Over the past couple of years, the motorcycle market at large has been in decline. Sales across the US have shrunk by 6.5 percent this year, and that is on the back of a 4.6 percent decline last year. This slump has affected almost every segment, with two notable exceptions.
Sales of adventure bikes are unhindered, but this alone is unremarkable in the sense that this has been the fastest-growing segment for some time now. What is more interesting is just how many smaller adventure bikes and dual-sports are getting sold. These are bikes that offer us an accessible way to explore, but they aren’t exactly out of place within the confines of a city.
The Adventure Motorcycle That Makes Long Trips Feel Effortless
The Harley-Davidson Pan America combines a powerful V-twin, semi-active suspension, and modern tech to make long rides feel effortless.
Small Adventure Bikes And Dual-Sports Are Quietly Taking Over Cities
In the past, entry-level bikes and commuters were largely dismissed in the US. This is understandable because the motorcycle culture is mostly built around using motorcycles for leisure, not basic transportation. Some new motorcyclists would go as far as skipping this segment altogether, choosing rather to hop straight on the bigger bike they actually want, with mixed results.
The idea of learning to ride the bike you want is based on a false premise. That is the idea that smaller bikes are not fun to ride. This is a misconception that dates back several decades, when smaller bikes were, quite frankly, tepid. Modern entry-level motorcycles are quite different. They can be genuinely fun to ride, and this has been the case for a long time now.
But we have the adventure bike segment to thank for really shining a light on this particular reality. Motorcycles that go off-road simply don’t need an awful lot of power; they need to be light. Lighter bikes also work great as commuters, and being able to justify an otherwise emotional purchase is what we call a win-win.
The Japanese Adventure Bike That Quietly Outperformed Its Rivals
Unmatched features and unbeatable value help this Honda beat its rivals effortlessly and even punch above its weight
The Changing Shape Of Our Exploration Vehicle
The rise of the adventure bike segment can be traced back to the early 00s. While there were certainly other factors that influenced its rise in popularity, we simply can’t dismiss the role that Long Way Round and the subsequent spin-offs played. It thrust what was then something of a niche market back then into the forefront of public consciousness. Suddenly, everyone wanted to go out and explore the wilderness on a motorcycle.
BMW R 1150 GS
The star of that show was a big old BMW R 1150 GS, and it was no coincidence that the GS Series quickly became the top-selling large-displacement motorcycle all over the world. Motorcycles have always been an expression of freedom, and nothing represented freedom better than a bike that could literally go anywhere.
Yamaha Tenere 700
Bikes like the GS quickly grew bigger, more comfortable, and more expensive. Suddenly, expressing your freedom was costing close to $20k, anything but accessible. Yamaha promised to change all that with a new middleweight, and for the most part, the Japanese brand delivered on that promise. The Tenere 700 is relatively light compared to most of the other middleweight options, and it came out with a sticker price of under $10k. Freedom was once again affordable, but riders quickly realized it was also far from perfect.
KTM 390 Enduro R
Consider this a placeholder, not because it is the best, but because it just best represents the current crop of lightweight, accessible dual-sports and ADVs. This is an interesting bike because although it is a dual-sport, it runs on a street bike platform, and is a hybrid of sorts. It is a full circle moment, because that is precisely where the whole dual-sport concept started way back in the 50s, where riders would simply modify street bikes to go off-road.
The Motorcycle You Buy Once And Grow Old With
This might be one of the few new bikes that you can learn on, and keep indefinitely.
No Shortage Of Modern Features
Another reason for buying a bigger bike in the past was that it would give you access to more features. But today, bikes like the 390 Enduro R and Suzuki DR-Z4S offer loads of modern features like traction control and ride modes. ABS, once thought to be a luxury feature on motorcycles, is now a given, and in some parts of the world, mandatory.
Most of these 300 – 400cc class bikes offer the same specification you will find on the bigger bikes, and the only real difference is power. To some, this is a critical point of difference, but to others, spending twice as much on a bike that is less practical just doesn’t add up. All these bikes weigh less than 400 pounds and make 30 to 40 horsepower.
This is an ideal power-to-weight ratio, because while these bikes remain accessible to new riders all over the world, they certainly aren’t boring to ride. You can get up to highway speed without much fuss, and once off-road, 40 horsepower really is enough power. In the right hands, a middleweight ADV might be faster in a straight line, but quite literally everywhere else, a smaller, lighter bike will perform better.
Starting on one of these bikes just makes sense if you want to go out and explore, and other more, experienced riders have also moved down from bigger bikes, so it is easy to see why they are quietly taking over. We already have a great selection of these lightweight ADVs and dual-sport bikes to choose from, and more are due to arrive next year to meet the growing demand.