Ninjette Newsbot
September 3rd, 2015, 07:10 PM
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/sites/motorcyclistonline.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/images/2015/09/mcy0515_cook.jpg?itok=u25-sQIg ©Motorcyclist
KTM’s Adventure series is just one example of the dirt-to-street drift in the ADV category.
Happens every time we cover bikes in the so-called adventure-touring (ADV) segment (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/adventure-touring). Someone writes in to say, “You clowns don’t know what you’re talking about. Those aren’t dirt bikes! You’d never ride your Blah-Blah 1200 any farther off road than a gravel pullout. Those bikes are a joke. If you want a real dirt bike…” and continues on to sing the praises of a KTM 450 EXC or maybe a KLR650—two bikes we happen to admire, by the way, even if they don’t warrant a 5,000-word missive.
I have to admit that the guy’s not wrong. As Ari Henning (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/authors/ari-henning), Zack Courts (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/authors/zack-courts), and I sat on the bluffs near the Pigeon Point Lighthouse looking at the three “ADV” bikes brought together for the big comparison test between the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT, Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS and Yamaha FJ-09 (CLICK HERE to see this three-way MC Comparo (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2016-adv-comparison-adventure-touring-kawasaki-versys-1000-lt-vs-suzuki-v-strom-1000-abs-vs-yamaha)), we talked a lot about how the term has drifted from a very specific kind of bike to one that encompasses a wide range of hardware. Two of the bikes in our review wore 17-inch wheels front and rear, sportbike-sized tires, and had enough low-slung bits that you wouldn’t take them much farther off road than you would a GSX-R.
Confusing, but oddly familiar. Because our situation is not far from what happened in the auto world with SUVs. Today the term SUV covers everything from a boxlike Jeep (with real off-road credentials) to a high-heeled little station wagon with painted-on attitude. When the practicality of early SUVs began attracting buyers, so many manufacturers jumped in with versions of their own, whether or not they had suitable platforms.
Back here in our world, as motorcycling began to embrace the idea of going “round the world” on a BMW GS—the prototypical ADV machine—two things happened, in my view. First, a bunch of guys simply wanted bikes that looked like they could go anywhere, even if they never intended to leave the highway. Or their own state.
But the second thing that happened is why I think the segment has legs: We’ve discovered they’re really damn practical and fantastically fun to ride. ADV machines, as a rule, have more upright ergonomics (high-ish handlebar and plenty of legroom) and provide a fantastic view of the road. Plus, you usually get low steering effort considering the bikes’ heft. (Full disclosure: I dislike heavy-steering bikes.) For me, the feedback from the wide-set grips gives me great confidence in what the front tire is doing. I love the sensation of pushing a tall bike over into a turn—its height emphasizes and even exaggerates lean angle. I find bikes like this are easier to place in a lane, more willing to change lines in case of road debris, and simply more exciting to ride quickly. No doubt a hard-core supersport is faster, but if I’m riding on the street—at a rational street pace—I’m grinning bigger on an ADV than I am on a supersport. But that’s just me.
With an ADV, you get just enough wind protection to make highway travel less trying, and long-travel suspension that gets us down our increasingly marginal roads with ease. My point is that there are advantages to melding some dirt bike design elements into a modern, distance-capable streetbike.
Let’s agree to tolerate some breadth in the definition of ADV. Some bikes positioned here by their manufacturers are just tall sport-touring machines or today’s version of the erstwhile half-faired standard. Remember those? I do, with no small degree of fondness. Some ADVs have real off-road chops—like the BMW R1200GS Adventure and KTM 1190 Adventure R—but most do not. In the end, dirt-like “adventure” styling doesn’t bother me a bit, and you can’t see so much of it from the saddle. Give me a good time and practicality over strict adherence to a category definition any day.
Click here for full story... (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/adv-or-sport-touring-cooks-corner)
KTM’s Adventure series is just one example of the dirt-to-street drift in the ADV category.
Happens every time we cover bikes in the so-called adventure-touring (ADV) segment (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/adventure-touring). Someone writes in to say, “You clowns don’t know what you’re talking about. Those aren’t dirt bikes! You’d never ride your Blah-Blah 1200 any farther off road than a gravel pullout. Those bikes are a joke. If you want a real dirt bike…” and continues on to sing the praises of a KTM 450 EXC or maybe a KLR650—two bikes we happen to admire, by the way, even if they don’t warrant a 5,000-word missive.
I have to admit that the guy’s not wrong. As Ari Henning (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/authors/ari-henning), Zack Courts (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/authors/zack-courts), and I sat on the bluffs near the Pigeon Point Lighthouse looking at the three “ADV” bikes brought together for the big comparison test between the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT, Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS and Yamaha FJ-09 (CLICK HERE to see this three-way MC Comparo (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2016-adv-comparison-adventure-touring-kawasaki-versys-1000-lt-vs-suzuki-v-strom-1000-abs-vs-yamaha)), we talked a lot about how the term has drifted from a very specific kind of bike to one that encompasses a wide range of hardware. Two of the bikes in our review wore 17-inch wheels front and rear, sportbike-sized tires, and had enough low-slung bits that you wouldn’t take them much farther off road than you would a GSX-R.
Confusing, but oddly familiar. Because our situation is not far from what happened in the auto world with SUVs. Today the term SUV covers everything from a boxlike Jeep (with real off-road credentials) to a high-heeled little station wagon with painted-on attitude. When the practicality of early SUVs began attracting buyers, so many manufacturers jumped in with versions of their own, whether or not they had suitable platforms.
Back here in our world, as motorcycling began to embrace the idea of going “round the world” on a BMW GS—the prototypical ADV machine—two things happened, in my view. First, a bunch of guys simply wanted bikes that looked like they could go anywhere, even if they never intended to leave the highway. Or their own state.
But the second thing that happened is why I think the segment has legs: We’ve discovered they’re really damn practical and fantastically fun to ride. ADV machines, as a rule, have more upright ergonomics (high-ish handlebar and plenty of legroom) and provide a fantastic view of the road. Plus, you usually get low steering effort considering the bikes’ heft. (Full disclosure: I dislike heavy-steering bikes.) For me, the feedback from the wide-set grips gives me great confidence in what the front tire is doing. I love the sensation of pushing a tall bike over into a turn—its height emphasizes and even exaggerates lean angle. I find bikes like this are easier to place in a lane, more willing to change lines in case of road debris, and simply more exciting to ride quickly. No doubt a hard-core supersport is faster, but if I’m riding on the street—at a rational street pace—I’m grinning bigger on an ADV than I am on a supersport. But that’s just me.
With an ADV, you get just enough wind protection to make highway travel less trying, and long-travel suspension that gets us down our increasingly marginal roads with ease. My point is that there are advantages to melding some dirt bike design elements into a modern, distance-capable streetbike.
Let’s agree to tolerate some breadth in the definition of ADV. Some bikes positioned here by their manufacturers are just tall sport-touring machines or today’s version of the erstwhile half-faired standard. Remember those? I do, with no small degree of fondness. Some ADVs have real off-road chops—like the BMW R1200GS Adventure and KTM 1190 Adventure R—but most do not. In the end, dirt-like “adventure” styling doesn’t bother me a bit, and you can’t see so much of it from the saddle. Give me a good time and practicality over strict adherence to a category definition any day.
Click here for full story... (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/adv-or-sport-touring-cooks-corner)