Ride Expeditions Rides – the bikes for Adventure and Road Tours
ADVENTURE AND ROAD TOURS
So you’re about to book one of Ride Expeditions incredible motorcycle adventures, but what bike are you going to ride?
We have a range of adventure bikes available, from the lovely Honda CB500 X right up to the Daddy of them all – the mighty BMW R1250 GS. Which you choose is up to you and will depend on a number of factors from your experience to your budget or maybe just what you feel comfortable with. Unless you are going to India – in which case it’s a Royal Enfield or nothing …
If you are not sure which is right for you, maybe get a demo ride of the options at local dealers where you live or book into the many off – road experience days run by the manufacturers. From Triumph to Ducati, Honda to BMW, these riding days will fill you with both knowledge and confidence – and we can all do with both of those!
Also be aware that you can only ride the capacity of bike on our tours that you are legally allowed to ride at home – so if you’ve only got an A2 or equivalent licence, you can’t ride a GSA in South Africa! Them’s the rules.
So let’s have a quick look at the options
SOUTH AFRICA
When we first rode in South Africa we were just blown away. Fantastic roads, incredible gravel trails, jaw dropping scenery and wonderful wildlife. What’s not to like here? But which bike to choose?
Honda CB500X
Who doesn’t like a bit of Honda goodness in their life? With great build quality, great ergos and the reliability of a Swiss watch, it’s no wonder that people chose Honda all over the world. And that exactly why we use them in South Africa.
The CB500X is very much the understated performer in the stable, but adventure riders take the X on enormous transcontinental trips with very little fettling and fuss. The parallel twin engine puts out a modest but very usable 46 bhp with 43nm of torque, enough to have you honing down the tarmac with a grin, but gentle enough to take on tricky trails with hurtling into the distance.
The 19/17 wheel combination will feel familiar to road riders, but still works on those gravel trails. While not as stratospherically high as a pure off-roader, the Showa suspension can cope with the rough stuff surprisingly well. With a seat height of just 830 mm, it’s one of the lowest in the class, and for lighter riders the preload can be backed off to bring the height down a tad more. If you still need a bit less height, changing the linkage bars can achieve this, as can dropping the forks through the yokes, but as with suspension change, this can alter the handling.
We love the Honda CB500X for our tours – they are super comfortable, lovely soft power and a great riding position.
Husqvarna Norden 901
The Norden is Husqvarna’s first foray into adventure motorcycles, and they’ve hit the ground running – the 901 is one sweet bike to ride. Of course, the bike shares a vast proportion of it’s component parts with the KTM 890 Adventure – arguably the best adventure bike in its class – so in reality they couldn’t go far wrong!
At the centre of the Norden’s DNA is that wonderfully powerful yet controllable 889 cc parallel twin motor that churns out an impressive 103 bhp and 100 nm of torque. With that power it can storm the autobahns and blast the trails, and with over 200mm of suspension travel both ends from the adjustable Apex suspension, the Norden can take on the rough stuff as pace but still be gentle enough on the technical sections. Seat height can be varied from 854mm to 874mm by altering the seat position, but like the KTM, further lowering at the rear is difficult because of the PDS linkless rear suspension.
We’ve added the Husky to the SA fleet because it’s just so rewarding and involving to ride. It’s comfortable on the pegs or in the saddle, has great power and suspension and is perfect for those massive South African landscapes.
BMW F750 GS
In the pecking order of adventure and sports tourer motorcycles, the BMW F750 GS always get overlooked thanks to it’s overperforming sibling, the ubiquitous GS. And that’s unfortunate because the 750 is a peachy little bike – albeit one with a lousy PR manager!
Like many bikes in this category the BMW uses a parallel twin motor, although despite being called the F750 it’s actually got a capacity of 853cc – no we’ve no idea either. That translates into 77bhp and 83mm of torque, which may sound a tad low for am 850, but with such a wonderfully useable spread of power, you’re unlikely to notice when you are bust=y carving through the curves.
As essentially the road going version of the F850, the 750 has relatively uncomplicated suspension with only the rear shock adjustable for preload and rebound. But that’s not going to bother you on the black top, and with a firm yet comfortable seat and road based ergos, the BMW is all day comfortable – handy for Ride Expeditions amazing tours!
And for those riders not troubled by the inside leg measurements of an NBA player, the BMWs 815mm seat height is altogether far more inclusive than its big brother. But with a linkless rear shock, further reduction is not easy or cheap.
If you’ve not ridden a BMW F750GS you really should – you may just love
BMW R1250GS
What can you say about the BMW GS? With over forty years history behind it,
BMW’s flagship R1250 GS dominates not only BMW’s motorcycle sales, but the sales of the entire adventure sector. From a slightly obscure model in the range back 1980, the bike is now the go-to choice for everyone from global adventurers to weekend tourers and everything else in between.
But let’s not get too wrapped up in the hype, at the heart a 1250 GS is just a fantastic bike to ride, whether you are slicing through the switchbacks on the Garden Route, or flat tracking on the gravel trails in Namibia. This bike will make you smile more than you ever have.
Upgrade from the 1200 in 2019, the beating heart of this and all the big BMWs is that sublime boxer twin engine, the two cylinders pumping out a meaty 134bhp and a similarly robust 143 nm of torque. The new motor also has the Shift cam system, effortlessly switching between low and hi lift cams as you accelerate, and with a quickshifter in the mix, you can go very fast very quickly on this bike.
But it’s not just good at the quick stuff on the road, as the GS is a fantastic performer on the dirt. Although novice riders might think such a big bike might be unwieldy and cumbersome, the GS has uncanny balance and controllability off road. With the telelever front suspension and paralever rear, it looks complicated, but on the pegs it feels great and super controllable.
It is however a tall and wide bike, with seat height adjustable between 890 and 910mm. Combine that with a full fuelled weight of just over 260 kg, the bike can be difficult to manoeuvre and handle at slow speeds, and that seat height isn’t helping much. If you’ve not ridden one before – get yourself to the BMW Off-Road Skills centre!
So, does the BMW R1250 GS deserve it’s position at the top of the adventure bike tree? Hell yes – it’s brilliant
FANCY RIDING IN SOUTH AFRICA?
PATAGONIA
Kawasaki KLR650
If you are looking for a solid performer on tarmac or gravel, you don’t need to look much further than the Kawasaki KLR650. Replacing the KLR600 way back in the late 80s, the KLR has remained a popular dual sport all over the world ever since from Canberra to California, for it’s almost Terminator like ability to keep going whatever you throw at it.
Over the years the single cylinder four stroke motor has evolved into both a lively yet reliable power plant, and that’s the main reason we use the lovable KLR on our Patagonia adventures. With a healthy but usable 48 bhp on tap and a matching 561 nm of torque, whether blasting over the blacktop or cruising along those glorious sweeping roads in Chile, the KLR is in it’s happy place. A with the motor, Kawasaki have kept things simple on the suspension too, with conventional Kayaba forks up front and a centrally mounted rear shock adjustable for both spring load and rebound damping delivering 230mm of travel both ends.
Bearing in mind it’s dirt bike heritage, we love how well the KLR works well as an adventure touring bike. There good carrying capacity thanks to the steel subframe, reasonable wind protection from the small fairing, and an all day comfortable seat – what more do you need?
Well maybe a lower seat height because at 889 mm it’s a bit of a Tall Terry and lowering the KLR is not that easy with that ‘uni track’ non-linkage rear end.
KTM 890 Adventure R
If there’s one favourite adventure bike in our fleet, it’s the truly fabulous KTM 890 Adventure. The original 790 was pretty peachy and the 890 upgrade took things to another level. Choose the R version and you’ll be hard pushed to find a more capable adventure bike in it’s class, and to be honest the KTM outperforms many of the premier class bikes too.
At the heart of the bike is that punchy but versatile 889cc parallel twin motor. Developed alongside the road going version, the unit pumps out a class-beating 105 bhp with a smidge over 100 nm of torque, which translates into effortless and capable performance whatever you are riding. From scorching through the twisties through the mountains to blasting along endless gravel roads across the high plains of Argentina if this bike does not make you smile then maybe motorcycling is not your thing!
But it’s not only performance that excels on the KTM, it’s the handling too. The low slung saddlebag style tank keeps the weight in the right place and coupled with the long and agile chassis and near perfect ergonomics, the 890R is the most stable and planted bike you can imagine, whatever the speed or surface. Suspension comes straight from the enduro world, and the WP XPLOR forks and shock absorb whatever you throw at them, sticking the wheel to the ground like a toffee on a mohair jumper.
With a seat height of 879mm it’s middling in height, but the narrow profile of the seat helps the bike feel lower than it is. With PDS suspension at the rear, it’s hard to lower very much without respringing or maybe a low seat option.
INDIA
Royal Enfield Himalayan
Introduced back in 2015 and released a year later, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is our go to bike for all our tours in India. As with all bikes from the Indian manufacturer, the Himalayan harks back to a simpler time when bikes didn’t need stratospheric power output, sophisticated engine management systems and endless electronic rider aids. The Himalayan is a beautifully simple bike that will take you all over this incredible country in comfort, allowing you to savour the unique atmosphere rather than just blast through it. And with that single cylinder 411 cc, fuel injected lump chugging away below you, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear.
Despite being very much a simple bike, the RE has everything you need for touring in India, 180 mm of suspension travel takes out at least some of the shortcomings in the country’s unique roads, and the soft power is ideal for the rough stuff in the mountains. When you’ve got a cliff face to one side of the road and a 300m drop on the other, then a bike with a leisurely power delivery and soft acceleration is infinitely preferable to something with a hair trigger and over 100 horsepower.
Like the motor, the chassis is simple yet effective – a steel frame, conventional forks and a linkage operated rear shock give you a useable 200 mm of travel, and if, unlike the local riders, you get up on the pegs the Himalayan will take you through those river crossing with surprising ease. And with a seat heigh a distinctly achievable 800mm and lowering made that much easier thanks to the rear linkage, the Enfield is adaptable to most riders.
COLOMBIA
Royal Enfield Classic 500
If you look up Nostalgia in any self-respecting dictionary, we’re pretty sure that there’s a picture of a Royal Enfield Classic 500. Because that’s exactly what this bike is all about, pure and unashamed nostalgia, and we love it!
The design of the classic is almost identical to the original 500cc Bullet first manufactured for the Indian Army way back in 1955, in a partnership between the Redditch based Royal Enfield company and Madras Motors. With the tooling for the bikes subsequently sold to the new Enfield India Company, by 1962 the entire bike was made in India and has gone on to become the motorcycle of choice for millions of riders across the Indian Subcontinent, not to mention thousands of tourists and holidaymakers across the decades.
Although we’ve moved on to the Himalayan in India now, we still use the 500 Classic for our Caribbean Classic in Colombia. This twelve-day romp through one of the beautiful countries in the world id just perfect for the soft chugging of the 499cc single cylinder motor. With a design beautifully stuck in the 50s, don’t be looking for long travel forks, sleek bodywork and rafts of complicated electronic options on a TFT dashboard – you’ll be sadly disappointed. But if you like your biking simple, the 500 Classic is the ideal companion. With basic telescopic forks up front and tiny rear shocks backed up with a lovely sprung seat, the ride on the Classic is best enjoyed at slower speeds, and with only a smidge over 27 bhp on tap, that’s exactly what the bike does best.
With a comfortably low seat heigh of 800mm, the Classic is an easy fit for most riders, but s for lowering options, there are not many that don’t involve an angle grinder or hacksaw, and if you want to stand up on the tricky stuff, that wide tank is going to make it pretty damn difficult!
But for leisurely touring in the stunning scenery in Colombia, it’s one of the best bikes you could pick.
