Why do so many people ride adventure bikes when enduro bikes exist in this world? Enduro21 climbs on the footpegs of a KTM 890 Adventure R and takes it to the Valleys Hard Enduro World Championship round to find out what big bikes are all about.
First of all, we're not getting rid of our enduro bikes and we're under no illusions about what type of bike is best suited to off-road competition. Size, weight, agility… the comparison is easy to make when you look at it that way.
But many people can't be wrong and if you break down off-road riding into its basic elements, then adventure bikes clearly have a lot to offer.
We've had our share of cycling adventures over several decades now and know how great it can be and how boring it can be too.
We're not the type to ride around on unpaved roads with panniers and call it off-road. Nor do we intend to enter Erzberg with a pannier, because we feel like we've already done that and, well, this bloody race is hard enough!
But when it comes to simply having a great off-road ride, why not opt for one of these rather than an enduro, trials, e-MTB or similar?
Ride longer and more comfortably off-road, annoy people less, surprise yourself with how good they are on a rocky trail. Adventure bikes are better than you think and here's why…
Don't think you have to be Pol Tarres
We know from the various adventure bike “brand ambassadors” what an adventure bike is capable of. Yes, Chris Birch, Pol Tarres or whoever can get an adventure bike past Romaniacs, but they will never get the Erzberg finisher’s flag back from Carl Katoch.
But that's not all, neither you nor us. You can do it if you want, but why would you want to have an adventure bike separately to create social media content?
For most of us, this is a bit beside the point, as standard middleweight adventure bikes can do a lot of things and don't need to be half-assed as an enduro bike to make them work in the dirt.
Don't think of the 1999 BMW GS, those big, wide bikes that weighed more than a truck. Think of machines like this KTM 890 Adventure R pictured, Yamaha's Tenere, Ducati's Desert X Rally, Honda's Transalp… these are the middleweight Adv machines you should be looking at.
Changing Horizons – Making Challenges a Little Less Difficult
It's easy to get snobby about trail riding, calling it light off-roading, an old-timer's hobby, but the reality is that everything we do on a dirt bike is as hard or as easy as we make it.
If you are the type of rider who prefers riding to fighting at the start of a race, who needs the right tires/suspension/bike and more, there are still races out there. Keep an eye out for races and events where you can compete in a great class of bike and we challenge you not to enjoy the race.
In our experience the camaraderie of being in the less serious big bike category can be awesome at an event like the Trefle Lozerien, Hellas Rally, Bassella Race, Dawn to Dusk (where we took these pictures for reference) or, heaven forbid, going to a race and not even caring about the results.
Manufacturer-specific events worldwide such as KTM Adventure Rally are perfect examples, but also categories of big motorcycles increasingly numerous during rally-raid events.
A bit like big trail bikes
Middleweight Adv bikes like the KTM 890 aren't as big and heavy as “normal” Adventure bikes, but are a step up from the 600cc single-cylinder trail bikes still desired by many.
It's a compromise if you will. Still as powerful and comfortable to sit in and cross continents, but easier to live with, half the price and more willing to ride on dirt than any 1200.
They're not as nimble as a XR/KLR/DR/XT trail bike, but they have much better specs, especially suspension and electronics. You can even plug and charge your phone in most of them!
The fact is that in the context of the dirt bike rider's life, adventure bikes are a lot of the same things. Mounting the right tires is probably all you need to master the technical challenges, feel the grip and throttle control, observe and read the terrain, and have a great time off-roading.
Drive further from home
Much like the concept of an e-MTB versus a naturally aspirated crankset, an Adv bike opens up distances and even countries compared to an enduro or trail bike.
Unless you're lucky enough to live in the mountains, you have to get there. An Adv bike lets you ride freely from your doorstep up to those mountains, catch up with the trails, and then ride back home.
Forget everything else around the world, in your own region/state/province/county you have places where you can ride a street legal enduro bike. But hop on an adventure bike and suddenly you can venture much further, ride different trails, go to unfamiliar places, see unfamiliar things and worry a lot less about the clock.
Born to race the Dakar
At the heart of the best Adv bikes are the old Dakar bikes, that's actually where they came from. They have the same all-day off-road riding capabilities and, while heavier than an EXC, they offer stability and, annoyingly, comfort too.
The standing position on a bike like this is ideal for peg days and for the average rider the tank will still be full enough before you're ready to take your boots off.
We're not saying you should buy a KTM 890 and head to Saudi Arabia next January, but these bikes were born out of rally-raid and that makes them capable, it really does.
Don't upset your mother
It's a boring and sensible point to make, but walking more gently and being quieter makes you more acceptable wherever you go, even if you're on a big bike.
As for rock bands, the loud ones are great and energetic, but your mom won't like them. Same goes for dirt bikes on a trail. If you want to be on that trail with other people hiking, riding horses, or mountain biking, just tone it down a bit and we'll all get along, right?
Who hasn't heard of local trails being closed? A great off-road route through beautiful scenery can and should be shared by everyone, but they are increasingly being closed because some bikes are more acceptable than others.
If every dirt bike your mom sees or hears on her ride is a purring twin-cylinder driven by someone who slows down or stops and turns off the engine for a minute, she's less likely to complain.
Enduro21 took this 890 Adventure R to the Valleys Hard Enduro World Championship earlier in 2024, spent a day before the race having a blast and then acted as race day taxi driver, ferrying the photographer around. Is this a versatile bike? Oh yes.
The bike tested for this feature was the KTM 890 Adventure R. The equipment tested is the new FOX Adventure equipment.
Photo credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi
