Why Adventure-Touring Bikes Are So Popular

[storysunfolding]

Oh I work. I just party hard to make up for it.

Now that I'm married I'm closer to only riding 12k a year.

[HYPERR]

Oh I work. I just party hard to make up for it.

Now that I'm married I'm closer to only riding 12k a year.

That's about what I ride a year. I have 5 bikes so not many miles per bike accumulated per year.

[NEDan]

Too often while touring back roads in New England the Vermont NH. ME. and western MA. roads are not recognized as Dirt by my GPS. Sometimes they're well maintained and sometimes not, leaving me wishing for just a little longer, better suspension.
Since I'm on the road 90% of the time large Dual Sports didn't do it for me and yet my Multistrada 620 still made me feel a bit vulnerable with it's entry level suspension exposed bits and slick tires. A total adventure bike poser unless I was willing to spend the money on it.
I actually ended up on a pretty bad dirt section for some time on a Buell S3T once. It made me realize how much more important it was to have a good suspension over long suspension for dirt roading. It really was quite controlled and comfortable.

[sapaul]

I was not a BMW GS fan, until I got one. I am not a huge dirt rd fan, but what I am a fan of is doing long distance trips around my beloved South Africa. The GS just does it all. Firstly, it is reliable, has a great dealership backup and is comfortable for the long roads. The most I did was JHB to CPT in one day. This was an epic trip fully loaded panniers and The Goose on the back. On the same trip was a DL650 and a brand new ZX10.

We did 1400 KMs in 14 hours. We got there comfortably and sat at speeds of 180kmh for most of the way on the back roads. We left at 5:00 in the morning and arrived at our destination at 7 pm and then went to supper with our fellow Marshals in CPT. Next morning we were up bright and early. The other 2 guys were broken. Not that their bikes did not perform, far from it, but the guys were broken to the point of not being able to do what we went down there to do without catching up on some rest.

This is what the GS does, it buffers you with it's capabilities.