What attribute make a good/great ADV bike

Your 300lb (137kg) wet weight limit puts the KTM 690 out, but the 450 and 500 with bigger tank look good click. The 690 is 140kg dry and doesn't have the range out of the box but you could add a rear fuel tank from Rally Raid Products and you should have it.

Or there's the Yamaha WR450. That would need extra fuel tank as well though, I think.

I always thought they came up with adventure bike because they couldn't figure out what to call those long travel suspended streetbikes, so they got creative.

Get a classic Norton or BSA... the adventure will be if you make it home without getting a lift!

500 exc with a bigger tank.

I made a similar post as the OP did about a year ago. I rode the piss out of a DR650 and loved the bike. When it's engine needed a rebuild I sold it rather than pay to rebuild a tired bike. I bought a BMW F650GS twin thinking more power and comfort would be an upgrade. I hated it. After the BMW was out of my life I started thinking about what made the DR a good bike and what made the GS a bad one. My plan was to get the collective's opinion and run it through the filter in my head then buy another DR and build it out to the max. I started the thread with my list of desires: light, fast, reliable, kick start, good range, etc.

The thread went in a similar direction that this one did: no bike can have everything and by the time technology catches up to be able to put everything you want on a single bike, there will be new things to want.

I ended up buying a KTM 640 Adventure. The things I loved about the DR650 were there: manageable on single track and able to run 80mph all day. There was a drawback of water cooling but the tank protects the radiators well and since there are two I have some hope of piping out one in a mishap. On the plus side I now have 300+ miles of range (a large tank on the DR would have fixed this). I also have a kick starter so bump starting is a thing of the past.

I was and still am in love with the bike. I wish it were lighter. I want better wheels and a nicer seat. When I get those things I am sure something else to want will come along. The important part is that I trust the bike to take me anywhere I can dream of and I am confident I can fix any damage I do to it.

When this engine is clapped out I may rebuild it but more likely my mind will continue its wanderlust and I will try something else.

Many people tell me my bike is too big for the trails I ride or vibrates too much for the highway or is uncomfortable for the all day riding I do or too tall for commuting. I like my bike for what it is and I ride different from each of these people. If my commute was 5 miles rather than 30 and I didn't mind spending 2 hours to get somewhere I had not yet been I'd ride a WR250 or something similar. If single track wasn't what got my blood pumping I'd ride a larger multi cylinder bike. On the day I no longer have a compulsion to return home I will build a bike with the engine shared between the z50/ct70/cub90 (the most produced engine ever) and ride the world.

In my head I keep going back to "Ride your own ride". No one here knows your habits tolerances and preferences.

To me, "adventure riding" is a long tour that involves exploration and occasional crude roads and tracks. My first bike purchased for that purpose was a new 2004 KTM 950. It was pretty ideal for me at first. With the right tires it was a joy to ride distant and remote places. It had very nice suspension and cruised the superslab like a touring bike. I bought that bike to ride the Alcan5000 in 2006. It was perfect if you were in a group. However, solo it was too hard for me to pick up. That made for a little extra danger.

In 2011 I planed to ride the CDR solo. I bought a Yamaha wr250r and installed all the stuff to extend its range, comfort, and haul my gear. I shipped it to Salt Lake and flew to pick it up and begin my 3k mile trip. I was amazed at how good it was. Even loaded it weighed under 340lbs and I could pick it up with ease. I left that bike in AZ where I use it to tour the west.

I sold the KTM and thought I would buy a parallel twin with a 21" front wheel. But my son suggested I just get a bigger version of my Yamaha. That turned out to be a KTM 690R. About the same weight but longer and much more powerful. The range is only about 170 miles, but I have extra fuel capacity options if I need the 225 mile range I prefer. I equipped it exactly like the Yamaha.

I think the Yamaha is the best tourer because it is comfy and has the range. It is also very smooth. The 690 is much more fun, but a little vibey around 70mph so the jury is still out. I have a trip from Boston to Louisville coming up so we'll see how she rides days on end. The 690's since 2012 are lower and more street oriented. They make more power and are geared fairly high. Very fast, though. I'd say every bit as quick as my 950 was up to about 100mph. Yet they are relatively easy to ride rougher terrain too. I need to lower mine a little more and try her with more street oriented dual sport tires. It could use a little more wind protection, but not bad.

Just curious, but what was it about the F650GS that you didn't like?

Keep in mind that my riding style may be (almost certainly is) different from yours so what works well for you may not work at all for me.

I loved the heated grips. I probably won't have a bike without them again but they are easy to add. I liked the excessive (for me) horsepower but found myself hitting the redline and getting flashed with the "you just voided your warranty light" on several occasions. The engine didn't sound angry as it got close so I was slow to shift. I ride on and off road. The marketing material (and the name, geland/strasse) hint that it is a dual sport. It is not. The skid plate was good for loose gravel and nothing more. I cased the bike 4 times by running the skid plate through the engine case. I am willing to accept that this is my fault but then you asked why I don't like the bike. The rear master cylinder failed in regular city riding. I cannot figure out how but the plastic output nipple cracked/shattered. I am surprised the design passed DOT regulations. The first time the bike took a dirt nap an air pocket was introduced into the radiator and the bike stopped cooling properly. All around it is an awkward handling bike on anything other than clean asphalt. Most of all though, the bike had a warranty issue that went unresolved after 5 visits to the shop, more than two months in the shop and about a year on the phone with BMW and the state consumer affairs office. Massachusetts laws are well written or I'd still own that piece of shit.

Thanks, Z50R.

It's got to be ugly enough to leave on the side of the road in B.F.E. while I hike into remote trout streams/ backpack.

Thankfully, we live in a motorcycling renaissance. Everything you could want is out there and if you still don't like it, the aftermarket is banging on your door.

I rode an 1150GS once...it had a tall first gear and since it is shaft drive, it can't be geared down. I couldn't believe anyone would consider that bike for off road use.

I loved my XR600 as a machine that could eat up the road miles and comport itself off road......and ALL 5 speed dirt bikes should have it's perfect gear spacing. But it started making weird noises when i got it hot running on the beach in baja, so i upgraded to a 525exc, then a 530excr.

Since that time, i have owned a XR650L and 650R and the KTMs do everything better than both of those bikes.

I keep hearing people singing the praises of fuel injection and i just don't get it. FI would be the LAST thing i would want on an adventure bike. That guy on Colebatch's Russia ride had to be towed hundreds of miles because of an FI problem that was difficult and expensive and time consuming to diagnose. New FI KTM buyers are advised to buy the fuel tank filter sock before they start the engine and get rid of the unfiltered fuel that was already in the tank.:eek1:eek1 I won't take any bike into the unknown that is so sensitive to bad gas

For the kind of riding that i do, i keep coming back to the same bike:

500+/-cc KTM thumper
hand guards
3.something gallon tank
maybe a oil capacity augmenter
skidplate
14/48 gears
better headlight
coyote softbag (unless going thru latin america, then hardbag)
DOT knobbies
heated grips

Depends where the adventure will be.

If you're going around the world I feel you will want:

Single cylinder dual sport
Low compression engine that can run any fuel
Air-cooled, not watercooled
Big tank
Comfortable seat and riding position
Low MPG usage
Easy to fix for local mechanics
Excellent spare parts availability
Cheap initial price to minimise depreciation
Durable frame that can be welded by locals

In my opinion horsepower and weight savings come second to the above for these types of trips.

The closest bike to achieve these things above I feel is the DR650. Cheap, reliable, go anywhere with lots of aftermarket parts for adv riding.

That really sums it all up entirely. The end result dictates the means. So this "What attribute make a good/great ADV bike?" is pretty much the question with no defining or correct answer for all - or even a few - to say the least... and that is the least!

Put the DRZ400S engine into a RMZ450r! Suzuki, KTM, Honda, are you listening? Even without a 6th gear that would be perfect. But add a 6th gear and it's golden.

Put uber reliable, but lower powered motorcycle engines into enduro bikes. Soften the suspension a hair. Add lights, mirrors, larger fuel tank, and an optional Dakar windshield/fairing thing.

So I suppose the best adventure bikes for me are:
Cheap reliable: Suzuki DRZ400s
Got more Money to spend: KTM EXC500.

A great adventure bike is the one you really like and which you feel comfortable riding it to what you determine to be an adventure. Would it be camping over the weekend? Will it be a week long trip with paved and dirt roads? A round the world trip?

Whatever it is, the bike will ALWAYS be a compromise between what you like best and the other alternatives on the way: dirt or pavement, short or long distance, fully loaded or lightly loaded.

There is no magic bullet. Considering that, there are plenty of good starting points. You can have a bike that started as a dirt bike, still kind'a look like a dirt bike, and you make it as your adventure bike. Or it could be a touring bike that somehow ended up dressed and suspended for the dirt. Both have compromises.

But the one thing you should not compromise is, that if you view the bike as a personal vehicle/hobby, then you should have the bike you want, not the bike somebody else described as their ideal bike.

For my next tour,

Take the S10 and drop 100lbs and put on a 21" tyre, but keep the fuel at 6.1gallons. Hell, the 7.5" suspension would be fine.

I like the attributes of the S10, but not the 43mpg, 19" front, and mass.

470-800cc p. Twin engine will do.

But, if I road 2up, the for real S10 would be just fine. I would just have the Sheila pay for the juice and I would pay for the up keep.