What’s it like on the road?
Deceptively fast. That grunty but free-revving V-twin builds speed quickly, but without it feeling like you’re really riding hard. The suspension wafts you over rough surfaces so smoothly it just doesn’t feel like you’re going fast. Tell it to the judge... With a claimed 147bhp equating to a genuine 130-ish at the back wheel, this is no plodding dirt donkey and it’s easy to find yourself at licence-losing speeds before you can say, “You’re nicked sunshine”.
Crack open the throttle and it spins up like a sportsbike, though maybe “spins up” is misleading: that implies you’re breaking rear traction, but that’s really not an issue thanks to the Adventure’s traction control system. Owners say they simply open the throttle and let the electronics sort it all out while they concentrate on looking where they’re going. Which could be pretty much anywhere you like, though the standard model is really all about the tarmac. Very few owners take the standard Adventure off-road, though most say it’s nice to have the option. Dirty-minded riders buy the slightly gnarlier R version.
Long days in the saddle are no problem, with the Adventure’s roomy riding position offering plenty of scope for shuffling about on the split-level seat. The screen and top fairing keep a surprising amount of the weather off (though, as always, it depends on your exact height and body shape). Thanks to the 23-litre fuel tank it’s easy to squeeze 250 miles or more from one fill-up. A worthy rival to the ubiquitous BMW GS? Oh yeah.
“Open the throttle, let the electronics sort it all out”