A guide to buying the perfect adventure bike

McGregor and Boorman used BMW R1150 GS bikes for their original round-the-world ride in 2004 – helping to send the model to the top of the large capacity two-wheeled sales charts - where its successors have since remained. The latest iteration of what many believe to be the ultimate adventure bike is the R1300GS, which can be had in four levels of trim up to the virtually bespoke ‘Option 719’ model . Whichever one you choose, BMW will sell you a whole range of overlanding products to go with it, from aluminium luggage systems to comfort seats , performance exhausts and (could be handy) auto emergency call….

Named after a particularly inhospitable section of the Sahara desert, Yamaha’s Tenere can trace its lineage back to 1983 when the first production model was launched to commemorate the Yamaha Motor France team’s victories in the Paris Dakar rally in ’79 and ’80. The current, 700cc version has a twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine and a host of electronic riding aids to help with tackling all types of terrain. Like the BMW, a lots of adventure accessories are available as well as ‘World Raid’ and ‘World Rally’ versions with more extreme specifications. (and bigger price tags).

Royal Enfield proved you don’t need a large capacity motorcycle to have a serious adventure when it launched its 411cc Himalayan model a decade ago (a fact proved beyond doubt when Itchy Boots rode a second-hand one 36,000 km from India to the Netherlands in 2018/19). After more than 200,000 examples of the original version had been sold around the world, the bike received a major upgrade in 2024 with an all-new, 450cc engine producing 40 horsepower, a bigger-capacity fuel tank (17 litres), better suspension and lighter weight. The latest Himalayan also features a nifty ‘Tripper Dash’, a large, round TFT screen above the handlebars which offers Bluetooth connectivity to Google Maps from the rider’s smartphone. Again, a range of custom-made overlanding accessories are available.

The original Tiger of the modern Triumph era was launched in 1993 as an ‘adventure sport’ bike with a version of the three-cylinder, four-stroke engine used across the marque’s large capacity road bike range. Although not especially successful at the time due to its weight and high centre of gravity, the Tiger has since been through multiple evolutions and is now a totally different, far more competent adventure machine offered with a choice of 900cc and 1200cc engines. Multiple variations on the theme are available (Rally, Rally Explorer, Rally Pro, GT, GT Pro, GT Explorer, Alpine, Desert), each with different a specification aimed at a specific type of use. In every case, Triumph’s smooth ‘triple’ engine offers superb on-road mile munching – but many still find the Tiger a bit too much of a handful when the going gets tough.

Kraftfarzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen (better known as KTM, for obvious reasons) was founded in Austria in 1934 and, by the 1970s and ‘80s, was renowned for its enduro and motocross machines built for off-road competition. But following a sudden failure of the business , KTM was taken over by Austrian entrepreneur Stefan Peirer who built it into one of the coolest motorcycle brands on the planet – so cool, in fact, that Charley Boorman wanted to use KTMs for the original Long Way Round ride, but the company declined to supply them (handing BMW a publicity coup on a plate). Since the mid 2000s, however, KTM has built adventure bikes to compete directly with the German marque, with the current range being topped by the 1390 Super Adventure model. But for our money, the new 790 Adventure is the one to go for – smaller, lighter, nimbler and less intimidating than its big brothers, its twin-cylinder engine still has more than enough oomph for continent crossing and will be less of an effort to ride through bogs and up mountains.

In the adventure motorcycling world, the words ‘Africa Twin’ are revered. Launched for public sale in 1988 as the XRV650, it was based on Honda’s multiple Paris Dakar winning machines of earlier in the decade. Enlarged to 750cc in 1990, the model remained in production for 10 years before being axed – only to return as the fully revised CRF1000L in 2016. The arrival of the far more sophisticated CRF re-focused attention on the famed reliability of the ‘classic’ Africa Twins, sending values sky-rocketing as adventure riders snapped them up to use on long, overland trips. The latest iteration, the CRF1100L, gets an even bigger engine than its predecessor and is a popular alternative to BMW’s R1300GS. Options abound, including electronically-controlled suspension and semi-automatic, dual clutch transmission - but five switchable riding modes, Bluetooth audio and Apple Car Play all come as standard. There are so many extras available, however, that (if you're willing to pay) any Africa Twin can be built to almost bespoke specifications.