My Adventure Bike Comparison

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Ok, as is common sense, the views here are entirely of my own personal opinion, and they don't all come to a conclusion of any one best bike. There are pluses and minuses to each one, and you simply have to align your priorities to those pluses and minuses to figure out which bike is for you. For more information about each individual bike here, simply click the name in blue to be directed to the dedicated page. If you have any further questions, or any ideas for another topic to compare, please contact me!

Feature

Notes

Purchased

Sold

Basic Specs

Comfort

Pavement Handling

Off-Road Handling

Engine Feel

Transmission

Final Drive

Wind Protection

Fuel Economy

Brakes

Electronics

Maintenance

Protection

Conclusion

Buell Ulysses XB12XT

This 2009 Buell was my first 'adventure tourer', although it was closer to a true sport tourer, with street sized wheels and tires and sport bike like geometry.

I bought the Uly new with 300 miles on the clock from Valley HD & Buell in Wheeling, WV on October 20th, 2009.

I sold the Uly to Harley Davidson Corp. through Valley HD on September 19th, 2012, with 29,000 miles on the odometer.

Air Cooled 1203cc V-Twin with 103 HP and 84 lb ft of Torque. A 5 speed transmission propels the 510 pound (wet) bike through a belt drive.

The Uly has the most comfortable drivers seat, and comes in a close second in passenger comfort. It was wide and flat, and easily handled long days both solo and 2-up. It came with an adjustable passenger back rest as well, which was a large plus. Foot peg and handlebars felt quite neutral and comfortable. The Uly was the most noticeably when a passenger hopped on the back. The suspension wasn't happy, the brakes worked noticeably harder, and the motor felt much more labored.

First place goes to the Uly. This bike has street/sport bike wheels (and tires), tight geometry, and is nearly 100% road oriented. This is where the Uly shines. Being the low (XT) model, it was possible to drag the pegs, but only when at knee dragging lean angles.

The Uly nets third place here without any doubts. Street bike wheels and tires are the number 1 issue. No other wheel choices are available, and only one true off-road tire is available (TKC-80), but on the short and wide wheels, even it is far from ideal. I used cross-over tires (Pirelli Scorpion Trails), which are in essence, heavier duty street tires. They worked well for what the bike was made for, but that's not much off-road. The suspension travel and ground clearance was also the least of the three bikes, but I had the low model (the higher Uly model still had the least travel and clearance of these bikes). To me, the Uly is a street/sport tourer, that is capable of (dry) dirt or gravel back roads.

The Uly is the muscle car of this group. Power (torque) from down low, and pretty linear up to it's (low) rev limiter. It features older, simpler technology, yet puts out very similar power numbers to the other two. I'd say it has the widest power band of the three. As far as real acceleration numbers, the Ulysses pulls the slowest numbers (by professionals), with 0-60 times around 4.5 seconds, and the QM in the low 12's.

The Uly only has 5 speeds, where as both the others have 6. The torquey and linear motor does perfectly well with only 5 gears, and allows for less shifting. If you find yourself wanting to cruise over 75 mph, you'll wish it had that 6th gear overdrive. The clutch (cable operated) and shifter all work smoothly and perfectly well. No complaints here.

The Ulysses has a 'maintenance free' belt final drive. In theory, the belt should last forever and never need lubing or adjusting. in reality, especially when off-roading, a belt can break (and they are not easy to find out on the road). This means that, mainly when touring, you want to buy (not cheap) and pack along (bulky) an extra belt everywhere you go. A bit of a pain, but, if you're changing a belt every 30k miles, you're not paying any more than if changing a chain and sprockets every 10k miles, and you've got less work involved. Worth mentioning, Buell made changing the belt a very easy (road-sideable) project, but, with a belt final drive, you cannot change gear ratios.

The XT model Ulysses comes with the taller windshield. It was not horrible, but not great either. There was some buffeting and noise to deal with. The bike also came with brush/wind guards on the handlebars.

I pulled nearly identical fuel mileage out of all three bikes. Usually around 45 mpg, touring or cruising was easily around 50 mpg, and sporty (or hard) riding could drop it down into the mid 30's. The biggest differences here were tank size, and therefor range between fill-ups. The Uly had the smallest tank, at 4.4 gallons. At 45 mpg, that's about 150 miles till the fuel light turned on, and close to 200 miles before it was empty.

The Buell was the only bike here without ABS, and, unfortunately, is going to come in third place in the braking category. Not only is it lacking ABS, but the rear brake is sub-par, with a wooden feel, and a lack of power. The front brake works spectacularly well initially, but it's out-of-the-box design is susceptible to gaining a pulse, from either deposits left on the rotor from the brake pads, hot spots in the rotor, and/or from a sticking rotor mount. Mine began pulsing around the 20k mile mark, and became nearly unrideable by the time I sold it. I tried different brake pads, as well as a thorough cleaning of the front rotor and mounts, all to no avail.

The Uly is a pretty simple bike in this regard. Other than a couple power outlets, there's not much else to speak of. No fuel gauge, ABS, traction control, etc. Lighting is simple, one pod is low beam, the other is high beam (it is standard practice to run a jumper wire so, on high beam mode, the low bulb stays on as well). The Uly (XT) does come from the factory with a beautifully integrated heated grips kit. This is a big advantage, as it's much nicer than most aftermarket solutions, and pre-installed.

Another win for the Buell Uly! No valve adjustments, no final drive adjustments or lube. Just oil (in two holes), an oil filter, and tires. That is to say, if nothing breaks. But, Buells (the newer XB series at least, and the 2008+ even more so), aren't known for breaking. They are quite reliable motorcycles. Rear wheel bearings were a known weak spot, but that, for the most part, was it. Regardless, the air and (once you pull the small chin fairing) oil filters are very easy to get to. The oil drain and fill holes are out in the open. Even spark plugs don't take much work to change.

The Ulysses comes with frame pucks, and a nicely buried motor, and therefor, does quite well with low speed, or easy tip-overs. I dropped mine once in gravel, and the handlebars bent surprisingly easy. That was the only damage. The Ulysses doesn't come with, or even have available any longer, a skid plate. The entire bottom of the bike is the muffler, and it's reinforced to be strong enough to be a jacking point, so arguably, you do not need a skid plate.
Crash bars are not available for the Buell, which is unfortunate, because any damage beyond the hard plastic frame pucks is frame damage.

The Buell Ulysses is a muscle car; pack it up and take it across the country if you want, or it would be just as happy going to a race track. In fact, it'd be happier going to the race track, than it would going to find dirt roads. People (riders even) will look at it with wonder. Other Buell enthusiasts will throw their hands in the air with excitement. It's a fun bike that can be ridden like a tall sport bike, or a torquey sport tourer. It'll handle dry and/or hard packed off-roading if you're up for a bit of a challenge. It's different enough to be cool, and you can make up a story about where it's from, for all those that ask what the heck it is (it's a prototype diesel motorcycle sent over from Belgium for testing in America. I met the company while touring Europe, and they asked me to test it for a couple months, I kind of like it, you know, the 100 miles per gallon is great, I just wish it had more than 140 horsepower.) You get the idea.

A huge lack of dealer support and fuel range per tank will take away from it's touring ability, but the capability is still there. The comfortable passenger seat and back rest would make it a great bike if you have a copilot that enjoys day rides.
This bike was designed 4 years before the Super Tenere, and it shows in the lack of electronics and features, but it's still a great and hugely enjoyable bike, in a more 'keep it simple' sort of way.
Think of the Uly in the same category as the Triumph Tiger (older models) or Ducati Multistrada (newer models). It sort of fits in the adventure touring class, but it leans heavily on the street side of that broad spectrum. And that's where it happily sits, awaiting the next enjoyable ride.

Yamaha Super Tenere

This 2012 S10 is a true Adventure Tourer, with crossover 19"/17" spoked wheels and more ground clearance and suspension travel.

I purchased the S10 new on March 10th 2012 with 1 mile on the Odometer, from Pony Powersports in Columbus, OH.

I totaled the S10 on April 29th, 2013 in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. The bike had 24,000 miles on it.

Water Cooled 1199cc Parallel twin with 108 HP and 84 lb ft of Torque. A 6 speed transmission pushes the hefty 580 pound (wet) bike through a drive shaft.

The S10 is a close second in drivers seat comfort, but takes the win for passenger seat comfort. There were some free known modifications that may have helped the drivers seat take 1st place, but I was quite happy with it stock, so I didn't mess with it. It also has an adjustable (height) drivers seat, and a removable passenger seat, that, when removed, doubles the size of the luggage rack. Nice features. The foot pegs felt comfortable, but the handlebars were a bit of a reach for me, and sat at an odd angle. Nothing I couldn't live with, but noticeable. This bike handled a passenger fantastically. The suspension was up to the task with a few cranks of the remote rear preload adjuster (all three bikes came equipped with this), the brakes didn't hesitate, and the motor wasn't labored at all.

The S10 takes third place in pavement handling. Not that it didn't handle very well, it actually did, especially considering the size of the bike. Rarely did the sheer weight show itself when throwing it around the twisties. It's VERY light on it's feet. The reason the bike comes in third is simply due to the real lack of lean angle. If you like to lean, the S10 will disappoint. The pegs drag early, and the center-stand, or skid plate if so equipped, are quick to follow. This is not a correctable issue, it is what it is, and it is the sole reason I did not replace my wrecked S10 with another.

The Super Tenere will shock any rider willing to take it off road. It doesn't seem like it should do well, but it does... it absolutely does! Spoon on a nice set of 50/50 or knobby tires and hold on. Adequate suspension travel soaks up major bumps, and I even got mine airborne somewhat frequently, with no ill effects at all. With the suspension fully compressed, there is only a fraction of an inch between the fragile engine and the ground, so a decent skid plate is a requirement if off-roading. The ABS and traction control (discussed later) also contribute to the great ride off pavement. Despite all this praise, the bike only takes 2nd place here, simply because the KTM is the best of the best in this class.

The S10 motor is very enjoyable (once in Sport or SuperSport mode). It pulls nicely from down low, but around 3000-3500 RPM, it gets an extra boost. Despite the extra weight and only slightly more power, it feels like the fastest bike. Some have achieved 0-60 times near 3 seconds flat. It has power down low, and is somewhat linear (like a twin should be), but that extra boost in power once you get into the revs (caused by the computer managing the engine) give an almost 4-cylinder feel. 0-60 times vary greatly, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say the S10 takes first place. It begins to lag by the end of the quarter mile though, and finishes in the high 11's.

The Tenere has 6 gears and a hydrolic clutch. Some wish the first gear was a little lower, for better off-roading. I didn't notice much of an issue. Everything worked very well.

The S10 has a drive shaft final drive. This is low maintenance, and should last the life of the bike. Every 10k miles, I drained the small amount of fluid out and refilled it (a 2 minute job). One bottle of standard gear oil would last years. When I had the back wheel off for a tire change, I dug a little deeper and lubed the splines, even this was only a 5 minute job, and not required. The negatives, it does take a little more power to rotate a drive shaft (not noticeable), and, like the belt, you are unable to change gear ratios. For a touring bike (or sport touring, or adventure touring) I feel the driveshaft is the superior final drive method.

The S10 came with an adjustable windshield, but I didn't love either setting. I lived with the buffeting and noise, but others require replacement shields. The bike also came with brush/wind guards on the handlebars.

Getting the same fuel mileage, the S10 had the biggest gas tank, at 6.0 gallons. Averaging 45 mpg, the fuel light would turn on around 225 miles, and it wouldn't run out till around 270 miles.

The S10 runs away with first place here, mainly due to the fantastic smart linked ABS system. Grabbing the front brake lever applies braking power to both the front and rear brakes; the more weight on the rear, the more braking force goes there. Hitting the rear brake lever first, separates the two systems, and allows you to use whichever one (or both) brakes you want, however you want to use them. The ABS is excellent. Simply, far superior to any other motorcycle ABS available. Many complained of the lack of an off switch for the ABS (something that is easily added if you feel so inclined), that there is no off switch because, it simply never needs shut off. It works just as well off-pavement as it does on. I went through corners on gravel roads with the ABS in full force (I was panicking, but the bike did just fine). And it just, in general, took the concern out of hard braking; just grab the lever and stop... no thinking necessary. I did wear through rear brake pads drastically faster than any other bike.

The S10 is the opposite. It has all the farkles, plus a large alternator for extra electrical add on's. Already mentioned the ABS, plus electronic engine management with Touring, Sport, and Super-Sport modes: {The theory behind this is stronger than the reality. I netted the same gas mileage whether in Touring or Sport mode, so I felt there wasn't a need for touring mode. Now, if you can squeeze 5 more mpg out of the bike by lowering power for touring, then we'd be getting somewhere. Also, super-sport mode (as I have come to call it), is actually achieved by installing a jumper wire (with optional switch) between the pins of the clutch switch. I don't know why it boosts power over the regular Sport Mode, but it does.} This bike also has a 3 mode Traction Control System: {1 is regular (or girly) mode. It stops nearly all rear tire spin, which effectively will shut down any wheelie attempt almost instantaneously, and you will get stuck if you're in slippery stuff in this mode. 2 is aggressive (or hero) mode. My personal favorite mode, this will allow enough tire spin for you to powerslide sideways in anything slicker than dry pavement, yet, it will hold the power just enough so that you don't lose control. You can float the front tire, but no grand wheelies. If you get aggressive in this mode, you can, and will, look like a super hero. I did a 100 mile (dirt/gravel) backroad ride, and spent the entire time in Traction Control 2, power sliding sideways through every single corner. People thought I was completely insane pushing this big of a bike this hard, but the reality was, it was fairly easy once you gain trust in the Traction Control system.}  The S10 also has a fuel gauge and digital speedometer, plus fancy stuff like an air temperature gauge, engine temperature gauge, and actual and average fuel mileage gauges. No factory heated grips, and the kit Yamaha offers looks worse than most aftermarket kits.
Lighting is excellent. The bike uses two full power projector headlights, and an electronic shutter system to create a cutoff for low beam. This is the best system for lighting (automotive or motorcycle) available.

The S10 takes second place here. Valve adjustments become a necessity, although only every ~24,000 miles. Oil/filter changes require the removal of a small chin fairing, annoyingly, with 2 different types of bolts. The final drive needs the fluid changed every other oil change (easy), but the air filter is a bit more difficult. They provided a pivot for the gas tank, so the job could be worse, but there are well over a dozen fasteners to remove to get to the air filter (compared to the Buell's 4). The spark plugs are much more difficult. So much so, that I decided to put off that service till I had the bike completely torn apart for the valve adjustment. Yamaha's in general, and the S10 specifically, are known for their rock solid reliability. I abused mine for 24,000 miles without any mechanical issues, so I can attest to the reliability.

The S10 also comes with frame pucks (or sliders) and while the engine is buried, the radiator is somewhat exposed to anything more than an easy tip-over. I set mine down several times in mud, generally causing no noticeable damage. I did notice that I broke one of the frame sliders, so it would not have worked any longer (although it was still attached, and looked perfectly normal). The biggest pitfall is the lack of a skid plate. The S10 needs a skid plate if you're planning on off-roading it, as the bottom of the engine is fragile, and only a fraction of an inch off the ground when the suspension bottoms out. I was lucky and didn't damage my engine, although I did bang up both header pipes where they curve under the front of the motor. Purchasing a skid plate for the S10 requires heavy research, as most on the market are simply 'gravel guards', that will not protect the motor enough if you have the potential to bottom out. I went with one of the very few frame mounted skid plates on mine, which, while protecting the motor much better, also reduce the already limited amount of lean angle available. Crash bars are available, and recommended if you're off-roading often, as one side of the bike houses the radiator, and the other is the entire electrical system, all critical to getting you home after that accidental tumble in the rock bed.

The Yamaha Super Tenere is a beast. Straight up beast. It's big, heavy, powerful, fast, and hugely capable. It'll do what you want, period.
It's the best bike of the three if your focus is touring (solo or two up). It's rock solid reliable, and has a large gas tank. It's fun in the twisties, and fun off road, but limited in both categories. This bike is the true middle ground in a category of bikes that is all about compromises.
The adventure touring class wants bikes to off road like a 250cc dirt bike, tour like a Goldwing, and hit twisties like a superbike. The Super Tenere is the absolute middle of all three of those categories.
You will be asked frequently if it's a BMW. I advise you come up with an answer before you leave your house, some stick with "No, it's the Yamaha (or simply, Japanese) equivalent", but that's no fun. I recommend something more along the lines of "Pff, this thing eats BMW's for breakfast (optonal) and later, poops out scooters." Or how about "Yeah, it's like a BMW, only faster and more reliable." The direction you head with your answer is yours, but if you're prepared from the get go, you'll be less likely to get irritated the 4,573rd time you get asked. (Nothing against BMWs, it's just, the Yamaha Super Tenere is a better bike than the BMW GS)
I'm wasting time here, because the conclusion to this bike is so simple, I don't know what else to say without repeating myself. This bike is great fun on the road (but is limited in lean angle), it's great fun off-road (but is limited by sheer size and weight), and is great fun touring.

It will do whatever you want, and do it like a beast.

KTM 990 Adventure

The 2008 KTM has dirt bike sized 21"/18" wheels, and the most suspension travel and ground clearance of the three. It is undoubtedly the most geared towards off-pavement travel.

I purchased the KTM used on June 3rd, 2013 from Wheelsports in Reynoldsburg, OH. It had 26,888 miles on it at the time.

The KTM is my current adventure bike, and as of the beginning of 2014, it has 36,000 miles on it.

Water Cooled 999cc V-Twin with 105 HP and 74 lb ft of Torque. A 6 speed transmission thrusts the 517 pound (wet) bike through a chain drive.

The KTM falls to third in both driver and passenger seat comfort. For me, it is not uncomfortable in the least, but it is not the seat of either of the two previous bikes. The handlebars and pegs are very neutral and comfortable. This bike feels very at home when standing on the pegs as well, mainly due to the thin mid-section. The KTM is not as happy with a passenger as the big S10, but it works better than the Ulysses.

The KTM takes 2nd place in road handling, and if one were so inclined, a street set of wheels and tires are available, which, I'm quite convinced, would thrust it to 1st place. It is flickable, yet stable, and tall enough to provide great lean angles, even with the relaxed leg position and center stand.

The KTM is made for riding off-roading, and it shows. Suspension and ground clearance are the greatest of the three (and they make a taller version than this even), and the wheel size allows for the widest variety of knobby or off-road focused tires. The bike feels like it belongs off pavement, and is capable of drastically more than a bike of it's size should be. It easily takes first place in this category, all without taking much away from it's on road handling, or touring capabilities.

The KTM engine is derived from a true race piece. It is very rev happy, but doesn't like lower rpms. In lower gears, you can pull off riding casually at or just below 4,000 rpm, but once in any higher gear, or if riding spirited in the least, 4,500 rpm is the lowest you want to be. The motor has a very defined sweet spot for cruising (4,500-5,000 rpm), which takes some getting used to. All that being said, this bike pulls the best acceleration numbers. I'm giving the S10 the 0-60 victory, although some reports show the KTM beating it, in general though, low 3 seconds. The KTM handily takes the quarter mile, with times in the low to mid 11 second range.

The KTM also has 6 gears and a hydrolic clutch. The gears a much closer together in ratio, although it still cruises comfortably to 80-85. The clutch is a known 'weak' spot; The slave cylinder can blow, causing a no-clutch situation. I haven't experienced it, but an aftermarket solution exists, and I may install it as preventative maintenance.

The KTM has a chain and sprockets for the final drive. This setup has the lowest life span and the highest maintenance, but it also has several big positives. Gear ratios are easily changed (I dropped the front sprocket down a tooth almost immediately after buying the bike. Off-Roaders can lower the gearing even more, while high speed tourers can raise it. Even better, you can (somewhat quickly) change gear ratios on the side of the road, if you want to blast out somewhere at high speed, and then do some low speed off-roading. Also, the parts are the least expensive of the three final drive setups, and they are the most common. If you explode a chain while touring, you can find a suitable replacement almost anywhere (as dirt bikes, motorcycles, and ATV's all use similar equipment). I was absolutely not looking forward to the added maintenance of the chain when I purchased the KTM, but I have since found it to not be an issue. Every once in a while (usually after a dirty or wet ride) I'll spray the chain down with lube when I get home, a couple minute job.

The KTM, like the previous two, came with a decent size windshield, that simply doesn't work well. Again, I lived with it. It's a motorcycle, you should have to deal with some wind (and buffeting, and noise). The bike also came with brush/wind guards on the handlebars.

The KTM also pulled the same fuel mileage, but had a happy medium fuel tank, at 5.3 gallons. At 45 mpg, the low fuel light would turn on around 190 miles, and it would run out close to 240 miles.

The KTM has ABS (with an off button), but no linked brakes. Both front and rear brakes feel great, but the ABS is sluggish compared to the S10. It has an off button, because it is desirable to shut it off when riding off-pavement.

The KTM, once again, falls in the happy median. ABS, a digital speedo, and a power outlet about sums up the gadgetry. KTM did provide fuzes and wires for both switched (with ignition) and unswitched accessories. This is handy to add heated grips or fog lights, as well as to hardwire an alarm or GPS. The USA version of the headlight is far from great. Many enthusiasts install a European headlight housing, which is superior, albeit costly. There is a need for more lighting up front, but I have yet to decide whether I will instal a Euro Headlight, or simply a pair of high power LED axillary lights.

The KTM pulls up the rear in the maintenance department. More frequent and more difficult oil changes are the first pitfall. 2 drain plugs (one harder to get to), 2 screens you're supposed to check/clean (that are never dirt unless something has gone terribly wrong), and a 2 step oil fill procedure, all turn what should be a 15 minute job, into closer to an hour. I added an oil drain hose and ignore the oil screens (I check them once a year), which brings the oil change time back to a reasonable 15 minutes. The air filter and spark plugs are similarly buried and difficult. Valve adjustments come at a more frequent 8000 miles (recommended, many folks do closer to double that), and of course you have the added maintenance of a chain and sprockets. This is also the only bike of the three with tube tires. At first, I despised this idea, but actually, I replacing a tube doesn't take me much longer on the side of the road than plugging a tubeless tire. Not a big deal. There are more 'known possible issues' with the KTM as well, which would bring down the reliability. the Water Pump and clutch slave cylinder can both fail, but the aftermarket has solutions for both.

The KTM is the most narrow of the bikes, and has the least amount of parts out in the open and susceptible to damage in a tip-over. The large and very robust gas tanks cover both sides, and have heavy duty plastic protectors on them. The bike comes with a factory aluminum skid plate, which works well against any kicked up gravel, and will slide over most downed logs. There are much heavier duty skid plates available if you feel the need. The bike does require one piece of protection if planning to off-road it, a small piece of metal to relocate the bolts of the kickstand from the engine case to the frame. Crash bars are available (and came standard on some Adventures), but the necessity of them is highly debated within the KTM world.

The KTM 990 Adventure is a dirt bike in touring guise. Or a touring bike on freaking crystal meth. There is a reason this bike made the "Top 5 Bikes For Actual Badasses" list. If you let that terrifying "I'm going to kill myself" feeling slide out of your mind, you can ride this bike so hard your grasp on the physical world will skew in a sort of Matrixy bend the spoon with your mind sort of way. "How did I just do that?" You'll ask. I've stopped asking. I've come to terms with the fact that the bike can do anything, and if it fails, it's 100% my fault (and I usually apologize to the damn thing).
The reality is, though, that it's not all 'terrifying insanity'; in the fall of 2013 I did a 2200 mile ride on my KTM with my dad on his mega Harley tourer. If there is any motorcycle more Anti-Terrifying-Insanity than a mega Harley tourer, I haven't found it. (Nothing against Harleys, it's just, oh, you get it.) Point is, I did a very enjoyable tour on my KTM at non-life-altering speeds/excitement levels, and it worked fantastic. I did a 5 day tour with a passenger, and it worked well (would have been fantastic, but had a tire problem along the way). But it did it.
Touring? No problem. Hard riding in twisties? Easy! Road Course Race Track? I'm In! Off-Roading? LET'S DO THIS!

Of the large adventure class, the KTM 990 Adventure is the farthest towards the dirt capable side of the spectrum... by a significant margin. But... it's still in that class. It's still capable of touring, or cruising, or commuting, or anything you could want.

It's a great all around, do anything bike, that, with a little more maintenance, returns a lot more excitement. A...Lot...More...Excitement.