10 Adventure-Touring Bikes That Are Just As Comfortable On The Highway

Adventure bikes generally come in two flavors: on-road oriented and off-road oriented. The differences are mainly in the size of the front wheel, the tires, and the suspension tuning. Off-road-oriented bikes tend to come with a 21-inch, spoked front wheel, some degree of knobbies, and off-road-tuned suspension to tackle terrain. On-road ADVs have 17-inch cast front wheels, street tires, and sporty-tuned suspension that prioritizes agile handling on pavement. A happy medium would have a 19-inch wheel and the tires tell which way they lean for on-road stability and some light off-road shenanigans.

Among the on-road-savvy ADVs you’ll find street-centric features such as cornering-enhanced electronic aids, active or semi-active suspension, and cruise control to make touring on the pavement a more comfortable ride. More and more, this is blurring the lines between street-oriented adventure bikes and what we’re used to calling sport-tourers/crossovers. For ADVs that are tuned for the highway, we’ll look at those with 17- or 19-inch front wheels and street tires.

Related

Table of Contents

Toggle

10 Adventure Bikes Worth Buying In 2025

These adventure bikes offer all that and more within a market segment that really demands everything

1

Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak

Price: $31,995

Ducati tops the list with its road-centric Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak, which is coming off a fresh update. The update introduces new bodywork that comes shot in a new racing livery that borrows from the various divisions within the brand. The Pikes Peak rolls on 17-inch wheels front and rear, making it more of a road-centric model than some ADV bikes out there. Öhlins forks boast a beefy 48 mm diameter for strength while a TTX36 monoshock takes care of the rear.

All that is under electronic control that allows for quick push-button suspension tweaks through the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 system. Ducati’s up-and-down quick-shift feature comes stock along with a host of electronic rider aids that make this one of the top contenders in the tech race. One of the cooler devices is the radar-assisted cruise control that monitors and maintains a safe following distance between you and the vehicle immediately in front of you.

Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak Performance Specifications

2

Yamaha Tracer 9

Price: $12,599

Yamaha takes a different approach with its Tracer 9, which brings affordable road-tastic performance to the table, making it a very approachable machine. The factory updated the Tracer 9 with fresh electronics and new switchgear along with a seven-inch color TFT screen. You can pre-set a top-speed limiter to keep yourself from succumbing to impulse in the heat of the moment and getting a little too twisty with that right grip.

A Deltabox frame improves comfort and handling along with improved ergonomics for long-distance work. The engine is mid-size at 890 cc, and it comes with a six-axis inertial measurement unit that informs the electronic engine-control unit and a host of rider safety systems that cover all the usual bases. Standard hard cases ensure you have some stock storage capacity.

Yamaha Tracer 9 Performance Specifications

3

BMW S 1000 XR

Price: $17,995

BMW gets in on the action with its S 1000 XR model that fits the bird’s-beak ADV bike mold in its sportiest Beemer fashion with a rally-style screen above a ram-air port at the front of the beak that feeds pressurized air directly into the intake tract for a low-tech boost to performance. It paid off given the power figures, ’cause the S 1000 XR matches the Ducati Pikes Peak in the horsepower category.

An electronically controlled suspension system delivers dynamic damping adjustments automatically as well, and it’s joined by a robust electronics package that hits all the major points. One interesting goodie is the E-Call Intelligent Emergency Call system that adds yet another layer of protection for both pilot and passenger as a sort of dead-man’s switch.

BMW S 1000 XR Performance Specifications

Related

10 Most Practical Adventure Motorcycles In 2025

These adventure bikes offer unrivaled everyday practicality. That’s not something many ADVs can claim!

4

KTM 1290 Super Adventure S

Price: $20,999

KTM blurs the line between the ADV-bike designs and the sport-touring models they seem to be slowly supplanting as time goes by with its 1290 Super Adventure S. This decidedly street-centric machine bears the usual KTM genetic markers with its spiky style and relatively minimal bodywork. The power from the LC8 V-twin plant surpasses everything above by a tiny margin, and the electronics are similarly similar to put it in the top tier of tourers.

Interestingly, the factory went with minimal piston sizes, not in diameter but in height, leaving it looking like a piston crown with just enough structure to support the wrist-pin bosses beneath. This gives it a lowered reciprocating mass, which makes it a rather free-revving engine. A new 1390 version of this very bike is coming soon, so watch out for that.

KTM 1290 Super Adventure S Performance Specifications

5

Triumph Tiger Sport 660

Price: $9,695

Triumph offers a somewhat more approachable product in its new Tiger Sport 660 that benefits from a less-than-$10,000 starting sticker while maintaining plenty of modern over-road capabilities. The bodywork is slim and trim, to the point that the front fairing and adjustable windscreen do little to improve the pilot’s comfort.

The electronics, however, are right up with other middleweight machines with Shift Assist, cornering ABS and Traction Control, and a trio of Riding Modes for quick personality changes, so you don’t have to sacrifice on tech to get that affordable price. Showa suspension products float both ends, but without any electronic fandanglery to complicate things. The under $10,000 MSRP is rather appreciable, too.

Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Performance Specifications

6

Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST

Price: $19,999

Even the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has adventure bikes in the game with its Pan America line. New for 2025, the Pan America 1250 ST proves the near-ubiquity of the genre. H-D went with minimal pilot protection with a beefy headlight housing and bikini smoked windscreen leading the way. The engine is another departure from the norm. Sure, it’s a V-twin, but it’s liquid-cooled for greater thermal stamina than you can get from an air-cooled lump; just the thing for summer trips.

At around 150 ponies, power output is actually pretty good for a marque that didn’t even bother publishing horsepower figures just a decade ago. However, torque takes a back seat, which is all entirely bass-ackwards relative to the norm. The MoCo even gets in on the electronic suspension action with Showa products fore and aft. H-D also has one of the very best electronics suites with all the lean-sensitive delightfulness Milwaukee has to offer.

Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST Performance Specifications

Related

10 Adventure Bikes That Get Surprisingly Good Fuel Economy

The most fuel-efficient adventure motorcycle on this list is a city-friendly bike with an automatic gearbox and an under-$9,500 price tag.

7

BMW R 1300 GS Triple Black

Price: $19,945

BMW doubles down on the adventuresome yummygoodness with its streetwise R 1300 GS model that’s packing the Triple Black loadout that is definitely geared toward travel on the black as opposed to the brown. In addition to this variation, you can also opt for the Touring Package for even more two-up comfort and built-in piping for Beemer’s native navigation system, or go for broke with the Alpine Express package that adds heated seats and expanded hand protection for tackling long trips in colder climes.

You can also opt for a Dynamic Suspension Adjustment and Adaptive Vehicle Height Control for a fancier suspension system than stock, even though the stock stems are perfectly adequate. Beemer’s iconic Boxer-Twin delivers the goods with less horsepower than some of the others on this list, but I defy anyone to call it either weak or slow.

BMW R 1300 GS Triple Black Performance Specifications

8

Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES

Price: $17,599

Honda’s Africa Twin has lived to become a legend in its own time with a range of products, but the Adventure Sports ES model seems to be the most road-tastic of the AT siblings. The suspension is electronically adjusted, and with around eight inches of travel at both ends, it’s quite supple and should be most comfortable on long hauls, even on roads that may be less civilized than others.

Power comes from a proven parallel-twin engine that has seen globe-trotting duty since day one with a good track record, and that peace of mind is worth a lot when out and about. You might notice the laced wheels that are normally associated with classic bikes and off-road machines. Think of it as a vestige of the Africa Twin’s off-road roots. Corner-sensitive ABS and Selectable Torque Control make up the modest electronics suite.

Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES Performance Specifications

9

Triumph Tiger 900 GT

Price: $15,195

Triumph is a double-dipper with its Tiger 900 GT that rocks a slim profile with a stressed-engine setup that leaves it with an abbreviated frame. Even the front fairing is minimal, with minimal pilot protection, but the glass is well vented for a smooth upper edge of the pocket, and it comes with hand protectors so you aren’t completely left exposed to the breeze.

Cornering-enhanced ABS and traction control help you keep it dirty-side down while a long-stroke suspension setup ensure smooth sailing. Power comes from a proven liquid-cooled triple with around 100 ponies to make it capable of interstate travel with plenty of oomph in reserve. The suspension is manually adjustable with the full range of tweaks and long strokes for comfy, long-range yummygoodness.

Triumph Tiger 900 GT Performance Specifications

Related

10 Most Overlooked Adventure Motorcycles That Will Last A Lifetime

These overlooked adventure bikes offer a lot of value to those looking for a reliable motorcycle

10

Suzuki V-Strom 1050

Price: $15,409

Suzuki’s V-Strom family is a proven platform at this point and the 1050 model reprises its role as the street-centric adventure bike for the brand. The suspension is straight vanilla save for the damping adjuster out back. Cast wheels run Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 radials for long-distance comfort and performance. Power comes from a 90-degree V-twin engine that comes with a few nifty items: namely the sodium-filled exhaust valves meant to lower combustion-chamber temperature, a dual throttle-plate setup in the intake for smooth transitions throughout the range, and a Low RPM Assist feature ensures you don’t stall out somewhere dangerous or embarrassing. A dual-plug setup delivers excellent flame-front propagation to boot for good economy and emissions.

Suzuki V-Strom 1050 Performance Specifications