The Best Adventure Motorcycles for 2023: Ride Everywhere

Good ground clearance, suspension travel, and large spoked wheels all help make navigating different types of terrain and obstacles easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Vibration, jarring, and wind buffeting are three big factors that are exhausting on long rides. Twin-cylinder engines or above will vibrate much less than single-cylinder bikes. Plush suspension will absorb changes in terrain, and a frame-mounted fairing will provide ultimate protection from the wind.

The lightest weight bike in this comparison is the new Aprilia Tuareg 660, coming in just under 450 pounds (449.7, to be exact). The only other bike that comes close is the Yamaha Ténéré 700, at 452 pounds. The heaviest is the venerable BMW R 1250 GSA, at 591 pounds. Leave it to German engineering to figure out how to perfectly balance that much weight on two wheels.

No surprises here. The priciest is Ducati, and the economy is a Suzuki. The new Multistrada V4 Rally can be yours in Ducati Red for just under $31,000. For that price, you can buy matching Suzuki V-Stroms for yourself and two of your friends. The base model V-Strom 650 comes in at $9,104 and has been successfully carrying adventure riders all over the world for nearly 20 years. 

Suzuki has gone after the adventure market with their new V-Strom “DE” models. They are still pretty far behind the competition in side-by-side comparisons, but the pricing is so good it might not matter. At the other end of the spectrum in quality, price, and cutting-edge technology, the Tiger 1200 line has been completely revamped for 2023.

If you want to do lots of road riding, the very popular BMW GSAs, Triumph Tigers, and of course, the Ducati Multistrada will offer the most comfort on the longest rides. Heavier, large-displacement bikes tend to ride better on the road.

Riding off-road can mean a lot of different things. Generally speaking, the lighter-weight ADV bikes tend to be easier to handle (and pick up!) riding off-road. Look at the KTM 890 R (really any KTM), Tuareg 660, and Ténéré 700 if you live for dirt.

This is where the mid-weight adventure bikes win. The Ducati DesertX is creating quite a stir. I dare you not to want this bike. Also touted as equally well-appointed for both are the Tiger 900, the new kid Norden 901, and the Africa Twin.