5 Things…Adventure Bikes. Why would you?
Why do so many people ride adventure bikes when enduro bikes exist in this world? Enduro21 jumps on the pegs of a KTM 890 Adventure R and takes it to the Valleys Hard Enduro World Championship round to nail down what the big bikes are all about.
First things first, we’re not getting rid of our enduro bikes and we’re under no illusion which type of bike is best when it comes to off-road competition. Size, weight, agility… the comparison is easy to make when you look at it from that point of view.
But so many people can’t be wrong and if you break down riding off-road into its basic elements then adventure bikes clearly have a lot going for them.
We’ve done our share of adventure riding across several decades now and know both how good it can be and how dull it can be too.
We’re not about the panniers, wobbling along basically unsurfaced roads and calling it off-road. We’re not about to enter Erzberg on one either because that feels like it’s been done and well, that damn race is hard enough!
But when it’s simply about going for an awesome off-road ride why not on one of these instead of an enduro, trials, e-mtb or whatever else?
Ride off-road for longer and in more comfort, annoy less people, surprise yourself how good they are on a rocky trail. Adventure bikes are better than you think they are and here’s why…
Don’t think you have to be Pol Tarres
We know from the various adventure bike “brand ambassadors” out there what an adventure bike is capable of. Yes Chris Birch, Pol Tarres or whoever can make an adventure bike get through Romaniacs but they ain’t ever going to collect an Erzberg finisher’s flag from Carl Katoch.
More’s the point neither are you or us. You can do that if you want but why would you want to an adventure bike apart from creating some social media content?
For most of us that’s a little bit missing the point because standard, middleweight adventure bikes can do so much and don’t need half turning into an enduro bike to make them work in the dirt.
Don’t think BMW GS from 1999, those big, fat, wide and heavier than a truck bikes. Think instead the machines like this KTM 890 Adventure R pictured, Yamaha’s Tenere, Ducati’s Desert X Rally, Honda Transalp…these are the middleweight Adv machines you should be looking at.
Shifting horizons – riding challenges a little less challenging
It’s easy to get snobbish about trail riding, call it off-road lite, an old-timer’s pastime but the reality is everything we do on a dirt bike is as hard or as easy as we make it.
If you are the type of rider who likes the ride more than the argy bargy of a race starts, needing the right tyres/suspension/bike and more then there are still races out there. Look out for the races and events where you can take part in a big bike class and we defy you to not enjoy the ride.
In our experience the camaraderie of being in the less serious big bike class can be awesome at an event like the Trefle Lozerien, Hellas Rally, Bassella Race, Dawn to Dusk (venue where we shot these images FYI) or heaven forbid enter a race and not even care about results.
The manufacturer’s own events all over the world like the KTM Adventure Rally are perfect examples but also the increasing big bike classes at rally-raid events.
Kinda like big trail bikes
Middleweight Adv bikes like the KTM 890 are not as big and as heavy as ‘normal’ Adventure bikes but take a step towards the 600cc single cylinder trail bikes still yearned after by many.
These are a halfway house if you like. Still powerful and comfortable to sit on and ride across continents but easier to live with, less expensive by half and more willing to ride the dirt than any 1200.
They’re not as agile as a XR/KLR/DR/XT trailie but they’ve got a lot better kit including suspension and electronics – hell, you can even plug and charge your phone in most of them!
The point is that in the bag of dirt bike riding life, adventure bikes pack a lot of the same items. Fit the right tyres is probably all you need to do to tackle technical challenges, feel for grip and throttle control, look and read the terrain and have a good time off-road.
Ride further from your doorstep
Like the concept of an e-mtb versus a normally aspirated pedaller, an Adv bike ride opens up the distances and even countries when compared to an enduro or trail bike.
Unless you are lucky enough to live in the mountains, you have to get there. An Adv bike allows you freedom to ride from your door to those mountains, link up trails, and then ride home again.
Forgetting all that round-the-world stuff, within your own area/state/province/county, you have places you can ride a street legal enduro bike. But jump on an adventure bike and suddenly you can head out way further afield, ride different trails, go places new see fresh things and worry way less about the clock.
Born to race the Dakar
At the heart of the best Adv bikes are the Dakar bikes of old, it’s their origin basically. They have the same skills to ride all day off-road and though it’s heavier than an EXC, with that comes stability and, though it sound boring, comfort too.
The standing riding position on bike like this is good for day’s on the pegs and for an average rider the tank will have plenty left before you’re ready to take your boots off.
We’re not saying you should buy a KTM 890 and head to Saudi Arabia for next January but these bikes were born out of racing rally-raid and that makes them capable, it really does.
Don’t upset yer mum
This is the boring and sensible point to make but treading more lightly and being quieter makes you more acceptable wherever you go – even if you are on a big bike.
When it comes to rock bands, the noisier ones are awesome and full of energy but your mum isn’t going to like them. The same is true of dirt bikes on a trail. If you want to be on that trail with other folks walking, riding horse or riding MTBs, calm it down a bit means we’ll all get along, right?
Who isn’t familiar with the local trails being closed down? An awesome off-road route taking you through beautiful scenery can and should be shared by all but they keep getting closed because some bikes are more acceptable than others.
If every dirt bike your mum sees, or hears, on her walk is a purring twin cylinder ridden by someone who slows down or stops and turns their engine off for a minute, she’s less likely to complain.
Enduro21 took this 890 Adventure R to to the Valleys Hard Enduro World Championship round earlier in 2024, spent a day before the race having a blast and then acted as taxi bike guy for the race days, ferrying the photographer around. Is it a versatile bike? Oooh yes.
Bike tested for this feature was the KTM 890 Adventure R. Gear tested is the new FOX Adventure gear.
Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi
