Thanks for having me on the test, was good fun getting to ride at sweet lamb. A Great venue with a little bit of everything for these adventure bikes.

Now that's an Adventure Bike test!! 👏

Would love to see the midweights reviewed in exactly the same format with the Africa Twin also there as the wildcard. Great job MCN! 👍

As biased KTM1290 SAR rider, the comment I would make is that most adventure riders will find the tarmac parts easier than the off road/gravel road bits. It's here that the added confidence that the KTM gives makes all the difference and reduces stress, making real adventure riding more of a pleasure.

One of the best MCN videos to date. A fantastic review and a format that's engaging and genuinely informative. More like this please.

Cool test! The Triumph was a bit of a surprise, but the rest fell pretty much where I would have predicted. This makes me even more eager to see the R1300 tests against the R1250

Absolutely love this format. Getting to see the bikes in action was everything

Best test ever I think…the offroad race was sublime.

Brits choose the Brit bike as #1. Save yourself 40+ minutes...

Now that’s a great and useful review. Great objective tests and opinions on both the two categories. Really enjoyed this 42 minutes. Well done!

Nice work gents! Great format too. I think we all look a little too much at the paper stats, but real-world riding with feedback from different riders is much more relevant and important. Thanks for the comparo!

I was on the edge of my seat holding my breath...what a joy of an episode. Every bike class and purpose should be tested in their element like this.

The Triumph really is the best of all worlds! The BMW is good, but the Tiger beats it in performance. The Multi is amazing, but its expensive and reliability is in question. The KTM is sporty, but doesnt have much touring chops and still has chain drive. The Tiger provides GS-beating performance, good engine reliability, superior touring comfort, and a decent price compared to the rest. Not to mention, the Tiger triple at high revs almost sounds like a V4 😁

Wow what brilliant fun. Fantastic to have James along.

This is one of the best and most interesting comparison/test reviews I have ever seen for any category of motorcycle. Great job!

Great test thanks guys! And a big well done to Triumph!! 🎉

Absolutely loved the format of this test, thanks guys.

Thank you for a really good watch. Bit of a surprise with the winner, but just shows what a great job Triumph have done with their bike 👍

I appreciate and respect Michael's reviews. He's always practical and addresses points that are important in the real world. Any consumer can appreciate that.

I’m going for the BMW, with all its years it still gets the second place on the road test. And in real world its an absolute joy to ride, no diving when braking, it’s still a queen, where ever you go in Europe, we can have proper technical Assistance, but in general it’s non needy bike, always eager to please its master. For me the choice is clear. And now, it is even more. Thank you for the video, it was an excellent job from NCM !

Love this test! I bought the Triumph after riding the BMW and the Ducati. I didn’t test the KTM before purchasing, mainly because I knew it would be more off-road focused and I wanted something that would be nice and plush on the road for longer road trips. Very happy with my decision, and you just proved what I thought as well. Great video!

Brilliant video - those hot laps were absolute gold!

Incredible reviews and tests. Thank you!

"cream of ADV bikes" and not including the mythical Africa Twin ??!?! It's like throwing a cocktail party without glasses 🤣

A real comprehensive test of these giant bikes.... Thanks....

Please do this again when the new GS comes out. This is really great benchmarking.

After 40 odd years on bikes cant quite get head around bikes like this.. back in the dim and distant past the best off road bike was a 110 kg Yamaha dt 175. Think these bikes are the equivalent of a range rover.. the only time they go off road is to bump up the pavement to park..😂

Brilliant video! it's greeat to see these big adventure bikes being pushed off road and compared directly against each other 👍 Some great filming too!

Good test and well presented. I doubt many of these bikes will be ridden as hard as Hillier did during his laps but the data is still useful.

great test, thx for making this

I love my 22 Triumph Tiger rally pro. Beautiful to ride to work and on the weekend I take her to dirt. Thank you so much for the great video guys.

Excellent review. Fun to watch and informative. Top job and well done Triumph. All the best Brett.

Has to be the best road test I've seen that was great looking forward to more similar content

Not having ridden any of the these bikes except for the GSA and mostly the long rides knocking down 500 to 900 miles a day and occasionally hitting the dirt roads to find a fishing spot or a camping spot, I ride the GSA on my journeys. I have eyed the triumph a few times but have to say I am quite satisfied with my GSA. Great test, really shows the capabilites of all the bikes and what to expect from each bike. Thanks for the video.

One of the best videos you have done guys..well done and thanks!!.Nevsey absolutely nailed it in his summary…I’ve ridden all four and his conclusions are spot on…Triumph have made a very comfortable touring bike that is more than able to put a smile on your face when you get to your location… they will need to review it now that the 1300 GS has been released. Well done guys!!!!

Congrats on the best adventure bike test ever. Love that there’s a fast off-road section.

Great video, pleased for Triumph - a big thumbs up, I actually think it looks quite good too.

Although this '18 KLR-650 rider will never have the privilege of riding one of these monsters.....you guys got me pretty close 😲 EXCELLENT video!! and thanks for the massive effort. ❤

Loved the test. Amazing work! Subscribed

Brilliant test guys , had my eye on the triumph for a while now , wish it was a bit more purposeful looking but great all- rounder 👍👍

Bravo! I ride 5 miles of potted gravel roads daily on my 2017 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro. Rain or shine. All of these bikes have great character and provide the rider choices in fit, function and maintainability suited to individual style and likes. Rallying is way beyond my limits. JH showed what each of these bikes is truly capable of doing. Very entertaining.

Consider me subscribed. A real world test with a seasoned cross section of experience. You covered all the bases and your production formulae nailed it. If I was on the market again for a big duel sport this video would go a long way to help me make a choice based on the raw soul of the bikes. There is much to consider re ease of servicing such as air filters price etc, but all that in 42mins. Thats what I call an adventure bike test, well done.👍

What a fantastic review, I thoroughly enjoyed that. A thorough test with expert riders and very enjoyable to boot. Thank you

Best test of these machines I've seen yet....well done loved it

Clearly you guys are the masters of road tests. That was as good as it gets - an amazing team.

Thank you so much for this test. Really great test and presentation! I would also choose the Tiger for the same reasons you have mentioned.

Terrific review and format for testing these bikes. All the commentary was superb. Triumph pulled out all the stops. They've released details on their 2024 lineup except for the Tiger 1200s. Are we in for more surprises?

Great vid and comparison! Will Be upgrading from my 2020 Tiger 1200 soon and this vid is super helpful. I’ll have to check out the new GS1300 but a Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is still looking mighty good. Cheers!

Really excellent test, guys. Glad that I subscribed online. Keep it up! 😊

Really appreciate you guys going to the extent of putting them all on the same tire

This was loads of fun! A test I and some others might find relevant is taking each bike on a week long back country camping trip.

Thanks for this. I picked up my new GS yesterday (not the GSA). Loving it so far except where I am, there is rain forecast for the next 4 days . I would have found it interesting to see what happened to the off-road times if the tests were repeated immediately after.

Amazing, simply amazing! Well done you MCN team!! Hopefully middleweight next. 👍👍

Bloody frightening riding at that speed! Masterful riding James!

Cool Test, Thank you. Damn, the KTM is a beast! I think i will get one next year!

Brilliant video guys really well done, I watch nearly all your reviews and buy MCN. Now comes the but…… 90% or more of these big bikes will never be off road. I have a GSA and couldn’t afford the damage risk. I have nearly 27,000 miles on it in two years and for about 23,000 of those my wife has been on the back, and I would guess there’s a lot of us out here that ride two up quite a lot of the time touring Wales, Scotland the Alps etc. I’d love to see a test where you load up your loved ones on the back of the bikes, fill the panniers with luggage and cover 1000 miles or more in a test of mixed roads and get the opinion of your pillions as well as yourselves on riding a bike fully loaded. I’ve never seen a test like that in any motorcycle magazine.

Great reviews! I bought the 2023 Rally Explorer a few days ago. Got rid of my super tenere. I think I’ll notice a difference haha. Ride safe guys and take care! Darin Hillier in Calgary Canada

Dynamic comparison test.😀👍 every aspect was thoroughly checked for on/off-road. kudos🎉

Really enjoyed watching the test, cheers 👍

👀 Damn Triumph came out swinging! 💪great objective tests on & off road + excellent feedback from the Pro's! 👍well done MCN

I don't know if I'm a cheap ass or what, but I could be making 6 figures and still not want to take my $30,000 bike off road, even with engine guards and all this other crap on it.

Nice to see MCN upping its content game and using a control tyre too. Great stuff. There seems to be an obsession with Sweet Lamb though. there are other places to visit that the viewers would like to see too even if Molly is a great dude.

Thank you gentlemen I really enjoyed this!

Triumph have come along way. Great review guys.

Great video! I’d love to see the exactly same test repeated with the next-size-down equivalent models - BMW F850GS, Tiger 900, KTM 890, etc - would the weight saving and extra nimbleness result in quicker times compared to the larger siblings?

Best test ever between this bikes. The Dunlop Trail max is probably my next tyre on my KTM 690R. It would be nice to hear something about the experience of the riders with these tyres.

Unsurprised by the result…..The Tiger is a sublime ride but I’m biased - great test!

Amazing video guys, amazing test and owning a tiger 1200 rally pro I can say too Neevesy I agree most comfy adventure bike, I did an 850 mile day with just fuel stops and so comfy. Triumph sure did a good job as they do on all there bikes. I don’t know of a manufacturer that has such a wide genre of bikes and all great. 😂 hence I own a Bonneville and a Tiger 👍

Great review and format. James is a great addition to the presenters 👏

Great video. Own a 23 Rally Pro (4850 miles on the clock). Longest trip 1300 miles …it was a gem to ride for all of the reasons that Nivs stated. Bought it as an adventure tourer, or should I say tourer adventure instead? Yes 🤔. Comfortable, capable, and a complete hammer when I need it to be. But the weight of the bike isn’t something for the faint of heart, or physically weak for that matter. If the bike begins to lean at stop before your foot is down …good luck with that! The Rally Pro looks far better in the hands of a pro. Nothing to “play” with. Great bike.

This was great to watch. Great test by some great riding.

When James says he loses confidence while ripping through sections that would make me sweat at low speed ... brilliant format!

Gooooo Tiiiiiigeeeeer!! KTM 1290 for the Off Road was a given, but I'm amazed by how much!

Great video! Thanks!

The KTM 1290 hugely benefits from a taller screen, bar risers and a comfort seat. With those mods I like it much better on road than the 2016 GSA I used to have. Off-road the KTM is far superior.

One of the best reviews ever!

off to test ride the tiger this friday perfect video to what before hand nice work guys allways deliver

It's interesting comparing just the on-road times too ! (I tried to take the times when both wheels were on the tarmac) The Ducati & BMW were the same times on road. KTM was fastest on both surfaces. Bike OffRoad Finish OnRoad KTM 1:02 1:34 (+0:32) triumph 1:05 1:39 (+0:34) ducati 1:08 1:43 (+0:35) BMW 1:10 1:45 (+0:35)

Great review...loved the enthusiasm!

Great review! Very best riders and very best bikes is a fantastic combination. Thank you!

Downsized to a 690 from a 1290, havent regretted it at all. Light, practical and i can still tour if I want to. Good luck with the big buggers, my little thumper does it all.

Thanks for this video...I loved it. Next time, I hope, with the new F900GS and his rivals...please.

Great video gentlemen and a proper surprise result. Well done Triumph.

Great watch. Fantastic jobs 👌🏼

It’s great to see all of them have a different focus within the category, more options for everyone. I personally prefer middle weight bikes, always ride solo, with soft and little luggage.

Africa Twin should be in it though. It is a bloody fantastic bike and DCT is unique and easily the best system on the market. Forget about peak power. The 11000 engine delivers nicely.

I use my 1200GSA as my new work horse, plenty powerful, comfortable, can't fault it. Whilst it's no KTM or Ducati for outright fun, i do have an RSV4 as a weekend toy. Great test guys!

Enjoyed your review. Massively appreciate your keen work. One major question: Is (just about) a minute of actual off-road test comparison truly enough to differentiate? Thanks.

Great test. Really enjoyed that. FWIW I have a Triumph RP 1200 and agree with all the comments made by Neevesy about how comfortable and easy it is to ride. I am encouraged to take it further off road than I have. I'd be happy with any of the bikes on test really, don't rate the Honda AT and have yet to try a Desert X but we are indeed spoiled for choice at the moment.

Awesome stuff! Happy with my 1200 GSA, does everything well 😎

Great video! But…too bad you didn’t include the Honda ATAS (preferably manual). It would be interesting to see if the lack of power and bump in reliability would be an acceptable trade off. But hey…at least this leaves room for future tests!

Very nice test, I'm just baffled that you chose the GSA which is 40 kilos heavier than the rest and then compared the off-road performance. Regular GS would have been a better choice as it is more in line with these bikes, although the suspension travel is smaller. Same goes for Triumph. Cheers!

Thats a heck of an offroad rip on those big ADVs! 👍👍

Thanks for a great test and review, always fun to see how the bikes compares when driven by professionals. To me, as an average rider and who is looking to buy one of these top adventure bikes, this «competition» becomes totally irrelevant (but great fun though) as I will have very different priorities when choosing one of the bikes. If I ever, by accident, ends up in such an off-road track, my only priority would be to get to the other end without crashing the bike. My preferred driving will be touring on twisty roads along with great nature and scenery, motorways for long distance transport is a necessity and perhaps a gravel-road now and then can be fun. The most challenging part for me is to drive on motorways at high speed and longer distances, which can be both tiring and boring, and it is my first priority that the bike is comfortable on the motorway over longer distances. Second priority, it shall be fun and comfortable to ride on twisty roads and that the traction control on wet and slippery roads is the best in class. I tested all the same bikes at end of this summer, not the top adventures bike as in this test, but the standard versions. The bike I liked to most (by a landslide!) was the Ducati Multistrada V4s. This bike had an enormous fun factor when driving on twisty roads, the engine and the quickshifter was unparalleled to any of the other bikes, and it was very comfortable on the motorway with adaptive cruise control and blind zone detection (some don’t like these accessories, but I do). Also, the Ducati is by far the best-looking bikes with great details and finish (just my personal opinion). The second bike was the BMW 1250 GS, which was very comfortable on twisty roads. It was not so comfortable on the motorway, as the wind-screen started wobbling from side to side at high speed. However, that can probably be fixed. Otherwise, the bike was great. If the new 1300 GS is way better than the old 1250 GS, it can certainly challenge the Ducati. Third was the Triumph Tiger 1200, and close to the BMW. It was very comfortable and its suspension was fantastic. Riding over a speed bump (at high speed) and the bike simply absorbed the speed bump (almost comparable to the old Citroen CX if you know this car). However, the Triumph was to me a bit boring and docile compared to the Ducati and BMW. Then I tried the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S from the same dealer, and riding on the same road as the Triumph. I simply didn’t like the KTM that much, it was kind of racketing, rough and “unpolished” compared to the other bikes. Over the same speed bump as the Triumph, and at the same speed, I actually lost contact with the seat and was up in the air for a nanosecond. Thus, totally different behaviour as the Triumph. However, I guess the suspension works very different when riding over a speed bump compared to riding hard-core off-road. As I stated above, I’ll never ride the bike in the most challenging off-road anyway, so speed bump capabilities will be much more important than off-road capabilities. Everyone must test for themselves and follow their own preferences. It is like music; some like opera other likes rock’n roll 😊. I have now ordered a new Ducati Multistrada Rally and will pick it up when the snow melts away during the spring and just can’t wait to start riding again. So again, thanks for a great review and I really enjoyed reading all the comments.

Amazing test. Great job.

Was really fun to watch.

Great presentation and you shared some really essential features and characteristics of these machines in a relatively succinct production. Very nicely done. For me, I’d take the 1290R because I’ve already got a road-biased 1290, and I’d be looking for off-road performance. I have an 890R and it’s obviously plenty. But I just love that LC8 engine so much more than the LC8c.

I am so glad that James didn't crash!

Great review of the European big boys. Pop out now to order my Tiger!

Brilliant test!!! Good stuff. My conclusion: we live in a time of plenty! Any one of these is a fantastic ride and it's wonderful we have so many choices. FYI: current ride is 21 Tiger 900RP, previous was 2006 GS and 2017 GSA.