I find motorcycles are akin to the culinary world in that there is a cornucopia of flavors to analyze and ponder while parked on the couch. We all have our preferences, but some flavors are more pronounced and distinctive than others — low-fat plain yogurt just doesn’t have the complexity of a Pepperoncino pepper. When it comes to unique motorcycles, the 2020 Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel leaves a lasting impression on the palate.
The V85 TT line rolls out of Moto Guzzi’s Mandello del Lario factory, on the shore of Italy’s swanky-villa spackled Lake Como, and offers an unexpected proposition: a vintage-styled ADV-Tourer from a heritage brand. With the Stelvio 1200 put out to pasture, a new ADV machine was needed in Guzzi’s ranks, and much like the combination of fried foods and ice cream, the V85 TT was something I needed in life.
Rugged new panniers, a taller windscreen, LED fog lights, heated grips, and the Moto Guzzi MIA multimedia pack round out the changes for the V85 TT Travel.
Introduced for 2020, the Travel is the third member of the V85 TT lineup and mechanically identical to its brothers. With a few tweaks to the recipe, the Travel is aimed at those looking to rack up mileage faster than a millennial’s college loan debt. Those tweaks include a windscreen with 60-percent more surface area, heated grips, LED fog lights, the Moto Guzzi MIA multimedia package, key-matched panniers and an exclusive rugged-looking colorway called Sabbia Namib. Best yet, you get all that for a $400 upcharge above the V85 TT Adventure.
Out on the road, the larger windscreen deflects much more air and reduces buffeting noticeably when behind the Guzzi’s wide handlebar. The comfy 32.7-inch saddle remains the same, and its lower height is an advantage when you need to get your boots on the ground — something that taller, more off-road focused ADV bikes don’t accommodate as easily.
The Travel’s tall windscreen displaces a serious amount of air, providing lots of wind protection, and bright LED fog lamps help illuminate your path when the sun goes down.
Powering the Goose is the 853cc transverse V-twin with all the Guzzi flavor fans adore, sans the gamey, unrefined top-end juddering of the past. In keeping with tradition, a pushrod valve train is used, while modern engine building influences are reflected in the lighter and stronger titanium intake valves, aluminum rods, updated roller tappet design, a new low-profile piston and a redesigned crankshaft. It’s a far cry from the V7 III powerplant that shares similar architecture — all the soul and none of the funk.
On the Jett Tuning Dyno, our 2020 V85 TT Adventure test bike (January 2020 and on ridermagazine.com) put out a modest 66.3 horsepower at 7,900 rpm and 48.6 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm of supremely tractable power, with buttery low and mid-range grunt that gleefully spools up on a whim. In truth, you’re best served short shifting and exploiting the punchy mid-range power.
853ccs of Guzzi flavor that offers smooth, predictable power delivery right off the line.
Between the well-spaced 6-speed gearbox’s ratios and tractability, it’s easy to put power down when exiting corners in the streets. This middleweight engine hits the sweet spot of useable grunt off-road, too, forgoing the wheel-spinning madness of larger displacement competitors.
A long 60.2-inch wheelbase and relaxed 28-degree rake make the Travel surefooted on tarmac, tipping in without effort and showing nod-worthy sport-touring prowess when the pace picks up. Suspenders are in the form of a 41mm KYB fork and cantilever shock, featuring spring preload and rebound damping adjustment. Initial settings are a bit soft and cranking them up will pay off, especially if you’re feeling invigorated. Once dialed in, the V85 TT can do some quickstepping in the canyons. Off-road, the 557-pound Guzzi asks big questions of the suspension — stick to groomed fire-roads or trails on the way to your campsite, and hopefully, a cast iron pan-fried dinner.
Comfortable ergonomics are perfect for touring and the lower seat height will help riders with shorter inseams.
On those longer rides, the robust key-matched panniers are built to take a hit and also stow away your goods. It’s far more convenient than the V85 TT Adventure, which had individual keys for each piece of luggage. At night, I was certainly glad to have the three-level heated grips to stay toasty, and the LED fog lights are a noticeable help.
The 19- and 17-inch wheels laced up with beefy Michelin Anakee Adventure tires are a good pairing, allowing you to hit groomed fire roads and rocky sections with confidence, without sacrificing on-road manners the way a 21-inch front wheel would. Though the wide front tire isn’t particularly adept in sand.
Key-matched panniers can hold a full-sized ADV lid with a little room to spare.
Radial-mount four-piston brake calipers up front grab on 320mm rotors and provide good stopping power, but require a little extra effort at the lever to get the job done quickly. A single two-piston caliper works in junction with a 260mm disc in back, with a fairly relaxed bite that prevents you from prematurely locking the rear in dirt.
A massive 6.1-gallon fuel tank gives the bike an estimated 256-mile range.
Moto Guzzi has done something special with the V85 TT line, creating a distinguished motorcycle that can do a bit of it all; commute, tour, sow wild oats in the canyons and head off for a weekend in the backcountry. The styling and experience give it an unforgettable charm and with the V85 TT Travel’s smart accessories, this model becomes the pinch of salt in the chocolate milk, elevating the whole affair.
The V85 TT platform doesn’t miss a beat when in the canyons and flexes sporting potential.
Chassis Frame: Tubular steel w/ engine as stressed member, cast aluminum swingarm Wheelbase: 60.2 in. Rake/Trail: 26 degrees/5.1 in. Seat Height: 32.7 in. Suspension, Front: 41mm USD fork, adj. for spring preload & rebound damping, 6.6-in. travel Rear: Single shock, adj. for spring preload & rebound damping, 4.0-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 320mm floating discs w/ radial 4-piston calipers & ABS Rear: Single 260mm disc w/ 2-piston floating caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Spoked tube-type, 2.50 x 19 in. Rear: Spoked tube-type, 4.25 x 17 in. Tires, Front: 110/80-VR19 Rear: 150/70-VR17 Wet Weight: 557 lbs. Load Capacity: 431 lbs. GVWR: 988 lbs.
Performance Fuel Capacity: 6.1 gals., last 1.3 gals. warning light on MPG: 90 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 36.5/46.3/42.1 Estimated Range: 256 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 3,600
The morning sun paints the Sierra Nevada, a snowcapped pink backdrop to the Alabama Hills. Action Photography by Kevin Wing. Static photography by Jenny Smith.
On the eastern edge of California’s Sierra Nevada, tucked away beneath Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental U.S., is a tiny little town called Lone Pine. Lone Pine is best known as the jumping-off point for mountaineers seeking to summit Whitney, a convenient place to freshen up and grab a hot meal for hungry Pacific Coast Trail through-hikers and a playground of outstanding bouldering for rock climbers. If you’re a film buff, you might also appreciate the area’s history as a backdrop for Hollywood movies since the 1920s, especially the Westerns of the 1950s and ’60s like “How The West Was Won,” “The Lone Ranger” and “Hell Bent For Leather.” It’s not the town of Lone Pine itself that features on the big screen, however, but rather a uniquely beautiful and photogenic geological formation that lies on the western edge of town, in the shadow of the snowcapped Sierra peaks: the Alabama Hills.
A fine way to get to Alabama Hills and enjoy them? The new 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro.
Named for, of all things, a Confederate battleship, the CSS Alabama, the Alabama Hills aren’t really hills but a series of rock outcroppings and formations that jut from the scrubby desert floor. With a little imagination, you might pick shapes like an eagle’s head or a human face out of the hoodoos. And of course, for 100 years Hollywood directors have used the Alabama Hills to stand in for locations from the Wild West to the Arabian Desert to the Himalayas. Located on U.S. Route 395, the Alabama Hills and Lone Pine are a fabulous diversion on a loop through Death Valley. Riding the short, paved loop through the area is rewarding on its own, but to fully appreciate the Hills — and to see the actual filming locations — a detour onto graded dirt is required, which made the new Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro a perfect choice for this road trip.
Despite its tall 21-inch front wheel and long-travel suspension, the Rally Pro is nimble and easy to handle in the twisties.
I was smitten with the new Tiger, especially in its off-road oriented Rally Pro guise, since my initial ride in Morocco (Rider April 2020 and on ridermagazine.com), so when our tester arrived I snatched up the keys and wouldn’t let go. I’d traveled through Lone Pine once before, but had never stopped and only had a glimpse of the Hills from a distance; this time, I was looking forward to spending more time exploring and catching a famous Alabama Hills sunrise. Unfortunately, my timing wasn’t great; temperatures were in the low 100s, and I had a lot of flat, featureless desert to cross before reaching my destination. To make things more interesting, I diverted through a giant wind farm along curving, undulating Tehachapi Willow Springs Road — it was out of my way, but broke up the otherwise straight, flat, hot ride across the Antelope Valley and Mojave Desert. One word of caution: mind your p’s and q’s on this road, as the Highway Patrol seems to keep a cruiser or two on it, trolling it for speeders.
This plaque at the entrance to Movie Flat Road gives a brief overview of the area’s history.
The Tiger 900 was just as pleasant as I remembered, its revamped in-line triple with T-plane crank and new firing order generating plenty of power with a new V-twin-like character. Fortunately, that character was limited to sound and feel; the enlarged 888cc engine has been fitted with a new balancer shaft and is just as smooth as the previous Tiger 800. At 476 pounds wet, it’s lighter than before (our 2018 Tiger 800 XCA weighed in at 505 pounds) and makes a bit more power and torque. On the Jett Tuning dyno, our 2020 Tiger 900 Rally Pro spun out 89.7 peak horsepower at 8,800 rpm and 59.4 lb-ft of torque at 7,300, compared to 84 horsepower at 9,900 rpm and 51.2 lb-ft of torque at 7,700 on our most recent Tiger 800 tester. For some riders, a liter-class or larger ADV tourer is the only way to go, but the Tiger 900 Rally Pro makes plenty of power for my needs and offers all the creature comforts a girl could want — including a heated seat (not that I needed it on this ride).
The Alabama Hills are a geographical wonder, but they’re also famous as a Hollywood filming location.
Speaking of which, though it’s clearly the more off-road worthy of the new Tiger 900 family, the Rally Pro handled the several-hours long slog through the desert heat like a champ. A new split radiator meant my left leg wasn’t roasted, a common complaint on the previous Tiger 800 models, and the windscreen — adjustable with one hand from the saddle — did a nice job of deflecting the worst of the blast-furnace air without buffeting. Slowing through small towns along the way, I dropped it to its lowest position to allow maximum flow through the vented panels in my Spidi riding suit. Sometimes even hot air feels good, as long as it’s moving.
Overnight duffel strapped to the rear rack, Tiger and I paused at the Tehachapi wind farm for a photo op and a cool drink.
Another key improvement over the previous off-road Tiger 800s are the new tubeless spoked rims — still a ready-for-anything 21-incher up front (the base model Tiger 900 and the Tiger 900 GT and GT Pro have tubeless cast wheels with a 19-inch front). While it’s taller and longer (thanks to longer-travel suspension and the larger front wheel) and has plush suspension well suited for gnarly terrain, the Rally Pro is easy to handle and flicks through corners with ease and very little drama.
With a table-flat torque curve and a larger, more powerful engine, the new Tiger 900 is more fun than ever.
I tackled some legitimately “adventurous” sections on my first ride in Morocco, but this trip was more about the scenery and history, accessed via graded, occasionally sandy and often washboard dirt roads. After a pause at the (temporarily closed, thanks to the pandemic) Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, where I had to settle for a selfie outside the locked, theater-marquee style front doors, I checked into my hotel room, dropped off some stuff to lighten my load and headed for the Hills.
The Rally Pro is ready and willing to explore dirt roads, with an Off-Road Pro riding mode that’s nicely dialed-in for maximum confidence and control.
In “normal” times, riders will want to grab a free map from the museum before exploring. The map highlights some of the more famous filming locations, everything from old Westerns to modern movies like “Gladiator” and “Iron Man,” along with how to access them. Since these are not normal times (or maybe it’s just the new normal), I had to do my own research on the Internet before leaving home. After a leisurely putt around the paved loop road, I returned to the turnoff for the dirt Movie Flat Road, also known simply as Movie Road, along which are the Alabama Hills’ famous arches, eerie formations and hoodoos—and, of course, Hollywood movie locations. A street bike, ridden carefully and with an eye out for surprise sand drifts and washboard, can easily handle the early section of Movie Flat Road, where almost all of the interesting waypoints are located. On the Rally Pro, it was child’s play. Standing on the pegs, right hand lightly gripping the throttle, the Tiger and I floated over the washboard and tracked confidently through the shallow sandy areas. The traction control wasn’t intrusive, but I still toggled through the various settings, including Off-Road Pro, which disables ABS and traction control entirely and uses a dedicated off-road throttle map. Not surprisingly, I was happiest with this mode on Movie Flat Road, feeling the most direct connection with the bike and any tiny wiggles it passed up to me.
The hoodoos of the Alabama Hills peer down at the resting Tiger.
I put the seat into its taller 34.2-inch position to achieve the most open knee bend for the four-plus hour highway ride, despite the fact that it put me on my toes at a stop. But another tradeoff for choosing my parking spots carefully (mind the slope!) was an ability to transition easily from sitting to standing as I meandered through the hoodoos, occasionally turning off onto a rockier, rutted jeep trail to get to a particularly interesting formation. I also appreciated the new, larger 7-inch full-color TFT display, which includes Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, GPS and/or GoPro on the GT Pro and Rally Pro. My only complaint is that the tachometer is difficult to read, but otherwise all pertinent information, including range to empty (we averaged 50.3 miles from the 5.3-gallon tank) and the tire pressure monitoring system, are easy to find and see.
South of Lone Pine, along U.S. Route 395, is a fossilized waterfall. Tens of thousands of years of rushing water wore this volcanic rock smooth; when the Owens Valley was drained to divert water to Los Angeles, this “fossil” is all that remained.
The next morning, after enjoying a beautiful pink sunrise, snapping a few photos and recording some brief riding impressions on video, it was time to point my front wheel south and toward home—but not before stopping at the Alabama Hills Café and Bakery for one of their massive omelets (did I mention the hordes of hungry through-hikers that pass through town?). Feeling at least several pounds heavier than when I woke up that morning, I wondered if the Tiger would notice my big breakfast. Probably not; its preload- and rebound-damping adjustable Showa rear shock sports 9.1 inches of plush, compliant travel, and its 45mm fully adjustable Showa fork a frost-heave eating 9.4 inches. It functioned just as well as I remembered from our rollicking ride in Morocco, tuned just how I like it: on the softer side for low-speed damping and quick to respond when the pace picks up. It still feels distinctly like an ADV bike, especially when ridden back-to-back with a more street-oriented machine, but the tradeoff is not so great that I felt robbed of my ability to enjoy a twisty road.
You remember that tacos are a favorite road food of the Rider staff, right?
At any rate, I suspect that a rider looking for something to challenge sportbike riders in the canyons might pass up the Tiger 900, even in GT/GT Pro form, for something sportier. But if your ideal adventure tourer can carry you and your gear comfortably through hours and hours of monotony in inclement weather, then handle the tough stuff with enough competency to allow you to enjoy the ride — and the scenery — then you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t at least consider the Rally Pro.
Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc. has announced that the Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR will be coming to the US. The 701 Enduro LR is identical to the 701 Enduro, but features an extended 6.6-gallon fuel tank aimed at off-road riders looking to tackle greater mileage. MSRP in the United States is set at $12,499.
From Press Release:
Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 701 Enduro LR, the new long range enduro machine for riders wanting to travel further. Offering additional touring capabilities, thanks to its increased fuel capacity of 6.6 gallons, the 701 Enduro LR features the same advanced electronics as the highly popular 701 Enduro.
Bred from Husqvarna Motorcycles’ 701 Enduro, the brand new 701 Enduro LR provides astounding power-to-weight performance, a Ride-by-Wire throttle system and carefully engineered ergonomics. With its fully integrated 6.6-gallon fuel tanks, it is the perfect machine for extended, adrenaline-filled on-road or offroad adventures, allowing incredible range between fuel stops.
The renowned, torquey, single-cylinder 692.7 cc engine offers a perfectly linear power delivery in all riding conditions. Fitted with cornering ABS, lean angle sensitive Traction Control, switchable Ride Modes and Easy Shift as standard, the 701 Enduro LR is capable of serious adventure riding and long-distance touring.
Extremely well-balanced and delivering impressive agility and handling, the 701 Enduro LR comes fitted with fully-adjustable 48 mm WP XPLOR upside-down forks and a WP XPLOR rear shock, offering 250 mm of wheel travel and excellent all-terrain capabilities.
The 701 Enduro LR comes with its own unique new graphics. Strikingly individual, it features progressive colors that guarantee they stand out in style.
Switchable Ride Modes – change power characteristics while riding
Bosch cornering ABS – lean angle specific braking technology
Easy Shift function – seamless up- and down shifting for a smoother ride
Lean-angle sensitive Motorcycle Traction Control – perfect rear wheel traction
Chromium-molybdenum steel trellis frame – amazing agility and stability
Aluminum swingarm – extremely low weight for maximum traction and stability
Polyamide rear subframe with integrated fuel tank – high-tech, single-piece construction
Ensuring all 701 Enduro LR riders are fully prepared for their next adventure, the Functional Clothing Offroad 2020 collection offers high-quality items that guarantee protection, all-around functionality and comfort. Husqvarna Motorcycles also offers an extensive lineup of Accessories – high-quality items that add additional protection, durability and style to all 701 Enduro LR machines.
The 2020 701 Enduro LR will be available at authorized Husqvarna Motorcycles Dealers beginning fall of 2020. For all details on pricing and availability please refer to the Husqvarna Motorcycles website: www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/en-us.
The venerable V-Strom hasn’t changed much in its nearly two-decade history, which is testament to the fact that Suzuki pretty much got it right back in 2002, when it became the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the large-displacement ADV market in the U.S. The 2002 DL1000 V-Strom was powered by a proven 90-degree twin with a superbike pedigree and had tallish suspension, a 19-inch front wheel and the user friendliness and reliability that might’ve been lacking in its contemporaries. This Goldilocks adventure tourer helped define the niche and quite possibly aided its explosion into mainstream popularity; almost 20 years later, the ADV segment is booming, with even Harley-Davidson acknowledging the fact with an adventure bike prototype of its own.
We’re big fans of the V-Stroms here at Rider, both the 650 and 1,000cc variations. The larger version especially checks all the ADV touring boxes—plenty of power, bulletproof reliability (and a large dealer network just in case), ample luggage-carrying capacity, tons of aftermarket farkles and the ability to comfortably carry a rider (and passenger) over vast distances and terrain ranging from smooth pavement to dirt or gravel forest roads. If you want something more off-road oriented there are better choices, but for the vast majority of adventure riders the V-Strom is an ideal mount.
Giant Sequoia National Forest is home to some of the largest trees on earth. We packed up our V-Strom 1050XT with camping gear and hit the road to pay a visit to these amazing redwoods.
Most of the model’s updates and changes over the last 18 years have focused on technology and performance, and this last one was a doozy. For 2020, the V-Strom 1050 gets a new throttle-by-wire system with three ride modes, updated traction control and—on the mid-level XT and top-of-the-line XT Adventure versions—the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS), with a 6-axis IMU, cruise control, cornering/combined ABS, hill hold control and slope/load-dependent braking. Despite the nomenclature change, engine displacement is actually the same as before (1,037cc), though it is now Euro 5 compliant—quite an accomplishment considering it’s based on a design first used in 1990s-era TL1000S/R sportbikes. Peak horsepower is up, with the Jett Tuning dyno registering 96.3 at 8,500 rpm (compared to 91.8 at 9,100 on our 2018 test bike), and peak torque is unchanged with 66.1 lb-ft at 6,300 rpm (compared to 66.2 at 3,900). The fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork and rebound- and remote preload-adjustable rear shock, both with 6.3 inches of travel, are unchanged except for minor spring and damping rate adjustments. Rounding out the updates, of course, is the total styling redesign by Ichiro Miyata, the designer of the 1980s DR-Big dual-sport that was the inspiration for the new Strom’s throwback style. (You can get more details about the updates for the 2020 V-Strom 1050 in the April 2020 issue, or in our 2020 V-Strom 1050XT First Ride Review.)
We knew we wanted to snag a test bike and hit the road for some much-needed throttle therapy, and as we noted in the Ridden & Rated review referenced above, we knew we had to have one of the two awesome retro color schemes. This meant getting an XT—the base model only comes in Glass Sparkle Black/Solid Iron Gray. The XT Adventure, which is an XT with hard aluminum panniers and heated grips, only comes in Glass Sparkle Black. Being June, the heated grips weren’t a problem, but we definitely needed luggage. The Adventure’s panniers will bolt right onto the XT, but because of COVID-related delays we weren’t able to get a set in time, so we dropped on Suzuki’s standard plastic side cases, strapped a Nelson-Rigg waterproof duffel to the rear rack and called it good. Now…where to go?
Compliant suspension and smooth throttle response (in B and C modes) make the 566-pound Strom easy to handle in the dirt.
Ever since a 2017 visit to Sequoia National Forest was squelched due to a wildfire, I’ve been dying to ride there and see the famous trees. A member of the redwood family, giant sequoias are the most massive individual trees on earth, and are among the oldest living organisms—the oldest giant sequoia is around 3,200 years old. They grow to an average height of 164 to 279 feet, with trunks that range from 20 to 26 feet in diameter. Unlike their coast redwood cousins, giant sequoias have a very limited natural range, a strip along California’s Western Sierra Nevada just 20 miles wide by about 270 miles long. To stand in their presence is to appreciate the power of nature, incapable of feeling anything other than awe and humility among the towering giants.
Campgrounds were just starting to reopen when I planned the trip, so I snapped up a reserved tent site in the Sequoia National Forest at Redwood Meadow Campground, which is adjacent to the Trail of a Hundred Giants. This paved walking path meanders through a grove of giant sequoias, with interpretive signs and several benches where you can sit and bask in the dappled sunlight beneath 2,000-year-old trees. A bit farther north are Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and past those lies Yosemite National Park, making this a good southern starting point for Sierra Nevada exploration. Unfortunately, my time was limited so I focused on achieving my objective—visiting the sequoias—and enjoying the ride there and back on the new V-Strom 1050XT.
The first couple of hours were spent just getting away from the Los Angeles metro sprawl and then across the hot, dusty Central Valley, giving me a great opportunity to assess the Strom’s comfort and wind protection. I left the seat in the higher position (34.3/33.5 inches) because my long legs appreciated the more relaxed knee bend (although it was still noticeably tighter than the Tiger 900 Rally Pro I’d just tour tested a few days prior). I started with the windscreen near the top of its adjustment range but was experiencing some buffeting; by the end of the trip I found that the middle was the sweet spot for me—fairly clean air, and just enough across the top of my helmet to keep it flowing through the vents. Unfortunately, adjustments are a bit of a pain because the lever locking the screen into place is located on the front, directly above the headlight. So not only must you stop the bike, you must also dismount and walk to the front in order to adjust the screen up and down. Despite the long bar end weights, I was feeling a considerable amount of vibration in the grips and was grateful for the new cruise control. However, the cruise control set/resume/speed up/down buttons on the left switchgear are the same ones used to scroll through some of the information available on the LCD instrument, so you won’t be able to view important info like fuel range unless you already have it on the screen when you turn on the cruise. Speaking of the LCD, it includes a lot of useful info but is dark, crowded with tiny letters and numbers, and susceptible to glare, all of which can make it tough to read at a glance. That said, I did find it easy to navigate through the various SDMS (throttle response) modes and ABS and traction control settings. The new, wider footpegs have thick rubber inserts that dampen vibes and are quite comfortable when standing up off-road, but it was a nagging annoyance that they tended to catch my riding pants whenever I’d put my feet down.
As nitpicks went, that was it. Turning onto twisty, bumpy, beautiful Caliente Bodfish Road, I knew I was in the Strom’s element. It’s long and low but tips into corners on its street-oriented Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 tires with ease, compliant suspension soaking up the many pavement irregularities on this barely two-lane mountain road. Suspension can be a sore point for me, with less-expensive non-adjustable setups almost always set too stiffly for a rider of my size, and even some adjustable units can be tough to properly dial in. But the V-Strom 1050XT was a pleasure, and on the occasions when I ventured off-pavement in search of a nice view it didn’t bounce me around and made it easy to maintain balance and throttle control.
Traffic jam, mountain-style.
The new ride modes are well-sorted, with three choices, A, B and C. I found A mode to be too abrupt for my personal taste, and C is rather mellow, best for rainy or slick conditions. Whether on-road or off, I preferred B mode and its natural feel, with no on/off hiccups and linear response. The engine has plenty of mid- and higher-range get-up-and-go and is geared rather tall, which put me in the unexpected (for a V-twin) position of having to shift a fair amount on tighter, more technical roads. Third gear, for example, will easily carry 50 mph, and I didn’t need sixth until well past 70. Even so, there’s enough torque on tap to pull you out of a tight corner if you’re feeling lazy—or don’t have a sporty friend you’re trying to keep up with. And if you’re feeling your oats and spur the big Strom to a faster pace, its user-friendly character really starts to shine. It’s stable and responsive, the throttle, chassis, engine and suspension working together to create a drama-free, just-enjoy-the-ride experience, and the radially mounted Tokico 4-piston front calipers and Nissin single-piston rear caliper provide plenty of peace of mind. As we noted in our initial review, the brakes have good initial bite and feel but then go a bit vague, though actual performance doesn’t fade. Befitting the V-Strom’s more street-oriented adventure personality, the cornering/combined ABS has two modes for more/less intervention, but it cannot be disabled.
Climbing out of the little town of Kernville, southern gateway to the Western Sierra, the temperature gauge on the LCD started dropping from its high of 102 to the mid-80s, and at a photo stop along the beautiful Kern River, famed for its rafting and fly fishing opportunities, I dropped the windscreen into its lowest position to best take advantage of the cooler mountain air. Mountain Highway 99 follows the river upstream before making a turn to the west and continuing to climb deeper into the Sequoia National Forest, past the granite dome of Capitol Rock and the tiny private community of Johnsondale. After Johnsondale, the road changes names to Mountain Highway 50 and continues climbing; my temperature gauge moved in direct opposition to the altitude, dropping into the 70s, and the air was now scented with cedar and pine. Roughly 10 miles later, a well-marked right turn at a four-way stop onto Mountain Highway 90, a.k.a. the Great Western Divide Highway, leads to the Redwood Meadow Campground, my stopping point for the night.
Smooth curves are a delight, but it’s on the gnarly, bumpy stuff that the V-Strom shines, its 6.3 inches of suspension soaking it all up for a comfortable ride.
After setting up camp and emptying my side cases, I backtracked to the store in Johnsondale for provisions—water, snacks and a sandwich for dinner. I’d strapped my stretchy cargo net across the Strom’s pillion seat and rear rack—there are plenty of tie-down points and hooks—expecting to buy some firewood as well, but as it turned out the Forest Service was doing some dead fuel clearing so I relieved one pile of a few smaller, conveniently-cut logs and foraged around my campsite for starter wood. Provisions and firewood unloaded from my trusty steed, it was time to stretch my legs with a stroll on the Trail of a Hundred Giants, finally getting my chance to see these magnificent trees in person.
The next morning, after an a surprise delay caused by a cattle drive—complete with seven cowboys and four dogs helping the mooing bovines along—I backtracked down the mountain, now watching the temperature go up as the altitude dropped, and aimed my front wheel toward home. The V-Strom 1050XT had proven it’s still one of the best adventure touring values out there, with technological improvements that keep it on par with its competition, a retro-cool new look and the same mix of friendly personality and performance that’s made it a stalwart favorite for the last 20 years.
The V-Strom 1050XT comes with engine guards but no skid plate. Below:
Story by Clement Salvadori. Photos by Dick Tatlock.
We Americans don’t often think of motorcycles as being purely utilitarian, since we use them mostly for traveling to interesting places, sporting along back roads and maybe a bit of backwoods exploring. But Honda figured there could be a market for this eminently efficient little go-anywhere 125, rigged to do all sorts of jobs around the farm or on the ranch. Back when horses were considered the standard get-around vehicle, roads and tracks were often narrow and twisty, prone to getting muddy after a rain, and that darned critter had to be fed even when it wasn’t being ridden.
Honda first used the CT designation in 1964, for the CT200, a high-piped explorer bike with a single seat. And a 90cc engine; obviously some marketing type felt the 200 number would sell more bikes than the diminutive 90. By 1966 Honda understood that buyers appreciated a more honest designation and changed the alpha-numerology to CT90. The T stood for Trail, as in a machine that was capable of following rustic paths through the woods, perhaps leading to wondrous adventures.
Then in 1971 Honda introduced a little 122cc OHC single-cylinder engine with a one-piece cylinder head in the SL125 Motorsport model, later used in the TL125 Trials version and a few months later in the XL125 dual-purpose bike. For 1976 this engine was modified slightly, with a two-piece head and the cubic capacity increased to 124cc.
After the XL125 was introduced, the Australian importers decided there could be a more useful purpose to this machine. First, they made the saddle more comfortable, since riders might have to spend a long time on the bike. And the saddle was for just one person, backed up by a big luggage rack good for carrying lots of stuff, from sacks of grain to sick lambs. Sheep stations in Australia often ran to thousands of acres, and here in Texas we had the King Ranch. A smaller front wheel was preferable for handling, and the CT got a 19 incher rather than 21 on the XL. The first three gears in the transmission were lowered for more plunking power. The original CT125 frame had a geometry that was similar to the Trials bikes, useful in the rough but not on the road; that was changed in 1976 to improve rideablity.
American Honda decided to import this model for 1977. That piqued the interest of someone in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which ordered a bunch—how many appears to be unknown. Apparently the government soon lost interest, and American motorcyclists were equally disinterested. Honda had to get rid of its stock, so dealers who wanted Gold Wings and CB750s and XL350s had to buy some of these. Besides Honda’s official “Motorcycle Identification Guide 1959- 2000,” the only mention of the CT125 that I could find was in a 12-page color ad in the February 1977 issue of “Cycle” magazine describing many of Honda’s 34 models that were available that year, including the three-wheeled ATC 90. Rather than being touted as a useful working vehicle for farm or ranch, the CT was described as being a pleasant little adventure bike good for traipsing off the roads.
Its engine had a bore of 56mm, stroke 49mm, with a chain-driven overhead camshaft. A single Keihin carburetor fed the engine from the 1.6-gallon tank, while a trochoid pump circulated 1.6 quarts of oil through the engine and transmission. Compression ratio on the XL was a hefty 9.4:1, while on the CT it was lowered to a modest 8:1, considering the engine would probably spend a lot of time idling. The Australian model actually had a clutch that could be locked in disengagement while in gear, perhaps useful for opening and closing gates without having to fumble for neutral. Apparently U.S. laws were not happy with that notion and the device did not appear on the version sold here.
Power went back via helical gearing to a wet multi-plate clutch, then through five gears, and onto the 14-tooth front sprocket that was connected to the big 52-toother at the rear wheel. And the chain was fully enclosed, which meant it rarely needed adjustment. A tubular steel frame cradled the engine, with an inverted (upsidedown) oil-damped telescopic fork up front having 4.5 inches of travel. A pair of oil-damped shock absorbers at the back had 2.5 inches of movement. Small single-leading-shoe drum brakes were on both wheels, good for stopping in the rough, and capable on paved roads since the bike had a top speed of less than 60 mph. A modest 51 inches connected the two axles.
The single seat was 32 inches above the ground and quite comfortable, the only distraction being the 80-mph speedometer, with turn signal, high beam and neutral indicator lights. Wide handlebars had brush protectors to keep vegetation from beating on the rider’s hands. The crankcase itself had a long steel loop protecting it on both sides, as well as a bash plate underneath. An interesting addition were the big mud flaps on the back of both fenders, a sure indication that this Honda was expected to go to very muddy places. At the back of the left side of the swingarm, close to the shock, was a small handle bolted securely in place. Now, this could be used for dragging a deer out of the woods, or more likely it was a handhold for when the rear wheel was properly stuck in the mud and needed to be lifted out. With gas in the tank, the bike’s weight was only 250 pounds.
Worldwide, the CT125 was on the market from 1975 to 1985, but in the U.S. it was one year only. Farmers and ranchers appeared much more interested in the ATC 90 than in this two-wheeler. And sporty types opted for the XL125.
For 2020 both the Africa Twin and Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES offer more power and better handling, with a larger parallel twin-cylinder engine carried in a lighter, stiffer chassis. The Adventure Sports ES adds a barrel-full of adventure-touring features such as electronic semi-dynamic suspension, spoked tubeless wheels and tires, cruise control, a larger 6.5-gallon tank and more.
Honda’s CRF1000L Africa Twin was a little late to the adventure-bike party when it was introduced for 2016, but the bike immediately established itself as a solid performing, less-expensive (and often lighter) alternative to the dominant European liter-class ADVs. Nine inches of suspension travel at each end, good ground clearance and 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels gave the bike notably good off-road handling for a 500-pound motorcycle, and it offered enough on-road manners for light sport-adventure riding and touring, too. The availability of a DCT version with automatic transmission expanded the bike’s customer base (about 37% are purchased with DCT), and some found DCT made the bike easier to ride off-road. For 2018 Honda added long-range “Adventure Sports” DCT and manual models with a larger fuel tank and more suspension travel, made minor engine changes to both to beef up midrange power and gave them throttle-by-wire. Today Honda says it has sold 87,000 units worldwide and that the Africa Twin is now the #2 best-selling liter-class adventure bike.
Despite its success, there was still room for improvement to the 2019 Africa Twin and Adventure Sports models in both directions—on-road and off. Off-road-oriented riders wanted less weight, and street and touring riders objected to the tall seat height, tube-type wheels and tires and lack of cruise control, particularly on the Sports. More power would be a plus for both camps. So for 2020 Honda has enhanced the sportiness and off-road performance of the Africa Twin, and increased the long-haul capability of the Sports, starting with a larger, more powerful engine.
Long-distance on- and off-road riders will appreciate the Adventure Sports ES model’s 2-inch lower seat, especially when riding two-up. Honda also offers a 1-inch lower seat as an accessory.
Lengthening the stroke 6.5mm in the AT’s liquid-cooled parallel twin has brought displacement up to 1,084cc from 998cc, which contributes to a claimed 6% power increase along with revised valve timing and larger throttle bodies. On the Jett Tuning dyno the new mill pumped out 92 horsepower at 7,600 rpm (redline is 8,000) at the rear wheel and 69.5 lb-ft of torque at 6,300, an improvement that is quite noticeable throughout the powerband and really helps when you’re riding with a passenger and a full load. At the same time the engine is smoother now, and there’s less of the airbox noise that some found bothersome. Engine weight is down about 5 pounds thanks to new aluminum cylinder sleeves and revised counterbalancer gears, and both transmissions received numerous changes for more strength, a lighter clutch lever feel in the manual transmission and cornering detection via the new IMU in the DCT automatic.
In place of the former pressed-steel unit, a lighter new high-strength steel frame has been engineered for better front-end and rear tire feel and improved handling under braking. The CRF450R-inspired aluminum swingarm is stiffer and shaves weight, and the rear subframe has 40mm narrower seat rails (so the seat is narrower too) and is a lighter bolt-on aluminum piece now versus welded-on steel, which also makes it replaceable if it gets tweaked in an accident.
Since both AT models share the same engine and the unique changes to the Africa Twin mostly involved slimming the bodywork and removing the rear rack to save weight, here we’re focused on the new Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES, which has been given the full long-distance ADV bike treatment. Highlights include Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (EERA) semi-dynamic suspension, new tubeless spoked wheels and tires, cruise control and a nearly 2-inch-lower adjustable seat (now comparable in height to the Africa Twin’s). Heated grips, a larger skid plate, aluminum rear rack and a 12-volt outlet are standard on the ES as well. With my 29-inch inseam I couldn’t even touch the ground on the previous Adventure Sports; now I can get the balls of both feet down and plant one foot solidly at stops. Cruise control and tubeless tires will be game changers for the Africa Twin line, too, since many riders consider them mandatory for any kind of touring machine.
In addition to informing the suspension, traction control and ABS, the Africa Twins’ new 6-axis IMU informs its new 3-stage LED cornering lights, which make a noticeable difference in bends at night.
The new Africa Twins share a vastly expanded electronics package with a new Bosch 6-axis IMU enabling all sorts of fun stuff. Engine braking control returns and the range of intervention for the 7-level HSTC, or traction control, has been expanded. New interventions include cornering and off-road ABS, rear lift control and 3-level wheelie control. The IMU also informs new cornering lights up front on the Sports ES, and can make changes to the damping in its new semi-dynamic electronic suspension. Four of the ride modes—Tour, Urban, Gravel and Off-Road—set the power output, engine braking and ABS to preset levels for those conditions, and two User ride modes allow the rider to create custom presets—you could create one for sport riding and one for off-road, for example, customized for your skill level or load. Wheelie and traction control and suspension preload are adjusted independently in all six modes, using either the button-heavy switch cluster on the left bar or the touchscreen at a stop.
Just to keep it interesting, three different display modes for the beautiful new 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen allow you to see varying amounts of information, from everything to just the basics. Smartphone and GPS connectivity is included, and it’s also Apple CarPlay compatible like the Honda Gold Wing—as long as you have a Bluetooth helmet headset and your iPhone is connected to the bike’s USB port, CarPlay allows you to do more on the fly rather than stopped since you can use Siri to get directions, play music, etc. Overall the media options are very comprehensive, and CarPlay puts it over the top.
Underneath the bright 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen is a small LCD display that keeps a speedometer and gear indicator in view while using CarPlay.
As the owner of a 2018 Africa Twin, I’m not ready to kick sand on my bike just yet, but the new models have made a huge leap forward in just two years. Now that the seat on the Adventure Sports ES is low enough for me, its 6.5-gallon tank—good for more than 300 miles of range from regular gas—is a real attraction, and its tubeless tires mean not having to carry or deal with tube-type tire changing tools on a serious backroads ride. The ES has a larger fairing, tall adjustable windscreen and hand guards that provide substantial lower and upper body wind protection, and its load capacity is quite good at a measured 443 pounds as tested, or 466 after subtracting the weight of the Honda accessory aluminum panniers that we installed. These 37- and 33-liter quick-release bags are quite rugged, versatile and very easy to install, and with mounts the pair weighs 35 pounds total. They are on the pricy side and can’t be left unlocked, a minor inconvenience if you key them the same as the ignition. Now that it has tubeless tires, the accessory centerstand isn’t as vital, but I would still add it for chain maintenance at least.
Most riders will love the ES model’s Showa EERA suspension, which constantly adjusts for conditions in real time and offers 4-level preload adjustment at a stop and four overall damping modes, Hard, Middle, Soft and Off-Road. These can be changed on the fly by changing preset ride modes, and customized in the two user modes. Off-Road is intentionally on the soft side, but firms up quickly based on the suspension stroke speed over bumps and ruts. Since the bike’s fixed spring rates determine its suspension baseline, as is often the case among the larger ADVs, the EERA’s rates are on the soft side for comfort on-road and a moderate pace off-road. That’s a good thing for most solo riders, since you can just raise the spring preload and firm up the damping to compensate for a faster pace on some gnarly dirt. Two-up and fully loaded adventurers, on the other hand—depending upon how close to the load capacity they get—may find the bike needs more spring at both ends for sport and off-road riding. Overall, though, the system works impressively well.
A taller adjustable windscreen and wider fairing increase wind protection on the Adventure Sport ES, and its larger skid plate protects more of the engine’s tender bits.
With the suspension firmed up and a twisting road unfolding in front of you, the Africa Twin clearly handles more sharply than before, with less fork dive under braking, neutral, effortless steering and good grip from it stock 90/10 Bridgestone Battlax A41 tires. Braking up front has a soft initial bite—presumably for dirt riding—that gets stronger as you apply more effort, and the rear brake has a strong, linear feel. In Off-Road mode the ABS adjusts for loose surfaces front and rear, and it can also be turned off in back.
Passenger comfort is pretty good on the ES, with a wide flat seat and easy-to-reach grabrails on the large rear rack, which is ready for an accessory top case and backrest. For easier stand-up riding the Adventure Sports formerly came with a higher handlebar than the base Africa Twin, and now its bar is about an inch higher as well, so the bikes share both handlebar and seat heights. The overall position is pretty comfortable for long rides, particularly since taller riders can raise the seat, and the bar can still be rotated back for road riding. Serrated footpegs have rubber inserts for comfort on-road and I didn’t notice any vibration in the seat, grips or footpegs.
When you consider that this is only the Africa Twin line’s fifth model year, it’s pretty remarkable how much the base bike has been refined in such a short time, and that both actually weigh less and make more power than last year. With more separation between the versions—one for sport riding and ADV terrain and the Adventure Sports ES for long hauls and dirt roads—we really do get the best of both worlds.
Dirt bikes like Yamaha’s 2020 WR250F (left) are light, fast and incredibly nimble off-road, but with no license plate to appease the authorities, first you have to get it there somehow. A good alternative is a lightweight dual-sport like the Yamaha WR250R (right), which harnesses much of the F’s ability in a less-expensive package…and it’s street legal.
Life is so simple when you’re young. As teens and 20-somethings we thought nothing of loading up our dirt bikes, gas cans, firewood, chili, beer, chips and more beer in the ol’ pickup truck and heading out to ride in the desert and OHV parks, sometimes for days. Sleep usually came in a camp chair by the dwindling fire, or in the back of the truck. It was all about the riding, and après riding, so all of the effort and time involved just getting there went unnoticed.
Dirt bike riding and ownership is definitely more complicated than living with a street-legal bike, however, and that complication creates inertia that can be hard to overcome when you get older and busier and are dealing with, say, kids, a job and a mortgage. Off-road riding is fun, exciting, challenging and helps build skills you can use on the street, but since the bike can only be ridden off-road in designated areas, first you have to get it there. That requires a truck or tow vehicle and trailer of some sort, ramps to load the bike in the truck, tie-downs to secure it and the skill and ability to do all of that in the first place. Add to that loading up all of your riding gear, water, food, sunblock and first aid kit and you’re good to go…after about an hour’s worth of effort.
The extra weight on the typical dual-sport versus a dirt bike comes from the addition of DOT-approved lighting, wheels, tires, emissions equipment and more, but the weight difference has been narrowing in recent years.
Once you arrive at the riding area—from my house the closest is about an hour’s drive—then it’s time to unload everything, gear up and go riding. Which is heaven! Once you acquire some basic off-road riding skills, either on your own, by riding with friends or at a training school, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of exploring single-track trails, conquering hill climbs, sand washes and desert moguls or dark forest paths between trees. Dirt bikes are light and have big power-to-weight ratios, so just twisting the throttle on one and shooting down a dirt road is a major rush. And once you learn how, many of the hooligan antics—wheelies, sliding, burnouts, etc.—that would land you in jail on the street are par for the course off-road.
Tired and had enough riding for the day? OK, load it all up once again, and unload one more time when you get home. Wash the bike, drain its carburetor if it has one (and the bike will sit for a while until the next ride), get cleaned up and collapse on the couch. Sound fun? It really is, particularly if the type of off-road riding you do and your skill level really warrant a non-street-legal dirt bike. The 2020 Yamaha WR250F we sampled for this story, for example, weighs just 255 pounds gassed up and has fully adjustable suspension with more than 12 inches of travel at each end. Its liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC 4-valve, 4-stroke single revs briskly and makes whopping torque and top end power, fed through a wide-ratio (hence the WR) transmission that’s good for slow technical trails, flat-out flying and everything in between. Lights and an electric starter round out a mission-critical package that can tackle just about anything off-road.
Dirt bikes can still eat a dual-sport for lunch off-road, except when it comes to the amount of time, effort and expense getting there.
But what if you just want to do some off-road exploring, perhaps at a mellower pace, and have no interest in all of the additional expense and logistical hassle of getting you and a dirt bike out to a riding area? Adventure bikes are all the rage these days and can handle some off-road riding, but they’re expensive and most of us don’t have the skills to pilot a 500-plus-pound behemoth down much more than a dirt fire road. Even the smaller KTM 390 Adventure tested in this issue weighs 387 pounds wet—that’s like adding a passenger to the weight of the typical dirt bike.
If your off-road forays are not too far away—or even if they are and you’re OK taking frequent breaks along the way—a good alternative to truck ownership or big ADV machines is a light single-cylinder dual-sport bike. For the least weight and most performance, the European makers like KTM and Husqvarna offer some very serious (and expensive) lightweight dual-sports. But all of the Japanese manufacturers also sell less expensive models in displacements from 200 to 650cc. The 250s run from just 296 to about 321 pounds and still make enough power for riders (who aren’t exceptionally large) to not only tackle a lot of the same terrain dirt bikes can—at a slower pace—but they can also be ridden to the trailhead from home, skipping the whole load/unload/repeat process. More dirt is open to a dual-sport as well, since unlike a dirt bike it has a license plate and is legal on the thousands of miles of unpaved public roads that connect, for example, ghost towns in Nevada and the national forests in Tennessee.
The uniform for dirt riding is generally a little lighter-weight and cooler on the outside due to the extra exertion involved, but I’m protected underneath with an armored shirt, shorts and Fly Racing Pivot knee guards. Goggles keep out dust better than a face shield.
The 2020 Yamaha WR250R we sampled for this story shares much of its WR250F sibling’s DNA, but has far fewer unobtanium bits for racing so it costs $1,900 less. Yet at 296 pounds gassed up, it’s still the lightest of the affordable Japanese 200/250 dual-sports. The WR250R’s liquid-cooled single is based on the F’s 250cc race-ready enduro motor and shares the same bore and stroke, but among other changes has lower compression and mellower cam profiles for more street tractability. Seat height is still quite tall at 36.6 inches, but that’s an inch lower than the F’s, and the R still soaks up the bumps with 10.6 inches of fully adjustable suspension travel at each end. And it averages 61 mpg!
The WR-R’s design can’t take the pounding that its tougher enduro-inspired sibling can, but unlike many dual-sports it was built more for off-road than road, so you can tackle some pretty gnarly single-track terrain, ruts, rocks and jumps if it’s not too heavily loaded. The trade-off, of course, is its lower level of on-road comfort. Though it’s surprisingly smooth at highway speed and cruises right along at 65-70 mph without the engine feeling like it’s going to blow up, the seat is tall, narrow and hard, and the bike can get blown around in high winds. I have no problem riding it on the highway for a couple hours at a stretch before I need a break, though, and the aftermarket offers more comfortable seats, soft luggage (see the review on page 62) and suspension lowering kits as well as lots of bolt-ons to upgrade its off-road chops. Gearing can be easily raised or lowered depending upon how much off-road riding you actually end up doing, and the suspension beefed up as needed.
The uniform for dirt riding is generally a little lighter-weight and cooler on the outside due to the extra exertion involved, but I’m protected underneath with an armored shirt, shorts and Fly Racing Pivot knee guards. Goggles keep out dust better than a face shield.
Thirty years ago, I would have chosen a dirt bike every time for any kind of off-road riding. Today convenience and cost are more important than speed and ultimate capability, which makes a bike like the WR250R dual-sport the obvious choice.
From their appearances alone it’s easy to see why the WR250F (right) is the superior machine for off-road riding. But the WR250R can follow it nearly anywhere at a slower pace, and keep going when the road requires a license plate.
Mark’s Gear (WR250F): Helmet: Fly Racing Formula Vector Goggles: Fly Racing Zone Pro Jersey: Fly Racing Kinetic K120 Pants: Fly Racing Evolution Boots: Fly Racing FR5
The last MT-07 we tested delivered 57.6 average mpg, which would make the T7’s 4.2-gallon tank good for more than 240 miles. If you can tame your right wrist, that is. Photos by Brian J. Nelson.
As the ADV market has been trending toward middleweight machines, perhaps the most anticipated new bike after KTM’s 790 Adventure is Yamaha’s 2021 Ténéré 700, based on the compact and torque-rich Crossplane parallel twin from the MT-07. After being teased since late 2016 with action-packed videos featuring aggressive Dakar-style riding sequences, the Ténéré 700, or T7, is finally here and it’s not nearly as hardcore as the prototype. But that’s OK, because most of us can’t ride like 6-time Yamaha Dakar Champion Stephane Peterhansel through the dunes of Africa.
A quick glance at Yamaha’s lineup reveals a gap in its street-legal but dirt-worthy lineup between the WR250R and the Super Ténéré T12, and there is plenty of room for another player in the middleweight ADV segment currently occupied by BMW, KTM and Triumph. Most manufacturers have fully embraced the electronic aids arms race, with riding modes, IMU’s, ride-by-wire throttle, traction control, wheelie control, lean angle specific ABS, electronic suspension, color TFT dashes and more, which begs the question: how many rider aids do you need or are you willing to pay for? The T7 is a dramatic departure — its sole rider aid is ABS that is switchable when stopped, which works well. As someone who spends most of his time on lightweight dirt bikes without any electronic interventions, I felt immediately comfortable on the Ténéré 700 with its light clutch, smooth shifting and excellent fueling.
Flat YZ-style seat is part of the T7’s rally-bred design and allows lots of movement. The bike’s slim tail also has a built-in handhold.
Swinging my MX boot over the 34.6-inch-high narrow YZ-style seat (there is also a lower seat, and rear linkage available that lowers the seat by 1.5 inches) reveals a relatively narrow tank and comfortably wide tapered handlebar with half waffle grips protected with plastic hand guards. The foldable serrated footpegs have removable rubber inserts for road riding, and both brake and shift lever have foldable tips like a dirt bike. An aluminum skid plate protects from rock hits (and doubles as a gong at times) and the front fender adjusts 8mm to allow for taller full knobby tires and room for mudpack.
The high vertically shaped LCD display is easy to read with tach, gear display, speed and clock. Using the right grip switchgear, you can toggle through other modes including air temp, two tripmeters, current and average fuel consumption, and disengage the ABS directly on the display. Unfortunately, bombing down a dusty road in a group renders the display almost useless. Bring a soft cloth. And rough roads vibrated the display fairly hard, making us wonder about its longevity. The sturdy crossbar above the LCD should be great for mounting a GPS, GoPro, phone, etc. One 12V outlet is standard and there’s room for another.
Multi-function vertical mount LCD instrument offers good visibility whether sitting down or standing up. Switchable ABS on/off button is in lower right corner.
The T7 shares Yamaha’s CP2 689cc parallel-twin with its naked sport-standard street bike, the MT-07, which made 68.6 horsepower at 8,800 rpm and 47.6 lb-ft of torque at 6,400 rpm at the rear wheel on the Jett Tuning dyno the last time we tested a 2016 model. This overachieving motor is impressive and has a wide sweet spot throughout the well-spaced gearing. In addition to updates to the ECU, the T7 twin gets a new airbox with a higher snorkel, revised cooling system and upswept exhaust and a final gear ratio of 46/15 vs. 43/16. The rest of bike is all-new, including the narrow double-cradle tubular-steel frame, triangulated (welded-on) subframe, double braced steering head and aluminum swingarm.
I’m a big fan of the T7’s narrow and tall Dakar styling that begs you to go stand-up dirt riding. Its flat YZ-style seat and upswept muffler, slim tail section with side panels that look like number plates complete the look and complement the riding experience. Sitting down at higher speeds the tall windscreen produced more coverage than expected and kept the majority of the wind blast off my chest at highway speeds. I experienced no buffeting wearing an MX helmet and there weren’t any noticeable engine vibes to complain about.
With no electronic rider aids other than ABS that can be turned off, there’s no traction control to intervene against the usual off-road antics.
Kevin’s Gear Helmet: Fly Racing Formula Vector Goggles: Fly Racing Zone Jersey and Pants: Fly Racing Kinetic Mesh Boots: Fly Racing FR5 Gloves: Fly Racing Pro Lite
The T7’s sturdy 36-spoke 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tube-type tires that worked reasonably well in the dirt didn’t turn out to be a major compromise on the street. The bike steers quickly and accurately, without the usual vagueness from a 21-inch front, perhaps due to the 48% front and 52% rear weight bias, and felt like a supermoto bike on the twisty paved back roads. In the dirt the lighter front bias helps unweight the front under power.
Our dirt-heavy 140-mile loop at the T7’s introduction in Tennessee was a dirt tracker’s dream, winding through gorgeous sun-filtered forest canopies on forest roads with varying amounts of gravel on top to keep you on your toes. The Crossplane 270-degree crankshaft motor is super torquey and won me over in no time. It’s the hands-down star of the show and provided heaps of confidence in hard pack conditions with a loose top layer whether seated or comfortably standing. Keep the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires in line or let the rear slide, the choice is yours.
The CP2 Crossplane twin from the MT-07 has always made plenty of low-end and midrange torque, and it comes on even sooner in the T7.
The best dirt section was a Jeep trail that was embedded with rocks and other obstacles like ruts, numerous water bars, sand, broken tree branches, loose rocks and even a rogue black bear. Knowing what we were about to encounter, the sneaky Yamaha staff changed the bikes’ suspension settings before you could say, “Where’s the mosquito repellent?”
The stiffer setup showcased the available adjustment within the stock KYB suspension. The 43mm fork has 8.3 inches of travel and is adjustable for compression and rebound damping, while the rear piggyback shock with progressive linkage has 7.9 inches of travel with adjustable compression and rebound damping and a remote knob for adjusting the spring preload.
Although there’s a decent 9.4 inches of ground clearance to work with and the T7 is lighter than most of the competition at a claimed 452 pounds wet, add another 200 pounds of fully geared rider and you’ll want to reserve the biggest launches for your dirt bike. Even when bottoming out, however, there wasn’t any nervous feedback. We even limboed under a downed tree only to find a larger tree around the corner forcing us to turn around.
Riding conditions in Tennessee included a little bit of everything, including lots of deep water crossings. Dive! Dive! Dive!
No doubt the T7 is a solid package off road at spirited speeds, with one exception, the brakes. As a seasoned dirt rider, I found the both front and rear required higher effort than expected, had vague feedback and required too much attention, particularly in loose dirt combined with the 50/50 tires versus full knobs, and I began using the transmission for help slowing down. The softness might be built-in by design for entry-level riders. Brembo brakes have front twin-piston 28mm floating calipers with 282mm dual discs and the rear relies on a single-piston 34mm floating caliper with a 245mm disc.
Fuel capacity is 4.2 gallons, and at the end of our aggressive ride the last bar on the fuel gauge was blinking after just 130 miles. Past experience with this engine has shown that you can expect more than 200 miles from a tankful with a tamer right wrist. While dual sports connect trails, the T7 will allow you to connect states.
We liked nearly everything about the T7 except its braking feel up front, which Yamaha seems to have given a soft initial bite for off-road riding.
At just $9,999 for the Ténéré 700, the Yamaha is now the low-cost, low-weight leader of the middleweight ADV class if its claimed wet weight holds true on the Rider scale in a week or two. Yamaha also offers a lot of accessories for the T7, including two bundle packs that are a good value. The $1,549.43 Rally Pack includes an engine guard, radiator protector, oversize aluminum skid plate, tank pad, mono-seat rack, chain guide and centerstand, and the $2,264.94 Tour Pack includes an engine guard, centerstand, aluminum side cases and side case mounts and lock set.
After a day on the T7 I was still eager to keep riding. It’s not a hair-on-fire ADV race bike, purpose-built to explode sand dunes. It’s simply a fun on- and off-road motorcycle that also happens to be affordable and could pull light commuter duty as well. With all the craziness in the world today, disappearing into the woods or any other isolated location sounds like a good plan, and that’s not the moonshine talking.
2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Website: yamahamotorsports.com Base Price: $9,999 Engine Type: Liguid-cooled, transverse parallel twin, DOHC, 4 valves per cyl. Bore x Stroke: 80.0mm x 68.6mm Displacement: 689cc Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated wet clutch Final Drive: O-ring chain Wheelbase: 62.8 in. Rake/Trail: 27.0 degrees/4.1 in. Seat Height: 34.6 in. Claimed Wet Weight: 452 lbs. Fuel Capacity: 4.2 gals., last 1.1-gal. warning light on MPG: 86 octane min (high/avg/low) NA
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An all-new perimeter steel frame on the T7 has removable lower frame rails for engine
maintenance, a triangulated sub frame and double-braced steering head.Hand guards, a crossbar for mounting electronics such as a GPS and four LED headlights–two high beam, two low–are standard.A robust aluminum skid plate is standard but Yamaha offers a burlier option if you’re so inclined.Fully adjustable fork offers 8.3 inches of travel, and there’s 7.9 in the back. Scorpion Rally STR tube-type tires are solid 50/50 tires that make little noise on-road.At a claimed 452 pounds gassed and ready to ride, the T7 has an easier-to-manage weight and neutral, comfortable riding position, though seat height is up there at 34.6 inches.
The new-for-2020 KTM 390 Adventure is a lot of bike for the money, with off-road ready WP suspension, traction control, cornering ABS and a spunky single-cylinder engine. Photos by Mark Tuttle.
“Who woulda thunk it,” as my dad would say. A KTM adventure bike that costs less and makes more power than a Kawasaki KLR650, has fuel injection, electronic rider aids and weighs nearly 50 fewer pounds to boot? What mythical beast is this? It’s the 2020 KTM 390 Adventure, and it’s no myth. In fact I’ve spent the last few days on one, cruising the urban streets, farm roads and mountain highways near my home (taking a rain check on the hard core off-road stuff in these unusual times — see our “To Ride, or Not to Ride…?” editorial here).
With a base price of just $6,199, the new 390 Adventure is a lot of bike for the money, with an impressive list of standard features that make it a serious threat to value-oriented Japanese competitors like the Honda CB500X and Kawasaki Versys-X 300, as well as BMW’s G 310 GS. Adjustable front and rear WP suspension, a full-color TFT display, lean-angle sensitive traction control and Bosch 2-channel cornering ABS are all standard, with a quickshifter offered as an option.
Five-inch TFT display can be hard to read at a glance, but contains lots of useful info including fuel consumption data and range to empty.
Powering the 390 Adventure is the same 373cc, 4-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled single used in the popular RC 390 and 390 Duke sport bikes, which generated 44 horsepower at 8,800 rpm and 27 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm when we last put it on the Jett Tuning dyno — that’s nearly as much as the Honda CB500X’s larger parallel twin. It’s fitted with a gear-driven counterbalancer to tame the worst of the vibes, although we noticed a fair amount in the grips and the cleated footpegs (rubber inserts are included but were removed from our test bike). Passing at freeway speeds, especially on hills, requires either a little patience or a downshift, but the 390 cruises at the SoCal traffic standard of 75 mph without complaint. The feisty single is mated to a 6-speed gearbox fitted with a slipper clutch and, in the case of our test bike, KTM’s excellent up/down Quickshifter+.
Up front is a 43mm WP Apex USD fork with 6.7 inches of travel and adjustable compression and rebound damping; in the back is a WP Apex shock with 7 inches of travel and adjustable spring preload and rebound damping. Brakes are BYBRE, Brembo’s Indian subsidiary, with a 4-piston radial caliper gripping a single 320mm disc up front and a single-piston floating caliper/230mm disc combo in the rear.
The 390 Adventure comes standard with Bosch 9.1MP cornering ABS, which includes an off-road mode that disables ABS to the rear wheel. MTC (traction control) has only two modes, on and off.
Bosch 9.1MP cornering ABS has two settings: on and off-road, which disables it in back (it cannot be completely disabled). Lean-angle sensitive MTC (traction control), on the other hand, is either on or off (there are no special modes) and can be changed on the fly, although you’ll have to hold a button on the left switchgear and release the throttle for several seconds to do so. Off-road enthusiasts take note: the MTC will revert to the on position when you shut the bike off using the ignition key, but as far as we can tell it stays off if you only use the kill switch. Like its larger siblings, the 390 Adventure includes a 12V power socket as standard, located front and center underneath the TFT display, so mounting a phone for use as a GPS or just keeping it charged in a strap-on tank bag atop the plastic fuel tank is easy.
Cast wheels are designed to fit tubeless tires, simplifying road- or trailside repairs. Brakes are quite good for a bike in this price range.
With its 19-inch front/17-inch rear cast wheels, 70/30 Continental TKC 70 tires, plastic skid plate (augmented with metal in front of and below the exhaust pipe), and modest suspension travel and ground clearance (we measured seven inches), straight off the showroom floor the 390 Adventure is best suited to gravel and fire roads. While the WP suspension is stiff enough to perform well on smooth, sporty rides and soaks up gnarly pavement and rough dirt roads, I would want to keep extended rocky encounters to a minimum. On the plus side, bikes for the U.S. market come standard with tipover bars that protect the sides of the engine and radiator. Spoon on some knobbier tires, bolt on KTM’s accessory aluminum skid plate and you’re ready for some hard-core adventure.
Plastic shrouds extend past either side of the radiator, which has the added protection of tip-over bars (standard on bikes sold in the U.S. market). Skid plate is plastic, with a metal reinforcement around the exhaust pipe.
For a bike of such modest size, power and entry-level pretensions, we were somewhat surprised by the height of the 390 Adventure’s seat. On paper it’s not so bad, listed at 33.6 inches, but the seat is hard and fairly flat, with sharp edges that make it difficult to get your feet on the ground. It narrows a bit toward the front, but at that point it also slopes up and gets even taller. Even with my 34-inch inseam, if I’m wearing stiff ADV-style boots I’m on my tiptoes at a stop, and forget about backing up even the slightest of inclines while seated on the bike. Fortunately the 390 is a featherweight, tipping the scales at just 387 pounds fully fueled, adding confidence to one-footed stops and making it easy to push around. And there’s another upshot: the long reach from seat to footpegs leads to a relaxed bend in the knees and makes standing up for off-road riding a cinch.
Elemental protection from the short, non-adjustable windscreen isn’t bad, although I definitely experienced some windblast, especially at freeway speeds, on my upper chest, shoulders and helmet. Ergonomics are smaller-frame-friendly (well, apart from that tall seat), with a short reach across the 3.8-gallon tank to the handlebar and its backlit switchgear. At 5 feet, 9 inches, I found the handlebar to be too low for stand-up riding, requiring a pronounced forward lean; a bar riser would be on my must-have list.
A tall seat and low handlebar make for a slightly sporty riding position when seated, and requires a forward lean when standing.
Romping through a set of corners is a joy, with the 390 exhibiting a taut, stable character that might surprise those who expect less from a small, “entry level” motorcycle. Brakes are above average for a bike in this price range, with solid bite and good feedback in front, though the back feels a bit wooden initially. Combined with a stiff chassis and firm but compliant suspension, this is a truly fun to ride machine, and those riders who pick up a 390 Adventure with no aspirations of ever touching dirt, perhaps drawn primarily to the upright, commanding “ADV” riding position, can look forward to miles of curvy smiles. The bike responds best to a firm hand, especially off idle; too gentle with the throttle and the fueling cuts out, threatening a stall — possibly the price paid for Euro 5 certification on such a high-strung motor. Once underway it still prefers to be wrung out a bit, and doesn’t respond with much below about 4,000 rpm; keep it north of that and you’ll have a ball. It’s also worth noting that even with a heavy throttle hand, fuel economy averaged 53 mpg, for an estimated range of 202 miles.
Mud puddles are hard to resist! The 390 Adventure is small and lightweight enough to be accessible and non-threatening even to novice dirt riders.
KTM already has a laundry list of accessories for its 390 Adventure, including a slip-on Akrapovič silencer that shaves off another 2.2 pounds, Ergo rider and passenger seats, hard and soft side bags and more. A centerstand, unfortunately, is not on the list. Other than that, though, it wouldn’t take much to turn the 390 Adventure into a capable on- or off-road adventurer, and even in stock form it’s a fantastic commuter that’s ready for just about anything.
2020 KTM 390 Adventure.
2020 KTM 390 Adventure Specs
Base Price: $6,199 Price as Tested: $6,559 (Quickshifter+) Warranty: 2 yrs., 24,000 Miles Website:ktm.com
Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled single Displacement: 373cc Bore x Stroke: 89.0 x 60.0mm Compression Ratio: 12.6:1 Valve Train: DOHC, 4 valves per cyl. Valve Insp. Interval: 9,300 miles Fuel Delivery: Bosch EFI w/ 46mm throttle body Lubrication System: Wet sump, 1.8-qt. cap. Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated wet slipper clutch Final Drive: X-ring chain
The desert can be an unforgiving place, with miles of lonely highways and even more unpaved roads and trails. The KTM 790 Adventure is an ideal choice for venturing into the great wide open, with a 280-plus-mile range, off-road bona fides and creature comforts for the long haul. Photos by the author.
KTM has garnered a reputation (deservedly) for building high-performance, hard-edged machines that cater to what we might call the “one percent” of adventure riders. Let’s just say, you don’t hear jokes about KTMs and Starbucks parking lots. Its highly anticipated, new-for-2019 790 Adventure exemplifies that philosophy (read our comprehensive on- and off-road review here): an eminently capable lightweight ADV tourer that was designed for excursions into some pretty gnarly territory, especially in the off-road oriented R variation.
But what if you aren’t necessarily a “one percenter?” You like the idea of an adventure bike that isn’t gargantuan (a seat height of less than 35 inches would be great, thanks), but is comfortable, with adequate power for touring and high-speed passing and ample luggage capacity. Yet it can still tackle whatever “shortcut” your GPS throws at you — or worse — without breaking a sweat.
The 790 cuts a unique front profile in the Arizona desert.
That pretty much describes me, so when our KTM 790 Adventure test bike showed up I snagged the keys and have clung to them stubbornly ever since, logging more than 3,000 miles commuting, canyon carving and road tripping, including a weekend ride up the coast for Babes Ride Out and this weeklong road trip to New Mexico to visit my mom and stepdad. They live on 80 acres of desert about 10 miles southeast of Deming, and getting there involves considerable highway slabbing along with a home stretch of a few miles of sandy dirt road, plus a quarter-mile of washed-out dirt driveway. In between are numerous opportunities to scrub the edges of the tires on pavement as well as non-paved detours to mines and other points of interest. Adventure bike territory.
Escaping Southern California took the better part of a day, heavy Orange County traffic giving way to sweeping low mountain vistas and finally, in Borrego Springs, at the bottom of a long, winding descent, the low, sprawling Colorado Desert, part of the 100,000-square-mile Sonoran Desert that covers much of southwestern Arizona and spreads southward into Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico. It is home to several unique species, including the iconic symbol of the American Southwest, the saguaro (“sah-WAH-roh”) cactus.
The tiny town of Ajo, Arizona, sports some seriously cool street art.
I’d timed my trip well; a week later, heavy rain poured for days, part of the massive winter storm that would wreak havoc on Thanksgiving holiday travel for much of the U.S. But on this ride, the skies were sunny and dry, and with lightly insulated gloves I only needed my heated liners in the early morning (our test bike was not equipped with the optional heated grips). The 790 has a comprehensive electronics package that includes three ride modes, Street, Rain and Offroad, that alter throttle response and IMU-based MTC (traction control), plus separately switchable Bosch 9.1 MP cornering ABS.
With its firm, flat, adjustable two-piece seat in the lower (32.7-inch) position, the 790 Adventure put me, at 5 feet, 9 inches, into a comfortably compact riding position while nearly allowing me to get both feet flat on the ground. Footpegs, which have rubber inserts to muffle any vibration, are high enough to allow ample off-road ground clearance and the handlebar, which is adjustable in six positions over a 1.2-inch range, is not as wide as some other larger ADV bikes. I put the windscreen into the higher of its two positions and found it deflected air around my helmet with very little buffeting.
La Misión San José de Tumacácori was built by Spanish missionaries in the late 1700s to early 1800s south of what is now Tucson.
Therefore I was comfortable and smiling the next day as I rolled into the town of Ajo (“AH-ho”), Arizona, some 38 miles from the U.S./Mexico border. This old mining town is experiencing a revival of sorts, with its gleaming whitewashed Spanish-style buildings lining the central plaza, a beautiful old school that’s been renovated into apartments for artists-in-residence and a hotel and conference center, as well as new coffee shops, cafés and artisans’ markets. It’s the kind of place that gives you hope for the future, with residents representing what they call the Three Nations: Caucasian American, Mexican-American and native Tohono O’odham.
Friendly locals at the Ajo Farmers Market & Café served me a stellar cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast bowl made from locally sourced ingredients.
Part of the appeal of an adventure tourer is the ability to explore at will, so when a local told me about a gravel road that looped around the old pit mine I was keen to check it out. The 790 Adventure’s 21-inch spoked front wheel, shod with tubeless Avon Trailrider 90/10 tires, rolled easily over the low rocky shelves and washouts, its 7.9 inches of suspension travel front and rear (non-adjustable except for rear preload) taking everything in stride, if a bit stiffly at the lower speeds at which I was traveling. It’s not just on dirt and gravel that a bike like the 790 Adventure shines, however. Keen to avoid the traffic in Tucson, later that day I found myself on narrow, bumpy, twisty Arivaca Sasabe Road, connecting State Route 286 with Interstate 19 through a lonely landscape where the only other vehicles I saw were U.S. Customs & Border Patrol units.
Another highlight was Apache Trail, a.k.a. Arizona State Route 88, a perfect ribbon of sinuous asphalt rippling into the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. I’d intended to go all the way to Roosevelt, with the asphalt giving way to dirt less than halfway up, but the road was inexplicably closed at Tortilla Flat. Too bad. I just had to turn around and retrace my corner-carving steps — carefully, as this was clearly a popular road for local riders as well as sports car-driving racer wannabes and pickups trundling along with boats in tow, headed to and from Canyon Lake.
The paved section of Apache Trail (Arizona State Route 88) heading northeast out of Phoenix is a street motorcyclist’s playground, a perfect ribbon of tarmac snaking through the Sonoran Desert.
Not all roads on this trip were so fun, however, with several hours-long 75-to-80-mph slogs on Interstates 8 and 10. The 790 Adventure’s 799cc liquid-cooled LC8c parallel twin has dual counterbalancers for smoothness, with a 75-degree crankpin offset and 435-degree firing order for V-twin-like character, and with 88.4 peak horsepower and 59.4 lb-ft of torque on tap (per the Jett Tuning dyno), it’s got enough spunk to hang at those speeds with room to spare, though sometimes at the expense of fuel economy. In a stiff headwind and at freeway speeds my mileage dipped as low as 34 mpg, but favorable conditions brought a high of 63 on this trip, averaging somewhere in the 50s, which meant my 5.3-gallon tank was good for close to 300 miles between fill-ups. The one caveat is that the 790 requires premium, which can be tough to find in the loneliest desert areas.
After following signs for the “Hi Jolly Monument” in Quartzsite, Arizona, I found this memorial to a Syrian-Greek man brought to the U.S. to tend a herd of experimental government camels, a project of Jefferson Davis (future President of the Confederate States). A story worth looking up.
Apart from that minor detail, though, the KTM 790 Adventure is the rare lightweight adventure tourer that, depending on whether you choose the R version and how you equip it, works for the “100 percent”: it’s supremely capable off-road yet a pleasure to ride on long highways, and it’s downright fun in the twisties. Perfecting it for me would mean adding the optional centerstand, heated grips and cruise control, and maybe even some hard luggage, but even without all that I enjoyed all 1,787 (give or take) miles of my trip—and will continue to enjoy more until it’s time to give it back. With the 790 Adventure, the only question becomes: where do you want to go?
I discovered a lot of amazing street art on this trip, including this incredible 40-by-12-foot mural in Deming, New Mexico, depicting traditional native Mimbres pottery and motifs, by local high school art teacher Jesse Kriegel.
2019 KTM 790 Adventure Specs
Base Price: $12,699 Price as Tested: $13,059 (Quickshifter+) Warranty: 2 yrs., 24,000 miles Website: ktm.com
Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse parallel twin Displacement: 799cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 65.7mm Compression Ratio: 12.7:1 Valve Train: DOHC, 4 valves per cyl. Valve Insp. Interval: 18,600 miles Fuel Delivery: EFI w/ 42mm throttle bodies x 2 Lubrication System: Semi-dry sump, 3.1-qt. cap. Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated assist-and-slipper clutch Final Drive: X-ring chain
Frame: Chromium-molybdenum tubular steel w/ engine as stressed member, cast aluminum subframe & swingarm Wheelbase: 59.4 in. Rake/Trail: 25.9 degrees/4.2 in. Seat Height: 32.7/33.5 in. Suspension, Front: 43mm USD fork, non-adj., 7.9-in. travel Rear: Single PDS shock, adj. for spring preload, 7.9-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 320mm floating discs w/ radial opposed 4-piston calipers & ABS Rear: Single 260mm disc w/ 2-piston floating pin-slide caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Spoked tubeless, 2.50 x 21 in. Rear: Spoked tubeless, 4.50 x 18 in. Tires, Front: 90/90-21 Rear: 150/70-18 Wet Weight: 469 lbs. (as tested) Load Capacity: 523 lbs. (as tested) GVWR: 992 lbs.
Performance
Fuel Capacity: 5.3 gals., last 0.75 gal. warning light on MPG: 91 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 34.0/54.2/62.6 Estimated Range: 286 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,100
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