NOTICE - CRF450RL has 1000km oil changes and is often stretched out to 2000km. Not 2000km as standard.

At 6’5” and 260 lbs., I rode my 2004 XR 650 R to S. America in 2006. The maximum weight rating (as stated in the owner’s manual) was 220 lbs.! I had at least 50-60 lbs. of gear hanging off the back in addition to my fat ass. This BRP took all the abuse I could give it. We left Kentucky in late August of ‘06 for Argentina. We made Santiago de Chile on November 1 st. of ‘06. It was two full months of riding every day with the exception of the two days to fly from Panama City to Bogota, Columbia. The point of this story? Don’t ever think that you need a huge Adv bike to travel internationally. We met many people traveling on bikes. One Dutch couple were traveling on Yamahas. He, on a 600 (the mule with most of the gear), and her, on a lighter 350! They were touring South America! You don’t need some super expensive Adv bike to explore the world! Maintain and use what you already own! It’s not about the bike. It’s about the trip and all the great experiences!

Plated 500XCW with a Rekluse, 4 gallon tank, balanced wheels, Mako360 w/ Scott’s, Athena ECU w/ traction control, SC wide seat, PMB rear rack, Mosko 40 Reckless, heated grips and an XL80 headlight made for an awesome steed on a 1500 mile CA/NV BDR ride this past Spring. Serves as my Hatfield-McCoy bike too 😎👍

We just need a Tenere 450. The new 900 looks so good for a big Adv bike and with that CP3 should be a decent one.

I'm 6 months on the beta 430 now and I will put it down to the best bike I have ever rode ,So happy to see a beta on here !

We have three customers that buys brand new 500 every 2 years and we fully equipped them from headlights to heated grips luggage racks they're always really fun projects great platform to dual sport.

I love this idea. Coming from dirt bikes and mountain bike riding I would really only want to use asphalt as a means to get to more dirt without an adventure bike weight or price.

If it was me I would go with the Honda. The weight and stalling at low speeds is fixable. Reliability and comfort is important for me! You forgot about your own bike. It’s cheap, Reliable and with some mods it would make a great little adv bike. it’s lighter than the Rally stock and doesn’t have that big plastic side fairing! Just a thought. Keep up the great content. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

I have a 2019 CRF450L built up as my lightweight adv bike and, for me, it is a good fit. I run the vortex ECU which fixed the snappiness in first and it has not stalled on me in the last 2.5 years. I recently fitted a rekluse clutch which is great in technical tracks and added extra fuel via IMS tank + rotopax for when need range for 300+km. If not riding it hard/enduro you can easily stretch the oil changes out to 2k. As you pointed out the bike has a full rear subframe was which was another reason for my selecting this bike as give more options for luggage. Had the bike since it first came out and still loving it.

One thing you omitted Solid is that the 2023 Beta range now come with traction control as well as the 2 stage mapping switch and that Beta also make a Racing version with Kyb suspension.

One more massive plus for the Beta's is that you can bolt on a kickstarter. If I were starting over on the light adventure route it would be with 390. Also congrats on the growing family Solid.

Biggest issue with any of these is the service intervals. Honestly the 300L or 300L rally are a better ADV choice.

My 2019 KTM 690 Enduro while not “ultra” light has made for a great lightweight adventure bike. Long service intervals, decent suspension with a modest seat height and a motor that is surprisingly smooth and versatile.

The 690/701 really need to be on this list. Most of us do BDR/TET so don't need an ultralight but fragile enduro. The 701 with an adventure tower gives me my unicorn, with a decent seat and an oil change after every big trip (3000 to 5000km). Easy to get luggage to fit, and tonnes of accessories if you want to spend money. For really snotty stuff, there are better bikes but I've got through everything I've pointed my 701 at and I'm a very ordinary rider.

DR650! Light in comparison to a adv bike, and less of the draw backs mentioned about these enduro bikes. Not too heavy to pick up on your own, but yeah, haven’t taken it on proper single track yet

One potential point of interest. The 390 Beta has the the longer stroke vs the 500 Beta. That might translate to more vibes at highway speeds. The 500 is only a couple pounds/kgs heavier than the 390. I have often thought about trading/selling my 250L and my Xtrainer for the Beta 390 (or 500).

The Beta 390 RR is well rounded motorcycle, the trellis frame is tig welded Chrome Molybdenum. Great fatigue resistance for those longer rides.

bought the 2023 beta 500 rrs and i can confirm the electrical issues. rode it a mile and it broke down. one good thing about beta though is that they make good on issues, sent out a whole new wiring harness in a day for free and now the bikes back up and running

I have 32,000 issue free miles on my CRF450L. None of the competitors can boast that without rebuilds. And the flame out issue doesn’t require a Vortex. One simply needs to adjust the throttle and idle properly. Use HP4 oil if you buy one.

I've been trying to work out the best way to go for a light weight adventure bike, and have finally settled on the new KTM 690 as the perfect balance between good big power and on road load carrying ability. Coming in at 160 wet it's 45kgs lighter than the T7 and still has big power and great service intervals as well as loads of aftermarket support. Great video guys the light adventure is definitely the way to go

I just got a used 250 exc-f and its a literal dream bike for me. It’s my first bike so the small cc is great for building confidence. The bike’s been modded more for single track trail riding than adv but that doesn’t hold it back at all. The exc-f line is the best.

I went with the Beta 430RR with 15/45 gearing for the road. I originally wanted a 480rr but none were available at the time. The 430 is perfect for me it can easily do 120km/hr on the road and is equipped with indicators/ horn and mirror as standard to keep me legal. The only thing that needs changing is the seat which is like sitting on a piece of concrete. Beta also do an internal lowering kit of 25mm or 50mm which is a great option though it is expensive.

A beefed up replaceable tail frame or would be a good thing. Also, lowering the suspension two inches and tuning them for the extra weight is an amazing thing to behold. You won’t miss the ground clearance one bit but will love the usability off road.

690 enduro r/701 is already the perfect adventure bike platform. problem is ktm never bothered to fully develop it into an adv bike. they got close with the 701lr then canceled it. 790/890 are actually quite heavy. they oddly made a 701 svartpilen but not a full adv bike with proper fairing, tank and subframe.

I probably would have gone with the CRF450RL if they sold them in Australia, instead I ended up going with the WR250R because I wanted the best bike that I could do enduro rides + adventures on, that didn't destroy the bank.

My KTM 450 EXC had everything it needed but a rear brake switch and a radiator fan. 100 mile range on the road and 100+mph top speed.

Good to see the SWM get a mention 👍🏼

I'll stick with my DRZ400. There are 10 x more of them adventrurised than the whole list together... bullet proof and inexpensive to own.

Honda XR650L - archaic technology - pretty bullet proof - 133 kg with tank dry after serious weight redux. 149kg bunkering 19L in the long range tank. Best seat in the business, plenty torque - runs all day at 120km/h

Seeing guys on full adv bikes on some of the local trails here in Texas told me they probably aren't what I'm looking for. Riding 250's on the roads and trails both in Los Cobos Mexico, and Salento Italy, I'm pretty sure smaller lighter bikes can get me everywhere I want to go.

Built mine on a Husqvarna 450FE 2020 17l tank, steering stabilize,r seat concepts for the as, a rack for some soft cases and Haan wheels with cushdrive, cyclops 7.5" rallye light, Clake back brake clutch combo. best bike i have ever built... With the suspension mods it´s the most expensive to but it beats most of the other bikes by a lot..

I want to see a WR450R to go with my 250R

Another great video, Barry! Your ideas here are basically what my son-in-law and I have done with our Husaberg FE390s. Seat Concepts (or some kind of upgrade) seat is a must for multi-day trips, and recently I have become a huge fan of the Sit-N-Fly air flow slip on seat cover. After about half of the TransAmerica Trail (over 2000 miles) I think we're getting it tuned in. Thanks for all your vids. GeezerWheels in S.W. Colorado

These all sound like good starting points for someone looking for that Unicorn. As you say all have drawbacks and need some (often expensive) mods but as this type of bike is not in any manufacturers line up you just have to pick a platform and then build your own.

Over half way through and not one word about seat comfort. One of the most important things about riding all day long which equals adventure bike. Don't forget reliability as well.

Let’s be honest, if you want a Light “ enduro bike “ than you probably want it for snotty riding , and not really an ADV bike , more of a Enduro wetting it’s feet 🦶 into dual sport land . Really the only bike that comes close to Enduro / ADV / dual sport is the Husky 701 / KTM 690 . And the AJP PR7. BUT as single cylinder bikes still lack on the WIDE on road sections. Basically you need two bikes ONE ADV and one ENDURO.

That rider on the KTM 500 was amazing. Never saw anything like when he was jumping those stone blocks.

I would love to get one of these super light dual sport bikes but the maintenance interval just sucks for a street bike.

Re the 500 seat height, I rebuilt my seat for greater comfort and had 40mm removed from the suspension travel, resulting in a 910 mm seat height. Of course, here in Australia you can’t buy the CRF450L and 2nd hand bikes are out there at a similar price to a 500. Don’t forget the 17 onwards 500 has a very good basic traction control.

I'll take the Honda

You opening like is an instant classic. Perfectly put. Especially the moose handling better bit...

I rode a buddy's KTM 500 excf and that thing was harsh. It had very intense vibrations at every point of contact and at all the rev ranges I rode it at, including idle. I rode it for about half an hour and honestly couldn't wait to get off by the end. The suspension was great and so was the power and acceleration. I just couldn't deal with that kind of vibration. It was like trying to ride a jackhammer. I don't know if that's normal or if there was something wrong with my buddy's bike. I have a Honda CRF250RX which I've turned into a dual sport (just to connect trails). With its narrow range 5-speed transmission it's not comfortable at any speeds above 60 mph (about 97 kph). But at speeds of 60 mph and below, it's way smoother and more comfortable than my buddy's KTM 500 was. So I figure that either I'm just sensitive to vibrations or my buddy's KTM had some sort of issue because I can't understand how a bike so rough like that could be so popular. Anyway, for me, if I were in the market, I'd get the Honda CRF450RL. I've not tried the CRF450RL but another friend of mine had one which he traded in on a CRF250RX because he was only riding single track and had no need for the road legality and he says the 450RL is way smoother than the CRF250RX.

Nice list. I'd like to "adventure" a wr450f. Larger oil capacity, a sixth gear, a full set of lights, a heavier sub-frame, and that's about it. Then I'd throw on a nice seat and soft bags after that. Done. I like that 5 valve engine

Luggage,...and where to put it. The 690/701 is limited by the steering stops, especially if a tower is added. Good post!👍

I spent my youth growing up in Australia on dirt bikes. I think this Beta is very very interesting. One thing I NEVER see talked about in these reviews is tall bikes like the KTM are a nightmare to balance on a steep Gippsland cow trails hill. The same goes for bottom of wet lush hills turning around going back up or creek crossings jumping from side to side on a. Tall bike even if not short is more work than ideal.So if your ‘adventuring’ is in real bush and not just bad roads. Taller isn’t always better.

I, like many others, have been trying to solve this problem for a long time and the thing that doesn’t get mentioned here is availability of larger fuel tanks. In the American west where I ride, the best rides are not close to gas stations. If you can’t stretch the ride to convenient stations, you can blow through a gallon just getting off the trail and back, which is a third or more of the total capacity. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I’ve looked in to all these and can’t find big tanks for any of them.

AJP PR7 650 ADVENTURE. AJP SPR 510R ENDURO. Fantic XEF450. Kove 450 Rally. SVM 500 DualSport. GAS GAS 500 ES are available to order. Is the SPR 510R Enduro worth having? If there was a bike; with low weight, long intervals + low end grunt between 500 Exc ´n´ 690 Enduro, it would be spot on. Same with CRF300L/450L/RL ´n´ XR650L. Riders re-build DRZ400/DR650 with parts from RM-Z, small Enduro LED tower, fuel injection and Abs kit ie what the manufacturers should have done years ago!!

I have the BETA RR390 and love it! Except for the seat(ultra hard). Ya can buy a softer version . But that is my only issue with it. Once the suspension settles in the ride height is very good. I'm 5' 11" and can comfortably sit there with both feet on the ground rather than having to sit off to one side when stationary. Love it.

I've had both the 450l and the 509 exc. The 450L i did every upgrade available. Its a great bike' I just felt the weight. I now am on a 500 exc with moderate upgrades. For offroad the 500exc is leaps and bounds ahead of the Honda. But on the road. The Honda cannot be touched. Its so refined, but I buy these bikes for the offroad capabilities. So the 500 exc for me

I'm happy to see Beta on the list, although the 430 RR-S is my choice.

I lightweight adventure on a Beta 300rr 2 stroke. I had it factory lowered 2" and with a 30" inseam can flat foot both sides. It can also be done with the xtrainer so a 26" inseam can flat foot. I change the transmission oil every 200 miles and it costs less than $12 us

Great for those adventures where you want to stop your travels for servicing...

Just a note: A locking fuel cap or/and a key for starting these bike could be handy during adventure rides.

I'm def a sub 240lbs bike rider. 300lbs+ has significant consequences on tight/complex trails in compare.

Can’t believe the WR250R was left out of this

Top video mate. Nice to see Australian contents on you tube

690 is often bypassed as too heavy compared to 450s but the 690 is an easy 100llbs lighter than any twin and only 40llbs or so heavier than the 450 but so much more power! Better on highway and much longer intrevals between servicing. The 690 is amazing in the twisties and it is honestly not bad on long highway drones especially compared to trying to do long miles on a 450 or smaller which can be miserable

Nothing gets old guys at the gas station more excited then seeing my DRZ440SM loaded up with camping supplies.

Trying to decide whether to go with a new Husky 500 or a used 701. KTM isn't totally off the board either, but it comes down to parts availability where I'll be riding. A tour starting in Norway and ending up in South Africa without any ferries are in the planning stages. Husky parts might be difficult to get locally, but I do have contacts that are able to ship directly to where we are at the time. Anyways, interesting comparison! :)

Here in the USA you can get a 2019/2020 honda 450l for 7to9k used depending on miles. As beta I'd go with the rrs wich is factory street legal

I held on to the XR650R for years. I bought the 500exc and I felt like I was on a 250 hitting burns and table tops. I miss the torque and noise of the 650 but these new bikes are just as fast.

20 years later and these bikes are making the same power as an old Suzuki dr-z 400 with a fraction of the reliability.

A lot of this depends on where you live and where you can ride. Throw in your age and skill the perfect bike could be vastly different. For me, a softroad adventure bike and a wash and wear dual sport for off-road

I’ll stick with my trusty DRZ400 does it alll for under 8000.00 us. Add Tusk pannier racks, Mosco Scout panniers, Mosco Nomax tank bag, small tail bag to carry extra fuel and tools. Let’s not forget custom seat unless you prefer riding in the stock 2x4. all in I’m around 9500 includes rad guards skid plate foot pegs bark busters. Love the DRZ.

Hi Solid, lightweight vs. usability, this is really a hard question. I'm nearly 59 years old, i'm biking since i'v been 16 years young. Last month i'v calculated, i owned more than 30 different offroad capable bikes in this time. I never did competion racing, my favorite is trialing even more. But in my native langugage my recent kind of riding is called "Endurowandern". This is dual sport in your opinion. For that purpose i'm the owner of three bikes at this time. There are a SWM RS500r, a KTM 690 Enduro and an older Yamaha TT600E in my garage. So, i've the choice, for hard terrain i'll prefer the SWM, if there is more tarmac, no hard terrain, only gravelroads or equal, it is the KTM, but in harder conditions, the KTM has too much power, needs too much power and concentration by the rider while riding it my way. At least there is my old Yamaha, it is nearly perfect to my belongings. Very easy to handle on light and on rough terrain, enough power at the bottom end as also for faster sections, highway use is possible, and service intervals without doubts. But it is old, more than 40000 k (without problems), i'm looking for something newer, but if it will be better? Until now, i didn't find anything. Hoping for a dualsport, 40 to 45 HP, wet weight about 140 to 160 kg, motorcharacteristics like the Yamaha, a little more highway capability then the TT, that will be my unicorn. While my last journey to the western alps i'd have the chance to drive a Tenere 700, a great bike, if you are an experienced rider, you can go nearly everywere with this bike, but the ergonomics for offroading aren't good, the seat and the screenshield have to be modifyed. The groundclearance should be increased and the weight decreased. I think, the Tenere 700 is constructed under hard cost restrictments, there are many cheap details on this bike, there are even better solutions on the market. My experience in this segment is poor, i've only owned some adv-bikes, this have been a Moto Guzzi V65TT, two BMW R80G/S, a BMW R100 GS Paris-Dakar and a Suzuki DR 600 Dakar. Let's have a look on 2023, maybe one or two unicorns will be born...

The CRF 450RL has a 2 gallon tank. You'll need to bump that up if you want to do any "adventuring".

Some corrections for COS viewers here. 1. Powerplant wise the beta 480 is as dosicle and agreeable as it comes, even considered the gentle giant by many (if you choose to ride it so, it's also got ample power up top just like you want for a light adv) - fueling is also spot on out of the factory. (I own a 2021) There is no reason not to buy one over the rest of the range *if adv-ing is your primary focus. With that in mind the beta is not a good choice for long Aussie ADV-ing - they're all (390,450,480) comparably thirsty bikes to even a votex'd crf450l and even a little more than the 500exc. They also have complete plastic rear subframes and if you overpack like every rider I've ever seen does - you'll snap it with long fatigue cyclic use. Amazing bikes and, while capable, probably not the optimal choice - I'm selling mine sadly for these reasons - I'm am otherwise completely in love with it and their wiring in later years is far better - I'd remove that as a common issue for recent builds. 2. The SWM 300 is really a pure. classic little fast trail bike, an amazing choice value wise and I'll likely be buying a used one for peanuts when I sell my 480 as my hard enduro bike but I'll be be hunting down a 450L as and ADV as nothing compares for the price when comparing similarly priced wr250r, 300l's and 6k more 500excs. 3. You need to keep an eye on countershaft wear on the 500 and some other durability stuff like boiling fuel/exhuast heat shielding and general italian things similar to the beta but certainly not a bad option given the money you'll save over an EXC - I'm pretty tempted to go this route if it wasn't for economy/range concerns.

Can the Honda 450L run full heated gear? My 690 can but most light bikes can’t.

500 exc-f is fantastic enduro and light travel bike.

If these bikes had longer service intervals, they'd be great adv bikes. But hell, even my little klx250 can go 2500miles/4000km before even thinking about an oil change.

Great review! At some point I think I’ll mod an enduro bike to do ADV with, just for those times the trails get tight!

This was the video I was looking for! Thanks

The 430/480 is the bike to get way better then the ktm! The twin cam motor is smoother on the road & the counter shaft don’t wear out like ktm’s do & makes 44.5/47 rwhp for the 430/480

Thx for this. Interesting that you pick the 390RR over the 500RR, but the 500EXCF over the 350/450EXCF. Would you care to expand on why?

I imagine myself changing the oil every 2 days on a ADV trip. lol

We need to bring back the Honda XR650R!!! BRP!!! Best ever!!!

I have to disagree with the Beta 480RR this year, but failed to turn it into a lightweight ADV bike, due to lack of accessories, and I’m living in the Center of Europe. The worst part is the exhaust noise, I even asked a specialist to build a custom exhaust, it was less noisy at idling, but as loud as stock on the open road. I had to sell the bike and continue with my KTM 790 R.

Music choice is on point for the video 👌👌

Most of the beta pics show a 2 stroke , left me confused what we were talking about

From a "KTM" owner (FE501) the power is totally fine, the 450s are way more bat shit in my experience. Unless a 500 is your very first bike, totally nothing to be over whelmed by.

The problem with turning enduros into adventure bikes is the maintenance, not necessarily the size. You don't tour on enduro bikes because you of the maintenance intervals on the high rung smaller engines.

My KTM 500 makes 67HP - stock was 58. I added a pipe and an ECU for tuning.

I love my Beta 500RR-S! But just cant get myself to sell my WR250R.

Hey Solid, what are your thoughts on using a farm/agricultural bike as an adv bike? eg Yamaha AG200, Suzuki Dr200s, Honda CTX200 or even the Honda CT125 (though it's a little overpriced in my opinion)

Hi Solid, Just wondering what's your take on a possible comparison between the SWM RS300R and the CRF300L on the subject of a lightweight (and budget friendly) do-it-all machine. I understand the adventure shortcomings of the RS300 (close ratio gearbox, short service intervals, no pillion footpegs, etc.) but for almost the same price as the CRF (in Greece) you get out of the box (older but) better components (suspension, motor, brakes, lightweight frame, protection parts...). As a new rider I understand the CRF is a very friendly bike but it's difficult to overlook the value of the SWM. Your video has given me a new dilemma! Great content btw! Cheers! Alex

Define ADV Bike. These things are cool offroad, but packed flr travelling they might not do the trick anymore. Long stretches of tarmac with heavy loads are not the way of the real dual sport 1-cylinder.

None of these will let you travel enough without constantly fueling them. The proven and reliable choices for me are the KLR 650, DR 650 or XR 650L.

Best enduro bike ever? XR 400 Honda. Indestructible. Fun. Very competitive.

Great content Solid! Keep up the good work 👍🏼

P.S. With some of these bikes you'd have to pack all fluid and have your buddies lug your gear since you'd have to change your fluids every other day on a longwinded treck....

I bought a new Yamaha WR450F 2022, you can make it street legal in Germany, but with only 17 HP which is a joke. Costs a total of about 10,000 Euros. The bike is my first enduro, I drive it offroad and onroad. I am very satisfied, uncorcked is the power fierce but you learn it quickly to deal with it. Also, you can control the throttle response via the ECU. Overall a very good bike, the WR450F was the right decision. Why the missing here is incomprehensible to me. The Honda 450L is no longer manufactured and has been much too expensive for the offered.

never had problems with 620/640 ktm, but then again, I used to ride first Gen KLR :P .

Too many times the rider thinks a different bike will get you different results when more practice will do the job. Signed Guilty

An adenture bike (most usually) is a road bike that's designed-modified to be ridden offroad as well. An enduro/dual sport is a dirt bike that's designed to be ridden on the road as well. The actual secret is that any bike is made for an adventure. They are any and all adventure bikes. As far as actual adv riding, I couldn't imagine any of these bikes being on my list due to those terribly thin seats/height and a few other cons and technical specifications. I have an enduro I ride for dual sport riding where I'm headed from the dirt into town (to house), etc, and an adventure bike I ride for adventure style riding where I'm headed from my house in town to the dirt/mountains (to cabin). How many agree, an adventure bike usually is a road bike designed for offroad use also, and an endure//dual sport is a dirt bike designed to be ridden on the road as well? Usually just adding lights and horn turns (sometimes exhaust and tires) a dirt bike into an approved road riding bike. To turn my enduro into what my adv bike is would take a lot more hours and labor that's for sure. To turn my adv bike into a dirt bike would be removing a pile of parts and then some.

I don't see how many of these can be called adventure bikes with such short maintenance intervals. Most of those you would be changing the oil at least once a week, and adjusting the valves every other week. That's ridiculous on anything but a race track.

To be honest the adventure bike is a niche to be honest right now everybody's just jumping on the bandwagon because it's just the new big thing just like super Moto's was the big thing and then cafe racers was the big thing and now it's overweight adventure bikes and naked

good to see SWM in with the big hitters, lightweight off road isn't what it used to be, Suzuki TS 250-400, XL 185-250, DT 250 etc ..will we ever see bike like those again,

Good list! I'd probably choose the honda for ADV, but the Beta 390 is a fantastic bike!

These are some dressers to mod; it costs a crapload though, into a midrange ADV Rally /Travel Enduro -DSB. Handguards, skid plate, tires, larger tank, airbox, slipon, ecu, enduro LED tower, steering damper, bar ends, flexx bars, protape , - riser, concept seat, wider pegs suspension lithium battery and so forth: CRF300L KLX300 350/450/500 Exc DRZ400S Kayo T4 road CRF450RL WR450F Fantic XEF450 SVM RS500R XR650L DR650SE or risk it and order a Kove 450 Rally AsiaWing 450 Rally or Hero Xpulse 420cc Rally. Budget option: mod a used DSB (Big4) from the 90s

I want a 500cc version of the Yamaha TW200 with better everything and slightly bigger wheels