Radars, cornering ABS, auto height setting…

Five decades on from the launch of Bike and look how far we’ve come. Motorcycles with technology that wouldn’t look amiss on Kirk’s USS Enterprise, 36,000-mile major service intervals, amazing performance, do-it-all remits. In a nutshell 21st century adventure bikes…

Let’s scribble out a list of features for the perfect motorcycle: a balance of muscle-straining performance and inspiring handling with accessibility and sure-footed confidence, you say? Definitely. Adjustable ergonomics and weather protection would be great, supreme comfort for two and luxurious ride quality also. It’d need to readily accept luggage and have a massive range, yet also feel cheery and breezy on a short dash. And what about tech? Semi-active suspension, corner-aware traction and ABS, hill control... sod it, let’s stick a radar in the front too. Ooh, and it needs the looks and badge to make you tingle with pride when the garage opens. This, of course, describes big adventure bikes: the most accommodating, flexible, capable, do- anything motorcycles yet devised.

And the most popular. BMW’S omnipresent R1250GS is far and away the UK’S best-selling bike, and its unwavering favour means high-class rivals from manufacturers desperate for a slice of the GS pie. It’s such a tempting dish that even Harley-davidson have got involved…

So we’re off deep into the Black Mountains to put BMW’S GS and Harley’s all-new Pan America bar-to-bar with the sensational new Ducati Multistrada V4, updated KTM Super Adventure S and Honda’s firmly established Africa Twin. We expect wonderful things.