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  • 640 mile of tarmac... you really need 15k 1200cc bike? next time compare them against a kymco scooter....

  • This is like testing scuba-diving equipment in the bathtub....

  • first time iv ever heard the sentence(ktm is the least expensive) lol

  • Adventure is everything as you would expect adventure on road and off road, the BMW is the best all rounder in my opinion it will outlast ALL of the other bikes and it will still be kicking long after its owner even with neglect its shaft drive, less power but more reliable, no chain problems, your screwed if your chain breaks up in the middle of no where because you are adventuring.

  • Wrong wrong wrong the Ducati is a road bike, take it off road and see how it performs, how many Ducatis finished Dakar this year. none because it can't go off road.

  • That isn't adventure riding. So it isn't a proper test.

  • How can this be adventure bike testing/competition if they went road only, and the street bike won? makes no sense at all. Bogus. It's like taking 3 cruisers and KTM for off-road test and see who wins ... guess which one will win?

  • THE WINNER IS..............DUCATI MULTISTRADA.CHE IO HO!!!!!CERTO CHE GLI INGLESI LE CAPISCONO LE COSE

  • These are adventure bikes, except the duc, so how about you test them in an adventure application??? The duc would fail straight away and the KTM would smash them, for duel purpose I'd run the BMW. only my opinion though...

  • 4 girls on a nice day trip whatever happended to rufty tufty BIKERS

  • 1.) KTM 2.) Yamaha 3.) BMW. The Multistrada shouldnt even be there.

  • MCN can you please take these bikes offroad, for some serious dirt riding? Why not make some sort of "episode 2" where you hit some muddy trails, gravel roads and sandy areas?

  • What a joke, you poms really have no idea whats going on !!!!!!

  • I new Yamaha wouldn't win that test,,Not with those europeans doing the test.

  • While it is true that they don't really show the bikes' off road capabilities, the bulk of any of theses machines' time will be spent on ROADS.- so-well done!

  • That review sucked

  • Dont forget!! If you are going to take BMW for an adventure, dont forget to take your KRAZ support truck because RAC or AA cant get that far as R1200GSA!! so wont be able to fix it for you ;)

  • MCN - "Who needs to go abroad on an adventure biking holiday when the roads, weather and people of the UK can be this good?"

    Hahahahaha!!! Good JOKE!!

  • these bikes are pointless unless you do off road ridding.

  • you don't need dual sport bikes to ride on tarmac all day.

  • ahh let's stop for a beer lol

  • sda

    

  • Nice, you're forced to watch a commercial, followed by another commercial. Pretty soon, youtube will just be network tv all over again.

  • @ 8:36 in reference to the Multistrada..."but how many people take them off road?" So is it not made for it? Is it not really a dual sport? Why so many comparisons with the GS Adventure then? I'm confused as to why it was top choice.

  • BMW is the best.

  • Where are the dirt roads?! Did I missed something?

  • mcn ...please grow up ..everyone in the adventure bike world knows you are the zx10 news ..throw in 50 miles of single track road shed the bikes with proper duel tyres ..tell us how they cope with steep rocky decents in 1st gear ..how soft the traction is on wet grass im sorry but as a test of the bikes its nothing but a jolly fpr sportsbike riders ..its useless

  • What's the point of doing a test about adventure bikes if you don't make them off road????

  • Thumbs up if you wouldn't be seen dead on a KTM

  • i am sorry my friends, but that is not an adventure, it is just a soft ride on the road, bring them to Baja mex. and we will se who is the better bike i vote for KTM.

  • adventure bike...electronic....WRONG!!!

  • ducati always wins these guys comparisons

  • Review's terrible. Totally missed the point and neglected the basics of the purpose of these bikes. I wouldn't even bring the Multi in this comparison. To sum it up, KTM's the best all around bike there is, period. It approaches the "go anywhere" concept with boldness and not a lot compromises (better with R suspension). GS is great but mostly on tarmac, the bike is limited by its bad offroad suspension. Haven't ridden the Tenere but it looks like a heavy Japanese GS. Can't say much about it...

  • Drink more beer and ride closer together - we want to see a pileup

  • how can you call ducati '' adventure '' !!! ??

  • If you want a serious adventure bike buy a DR650

  • Funniest comments ever, but to be expected as riders need to affirm the purchase of their expensive 'adventure bike' - bikes that see off pavement use less than 0.5 % of the time; where the average rider is pretty much a senior citizen whom can barely touch his feet to the ground and most often can't pick the bike up themselves. And they go down often.

    Best thing is that adventure bike owners are almost always ATGATT, and not just because Armor tends to minimize beer bellies size.

  • What a joke of a review. Seriously, get some that knows how to ride to do a review. Did you try and do maintenance on any of them?

  • @iphorde true that, or change the back & front tire during a flat......

  • Up next, we test 5 dirt bikes on pavement.

    

  • Base on an “unbiased” opinion whilst riding purely on the road. Seems to me another MCN test. I have ridden all four bikes, my verdict, i.e. including off road. 1st place goes to the KTM, off road none of the others come close, hey but the KTM was designed from their 950 Dakar winning bike. 2nd, BMW, good all-round bike, and fine for getting off the beaten track and fire roads, good at eating miles on the tar.3rd, Yam, sweet motor, traction control, no heated grips. 4 Duc, good road bike.

  • um

  • What about the Yamaha ? O_O it cant be that bad guys, infact its great :) !

    I would say BMW is first then 2 is the Tenere 3 KTM and * Multistrada LOL *

  • in April 2012 we are beggin an epic adventure journey around the globe for charity reason. The charity is to rise founds for children control by UNICEF. We have been thinking for ages now what kind of bike we should go with. Having seen (obviously) all the lond way round etc, we decided to know BMW door as well. However we needed a tool to get us around and not a marketing image. So the next option was the KTM or the ST. ST of course is heavier than GS but more pedigry it to it, and no comment

  • wow what a wasted opportunity.

    dirt bikes with knobbly tyres and you stayed on the road.

    adventure bikes, go back to playing with your honda goldwings.

    you completely missed the point

    do you still get paid for this drivel

  • XT600K is the best.

  • Obviously you lard assed Pomms are too used to your lazy weekend rides on tarmac.

    Would I take the Multistrada on a river crossing....no!....would I take it for a couple of days through the desert or across the outback....I don't think so.

    If there was a motorised lounge chair in the mix you probably would have voted it best.

    Adventure riding my ass!

  • @w3media What are you talking about "adventure" when there is standing in the text that they made a road trip? How can they test than mud and sand? And by the way i dont know a lot of people who would use a heavy travel enduro for river crossing... where in the UK is it necessary for people to cross a river with such fat bikes?

  • @w3media I agree the Ducati is not an off road bike... i would even say the beemer is way to heavy off-road as is the Yamaha... i would say the only contender here is the KTM!

  • @w3media Thats not what the review was asking of these bikes, clearly. You just missed that completely.

  • @fotokitdirect no I didn't "miss that completely"...that's my whole point! Why would you test a bunch of Dual sport bikes and not take them off tarmac? I've ridden all of those bikes long distance at highway speeds, through bush and scrub, over sand, desert and through rivers and mud. Of these four bikes, the one I would never buy for true Adventure riding is the one they are saying is the best....and I know they are only saying that because they never took it off road.

  • @w3media do you live in Sahara Desert or Ren River?

    So fuck off.

  • @cealtun don't know what your problem is. but same to you fuckwit!

  • @w3media YIP, some people,to this day, still just dont know the difference between adventure and tour

  • So, the best adventure bike is the only one which can't get his wheels off road in search of "adventures"...Very interesting.

  • Wow! i think the boys were looking forward to go fast-but not find out the versatility of a adventure motorbike. I think the Yamaha does best when looking at price/on road/off Road and the whole package....but i guess its not a big IMAGE CARREER....

  • Excellent, a road test for adventure bikes! Why don't they throw the BMW S1000RR in as well? It would have won the test for sure! I particularly like the fact that the winning bike has 17 inch tyres. Fantastic. Its marginally more off-road orientated than an FZ1. An extra inch of travel and 3 miles more plastic to smash. The Multistrada, like the big Triumph Tiger should not even pretend to be adventure bikes unless you are willing to throw in every other non-super sport.

  • I'm afraid I have to agree with the others here. Normally I really like the MCN reviews, but to not test adventure touring bikes on a real adventure seems to be the fundamental failure of the test. I really like the Multistrada but I am very keen to know it's capabilities in the dirt. I actively seek out the roads less traveled on my rides, so I'm not sure th Multi is for me.

  • What a test! I'm not sure why you didn't include a shopping trolley with that lot because you didn't seem to get out of the carpark! My wife drives further to pick up the shopping!

    Boys, next time come down to Australia and we'll give you a test. Honestly, you would have discovered more about the bikes' dirt manners if you took the liberty of asking a farmer if you could ride around his paddock.

    As a test - you fail and along the way you fail us all.

  • I'm looking to replace my Caponord & got my eye on the Tenere. Its actually going to be cheaper in the States compared to those other bikes. Good sized gas tank, and nice low maint shaft drive. Don't think the seat on the multistrada or the KTM would be good for REAL long distance.

  • Hmmm, seems to me the boys are missing the point. But hey they are Poms :-)

    I suppose we in the southern hemisphere should feel sorry for them as they have nowhere to go adventure riding like we do!

  • Anyone heard any comments about yamaha

  • @emriaco

    No!

    and its a shame-if ridden it and its a nice bike! But the brand Ducati and BMW are so high on image that people rather buy these bikes without trusting their own intuition. I wanted a GS-but for the money you get a tenere loaded with everything........Tenere go!!!!

  • where's the gravel, mud and sand? I'm sure the KTM would crush the others if you did some real adventure riding.

  • Comment removed

  • Save yourself a complete waste of time and do NOT watch this review. One bike is not mentioned at all. They test adventure bikes over two days on paved roads! The most street oriented bike wins! One of the testers even wears the winning manufacturers logo T-shirt. These prats don't know an adventure bike from their arse.

  • Yamaha wins for me

  • Such a lame ass comparison. Where was the Yamaha review? Complete waste of time.

  • @slowandeasy If you want to see a fair dinkum test of the Super Tenere go to channel edog200 or search Super Tenere Dirt Test.

  • Looking forward to the test of 1000 cc sport bikes test on a dirt track...

    I must say that with this test I did get clear on that the best bike in your test was the worst for multi-purpose. Nest time you do a test you might consider to look in to what you are testing before planning the roads you test it on.

  • These guys have no frigging idea what they are talking about (and 95% of ppl who post here instead of doing some off-road riding). Why are the bikes so clean at the end of the "test"? KTM all the way.

  • @Ifuclickhereurnotgay seems your a right TIT lad, ive rode the new multistrada and the old one as well as the 916 and 998....and im not a fan OK...i hate the twin cylinder engine. Im more into inline 4 cylinder engines some v twins are ok like the suzuki sv 1200 but ducati are not my cup of tea just a personal opinion thats all....no need to rip into me for giving my opinion lad.

  • Its a shame this review is so biased. All adventure type KTMs would be a disappointment for road riding. Everyone I know complains about how bad their seats are. But for the Yamaha; this being their first big bore adventure after such a long absence, I must say is very surprisingly good. I own a BMW but I'd definitely chose the Yamaha as my next bike unless Honda makes a proper comeback.

  • KTM's side cases look like dust bins

  • Seriously....They never take them off road...That ducati looks like real pretty bike....hahahaha I'm sure it wont ever see any dirt. I wanted to hear more about the tenere!

  • MCN licks ducati's ass, they are all ducati fanboys...if theres a ducati in the test you bet your life it will come out on top....shame realy

  • @tubewayarmy2005. You're a retard.Have you even driven or been on a Multisrada.I know why they like the bike so much and why it IS the best bike there and probably in the world......because my Dad HAS one.He bought it brand new with all the exras and i would be shocked if there was a bike better than it!

  • I won't be wasting my time watching another video from this organization.

  • @308mmm I'm with you on that bro!!

  • @ Aspirinosa

    What the fuck are you on about? You think the multistrada is ugly have you seen the piece of shit called the tenere

  • really, who are those guys? they are on drugs!, how can they forget the Yamaha?

    No idea!

    Youtube, take them off this site!

  • Comment removed

  • Dual sport test.........and no off road?. Eh!.

  • Funny I would give a very difficult result. Is this as normal bike magazines going for the new shine. I love Ducati but have test ridden the new Mutlistrada I was really surprised that it was not great. The wind protection was poor with lots of buffeting and wind noise. The electronic suspension is a bit of a gadget, interesting concept, but the standard settings are too soft and for the extra expense a spanner to adjust it once or twice a year! Running out of space, tested the Yamaha, amazing.

  • I like the yamaha.

  • uhm, allrighty.... what the hell!?

    +1 whitey0222!!

  • You guys should stick to street bikes since you can't seem to do a true test on DUAL sport bikes.

  • there are lots of differences in terms of handling and speed performance at corners between 17', 19' and 21' front wheel...

  • That's a nice video, but not a test.

    You should have ridden the bikes on dirt tracks 5%, offroad 15 %, mountain roads 25%, back roads 25% & highways 30% to figure out their adventure capabilities.

    Honestly, there should even be river crossings... !

    In addition, the BMW is the "Adventure" version of the GS - so why didn't you include the "standard" GS & also the KTM 990 Adventure R?

    But it's really great to see a 10 min. video.

    PLEASE test again, this time including the "dual sports" aspect.

  • How can you call it a review when you dont go off road?

  • Ummmm ... I s'pose you didn't take 'em off-road 'cos you didn't want to get sand in your lacy underwear. Useless review.

  • Bunch of dickheads, wouldn't know what an adventure bike is.

    Stick with your road bikes ladies, leave adventure bikes to adventure riders.

  • Well I think the comments below sum it up fella's. You poms wouldn't know an adventure if you fell off a bike... This was more like a pub crawl! Dual Sport actually means taking the beasts off road or at least up a boggy country lane. Of course the Multi wins in this comparo. I would love to see your comments if you did this test in Australia or South Africa.

  • Well I think the comments below sum it up fella's. You poms wouldn't know an adventure if you fell off a bike... This was more like a pub crawl! Dual Sport actually means taking the beasts off road or at least up a boggy country lane. Of course the Multi wins in this comparo. I would love to see your comments if you did this test in Australia or South Africa.

  • Came on dudes.. Are all you becoming insane in Mcn..! i cant belive that multistrada won .. A multistrada its like having an hypermotard!! if i have one i never go to have fun in off road its a joke bike!! in that grup we have to joices The first its KTM Adventure.. the winner this bike its the best adventure.. and the 2 place its for super ténere the best example of verselaty..

  • @Vilas30

    i agree with you about the ducati.. but i know both ktm adventure - usual and the R - version. and also this bikes are no cross-bikes. too massive, too heavy, no handling for difficult ways... same the GS. but for touring on all terrain here the GS and the KTM lead the field. a ducati with her supermoto-tyres is a street-bike - nothing else

  • take them off road... not those homo hi ways

  • R1200GS to Rule Them All. The Ducati is great,but a pure street bike (better compare it with TDM or Triumph). Also, chain drive. No thanks - not going back. KTM is GREAT but way too "off-roadee" (and then you go play a whole other game with normal dirt bikes and 990 looses easily) - I easily forgive it the chain. S.Tenere is indeed nothing to even mention. The price, what were they thinking? GS - VERY good in all the fields "juuuust" right.

  • ...hope next update it gets a nice electronic goodies update (a la MS12) and some moderate power boost (not that it lacks, only to keep in in the competition). Speaking of electronics, after BMW switched to non-power-assisted brakes, the bike can go all day with "normal" electronics. Nothing more than a KTM AND you don't need to take everything apart to fix somethings.

  • @NULUSIOS

    Well said I echo your comments!

    The Ducati is like TDM.....etc. So true. And the KTM is an almost pure Off Road bike and that's why they use in Dakar Rally. The Yamaha is new, no history so can't say much here. But the price is a let down!

    The GS rules really! Sorry i am not being biased, but if any one rides the GS, the truth will be known.

  • What a shame naming this a "Adventure Comparison" and then not even having a gravel road in there. The Ducati is a pure street bike. It can't even start to compare to the others as soon as it goes off the beaten path.

    Basically - bullshit test ...

  • Nice video while to make my decision it helps, thanks..

  • Adventure biking ... HAHA fucking joke ... adventure ...

  • KTM- only one true off-road bike

    BMW & Yamaha- with this amount of electronicts you wont be able to take it 'down to nowhere' without support truck behind

    Ducati- yh, what to say... adventure bike?? if you like to stay on tarmac - yes, but for this price you can get nice BMW R1300GT

  • In my opinion the KTM is the real Adventure bike in the sense that is the only bike worthy for off-road. For long traveling on tarmac the BMW would be better as it has a larger tank and is more comfy on the long run :)

  • FAIL !!!

    These are dual sport bikes. ie, they are designed to be ridden both onroad and offroad. By limiting your "test" to motorways and sealed back roads, you have overlooked the design brief entirely.

    The fact that a bike with 17" wheels wins your award for best adventure bike pretty much says it all. The cafe's looked nice though.

  • @whitey0222 I agree completely, what do they understand for adventure biking, 17" front tyre, what a joke!

  • @whitey0222 and what about the Honda Transalp and Varadero - those are no small timers .... how can they talk adventure bikes without the transalp or varadero

  • @whitey0222 I don't disagree with anything you said- I'd just point out that there are a LOT of people who fancy themselves "adventure" riders but never truly leave the tarmac. Don't know wheere you hail from, but here in the USA we have a lot of poseurs who think they "need" a truck or an SUV... Some thing here, I think. There are those who legitimately use off-road ability on a tourer, but I tend to think they're a vocal minority. Just guessing, no offense intended.

  • My favourite bike: BMW R 1200 GSA

    Second position: DUCATI MULTISTRADA

    Third: KTM 990 ADVENTURE

    Fourth: YAMAHA

  • interesting test guys.. but I'm a Kiwi, and question your interpetation of adventure riding.. Adventure rideing here is unpaved roads, going to places others don't.. we dont see seal, white lines, traffic lights.. hell, you're lucky if you see traffic.. would have liked to have seen at least some real adventure in your test...not just back road meandering...

  • Light years from Africa Twin

  • Ducati has no place in this "adventure bike " test

  • "new" 4 valve head? strange, my BMWs have had 4 valve heads simce the 90's. Does he mean twin cam ?

  • Multistrada on first place?? What you guys been smoking?

  • Yamaha Super Tenere v BMW GS v Multistrada v KTM 990 - The title of the video ? What about yamaha ? Why did you bother to take it along since there is no review of this bike? Multistrada first ? Big joke read more and come back for a more reliable review!!!

  • adventure bikes are about going offroad too - that's where the adventures are - so ducati falls flat for me - GS is still the bike to beat!

  • Bmw is the best for adventure on long rides on different terrains. Only issue with it is the price. The only thing that Yamaha would had to beat was the price in my opinion. So they lost!

  • had a look at the multistrada yesterday - typically italian mix of expensive carbon and very very cheap plastic

    BMW and KTM owns them

  • @lamilumag

    but you didn't ride it????

    I'm most interested in the Yamaha because it's the only bike out of the group i've never ridden. Out of the other three, the Multi is the easiest/most fun to ride.

  • Are you guys using an HDDSLR to shoot these videos now? It sort of looks like you're using a Canon 7D. There's lots of aliasing and the bike cam had a lot of rolling shutter. The zoom-ins/outs also aren't smooth at all which makes it seem like the operator is using the manual zoom on an HDDSLR lens.

  • Where is the Stelvio NTX???

    What about service cost of these bikes?

    I imagine Ducati would be last as always.

  • SUPER TENERE all the way.... these guys are LAME ! Duc if you you are a coffee shop show off...... Yamaha or BMW for real adventure.....

  • @blowmeten stfu...

  • Who in their right mind would buy the Yamaha Jap bike when it's the same price as the BMW R1200 GS which has proven itself on Ewan and Charlie's adventures?

  • @number1Schumacherfan has it really? i wonder how many front forks they had to replace during the trip.

  • @GreenFrogJSK zero

  • The Duc is only good if you NEVER take it off road. Why even buy one of these bikes if you stay on the street? The Beemer is by far the best Adventure bike when you factor the off-road aspect into the test.

    If you were only going to test the street-appeal, you may as well have a Goldwing in the test.

  • @UltraSWG lol Goldwing. The Multistrada I'm sure can handle a dirt fire road pretty well as can most bikes as long as they're not using street-only tires. The R1200GS isn't really stellar off road anyway. The F800GS is far better at that.

  • the yamaha would be the best adventure bike in my book, take the multistrada to a harsh enviroment such as the ones in the paris dakar rally and it may not cope reliability wise.

  • @vexr241 Why would anyone take a multi on the Dakar!? What a stupid comment.....Clearly this motorcycle is NOT intended to go through the Sahara and was never for this use. It is for the modern rider who wants to do 90% tar and 10% dirt. In view of that it has been designed perfictly

  • @KimLudbrook it's not made for the 10% dirt - but you still can do 100% tar - not really an adventure bike - this is a road bike and should be compared to <triumph tiger 1050> and <ktm 990 smt>

    mcn fails to put this thing into the right category

  • C'mon, ducati is not an Adventure bike, IT'S a street oriented bike only...You guys don't know what you are talking about. The Superténéré is the bike!!

  • Good review

  • wow MCN Aren't you guys blowing the budget with these 10 min vids?

  • Where was the 'adventure' lol. Need to pack some serious gear on those bikes and really get out there for like a week! No hotels. I didn't see those bikes go anywhere I haven't taken my Goldwing...

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  • KTM only true off road bike? Has anyone watched the BMW go round the world? Would you ever take the Duc off road?

  • a lot of great bikes to choose from on the market these days.

  • I know somebody who won't buy KTM. Charley Boorman.

  • @alexzaharcu  You dont know much about Charley Boorman then. :)

  • not much off-roading in the test. after watching "long way down" i`ve fallen in love with BMW. i`d love to have one ( rf900 at the mo )

  • BMW GSA was my choice: no regrets. I think the Ducati is a fantastic bike, but it's not the same spirit.

    You still want to be sort of sporty but don't want to sit like a frog on a race horse, go Ducati.

    You want to ride the world (or feel like it, yet having the option), go BMW GSA!

  • Why does he keep hitting these poor bikes at the beginning of the video?

    Nice review though!

  • Why even bother making a review of adventure bikes if you don't take them on dirt roads!? That is what adventure riders do and the compromises between on and off road is what counts when you want to rate these bikes! Ranking the bikes based only on a road performance is crap. For that matter would a touring bike win this pseudo 'adventure' bike comparison?

  • ktm should redesign their bike,.

  • bmw is the best!

  • Great review hows the Multi compare to other Bikes... outside Adventure market... 3 or 4 bikes in one... 1200 Multi = to Sportbike/Naked/Supermoto ?or Better ?

  • well done...good video. Well done Michael and team. good in depth feature.I'dl still go for the GS altho' the ducati might grow on me..

  • ktm the cheapest because its the ugliest!!!!!

    and why havent they got the Triumph Tiger in this test

  • Where was the Tiger in this test?

  • @britex3186 I was wondering that myself.

  • that ktm looks hideous!

  • @sambob104 but it can go off road and i think that makes it the only true go anywhere bike

  • I'd choose the gs

  • how much HP do you really need for sitting at 70ish? the most flexible(easy of use) and ultimately reliable would get my vote as the best tourer, that means: best MPG, longest distance between services/fillups, known (model) reliability. those are boring but if you end up in the outer Hebrides and the electronics go titsup, what sort of internal backup system do the GS and Multistrada (besides AA) to allow you and your bike home?

  • i like the GS more i think the multistrada is to exspensive

  • hm.. it's a shame you guys didn't mention the yamaha in the final verdict.. why it got last place and all.. But nice video overall :) why better than those '2min reviews'. More of these ~10min vids please! =D

  • @Sponge1310 it doesnt mean its a crappy bike ,the others are just that much more advanced.ive owned a few different brands of bikes but the yamaha durability is by far the best jmo

  • @Sponge1310 I would bet the yamaha is a better bike than what they say. The yamaha is not going to get reveiws in europe.

  • Ducati always win.. I like the BMW the most :-)

  • id have the BMW GS , the best tourer and it doesnt have a chain!!!

  • i think if i arrived at that place and had to listen to those bagpipes all day id turn round and go home again...