Most common ADV bike

[68deluxe]

990 ADV here. I see lots of KLR's around Phoenix, about half as many GS and I have only seen 1 other big KTM.

[2bold2getold]

It's really hard for most of us who are not world travelers to know which bike is most common. So, each answer is biased by the posters own personal experiences. Sense this site seems to be predominatly dominated by Americans, most of the opinions will be regional. I've recently realized that bike chocies are determined by thoes who like riding vs thoes who are looking for the ride experience. My riding friends who have chosen the larger, street legal bikes are always looking for new, interesting places to go, while the ones who ride plated dirt bikes never know or care where they are going or where they've been, as long as they're riding. In the early Malcom Smith era ( '70s-'80s ), Honda XRs and XLs were by far the most "common" bikes we used for mountain/jeep trail touring in Mexico, New Mexico and Colorado. On the Continental Divide Ride and the Trans America Trail ride we had a KLR650, XR650, 2 DR650s, DRZ400, XR350, and a KLX300. Today the three of us who can and still ride the same trails use a wide varity of bikes: a '11 KLR650, a '03 XR650R, and a '98 DR350SE, and when we go for our 40th annual trip next week, our total age equals 208 years. I'm sure Malcom can still ride any of todays bikes anywhere.

[sloweddy]

Here are some more sales figures... I still think that looking at how many units have been sold might be helpful in determining what the "most common" ADV bikes really are.
Of course, as some posters have pointed out, some bikes might just get ridden to Starbucks.
Perhaps a better set of questions might be: "Most common ADV bikes for RTW, or TAT, or CDT or Coffeshopping, etc"
Anyway here's some info about BMW GS sales:

From Wikipedia:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_R1200GS

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As of 2007, the R1200GS is the best selling motorcycle that BMW has built, exceeding 100,000 units.[9] In 2006, the R1200GS was the best selling motorcycle in the United Kingdom. The two models had combined sales of 2,227 units, compared with the next best selling bike, the Honda Fireblade which sold 2,067 units.[10] Nearly one third of the 100,000 units sold by BMW Motorrad worldwide in 2006 were R1200GS.[10] In 2008, the R1200GS was once again BMW's best selling motorcycle, with 22,845 standard models and 12,460 Adventure models being delivered.[11] In 2012, Cycle World called the R1200GS "the most successful motorcycle in the last two-and-a-half decades" and credited it for creating the adventure touring category.[12]

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From Web Bike World:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...ycle-sales.htm

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In Germany, which is still the biggest market for BMW Motorrad, 15,833 motorcycles were sold in 2009, compared to 18,112 in 2008, representing a drop of 12.6%.
In spite of this environment BMW Motorrad was able to defend its market leadership in the once again shrinking overall market (-14.5%) as well as in the segment above 500 cc. The BMW share in the overall market was 17.7% in December (previous year: 17.3%). In the segment above 500 cc the market share was 19.0% (previous year: 18.1%).
Italy continues to be the second largest for BMW Motorrad. Here a total of 13,207 BMW motorcycles were registered (previous year: 15,342), a decline of 13.9% (market as a whole: minus 20.0 %). The market share of BMW Motorrad in the segment over 500 cc increased to14.3 % (previous year: 13.0 %).
In the USA, BMW Motorrad’s third largest market, the market as a whole decreased by 41.6 %. Here 9,168 (previous year: 11,831) BMW motorcycles were registered, a drop of 22.5 % as compared to the previous year. However, it was possible to increase the market share over 500 cc by 2.0% to 2.6%.
In 2009 once again, the most successful model overall was the large travel enduro BMW R 1200 GS (15,864 units) along with its sibling model, the R 1200 GS Adventure (8,803 units).
Outstanding sales figures were also achieved by the F 800 GS (10,974 units) and the F 800 R (5,828 units), where the conquest rate was especially pleasing.

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Wiki again:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_F650_single

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Produced from 2000 to 2007, the BMW F650GS is a dual-purpose motorcycle. It sold over 105,000 units during its production life.[1][4] It was available in a lowered model with lower seat height from a shorter rear shock, a standard model, and a taller more off-road oriented "Dakar" model. The Dakar model was named after the Paris Dakar Rally, which BMW rider Richard Sainct won on the F650RR in 1999 and 2000.
Its specifications put it in the 650 cc dual-sport class, competing against bikes such as the Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650,Honda XR650L, KTM LC4 640, Yamaha XT660 and Honda Transalp.

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[sloweddy]

I was looking for Suzuki DR650 sales #s & came across this related thread:

"How many bikes do manufacturers sell?" http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=758912

[Kaanan]

The ol' KLR is the most common adventure bike I see 'round these parts.

[KX50002]

Any time I've ridden ANY bike... it's been an adventure

[BigChris99]

KLR. Easy.

[rryd]

I think Honda Transalp should be in the list, because I own one

The truth is that there are many Transalp in Europe, but maybe not as many as there are BMW adventure bikes.