13 Best New Adventure & Touring Motorcycles For 2020

Loads of great new and updated adventure and touring motorcycles were announced at EICMA in Milan at the end of 2019. So here's a roundup of my favourite along with some footage from the show. Suzuki recently got involved in the retro resurgence with their Katana revamp and it looks like they're applying the same approach to the V-Strom with some clear styling cues taken from their DR-Big of the 80s and 90s. Not only have they gone for bold colourful retro paint schemes for 2020 but also the square headlight and beak that the DR-Big was so well known for. Styling aside they've done work on the motor for Euro 5 emissions regulations whilst boosting peak power from 100 horsepower to 106. Torque on the other hand drops ever so slightly from 74.5 foot pounds to 73.8 and also that peak torque moves from 4,000 rpm up to 6,000 so it'll need a bit more gas to get the most out of the 1,037cc V-Twin. The chassis remains the same with an unchanged frame and KYB suspension but it gets a bunch of electronic upgrades on the last year model. It now uses a throttle by wire system with updated traction control and three riding modes as well as a new LCD display. The XT model builds upon the adventure capability of the standard 1050 by adding spoked wheels, a bash guard, hand guards, engine bars, a 12-volt power socket, more adjustment in its screen, cruise control and a centre stand. It also gets a 6-axis IMU which enables cornering ABS and traction control, a hill hold system and load sensitive braking which is good news for those planning to tour two up with luggage. So mechanically it's not a huge improvement for the V-Strom but electronically it's quite significant and I also really like the restyling. Although the new Africa Twin and Adventure Sport was announced some time ago, EICMA was my first time seeing one in the flesh and it looks like a great iteration on an already popular bike. The headline update is an increase in capacity of 86cc taking the 998 of the previous generation up to 1,084. The result is seven more horsepower for the same revs now producing a peak of 101 horsepower at 7,500 rpm as well as six more foot-pounds of torque now producing 79 peak at 6,000 rpm. There are updates to the electronics too with a new TFT display that offers Apple CarPlay although there's no word on Android Auto. An IMU and ride-by-wire throttle open up a whole wealth of adjustment in riding modes and aids. Cruise control now comes as standard too. Across the bike there are five kilograms of weight savings in total which brings the new curb weight in at 226 kilograms. The Adventure Sport gets a 24.8 litre fuel tank which is six litres more than the base Africa Twin. More wind protection from the fairing and screen, an ACC charger, heated grips, a sump guard, rear rack, tubeless tyres, adaptive cornering headlights and Showa electronically adjustable suspension is available as an option too. All of these should combine for a serious mile muncher although it adds 12 kilograms to the base model for a curb weight of 238 and if you spec it out with their automatic DCT gearbox and the electronic suspension another 12 kilograms brings the grand total to 250 which is a pretty hefty bike indeed. But now for a completely new model the KTM 390 Adventure. It takes its 373 cc single cylinder motor from the 390 Duke which puts out a peak of 43 horsepower and 27 foot-pounds of torque. The motor is exactly the same as the Duke with even the same gear ratios and it also gets the slip assist clutch. The steel trellis frame, removable subframe and swingarm all look pretty much the same too as does the bi-bray radially mounted four pot front brake caliper on a 320 millimeter disc and the bi-bray at the rear too. The suspension however is jacked up a bit with WP's Apex compression and rebound adjustable fork having 170 millimeters of travel and the rebound and preload adjustable shock from WP's Apex range having 177 millimeters. That's about 30 mil more than the Duke front and rear and combined with the bigger more off-road friendly 19 inch front wheel the seat height is also up by 25 millimeters to 855. Generally this looks like a fun little bike and might be a nice entry into short haul adventure riding with its 172 kilogram curb weight. Triumph announced their new Tiger 900 a few weeks after EICMA presumably to give the launch a bit more breathing room as the bikes do come thick and fast around the show. I headed up to the factory in Hinkley for the unveiling and wasn't disappointed. I'm a big fan of the new Tiger's looks with a leaner more aggressive appearance but there are also improvements to the electronics, equipment and motor. There's a full video about it linked to in the description in case you haven't seen it already. Although the extra 100cc of capacity is good for a 10% increase in peak torque it's the new 132 firing order that's most exciting to me. Triumph said that existing Tiger 800 owners rated the top-end rush of the triple cylinder motor but they perhaps missed some of the character and low down torque of a twin. Changing the firing order meant that they could extend the intervals between two of the cylinders resulting in a twin-like character at low revs whilst retaining the revvy triple power. How this plays out on the road remains to be seen and fortunately I'll be heading out on the press launch to find out. We did however get to hear the bike at the factory unveiling and it definitely has a more throaty note at the exhaust. Back to EICMA where Ducati released an updated edition of their high spec Multistrada 1260S adding a whole host of catalogue extras to emphasise its long distance touring ability earning it the Grand Tour suffix. A centre stand, panniers, grand tour seat and heated grips all come as standard as well as LED peripheral lights and a tyre pressure monitoring system. There's even a hands-free electronic fuel filler cap. No key needed it automatically unlocks when the bike's turned off and locks again a minute later if refuelling doesn't take place. The Grand Tour also gets its own matte grey paint scheme with red highlights which echo the red painted frame and red sections on the wheels. Otherwise the bike is pretty much a regular 1260S which is well specced already with semi-active suspension, wheelie control, traction control, cornering ABS, cornering lights, cruise control and a bluetooth multimedia system. Many were expecting Ducati to debut their radar enabled adaptive cruise control on this model but perhaps they're holding off until the Multistrada V4 is released next year and despite this omission the 1260S Grand Tour still looks like a mighty capable distance tourer. BMW's super popular S1000XR also got an update for 2020 and it's certainly more evolution than revolution. Despite saying that they've completely revised the motor peak power remains exactly the same at 163 horsepower although there's a bit more grunt in the mid-range. Some might be disappointed to see that BMW's shift cam variable valve timing system hasn't been carried over from the S1000RR which might have given the XR better fuel economy at a moderate throttle but more high-end rush when it's pinned. Perhaps BMW have reserved it for their premium sports bike in order to differentiate it clearly from this sports touring orientated version. There is however a newly designed frame and a lighter swing arm and a shed two kilograms versus the last XR. That said it's got an integrated luggage rack so if you spec last year's model with a rack it's actually 10 kilograms lighter which is how BMW chose to headline their weight savings. The new XR also gets a whole bunch of electronics that were previously up specced options including electronic suspension, pro riding mode, abs pro and dynamic brake control, hill start control pro, dynamic traction control and wheelie control. It also gets a tft with bluetooth connectivity, full led lighting and cornering lights as an option. So like i said it doesn't appear to be a massive update on the face of it even the styling tweaks are pretty modest but there are plenty of goodies under the hood that will no doubt help to keep this model fresh. The Panamerica was pretty tough to get anywhere near on the first day of EICMA because of the crowd around it. I had to return on the second day when it had been moved into a clear case to get some decent unobstructed footage. It's definitely an intriguing bike and from what I can tell it's divisive too. The motor is the new liquid cooled revolution max that will also be found in their naked sports bike the bronx. This is the 1250cc variant of the 60 degree v-twin and Harley claim that it will produce at least 145 horsepower and 90 foot pounds of torque so it might even be a touch more. That's actually quite competitive in the adventure market and therefore pretty impressive for their first crack. BMW's 1250gs for example produces a little less horsepower with 136 and a bit more torque at 105 foot pounds so the Panamerica isn't a million miles off. We haven't had full specs yet but there was plenty to see on show with some serious looking adventure kit like a bash plate, hang guards, full aluminium luggage and spoke wheels which look to be laced to the edges in order to take tubeless tires. In fact the tires were co-created with Michelin specifically for this bike as were the tires on the bronx and the same is said to be true of the Brembo brakes. You can also see a decent TFT screen and I'd assume therefore some level of smartphone connectivity, adjustable riding modes and electronic rider aids which are often absent from even the more expensive Harley cruisers. The looks of the front end will almost certainly put some folks off but I actually quite like it, at least it's something different. Yamaha's tracer 700 is much more slender at the front than the Harley with slanted twin led headlights that look somewhat insect like and much more in line with their other bikes like the MT range especially combined with the new angular fairing. As with pretty much all the bikes on this list it's now euro 5 compliant but Yamaha have also done some work to increase rider comfort over distance with a redesigned fairing and hang guards which provide better weather protection. The screen is also new and adjustable by 60 millimeters using just one hand which is good for making changes on the move and the bars are also 34 millimeters wider which again is aimed at improving comfort. Much like the Multistrada 1260S Grand Tour the Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel takes the base bike and adds some parts from the accessories catalog to give it a bit more long distance capability. They've included a taller screen, hard luggage, a center stand, peripheral lights and heated grips as standard. It also comes in this desert color scheme which to be honest wouldn't be my pick of all the colors this bike's available in. I'd probably take the grey model and add these parts to get a similarly specced bike. You also get Guzzi's MIA multimedia platform for smartphone connectivity as well. The second BMW on this list is a brand new addition to their range the F900XR. This is essentially a smaller sibling to the S1000XR powered by a bored out variation of the parallel twin used in the F850GS. It's good for 105 horsepower which is 10 more than the GS and it also gets a bit more power in the mid-range despite peak torque remaining the same. It's accompanied by the more sports focused F900R which will replace the F800R and both new models come with two riding modes as standard as well as ABS, traction control and a color TFT dash. You can really spec it up with electronic suspension, cornering ABS, keyless ignition, a quick shifter and engine drag torque control should you wish. I'm a bit indifferent to these new 900s from BMW. The 900 concept looked amazing but these look a bit generic to me and almost like they could be a Japanese bike. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments. This might be the first proper big touring bike in this list and it's a first for Indian too because all of their other big comfy bikes are powered by their Thunderstroke engine which is old school in its air-cooled two valve pushrod setup. But the water-cooled four valve overhead cam powerstroke engine in the Challenger marks a move in a more modern direction for Indian's heavyweights. It's the most powerful engine they've ever produced with a peak of 121 horsepower and it's built to handle too with radial Brembo brakes and a combination of 43mm upside down forks and a monoshock at the rear. It also packs a Bosch IMU which allows cornering traction control and ABS and Indian's ride command infotainment system on a 7-inch touchscreen ought to keep you thoroughly entertained on those long rides. LED lighting is used all around with a headlight particularly distinctive and possibly not for everyone but it's another bike I personally like the look of. I'm a bit less keen though on its weight, 361kg dry. The last couple of bikes on this list are admittedly concepts but I had to put them in because they both look absolutely stunning. First up this Husky Norden 901 concept which is built around the new 889cc engine produced for the new 2020 KTM 890 Duke R. It's shod with far bigger wheels though a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear. Suspension has been jacked up too with gangly WP forks and shock and twin radial calipers bite on discs which are hidden by a disc cover. The styling of this bike looks spot on to me. The bodywork is modern but also classic and I love the muted matte paint which was seen on other Husqvarna's like their Vitpilen and Svartpilen. The lighting also gives it a modern edge and I really hope that some of these features carry over to the production version which is now being confirmed. And on a similar note Ducati showed their Desert X concept at EICMA which they say was inspired by the Ducati Kajiva elephant motorcycle ridden by Eddie Orioli when he won the Dakar Rally in 1990. Specifically the paint scheme and the dual round headlights hark back to that bike. Like the Husky details are pretty sparse although it was revealed that it's built around the 1079cc air-cooled 86 brake horsepower engine of the 1100 Scrambler. Not only does the fuel tank have two filler caps but there's also an additional fuel tank at the rear so I guess that's three in total which is the most I've ever seen on a motorcycle or any vehicle for that matter. The concept is clearly more geared towards proper off-roading with longer travel suspension, a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear like the Norden and Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres. And maybe it has a chance of becoming a reality like the Norden too as Ducati copyrighted both Scrambler 1100 Pro and Scrambler 1100 Sport Pro earlier this year so it sounds like they've got a more capable version of the Scrambler 1100 in the works. Let's hope it gets those retro twin headlights and the triple tank range. So that's it for my EICMA roundup of adventure and touring bikes. As always I'd love to know which one you'd personally like to take home. The new Africa Twin looks pretty awesome to me but I'm probably most curious to try out the Panamerica to see if Harley can really make a go of it in the adventure segment. We've also got the Tiger 900 launch coming up in a few weeks which promises to be pretty epic so if you're new here and you want that kind of content hit subscribe and I'll catch you then.