Middleweight ADV

Mid-size adventure is where the genre actually makes the most sense. You get 90% of the road competence, 100% of the off-road capability (because the bike is lighter), and you save thousands of pounds and tens of kilograms versus the heavyweight equivalent.

The catch is image — these are the bikes most adventure riders should buy, but big-ADV is what they actually buy because it parks better at the coffee shop. The Yamaha Ténéré 700, KTM 890 Adventure and BMW F900GS quietly make the case that going smaller is going better.