-road performance, comfort, and practical utility. As this do-it-all market segment gains more competition and models, Yamaha has upped its game with significant improvements on a late-release 2014 Super Ténéré. There are more than a

Nov/Dec '14

Motorcycle of the Year: 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure

Last year we awarded the MOTY to a brand new model that changed the game dramatically (the Indian Chieftain). Under consideration again this year was an Indian motorcycle, namely the Scout, but also Harley-Davidson’s electric experiment Project LiveWire and BMW’s touring models (the RT and GTL). In the

Sep/Oct '14

Comparison: 2014 BMW F 800 GS vs. 2014 Triumph Tiger 800 XC: Variations on a Theme

> The spicy flavor of this British-born, massaged sportbike machine delivers tons of passion from each twist of the wrist, but the BMW’s practical and concise demeanor also delivers in predictable and repeatable ways. Many ask the same question, “Which one?” But only your own taste buds know what

Jul/Aug '14

Comparison: BMW R 1200 GS vs Triumph 1200 Explorer XC vs Yamaha Ténéré

> Just as the number of sport touring riders in the last decade or so has risen, a similar growth spurt is currently happening in the dual-sport market. Gone are the days of overnighting a CB400 to the local woodlands or piling the camping kit on your dirt bike. Currently

May/Jun '14

Review: 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS

> Let’s get this over with. No, the new V-Strom is not a BMW GS clone. Yes, it has a beak, but it could be argued that BMW copied said beak from Suzuki’s 1988 DR-BIG and DR-Z. Who copied whom aside; Suzuki does have a legitimate claim to

Mar/Apr '14

Review: 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R

What’s a Little Dirt and Mud? Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, or thankfully KTM for short, has replaced its 990 Adventure R model with the new 1190 Adventure R. Now that I’ve finally gotten the mud off my riding gear and it’s all dried out, let me tell you

Jan/Feb '14

2014 BMW F 800 GS: Adventure Rockin’ the Red Rocks

> BMW’s mid-size F 800 GS Adventure offers real, functional improvements over the regular F 800 GS, and that makes it even better suited to a long-distance adventure-touring role. Foremost among the changes, the Adventure’s fuel capacity has been boosted by 50 percent to 6.3 gallons, bringing

Nov/Dec '13

Comparison: 2013 BMW R 1200 GS vs 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R: Battle of the Giants

> With the allure of traveling around the world on two wheels ever increasing, the adventure-type motorcycles seem to be at their limits. “How much better can they get?” one might ask. Well, since they can already get to almost any place on earth, now they can do it fast,

Jul/Aug '13

2013 Honda CRF250L: Dual Sport Darling

> After being away for almost a decade (the street-legal XR250L was dropped in 2004), Honda is back in the 250cc dual sport segment with the CRF250L. The new machine receives its crisp styling from Honda’s CRF series, but the engine design is borrowed from the CBR250R sportbike. Powertrain

May/Jun '13

Review: 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure

> The fact that KTM has been dominating the off-road circuit for years is evident by a sea of orange commonly seen along motocross tracks and trails across the country. With the all-new and versatile 1190 Adventure, the Austrian manufacturer brings the soul and character that defines its “Ready to

May/Jun '12

2012 BMW G 650 GS Sertão: A New Adventure Bike Joins the Fray!

Named after an arid savanna region in northeastern Brazil, the Sertão is designed for the growing adventure motorcycle market and essentially replaces the Dakar version of the F 650 GS, which was discontinued in 2008. (BMW changed its model designations beginning with the introduction of the F 800 series; single-cylinder

Mar/Apr '12

Review: 2012 Suzuki V-Strom ABS & ABS Adventure

Combining spirited V-twin performance with excellent comfort and good handling at a reasonable price, Suzuki’s versatile V-Strom models have created a near cult following over the years. We got to test ride the new 2012 V-Strom 650 ABS and ABS Adventure models at the U.S. press launch in

Nov/Dec '11

Review: 2011 Triumph Tiger 800 & 800XC

> When the invitation to ride the new Triumph Tigers first arrived, our initial reaction was that we’d already ridden the bike so what could be happening at this event that we don’t already know? Another piece of the puzzle: It was to be a two-day ride, back

Mar/Apr '11

2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

> Yamaha has been selling this new Super Ténéré adventure-touring model in Europe for several years now and is finally bringing it to North America. Ténéré (pronounced like "tay-nay-ray") is the word for "desert" in the language of the Tuareg tribe that resides in the region

Jul/Aug '10

2010 BMW R 1200 GS & GS Adventure

BMW Motorrad celebrated the 30th anniversary of its popular GS series by introducing the most powerful R 1200 GS and GS Adventure ever. Taking its name from a combination of the German Gelände and Strasse, GS translates to "terrain" and "road," respectively  -  and for three

Jul/Aug '09

2009 BMW F 800 GS

> The moral of the age-old tale is: Sometimes you have to taste a lot of porridge before you find the bowl that's "just right." Though I admire its go-anywhere capability, I've always found BMW's R 1200 GS Adventure rather intimidating where

Mar/Apr '09

Review: 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650

> Old soldiers may never die, but sometimes they do get a makeover! Kawasaki's new KLR 650, with a host of changes, should now appeal to a wider range of buyers, from dyed-in-the-wool dirt riders to sport-touring aficionados. Kawasaki's first-generation KLR 650 had one of the

Nov/Dec '08

2008 Honda XR650L

> Dual-sport bikes are motorcycling's equivalent of the duckbilled platypus. To the casual observer, they appear to be an oddball amalgam of street and dirt bits cobbled together in packages that are politely described as "utilitarian." Yet to those of us bitten by the D-S bug,

Sep/Oct '08

2008 BMW R 1200 GS & R 1200 GS Adventure

> What is it that makes a motorcycle great? Is it all-around ability, or sharply focused functionality in a specific area? For the R 1200 GS series, a hot item for BMW aficionados with over 75,000 of them already sold worldwide, it may be both. While sales are a

Mar/Apr '08

BMW's New Enduros

> BMW Motorrad starts out what promises to be an exciting year by unveiling a new range of enduro bikes in various classes for different purposes. The BMW G 450 X is pure dirt bike and addresses young hobbyists as well as professional racers. Although it is street legal, the

Mar/Apr '08

Review: 2007 Triumph Tiger 1050

> Since its founding in 1883, the Triumph marque has seen good times, bad times, and many of its UK neighbors, such as Norton and BSA, unceremoniously ushered off into the shadowy abyss of moto-history by the auctioneer's gavel. Without getting too misty-eyed over recent developments, it really

Jan/Feb '08

BMW F 800 GS

With the long-awaited F 800 GS travel enduro, BMW Motorrad intends to continue their mastery of on- and off-road motorcycling. Power for this latest Bavarian offering comes from an 85 horsepower, liquid-cooled, vertical twin derived from the F 800 S/ST models. The high-revving engine provides immediate throttle response and

Jan/Feb '08

Review: 2008 Kawasaki Versys 650

> In dictionary terms, a system consists of a number of individual parts with particular attributes combined in appropriate relationships within a specific environment. The idea is that the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts  -  and once we got together to ride the roads in

Nov/Dec '07

Review: 2007 Kawasaki KLR650

> Finding interesting, new roads on the map is one of life's great treasure hunts. Poring over the topos, looking for previously unnoticed grey lines rife with squiggles is a quest that pays touring dividends time and again. But even the best research can run afoul of the

Sep/Oct '07

2007 BMW G 650 X Model Series

> It wasn't so long ago that a BMW was considered your father's motorcycle, conservatively styled, quiet, and a little square  -  the tweed jacket of the motorcycle world. And although understated competence still generates some appeal, the cool contingent wants more pizzazz from today'