Top 10 Adventure Bikes Under 800cc

While adventure bikes are all the rage at the moment, not everyone has either the budget or the height for one of the 900-1290cc monsters that are topping the sales charts at the moment, but they still want to enjoy the wild trail and long-distance journeys in comfort. Luckily, there is a wide selection of sub-800cc adventure bikes on the market that have all the abilities of their bigger brothers, but none of the height and bulk, and crucially, cost a lot less. Often, going less expensive means compromising on features and performance, but that doesn’t always mean they are worse when it comes to doing what they were designed to do.

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Royal Enfield Himalayan – $5,299

Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield Himalayan facing left

No longer a strange anachronism in the world of motorcycling, Royal Enfield has really moved forward in recent years, while still staying true to its roots. Go vintage, by all means, with the Bullet, but a much more interesting proposition is the Himalayan adventure bike. 24 horsepower from a 410cc single-cylinder engine is a little underwhelming and causes the Himalayan to struggle on the open road, while the suspension is soft, the brakes a little weak, and the spec basic, but all this means that the bike is simple, and therefore (hopefully) reliable. It has an old-world, utilitarian charm all of its own, not to mention a low price.

BMW G310GS – $5,945

BMW

BMW G310GS in red, white and blue, facing right

Now, this was going to be interesting: the manufacturer of the best-selling and segment-leading adventure bike, the R1200GS (as it was at the time, 2017) applied its know-how to a baby adventure bike. It had to be good, right? The G310GS is built in India by TVS, and it looks the part, with the right badge on the tank to lend an impression of ability and a definite family resemblance to the big brother. But, the suspension is a little on the soft side, the spec is pretty basic, and build quality isn’t quite up to BMW’s standards, while the performance – on-road at least – isn’t the strongest. As it’s aimed at the beginner or novice, however, that’s not an issue, and off-road it is light and accessible, with a relatively low seat height, and unintimidating power that will still get you through and over anything. It’s the perfect entry to BMW ownership and all that entails: brand identity at a low price.

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Kawasaki Versys X300 – $6,099

Kawasaki

Kawasaki Versys X300 in grey facing left

The first of two Kawasaki models in this list, the Versys X300 first appeared in 2017 and has never got the recognition it deserves against rival offerings from BMW and KTM (or even its bigger brother) and that’s a pity as it’s great value-for-money and perfectly competent. Powered by a 296cc parallel twin motor developing 36 horsepower, it doesn’t look as if it could tackle the toughest of off-road trails, but the looks are deceiving. It ticks all the right boxes: comfort – even for two, although performance will naturally suffer, good wind protection, reasonable suspension with just enough ground clearance, and adequate gas mileage. It’s light and nimble and, not least of its qualities, it has a fair off-road ability. It will cruise happily at 80mph and top out at nearly 100mph if you really must but by that time, the engine is getting buzzy and vibrations are intruding. It’s at its best when you are not hurrying, either on- or off-road.

KTM 390 Adventure – $6,599

KTM South Africa

KTM 390 Adventure bike wheelying

If BMW pointed the way for the big guns playing in the kindergarten, then KTM picked up the ball and ran with it, producing a properly serious junior adventure bike with big bike pretensions. Taking the 390 family and expanding it to include an adventure bike was logical, especially for a company that built its reputation in the off-road world. The 390cc single-cylinder engine produces 44 horsepower and gives a brilliantly punchy performance, while the rest of the package is much more sophisticated than the BMW, with superior suspension and electronics to go with the power. It works brilliantly on- or off-road, even if the gearing is a little short for relaxed longer-distance road work, but that same gearing pays dividends when hitting the trails. As with the BMW, the badge imparts a sense of competency and kudos, and from a distance, you’d be hard-pressed to tell it apart from a 790 or 890 Adventure from the same family.

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Honda CB500X – $7,199

Honda

Honda CB500X facing right

In fairness, the Honda CB500X is more adventure-styled than adventure-capable but seeing as it is the only Honda that’s eligible, it seems fair to put it in. Yes, I know there is the CRF250 Rally, but that is really woefully underpowered and lame in this company. The CB500X first appeared in 2013 and regular updates ever since have turned it into a novice- and more experienced rider-friendly middleweight adventure tourer. 47 horsepower is not much more than the KTM, but the engine is a parallel twin, so the power is much smoother yet still unintimidating. Over the years, the suspension has got taller but is still not too tall for shorter riders, while the riding experience is straightforward and polished in typical Honda fashion. Build quality is right up there with the best – again, typical Honda – and while it might lack a bit of personality, it has a roomy and comfortable riding position and is long-legged enough to be a great long-distance tourer.

Benelli TRK502X – $8,099

Benelli

Benelli TRK502X in white facing right

Benelli might be owned by the Chinese now, but the bikes are still designed and built in Italy, so they are dripping in heritage. The TRK502X is similar to the Honda in that it is predominantly an adventure-tourer, with the emphasis more on the ‘tourer’ than ‘adventure’. Like the Honda, it is powered by a 47 horsepower parallel twin which isn’t as polished as the Honda’s engine but still punchy enough to be entertaining. Unlike the likes of the BMW G310GS and KTM 390 Adventure, it is a full-sized bike with looks that are not dissimilar to the Ducati Multistrada. Some details are a bit basic and not brilliantly finished but the price more than makes up for any shortcomings. Great value has helped the Benelli TRK502 become the best-selling motorcycle in Italy, which must say something!

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Kawasaki Versys 650 – $8,899

Kawasaki

Kawasaki Versys 650 facing right

Again, like the Honda, the Versys 650 is more adventure-styled than adventure-capable. Yet another parallel-twin engine, this time producing 68 horsepower and 47 pound-feet, it is more accurately a taller Kawasaki ER6, with a large fairing and adjustable screen, not to mention a large, comfy seat and good pillion comfort as well. It would make a really good two-up touring machine, with enough power to keep things interesting. Best of all, it has turned from something of an ugly duckling in 2006 guise to a really good-looking bike in 2022, with excellent gas mileage (200 miles on a tank) and is very well put together as well as giving a refined ride. It might not be great off-road, especially with road-size wheels and tires, but given that many adventure bikes will never see a spot of dirt, that’s no hardship, especially when you look at the price and ability.

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom XT – $8,904

Suzuki

Suzuki V-Strom 650 facing right

The old man of the class, the ‘baby’ V-Strom has been around since 2004 and is as rugged mechanically as you could ever need: the 650cc V-Twin engine is virtually bulletproof and has bags of character, power (70 horsepower) and torque (50 pound-feet). While the first versions might have been more style-over-adventure substance, the V-Strom 650 gradually became more off-road friendly to the point whereby it is now a perfectly viable alternative to the 1000cc-plus monsters. The chassis is simple and rugged, the suspension of decent quality without being anything spectacular and there’s ABS and traction control and an adjustable screen. The XT version features wire-spoked wheels, hand guards and a bash plate, and decent off-road ability. Simple it might be, but that is part of its attraction, and is proficient enough for experienced riders while being great for newbies. It’s got a friendly and engaging character and you just know it will never let you down. About to be replaced by a parallel twin-engined model so get one while you still can.

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Yamaha Ténéré 700 – $10,299

Yamaha

Yamaha T7 in blue, studio shot

Yamaha chose to go a different route for its middleweight adventure bike, preferring a largely analog approach, concentrating on pure off-road or rally raid ability. Indeed, the T7 was inspired by Dakar Rally bikes, with much less concession to on-road ability and comfort than all the other bikes on this list. It features the parallel-twin engine first seen in the MT-07 roadster, which produces 72 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque. It’s housed in a tall, uncompromising off-road chassis with long-travel, fully adjustable suspension, powerful Brembo brakes, and wire-spoked wheels (21/18-inch, front/rear).

The Ténéré is a proper off-road-orientated motorcycle, with grunt power and a nimble, slim, and agile chassis. On the road, it is compromised a little by the average comfort, but it’s not that far away from the other more road-orientated models on this list while beating them all hands-down off-road. It could even give larger-engined bikes such as the Triumph Tiger 900 and KTM 890 Adventure a good run for their money as well as being hugely less expensive than the 1000cc-plus bikes, not to mention much more manageable off-road.

Aprilia Tuareg 660 – $11,999

Aprilia

Aprilia Tuareg 660 static outdoors shot

Expensive, but excellent, proper adventure bike from the Italians. The 659cc parallel twin engine pushes out an impressive 79 horsepower and 51 pound-feet of torque, giving the Tuareg 660 punchy performance on the road while the configuration also gives plenty of low- and mid-range torque for effective off-road riding. In appearance, it has more of a retro appearance than many of its rivals, making do with a wheel-hugging front fender and no beak (thank goodness!). Lighting is all LED, and there’s a full-color TFT dash and a full suite of electronics, making this a fully-competent off-road machine, helped by the high-spec Kayaba suspension which has excellent travel but manages to avoid too much dive under heavy braking on tar. Brembo handles the braking duties. Aprilia has done an excellent job tailoring the Tuareg 660 for a mixture of riding conditions, both on- and off-road, although long-distance seat comfort might be an issue, the bike is commendably narrow where the seat meets the tank for excellent control off-road, while the screen gives unexpectedly good wind protection when riding on the highway.

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FAQ

Q: Which is the most reliable adventure bike?

The Suzuki V-Strom 650 has an excellent reliability record, with the engine being virtually bulletproof.

Q: Which is the king of adventure bikes?

While there are many very good adventure bikes, the king of them all has to be the BMW GS, which has been in produciton for over 40 years and still leads the market in terms of sales, not to mention in terms of rider popularity