Bike #5 Royal Enfield Himalayan

Coming in at #5 is the royal enfield Himalayan. The Royal Enfield has one of the broadest range of color options available in this tiny segment. It also come with switchable ABS in case you want to have some fun and slide around on the trails. Where it truly falls behind is in the power/weight ratio area. This bike is really budget oriented. But in my opinion, it falls behind is so many aspects. Basic suspension and frame system, it’s the heaviest out of all the competitors, least amount of power, most archaic engine architecture, old school lights. This bike really is about style and a unique experience. Well that and budget.

Bike #4 – Kawasaki Verseys-X 300

Look guys. The verseys is a strange one. I’ve been racking my brain on this one. Im trying to figure out really what its made for. It shares so many parts with the Ninja 300. it’s got a dual cylinder, makes power relatively higher in the RPM range. Im not saying that it doesnt have a great use, but what I am saying that is at the price point, I’m trying to understand the value proposition. So lets start by looking at its use. This is a light tourer. Made more for smoother roads than for pure off road. But when you compare it to the BMW G 310GS, you’re going to get more power in the BMW, more off road capability, and a really nice package. So what is the proposition here? I think it’s japanese reliability. With so many parts shared with a high-production volume bike like the ninja 300, maintenance and repairs will be way easier and cheaper than the BMW. This is the light highway tourer that *can* go off road. And it can go off road darn well. I wouldn’t want to do a full day off road on this bike, however.

Bike #3 – Bmw G 310 GS

This is the street bike that can go off road. If you love high speed handling and plan on doing mostly on-road touring, this is the bike. It really is probably the most versatile out of all bikes DEPENDING on how much you want to ride a sportbike. By far the most broad use bike we have. But unfortunately, really does nothing all that great. I really cant imagine much off-road with the stock wheel and tire setup. And with the skid plate and riding position and other off road bits, it really doesn’t make sense that this bike is so darn ham-stringed by these wheels and tires. It’s truly a great bike with great potential, but Im having trouble making sense of it. Maybe it’s made for adventuring only in European cities.

Bike #2 Honda CRF300l

Truly the Street-legal dirtbike, it’s hard to fault it for not winning. And I think its designation as #2 is justified. I think most people would overlook this bike but the truth is, I’ve toured on basically the same bike and it’s a great option. Im regularly getting 80MPG on this bike due to honda’s legendary fuel economy. This makes the smaller gas tank a much smoother pill to swallow. The ground clearance and wheel and tire package make it suitable for basically fully days off road. This bike is meant to be ridden to the trails. And in my opinion, real adventure touring is real true exploring. This bike will let not be your limiting factor. You will be the bottle neck on it. And thats what makes it great in my opinion. Its also about 70 pounds lighter than any of the competion. Thats huge. And if you want to compare the power to that of like the g 310 gs, you need to look at the HP per weight. And when you look at that, it’s actually a contender with the Ninja 300 motor powered verseys or the BMW. So even though its low-er powered, it still can keep up with the others. And the best part of it all, it’s the second cheapest of the bunch.

Here’s what would make it win: wind protection and saddle. Those are 3 basic things. You want more street? Well on the next set of tires, you can make that happen.

Bike # 1 – Winner – KTM 390 Adventure

This was a really really tough one but the winner is clear in my eyes. If you look at the price comparison for the KTM 390 Adventure vs any of the competition, for a little more money you get so much. You get traction control via KTM’s MCS system. You get ABS. A full TFT Screen that is nicer than all the competition. You get the most horsepower in the matchup by a long shot. The KTM 390 adventure has 27% more horsepower than the 2nd most powerful, the BMW. You get the biggest tank which in my opinion is pretty darn important when touring. Seat height isn’t the lowest but its not the highest either. You get a nice beefy set of front tires. Ground clearance is definitely not the best. In fact, it’s towards the bottom of the list. That is going to be by far the largest drawback of the motorcycle. Well, that and the wheels. I would have preferred a real set of adventure wheels. But I believe that this bike is more oriented towards long touring and handling on and off road.

Wrapping up, these top 5 are going to strongly depend on the quantity of off road vs on road riding you will be doing. If you really really really plan on not doing huge days in the saddle at high way speed and getting deep into the woods, then the Honda all the way. The honda is by far the most off-road oriented out of this bunch. If you plan on spending the majority of your time on the road with light off road, perhaps in a more urban setting, then the BMW is the way to go. If you want japanese reliability and easy of maintenance while doing everything “ok” then the kawasaki is the bet. And if you’re looking for a fun, economical experience with friends, go for the royal enfield. But darn, it is so hard to justify how much more you can get if you spend 500 more bucks for the honda, or 1700 more dollars for the KTM vs the Royal Enfield. It doesn’t even seem like the two are in the same class.

Whats the smallest adventure bike?

Im going to have to say that the smallest “adventure bike” is the Honda Navi Adventure. See, it’s an adventure bike! IT says it right in the name. Im not kidding. This thing is tiny. It’s only 109 CC and makes 7.9 horsepower. This is by far the smallest “adventure bike” you’re going to find.