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Adventure Motorcycle Survey


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Overland Junction's recent survey reminded me of one I've been wanting to do for some time now myself.

 

So if you have a moment, please take a few moments to let us know what types of adventure motorcycle gear you currently own.

 

I think these types of insights will generate a lot of discussion as well as be helpful to the various gear manufacturers out there.  Your feedback as a community will hopefully result in better gear as well as more choices.

 

Thanks!

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Wow that didn't take long!  I wanted about 400 responses and it looks like we're just about there.

 

Some caveats:  

 

  • This sample size is adequate but the selection may have some bias to it
    • For one, most responses were fielded from Facebook
    • I didn't collect the respondent's location, so that's not necessarily balanced geographically
  • There's no criteria for what constitutes an adventure motorcycle or even an adventure rider; the assumption is based on the title of the survey and where it was fielded the assumption is that it's being filled out by adventure motorcyclists as opposed to street riders, harley riders, cafe racers, etc...
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Our first question on type of bike will be interesting to work on further.  I'd like to group by manufacturer and then dive into which bikes made up the "other" category.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-06 at 2.31.16 PM.png

 

Let me explain what we're seeing here in this screenshot of the pie chart:

 

  • The largest slice is made up by the BMW 1200 GS/GSA (no surprise)
  • the green 11.8% slice is "Other" and a quick look at the results shows lots of smaller bikes like 250's, 400's
  • The lighter green 10% slice is the mighty KLR
  • The aqua 5.9% is the KTM 950/990 LC8
  • The red slice at 4.6% is the BMW F800 GS and GSA
  • The blue/gray slice also at 4.6% is the Yamaha Super Tenere
  • The orange slice also at 4.6% is the Africa Twin

Like I said, I'll be cleaning this up and will list them out in table format from high to low.  It will be interesting later to see how the responses of the other questions vary by bike.

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I thought this question on front wheel size was interesting because I think it speaks to the types of bikes chosen for adventure riding.  If you're more the adventure touring rider who does more pavement than dirt, the hypothesis is you'll probably have a front wheel that is less than 21" like a 19" or 17."  

 

So I was a bit surprised to see such a large share of respondents report having a 21" front wheel.  This could also reflect that riders of smaller bikes who may in fact do more local trail riding than what would normally be considered adventure riding chose to take the survey.  I'd be interested in looking at the % of the BMW 1200 GS/GSA riders who report having a 21" front wheel like I did on my old GSA.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-06 at 2.46.34 PM.png

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These next two questions are very interesting; tire preference vs actual dirt miles ridden.  There appears to be a bit of a Starbucks factor here in that even though most riders report their dirt miles to be between 1% and 25% that most prefer a range of very dirt-appropriate tires.  :lol:  Actually it's probably more likely the whole dual sport nature of riding; we ride for fun and then maybe commute.

 

As I had suspected, the 50/50 segment is the largest and validates why I said Michelin was calling their new Anakee Wild tire a 50/50 tire even though anyone can see it's at least a 60/40 dirt to street tire.  Marketing.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-06 at 5.26.28 PM.png

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-06 at 5.29.33 PM.png

 

I'm in the green slice on top (prefer mostly dirt tires) and the orange slice below (50%-75% dirt miles)

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Very interesting!  Two thirds of riders report they have a GPS device.  I wouldn't have thought it that high.  Each time we go on rides with GPS tracks it seems there's only 1 or two who have GPS (and know how to use it).  I have an old Garmin 60Csx that has served me well but the screen is a bit small and it only holds 20 tracks of 500 points or less.  I saw a new system from Magellan last year called the eXplorist TRX7 at AIMExpo that looked interesting.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 7.30.29 AM.png

 

This stat did not surprise me; 5% say they either own or have rented a global satellite phone.  I have one from SPOT and like it a lot.  The prices seem to have come down from a few years ago so I would expect this number to climb.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 7.32.34 AM.png

 

About a third have some kind of satellite tracking device.  This is encouraging and I wish that number was higher given the stories you hear about someone stuck in the middle of nowhere.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 7.34.25 AM.png

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I will cover quite a few answers here at the same time looking at some of the aftermarket parts we adventure bike riders like to add listing from most common to least.

 

Kind of surprised so many have heated grips!  Wish I still did but the #xladvproject990 doesn't :(

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.41.14 PM.png

 

Two thirds have tank bags which is not shocking.  I thought that might be higher

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.39.41 PM.png

 

Top cases are also more popular than I thought they'd be.  I prefer the dirt to the street so for me they get in the way.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.43.33 PM.png

 

Here's an interesting result for aftermarket skid plates.  One realization I had kind of late was that in many cases it's inadequate suspension that leads to the need for an aftermarket skid plate.  Once I got good suspension on my old GSA and now 990, I never bottomed out again.  I guess the manufacturers are looking to save as much money (and weight) as possible by going with the minimum.  Besides, most of their customers probably never take the bike off road anyways.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.44.50 PM.png

 

Bar risers seem to be quite popular as well.  Too popular says Llewelyn Pavey of Brake Magazine.  His point is there's so much that goes into R&D to make the bike work; that when one puts a riser on it everything can change.  He advocates changing one thing at a time first, like maybe adjusting your bars or even lowering your pegs before adding a riser.  I'm 6'4" so for me it was a must.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.48.13 PM.png

 

Footpegs are another great addition to your bike.  Bryan and I wrote a guide to pegs you can check out in an article that suggests it may be the most overlooked performance upgrade.   They say a bigger peg is like "power steering for your bike."

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.52.16 PM.png

 

Crash bars are another important item.  I bent my stock crash bars on the old GSA and went with a set from Altrider and then now have ones from Hepco & Becker I got from MotoMachines.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.54.45 PM.png

 

To me, the advantages of aftermarket exhaust is weight savings, a boost in power and then maybe to have a cooler sound.  I saved 16 lbs with Rottweiler's 2:1 exhaust conversion and Yoshimura pipe.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.57.17 PM.png

 

Auxiliary lighting is also key, especially if you are going to be off road at night.  It also helps quite a bit with extra visibility on the street.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 1.00.10 PM.png

 

I didn't mind my stock seat on my GSA or KTM 500 EXC that much but boy did I change my mind on this type of upgrade after getting a seat from Seat Concepts for the 990!

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 1.01.24 PM.png

 

I sure wish this one was higher because there's nothing that transformed my bikes more than upgraded suspension!  It's just a completely new bike.  I was amazed at how much more fun and even safe my riding became.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 1.02.33 PM.png

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At last the final section of our adventure motorcycle gear survey...

 

So for helmets, I'm not sure I classified this as best I could.  Most say "dual sport" helmet and I think they know the difference between that and either a dirt helmet on one hand and a street helmet on the other.  A lot of the answers in "other" were "modular."   And glad to see no one reported "I don't wear a helmet."

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.34.14 AM.png

 

I might work on this one for next time as well.  I know sometimes I wear an armored vest (Fox Titan) with a jersey over that.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.35.14 AM.png

 

Heated gear!  I just got my first heated jacket but I've only used it once so far on the first morning of our Copper Canyon trip in February.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.37.12 AM.png

 

Heated grips were so nice on my old GSA and I miss them now on the 990.  It will certainly be a feature on my next bike.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 12.41.14 PM.png

 

Here's a bit of a different question.  I did some poly shirt with the Beyond Starbucks logo before and I've always preferred it to cotton because it wicks and dries fast.  The downside is it gets stinky and that stink is hard to get out but I hear new blends are anti-microbial.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.40.06 AM.png

 

I find this tent question interesting.  I have a small 2p tent I use for the long trips and then use the Redverz Atacama tent for the hub/spoke type rides.  2p usually gives you more room to move around as well as room for your gear.  I know someone coming out with a new 2p tent soon too! ;)

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.42.03 AM.png

 

From what I hear, the hardcore adv travelers prefer the liquid stoves because the canned gas can be hard to find around the world.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.44.15 AM.png

 

This graph reads as such because I allowed for more than one choice.  The choices top to bottom are: bladder as part of my riding jacket; over the shoulder backpack style hydration; bladder or bottle on top/inside my panniers/tank bag.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.45.17 AM.png

 

This should have been grouped in the last post, on windscreens.  I've never used an aftermarket one but at 6'4" I should consider one.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.47.07 AM.png

 

Same here; the choices top to bottom: I have a RotoPax; I have fuel bottles/bladder; I had an aux fuel tank installed; I don't have an aux fuel capacity; other.  I realized later that many people get aftermarket tanks that are larger and I should have included that option.  Next time.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.48.32 AM.png

 

This last one I find very interesting.  I also use my smartphone and action video camera (Sena Prism, Sena 10C) the most.  I'd really like to get one of those cool new 4/3 digital cameras though.  A drone too!

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.51.02 AM.png

Screen Shot 2016-07-08 at 11.37.12 AM.png

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  • 10 months later...
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Results are in from the latest 2017 Adventure Motorcycle Omnibus Survey.  I'll be getting these findings out slowly due to a trip to Utah today so bear with me.  We got 534 responses which is fantastic.

So which adventure motorcycle do riders have the most interest in?

2017_YAM_T7-CONCEPTTT_EU_DPBMC_STA_004_03_gal_worlds_full_tcm230-676050.jpg

Screen Shot 2017-05-21 at 7.27.06 AM.png

The question: What is your level of interest in the following new Adventure Motorcycles?

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I'm really hoping for a mid-size Adv bike battle royale to come to fruition.  KTM 790, BMW 800 (major overhauled), Yamaha T7, maybe even a larger version of the CRF250 rally in the middle class that would be a contender with the others...?  Hey, a Honda guy can dream can't he.  ;-)

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21 hours ago, Eric Hall said:

I should have added the 790 Adventure but KTM has been way too tight lipped on that

I agree.  To put a bike in a survey that is still completely rumor and speculation would've just been silly.  Kind of like putting the rumored "F900" in there that the spyshot pictures were damn near viral over recently.  That bike looks like the G310GS to me slightly made over.  In the trailer, it looks like it's tiny compared to the F800GSA.  I'd absolutely love to see a redesigned midsize F800/900 but that doesn't look like it to me.  Now, the T7 on the other hand is a confirmed model from Yamaha.  I just hope the US doesn't get ripped for an extra year like with the Africa Twin because it's released on the wrong side of the pond first.  Booooo!! 

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Sorry for the delay in getting back to this but I was out last week rafting in Utah with my daughter then riding dirt on the way back.

I will get to more of this later but with one exception (soft vs hard bag preference) I'm not seeing a whole lot of change from last year's results.

This shift towards soft bags I think is interesting as a lot of new innovation (Mosko Moto, Wolfman, Giant Loop, etc...) and the safety message continues to percolate through the riding community.

Last year we saw soft bag preference was at 32% while this year it's jumped to 44%!

2016:

Screen Shot 2017-05-28 at 8.55.08 AM.png

and now 2017:

Screen Shot 2017-05-28 at 8.55.35 AM.png

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