Adventure motorcycles might have started out as big dual-sport bikes with the BMW R 80 G/S that was launched in the 1980s. However, it has been half a century since then, and the meaning of ‘adventure bike’ has changed. They have become larger, more equipped with technology, and the premium ones are almost luxurious enough to compete with full-dress tourers!
This excess has taken them to the other extreme, though. Where they were once truly capable of taking you anywhere you wished, their weight now works against them, making them difficult to ride for some in traffic and in the dirt. But they are supposed to be a one-size-fits-all solution. And that’s why we’ve tried to find an ADV that brings a well-rounded package for you.
What Does A Well-Rounded Adventure Bike Mean In 2026
Well-rounded can mean different things to different people. If you’re a sports bike fanatic, it means a comfortable machine that can do commutes and chase lap times with ease. For cruisers, it should be peppy and usable, while still being comfortable for the occasional tours. For an adventure bike, the checklist is a lot longer to justify being well-rounded.
You need touring abilities with pillion comfort for cross-country rides, along with enough creature comforts to keep two occupants happy. At the same time, there needs to be off-road abilities of some kind when the roads become rough. No, we’re not talking about proper trail riding shenanigans, but just enough to inspire confidence even on bad roads. Finally, performance is important. You’ll ideally need at least horsepower in the triple digits with enough low-end oomph for lugging around all the heft.
How The Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT Promises A Well-Rounded Package
Our pick for a well-rounded ADV is the Africa Twin Adventure Sports. The Africa Twin is a name with a long, storied history. It has stuck to its guns for the most part, resisting the draw to become a premium motorcycle that competes on price as well as features with the most expensive ones in its class. Honda has instead chosen to keep it practical and premium, slotting it somewhere in between the premium middleweight adventure bikes and the base models of the full-size ADVs. The result, especially when you get the adventure touring version with the electronic suspension and the automatic gearbox, is the most well-rounded adventure motorcycle you can buy in 2026.
A Price That Offers Extremely Good Value
The Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT is Honda’s most expensive adventure bike, but it still has a very value-driven price of $18,599. For the price, you get a lot of features that are present on premium ADVs, but there isn’t a premium power figure. That doesn’t mean it is slow; it is just usable performance all the way.
Full-Size Engine, But Logical Peak Outputs
The Africa Twin Adventure Sports has a 270-degree parallel twin that displaces 1,086 cc but generates only 100 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and 82 pound-feet at 5,500 RPM. While it might sound like a little too little, it offers a really broad torque spread which is far more useful in daily riding, so you don’t really feel like it is underpowered. This engine is paired with either a six-speed manual with an assist and slipper clutch and two-way quickshifter, or a six-speed dual clutch automatic.
The latter is what we’re interested in, because it still is the only truly automatic gearbox in the segment (the others are automated manuals), and this is a dual clutch gearbox. Honda has thought of everything here: the ‘D’ mode adjusts the shift points depending on how hard you’re riding. There is also the ‘S’ mode with three different levels of shifts – you can choose how much later in the rev range you want it to shift up or down. There is also a ‘G switch’ that makes it slip the clutch a lot more at slow speeds, to help with technical maneuvers at walking speeds.
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A Simple Frame Houses The Simple Engine
Honda has chosen a semi-double cradle frame for the Africa Twin, which seems like an anomaly in the usual trellis frame-dominated category. The Africa Twin Adventure Sports’ chassis thus makes it quite capable off-road, even though it is meant to be Honda’s tarmac-biased adventure tourer. A steel subframe and aluminum swingarm add strength and cut weight where it is required.
The wheel size is an interesting choice, like the chassis. The Adventure Sports has a 19 inch front wheel, but has retained the 18 inch rear wheel, making it one of only two bikes in its segment with this size combination. The smaller front rim makes it better on tarmac while not giving up much off it. These are tubeless spoke rims, just like on the regular Africa Twin. Braking is via twin 310 mm discs at the front with radial four-piston fixed calipers, and a 256 mm disc at the rear with a single piston caliper.
The suspension is quite advanced for the price, meanwhile. At the front, there is a 45 mm Showa EERA inverted fork with electronic adjustment. The rear shock is also a Showa unit with a Pro-link mount and electronic adjustment. The front offers 8.3 inches of travel, while the rear offers 7.9 inches of travel.
Big, But Not Unmanageable
The Africa Twin Adventure Sports is just over 88 inches long and just under 38 inches wide. It does feel quite narrow, thanks to the focus on making the parallel twin engine both narrow and short. Its compact Unicam SOHC head helps here, and it also helps with a lower seat height. Also contributing to the lower 33.7-inch seat height is the 19-inch front wheel rim. There is a slight penalty in ground clearance, but it is still enough for anything you might have planned on a trip, at 8.7 inches. Lastly, the fuel tank is huge, at 6.6 gallons. With it full, the curb weight is 535 pounds wet.
Great Features At The Price
The Africa Twin Adventure Sports is a flagship motorcycle, so you have everything you’ll ever need. It starts with 6.5 inch TFT touchscreen display that has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto enabled. There is also a second LCD screen below it that shows critical information like speed and fuel level. Other standard features include a manually adjustable windscreen and cornering headlamps.
The electronics suite is a complete one, with a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU. This offers access to ride modes, adjustable traction control with a cornering feature, switchable cornering ABS, wheelie control, and cruise control. The electronic suspension’s rear preload can be changed with buttons on the handlebars, too.
10 Solid Alternatives To The Honda Africa Twin
Surprisingly, there are a few Italian ADVs that undercut the flagship Africa Twin
Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT Competition
There is quite a lot of competition for the Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT, and all of it is extremely premium. The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Limited ($26,499) is a new model for 2026, and it essentially adds all the options you’d want to add to the Pan America Special to make it a tourer from the factory, while retaining its performance.
If you’re on a budget, you might want to kit up the Moto Guzzi Stelvio PFF Rider Assistance Solution ($17,390). Its shaft drive, single-sided swingarm, and radar-based adaptive cruise control bring a touch of the premium at a decidedly un-premium price. There is also the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally at $31,995. While it is really expensive, it is a reliable, massively quick continent-crossing machine with all the bells and whistles you’d expect at the price.
However, the one motorcycle you should be considering is the king of the segment – the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. Like the Honda, it has electronic suspension, although it forges its own path with the double wishbone front suspension and the single-sided rear swingarm that also houses the driveshaft. The engine is massively powerful and torquey, and an automatic can be specified for it now. Sure, it will cost you a lot more than the Africa Twin, but it will also hold its value equally well, and the performance is miles ahead on the highway, while it is quite comfortable in the dirt as well.
Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT Vs BMW R 1300 GS Adventure Automatic
|
Model |
Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT |
BMW R 1300 GS Adventure Automatic |
|
Price |
$18,599 |
$28,390 |
|
Engine |
270° I2, Unicam SOHC |
Longitudinal boxer twin, intake VVT |
|
Displacement |
1,086 cc |
1,300 cc |
|
Power |
100.5 HP @ 7,500 RPM |
145 HP @ 7,750 RPM |
|
Torque |
82.6 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM |
110 LB-FT @ 6,500 RPM |
|
Gearbox |
6 speed DCT |
6 speed AMT (optional) |
|
Electronic Suspension |
Yes |
Optional |
|
Curb Weight |
535 pounds (wet) |
593 pounds (wet) |
Source: Honda Powersports