Everything about All Road motorcycles
It might be the best thing about All Road motorcycles; you can cruise down the twisty roads with lots of comfort. Do you come across a piece of road that’s broken up? No worries. Just continue your journey. No tarmac, no problem. The All Road motorcycle can do it all. Just get up, start the bike and let’s go!
All Road
Ready for anything
An All Road motorcycle is also called an ‘Adventure’ bike. The name says it all. It can handle small, hardly rideable roads, but also rides smoothly on the highway. You don’t need a huge top speed for that. But you do want the torque to pull up quickly and ride up that mountain. So you often see All Road bikes with quite some cc. It starts with a decent 500cc and can go up to around 1200cc. So something for everyone.
High and dry
An All Road motorcycle quite often is high, heavy and equipped with a wind screen. They often guarantee a comfortable ride too. Your body position is upright and you often got lots of space for your legs. So it’s often a great bike for tall riders. Due to the high ground clearance pristine roads become a lot easier to ride. So this high ground clearance has it’s pro’s, but it also ensures a higher seat height. Does that mean you can only ride an Adventure or All Road bike when you’re tall? Definitely not!
Do you, as a small rider, dream of riding a heavy All Road bike? Just do it. REDRIDINGBOOTS rider Yvanka rode the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R from 2019 with a seat height of approx. 89 cm. She’s only 1.68 m tall. She misses 10 cm on both sides when the bike stands upright. Is that convenient? Not really. But do you need to reach the ground with two feet flat when you sit on a bike? Not really either. Standing still becomes a matter of timing and moving butt cheeks, which makes you more and more handy. Just keep rolling, if you have the choice. And in case of an emergency stop? Then you are so busy braking, possibly swerving etcetera that you won’t think about putting two feet on the ground. Trust your legs. You only need one somewhat strong one. Trust us, it’s more than enough.
Rolling sofa
The riding position on an All Road motorcycle is quite comfortable and relaxed. Riding over bumps and obstacles gets way easier due to that upright position and long suspension range. When riding twisties the riding style is generally slightly less sporty thanks to that long suspension range. Do you mainly use the All Road bike on the streets? Then you can adjust the suspension and make it a bit more rigid for a more sporty riding style. Don’t worry though. That suspesnion range doesn’t mean you can’t ride sporty at all. Due to the big amount of torque these bikes often have, you do get away at traffic lights real quick.
Practical powerhouse
An All Road or Adventure bike isn’t only a powerhouse when it comes to riding characteristics. It’s just a very practical thing. Thanks to the design of these bikes, they are ideal for dragging luggage around. Would you like to go on long trips or go on a holiday on the bike? Then you arrive at your destination the freshest when you ride an All Road motorcycle. And you will know for sure that you didn’t leave anything at home you might need during the trip, ‘cause you have plenty of space for all your luggage. You can hang the bike full with cases. Do you want to commute by bike but does your boss expect you to wear a suit and tie at work? You neatly store your folded suit and tie in one of the cases and put it on at work, wrinkle-free (no guarantee there, of course..).
The seat height of All Road or Adventure bikes
Let’s get down to business. Calling a motorcycle ‘a high bike’ is, of course, a subjective topic. But to make it all a bit easier we drew a line at 32.3 inches. All bikes below 32.3 inches are classified as ‘motorcycles with a low seat height’. Above 32.3 inches we classify the bikes as ‘motorcycles with a high seat height’. We’ve done this with a perspective from riders who are around 5’ 6” tall. For most types of motorcycles we drew the line at 31.5 inches, but because All Road bikes are generally higher we drew the line a bit higher too.
| Model | Seat height | Weight | Power | Top speed |
| Benelli TRK 502 | 32.1 in | 210 kg | 48 bhp | 200 km/h |
| BMW R 1200 GS | 34 in | 244 kg | 125 bhp | 200 km/h |
| BMW F 750 GS | 32 in | 224 kg | 77 bph | 192 km/h |
| BMW R 1250 GS Adventure | 35 in | 268 kg | 136 bhp | >200 km/h |
| Ducati Multistrada 950 | 33.1 in | 204 kg | 113 bhp | 210 km/h |
| Ducati Multistrada 1290 Enduro | 34.3 in | 225 kg | 158 bhp | 210 km/h |
| Honda NC 750 X | 32.7 in | 220 kg | 54.4 bhp | 175 km/h |
| Honda VFR 800 X Crossrunner | 32.8 in | 240.4 kg | 108 bhp | 175 km/h |
| Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin | 34.3 in | 232 kg | 95 bhp | 210 km/h |
| Kawasaki Versys X 300 | 32.1 in | 175 kg | 40 bhp | 140 km/h |
| Kawasaki Versys 650 | 33.1 in | 217 kg | 69 bhp | 200 km/h |
| KTM 790 Adventure | 33.5 in | 189 kg | 95 bhp | 180 km/h |
| KTM 1090 Adventure | 35 in | 205 kg | 125 bhp | 200 km/h |
| KTM 1290 Super Adventure | 35 in | 217 kg | 160 bhp | 200 km/h |
| Moto Guzzi V85 TT | 32.6 in | 208 kg | 80 bhp | 185 km/h |
| MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 | 34.2 in | 178 kg | 126 bhp | 246 km/h |
| Suzuki V-Strom 650 | 32.7 in | 213 kg | 70 bhp | 180 km/h |
| Suzuki V-Strom 1000 | 33.1 in | 228 kg | 101 bhp | 200 km/h |
| Triumph Tiger 800 XC | 33.3 in | 190 kg | 95 bhp | 175 km/h |
| Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport | 32.7 in | 218 kg | 126 bhp | 250 km/h |
| Triumph Tiger XR | 31.8 in | 242 kg | 141 bhp | 200 km/h |
| Yamaha Tracer 700 | 32.8 in | 196 kg | 74.8 bhp | 210 km/h |
| Yamaha Tracer 900 | 33.3 in | 210 kg | 115 bhp | 225 km/h |
| Yamaha XT 1200 Super Ténéré | 33.2 in | 261 kg | 112 bhp | 185 km/h |
WIDE RANGE OF ALL ROAD MOTORCYCLES
Almost every motorcycle manufacturer offers an All Road or Adventure bike. On the list of most sold All Road motorcycles you will find the BMW 1200 GS, the Triumph Tiger, Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom and the Yamaha XT 1200 Tenere. But other brands offer similar models too. Think of the KTM Adventure, the Kawasaki Versys and the Aprilia Tuareg or Caponord. They are all wonderful bikes. So there’s something for everyone. You sit comfortable on an All Road bike. You’ll feel like the king or queen on the road. But you don’t necessarily have to ride it with the same ease. You can take it for a sporty spin too. Are you not afraid of some height and weight? And are you looking for a motorcycle that doesn’t shy away from some off road adventure, but also cruises down the street quite easily? And you almost want to be able to move furniture with it? Than an All Road motorcycle is a great choice.
Looking for similar information about other types of motorcycles? Check out our overview.
Got any questions? Get in touch!
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