Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Featured Bikes - 250cc Adventure Bikes


A class of small adventure bikes seems to be emerging.

Honda CRF250L Rally - looks like a baby Africa Twin



 
Suzuki VStrom 250 - uses the twin cylinder engine from the Inazuma. Can it be a "V" Strom with an inline engine?
Kawasaki Versys 250 - looks good, but this is only a rendering. Likely to be powered by the Ninja 250/300 twin engine
BMW G310GS - based on the recently announced G310R single.
The Chinese may have been ahead of the game. They offered this Honley RX3 with full luggage a few years ago. 

I'm not sure about these bikes. The adventure sport has replaced the dedicated tourer but 250cc is not enough for long distances with a passenger & gear. These bikes would make good urban commuters or back roads bikes but would be a bit of a pain for a long haul. Their light weight would make them manageable off road though.

If I had the choice I'd go for this little hooligan from the late '80's the Yamaha TDR250. A 50 bhp two stroke twin in a trail bike frame - described as "the Ultimate Dual". A very silly bike! 

Yamaha TDR250


promo video


3 comments:

  1. Awesome looking bikes! They looks super quick, great photos. Thanks for the share.
    Samantha

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  2. All these press releases and reveals have me pretty excited for the industry. I think they are filling a niche that was lacking in small cc bikes that weren't just dirt bikes (at least here in the US)

    As someone looking for a lighter weight dual sport to purchase I am intrigued. I don't plan on 500 mile days or freeway riding, but something small would do just fine for commuting, gravel roads and puttering along the back roads.

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  3. Very nice blogg you have here

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