Which is the best, big adventure bike for the road? | BMW v Ducati v Harley v KTM v Triumph | MCN
welcome to MCN and the bike you see behind me which is the 2025 dati multi strier v4s now it's undergone a handful of minor changes for 2025 which actually don't look like they're much on paper but the catti reckon that they are enough to put it on top of the heat when it comes to Adventure Tours but it's going to have its work cut out because it's got five very strong Rivals so we've got the BMW r 1300 GS we've got the KTM 1290 Super Adventure s now the 1390 is not available for our test yet but they're still selling the 1290 and it's still very very good um we got the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro and by no means last or least is the Harley-Davidson Pan America so we're going to be riding all of these bikes here in Sicily we've got two full days of riding um to find out really if uh D catti have done enough now the BMW is currently MC's favorite adventure bike and so will it knock it off its perch um what we're also doing is fitting uh control tires pelli scorpion Trail 3 just to give it a nice Level Playing Field so let's dive a little deeper and see what makes these bikes tipped the ctis multi Strider v4s is still powered by an 1158 CC liquid C V4 it makes 167 BHP 92 LBT of torque and weighs 232 k kilos wet for 2025 it receives some slight engine tweaks for Euro 5 an automatic lowering device a fork sensor for better electronic damping control and a raised swing arm pivot it also has clever Rider raids rear to front linked Abs if you want it a revised beak and improved headlights and the standard price for that is 2,495 this BMW r 1300 GS te ASA with automatic transmission has a 1300 cc air and liquid C flat twin it makes 143 BHP 110bt of torque and weighs 237 kilos curb now we all know about the new r300 GS it was launched back in 2024 and it's completely new from the ground up from the engine to the chassis and electronics the starting price for the BMW is1 19,000 900 Triumph's tiger 1200 GT Pro has an 1160 CC liquid C inline 3-cylinder engine it makes 148 BHP 96b ft of torque and weighs 246 kilos wet now the Tiger's been around for a couple of years now in this guys but in 2004 it received a smoother T plane crank engine reposition foot pegs and a flatter Rider seat the starting price for the tiger 1200 GT Pro is $7,295 the KTM 1290 Super Adventure s has a 1301 CC liquid cord v twin engine makes 158 BHP 102b foot of torque and weighs 220 kilos dry now as we all know 2025 was supposed to be the year where we saw the replacement model the 1390 super adventure s and we understand that that's coming later on in the year so because it's still such a great bike we decided to include it in this test and you can get some great deals on current stock from dealers the starting price for the KTM 1290 Super Adventure s is $7,499 the Harley-Davidson paname special has a 1252 CC liquid corded v twin engine it makes 148 BHP produces 92 LBT of torque and weighs 258 kilos wet now the p America is Harley's first ever adventure bike it came out in 2021 with a completely new engine chassis and electronics and was the first bike to feature a lowering device the starting price for the Harley-Davidson pan Amica special is 17,29 so we've reached the end of our adventure tour test we're here at Mount etner on top of the world um just before I go on with the verdict I just want to say that all of these bikes are the road going versions of the breed so they haven't got the big front wheels and the knobbly tires and the big fuel tanks um also they're so close they're all fantastic by the way um but they're all so close I think what we need to do is ask them a series of questions to find out what the winner is and the first one would be which is the best value now you can hardly call any of them cheap that's for sure um but in terms of their base prices you've got the KTM and the Harley and the triumph which are the cheapest then you've got the BMW and the dcti now of course all of these Bites come in a lot of different flavors you can throw lots of different parts at them lots of different packs at them and it would probably take all day to explain what's what and what those prices come out at um so let's not get bogged down with that um you know on PCP probably the prices aren't that different um but if you are talking value then you'd probably need to look at the KTM because you can get so many great deals on this model which is kind of the outgoing model at KTM dealers I mean knocking on the door of 13 Grand for a bike like that is absolutely fantastic value um obviously you know we don't know where KTM are at the moment we all hope they succeed they deserve to because the bikes are superb so if you're looking for a bargain go for the KTM and the others are all pretty much you know if you're if you're kind of quibbling over 100 quid here 20 a month on PCP there then I don't really think you will bites of this value the next question is is BMW still the top dog well there's a reason why it's rated MC's favorite adventure bike at the moment it is obviously an evolution of the the 1250 it's Revolution compared to the 1250 new chassis new engine it is a fantastic bike I've ridden it at the launch I've ridden it on an MCN 250 test twice against Different Bikes one of which was the old 1250 and you know you can't help but come away impressed with the engine the power of the engine the smoothness the the handling it's very very sporty superb breaking performance excellent gearbox all the bells and whistles that you can throw at the Bike Works superbly I mean you know it's just winwin win win win and you know their success in the showrooms really kind of you know reflects how good that bike is um but there's a butt coming it's not MC's favorite adventure tour anymore and it slips down the order and we'll come on to the order later so you know this bike has been around for a couple of years now and every time I've ridden it whether it's been at the launch or in group tests I've always come away feeling a little bit cold now the old 1250 GS you used to sink into that bike he used to put his arms around you and you felt coited with that bike that the engine note was really deep and Rich it was comfortable really really comfortable for Rider and ping Alik uh and it just did everything you wanted it to do now I would say that's almost PE GS and BMW didn't really have anywhere to go with it so they've gone the sporty route which is fair enough but I would say that it's very close to the XR now in terms of performance and you know we're judging all of these bikes as Adventure Tours so you know it's the kind of bike that you can live with you're quite happy to take for a ride across Europe maybe to up with luggage and have a little bit of fun on the Twisters along the way and the BMW does that very well but from the touring point of view it's a little bit fussy and a little bit fidgety it never really relaxes so the the power delivery is very very strong the the throttle response is sharp so the bike's always straining at its leash the suspension it kind of feels more spring than damping even um with its electronic suspension settings on on quite firm it's quite fidgety on the move it's always kind of moving and that's accentuated by the shaft drive and the boxer engine um and you know I I can never really relax on it it just feels a little bit too highly strong um and that's fine you know roaring up and down these rows at ETO it's absolutely brilliant it's remarkable how capable it is but when you're grinding out Motorway and you just want to relax on it I just think it is uh chomping up the bit a little bit too much and you know I'd want something a little bit more relaxing there's just something about the r1300 GS that feels a little bit too sterile and a little bit too digital next question is what is BMW's automatic gearbox like so it seems to be the the thing of 2025 a lot of Manufacturers installing automatic gearboxes into their bikes and they all work in slightly different ways the way the BMW works is you you still got a foot lever and you basically ride the bike as if it's got um it's got no clutch lever so you're kind of riding it like it's got an auto blipper and a quick shifter but you don't have to do anything when you you pull away or or come up to a junction it does it all for you and it works really well you know the low speed and maneuverability of it is very impressive you can do tight turns um with no problem at all the clutch control is really good but for me it's kind of asking a or answering a question nobody asked I've never met anybody who said I'd really like my BMW GS to be automatic now maybe there are I don't know but it's again got that slightly synthetic and kind of sterile feel if you put it in manual you can operate the gears with your foot like normal but there's no mechanical clunk there's no satisfying kind of clunk of the gears gliding home so it very much feels like kind of a PlayStation e kind of DCT like in a way um so because you don't get that involvement you kind of leave it in automatic an automatic is okay uh it changes within the different modes how long it hangs on to gears but sometimes it's it's less than smooth I think if I was sat on the back of a bike um on that automatic bike and some of the gear changes it dishes out you'd really you you'd really notice them and so I'm not a big fan but it does work well the next question is has daati done enough with the updates to its multier to become Top Dog in this class yes it has now it hasn't changed a lot as we said at the beginning on paper it doesn't really look that different but the fact the suspension is a lot tighter the fact that it dips down you know the lower end device when you come to a stop all of those things make it quite manageable it's always been a fantastic handling bike it's always been a comfortable bike but um it's always felt a little bit unwieldy a little bit kind of big but now with the suspension been a lot tighter and a lot more controlled then that feeling's gone away and you're left with a bite that is a real superb compromise between uh having a performance bike that you can properly enjoy to the full and a really comfortable tourer that you can just pop in Top Gear and just let the miles Float by underneath your wheels and yes although it's the most expensive bike here thecat have done enough to put the multi strier v4s on top of the adventure tour reply interrupt this road test to talk about tires now as we said at the beginning all of our adventure bikes fitted with control tires and these are Pell's new scorpion Trail 3 um the bottom line is that they are very grippy they warm up very very fast they really suit these Adventure bites I mean these Adventure bites kind of need need all the help they can get to get around corners really because they're so big and heavy haven't had any trouble with wet or dry grip throughout the whole test if you want something sporty for your adventure bike they got they get good mileage similar to a sports tour en Tire um yeah great Tire the next question is can Harley-Davidson make an adventure bike now you know Harley aren't associated with Adventure bites traditionally it's obviously Cruisers is a bit of a shock to everyone when they brought this bike out but what I would say is it's it's very oldfashioned it feels quite Antiquated you know from the weight of it to the way the switch gear is laid out to the quirky side stands that that sits quite far forward and hard to put down if you're too up because the bike's got a lowering device and it sinks you've got that lowering device that kind of sinks the suspension and slows the steering right down at low speed you've got a manual steering lock you've got a lot of range quirks um and it feels very heavy but I mean it's built like a tank you'd be able to crash this thing into Mount etner and um the Harley will come off best I'm sure and the engine is strong it's very characterful it has got that Harley feel has got that Harley gearbox clonk but it's a it's an impressive performer handling again quite slow but very reassuring um and as we'll come on to later the screen is best it's well one of the best it's got really great wind protection as well so although it's kind of not the go-to choice for adventure Riders and maybe an adventure bike as a second bike for traditional Harley owner it's still a fantastic I was going to say little thing but it's far from it next question is the tri tiger 1200 really as comfortable as they say now I lived with uh GT Explorer which is the bigger tank version of this as a long termer and I would say it's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever ridden Triumph has somehow got the seat pad in just right the riding position just right and you can just Glide away the miles on that bike so if I had to ride home from Etna to England now and I wish I could I would definitely choose a Triumph there wouldn't be any question in my mind at all uh the T plane engine is a lot smoother although I didn't mind the kind of KTM V twish nature that it had before um but the whole thing is just it's it's a fantastic bike you know it's a little takes a little bit well to to warm to CU it's not immediately impressive like some of the other bikes here um but it's very reassuring the handling is a little bit slow on the steering side but when you get used to it and you put it in sports mode it it sharpens up and again it's very very stable that it goes exactly where you point it it's got good ground clearance and loads and loads of grip fantastic brakes loads of power great gizmos um but above all very very comfortable after that in the comfort Stakes I would put the dati BMW KTM and then the Harley with quite a strange riding position with quite cramped pegs next question as the clouds form over me um aren't they all a bit big well yes they are they're all beasts of a bike um they're heavy they're quite hard to maneuver they will do their best to to hide their weight whether it's on the Move whether it's their lowend devices that help you get your feet down but they are big old Beast there's no two ways about it um and I think in terms of pure fun you would definitely have more uh more of an exciting time more of an easier time on a middleweight adventure bike um but where these big old beasts really score is their physical size mean they're really really comfortable they're comfortable to up as well they'll easily take lots and lots of luggage and they won't um encroach into your own space on the bike um and they've got a presence about them on the road which is really nice when you're navigating traffic and having so much low down punch for each of the bikes um just makes longdistance riding a lot more relaxing you're not up and down the gears um you can just grunt out of corners and and you know if you want to make fast overtakes or if you want to have a lot of fun as well you know they're knocking on a door of super bike power too so you know big adventure bikes like this have definitely got their place but if you're maybe a newer Rider or if you just want to have more of a sporty time then you might want to go for something smaller next question which one's the best in the wind so we backto backed all these bikes down the alto Strada and um the Harley and the BMW by far got the best wind protection um very little buffeting I mean they still Buffet a lot their Adventure bikes but um they definitely give the the best coverage especially for me being six fo tall um after that would be the dati a little bit more buffeting and then sort of tied in last place really the KTM and the Triumph both got smaller screens and both pretty noisy especially the Triumph unfortunately which kind of spoils its long distance kind of comfort a little bit s lights well we took them into pll's um testing unit switched off all the lights at night we tested the lights and by far the best lights are on the BMW the others aren't so bad um there's there's none that have got absolutely bad lights but the BMW really does turn night into day and finally which is the most shooted along a B- Road well without question it's the KTM feels like a super Moto this bike should be called the smt not super adventure s um it feels like a super Moto is agile it's it's fun it's got tons of grip fantastic brakes working with that engine it's just an absolute joy to throw around brose and if you're just going to ride in the Pyrenees or the Alps or coming up here in Mount etner it is just absolutely fantastic um shortly uh following on its heels would be the Katty I mean that's a little bit unwieldy but you know with all its suspension changes it's a lot tighter it's a lot better handling and then closely followed from that is the triumph which uh I just think it's fantastic you know once you get used to the the slowest slightly slow steering it's got loads and loads of poise loads of grip loads of reassurance and you know it's it's a lot of fun through a be after that is the BMW now it does hand really well it's very very sporty but it just it's a little bit it moves around a little bit too much for me you know the the the braking is quite severe the the shaft drive reaction and the the rocking of the engine as I said causes a little bit of un stability the bik's always moving and you know it feels a little bit underdamped and a little bit overs sprung and you know although it's very very capable it doesn't it doesn't really kind of ring my bell in the corners like the other is it doesn't it doesn't hasn't got that same reassurance although you know for a big old bike with a boxer engine it is impressive and then in last place is the Harley it it does everything you want it to do it grips it's stable it's relatively agile for for its size but really you know you're kind of nannying it through corners and it's much happier in a straight line so with all those questions answered here's verdict so in first place is the daati now it has moved the game along a little bit because of its little changes and they all add up to a bike that's a lot more agile a lot more easy to use a lot more fun it's a great balance between power and handling and comfort and Technology um and kind of specialness as well um fantastic bike following the DTI is the Triumph so you know Triumph has always been one of my favorites it's always been one of MCN favorites it won our adventure uh bike group test a couple of years ago uh when we went to Wales the the rally version just because it's such a great allrounder it's so comfortable if you're going to use a bike mainly for touring this is the bike for you it might not be the most inspiring of all the bikes it might not be the best looking but it is a fantastic bike loads of performance loads of space loads of practicality and uh you know in my mind it's not far away away from the dcti in third place is the BMW you know it's been knocked off top spot by a deatti that basically does everything so well a BMW which is a much better Touring bike and the BMW is superb there's no two ways about it but you know like we've said all along in this video it's just that little bit it doesn't feel the complete touring package anymore and in actual fact you know it's been out for a little while now and a lot of our 13 owners aren't really singing from the rooftops about it although some are in fourth place is the KTM an absolutely incredible bike but more skewed towards the sporty riding although it's very comfortable it's very roomy does everything very well the wind protection isn't great um but it's not kind of as refined as the top dogs in this class but loads and loads of fun and in last place is the Harley-Davidson um a great kind of first attempt an adventure bik by Harley-Davidson as many people have said um but doesn't really cut it in this class so that's all from our adventure tour group test for 2025 and congratulations again to daati thank you very much for watching and if you enjoyed this video please like And subscribe see you on the next one um we just uh finished the test now just stopped at one of these log cabins that are in Mount eth is fantastic had a sausage sandwich but I've also got to ride that um art 1250 behind me and it is what I remember it's kind of much more soft and cuddly kind of lazy and it kind of really suits that bike whereas the new one is is a lot kind of more focused a lot more energetic should we say and but some of the Italian journalists that I'm with have told me that the new 1300 GS Adventure because it's a bit heavier because it's a bit lazier kind of restores that old GS kind of character um I haven't ridden the adventure myself but um you know if you did want that old GS experience maybe the uh the adventure is the one to go for and this normal Adventure is more or this normal GS is kind of more of a sporty bike
2025-03-30 06:34
