There's motorcycle road trips, and then there's motorcycle road trips done right with an excellent adventure touring motorbike. With their awesome combination of power, driving feel and handling, these five beasts will ensure you get to your destination in one piece (and enjoy the ride too!).
1. Kawasaki KLR650
This 651cc, liquid cooled single transmission Japanese creation may be one of the lighter adventure bikes at 423 pounds, but it is as tough as nails. Being light means it can take you through rocky trails easily and it still uses a carburetor (so you can probably fix this roadside).
Cons? It's a slow bike, with a max of 80mph and is a real fuel guzzler!
2. BMW F800 GS
This continental making feels like a slim dirt bike and for its weight (526 pounds), it is very agile off-road. It's got a lot of bark on its exhaust and its suspensions give you what BMW does best: supple and sharp handling.
The drawback is is the narrow, hard seat and a trip computer that can be hard to use with gloves.
3. Triumph Tiger 800XC
Great power, smooth turbine-like exhaust, good looks and wonderful handling make this a joy to ride. It's got one of the smoothest gearboxes and throttle response, and its balance is deceptively good.
However, its smallish 5 gallon fuel tank and thirst means you may not be able to enjoy all the above for very long trips. It also still prefers pavement to mud.
4. Yamaha Super Tenere
OK, so we had to include this monster in here, and is among the heaviest, most powerful and quickest. Able to take you more than 250m on a full tank, this touring bike's suspension turns potholed roads into smooth pavement.
It does start to get a bit difficult though once you get on the dirt, as this bike will feel as heavy as it looks. So it's a good all-terrain, but worst off-road.