Tourist enduro. The best motorcycles for long journeys

The class of off-road bikes has been formed for decades and today it involves splitting into several segments. The niche in which enduro bikes are presented can be attributed to one of the most striking offshoots with a clear hint of extremeity. But here, not everything is so obvious. Earlier, among the key differences between this device and the classic road model, riders noted the width of the rudder and the raised silencer, but today this set has significantly expanded. In a certain sense, the tourist enduro is a compromise option, which combines the convenience of road versions and off-road qualities of canonical representatives of the class.

What is the peculiarity of the tourist enduro?

Yet it will be wrong to consider enduro for travel as something average between an ordinary roadman and a sports bike. With careful analysis in such vehicles, one can also find similarities with cruisers and crosses. Therefore, the tourist enduro is a hybrid of several representatives of different classes. This is an SUV endowed with a rigid design, and a utilitarian designed for long sorties, and a nice-to-manage bike that can be used on public roads.

At the same time, there are also divisions in the enduro segment for tourism. Almost every model forms a separate subspecies with a unique set of technical and operational qualities. But in any case, manufacturers are guided by the general user requirements, which must have modern tourist enduro. The review of the models presented below will reveal the features in the approaches to ensuring the characteristics that are of interest to modern riders.

Kawasaki ZZR 400

Sports and tourist vehicle, which is a classic representative of this niche. The model first came off the assembly line in 1990 and was further developed until 2007. During this period, the motorcycle has experienced many restyling and upgrades, covering an ever larger audience of fans. The power filling of the model is taken from the older modification of the ZZR 600. True, the new tourist enduro, the 400-cc engine of which caused a less aggressive ride, lost the oil cooler and got another exhaust system. Also, among the features of the ZZR 400, there are adjustable suspensions, an aluminum frame, a 6-speed "box", as well as the availability of inertial boost. Modest power plant is also economical. Kawasaki this modification consumes an average of 7-8 liters per 100 km. By the way, this is an important moment for expeditionary enduros. Such motorcycles do not aim to overcome complex extreme obstacles, so high power for them is not so important. But overcoming the many kilometers distances is common for such bikes. Accordingly, the economical rider should think about the appropriate fuel consumption.

Yamaha WR250R

The engine's light engine does not at all contradict the bike's ability to easily cross a terrain with a complex surface. It is the lightness of the design and power base that allows motorcycles to cope with the impassable terrain. This is confirmed by a small device WR250R from a well-known manufacturer of motorcycles Yamaha. Despite the modest dimensions, this is a rather hard enduro, 250 cubes of which do not weaken the power potential. Revolving engine for 30 liters. from. Allows you to confidently overcome and long road distances, and easily carry the problem ground. In many respects the sports qualities of the model are due to the unusual design. It is represented by an aluminum diagonal frame with cross suspension, which makes the bike universal (in terms of patency).

BMW F800GS

The model took a strong position between the lightweight G-series with a working volume of 650 cm ³ and a solid bike, which already has 1170 cm ³ . Again, there may be a question about why the expedition apparatus has such a high volume of 800 cm ³ ? The fact is that it is the balance in working qualities that makes it possible to treat such bikes as universal. The model should be both sporty, off-road, and comfortable in cross-country traffic. A combination of these qualities is provided by the modification of the BMW F800GS, which, in addition to tourist ambitions, can show its best qualities even in the conditions of a large metropolis.

Honda Transalp XL700

This is already a representative of heavyweight enduros, which also differ and high power. The family of Transalp is quite diverse and in this case it is a question of the most advanced modification, which is issued since 2008. As for the differences from the less productive brethren, the XL700 is provided with an injector motor, an ABS safety system, and a reduced front wheel radius. On the other hand, the model is more suitable as a rally motorcycle. This is evidenced by the practice of exploitation - users note that the bike optimally manifests itself in highway and cross-country conditions, but it does not suit for hard off-road. And then you can recall that the tourist enduro - motorcycles for long-range, and not for extreme sports. Therefore, this model can be used as a universal motorcycle for traveling in tolerable road conditions.

KTM Adventure 1190

The Adventure family also presents several versions with different technical parameters. In this case, the motorcycle can be considered as a universal model in the tourist enduro category. It should immediately be noted that the development of the motorcycle involved specialists in racing technology, which, however, did not forget about the ease of construction. The bike organically combines a high power potential and a maneuverable frame base. The designers used an ultralight and at the same time rigid tubular frame made of a chromomolybdenum alloy. As for the power pack, the KTM was provided with a tourist enduro with a two-cylinder V-shaped engine of 1200 cm ³ , with a power potential of 150 liters. from. Also worthy of attention and suspension with mechanisms WP Suspension, as well as a unique braking system from the company Brembo. As a result, we got a well-balanced device that had high power and a lightweight, sturdy construction.

How to choose the best tourist enduro?

Even the general belonging to the segment of motorcycles intended for long-distance travel does not allow one to approach the choice of a bike in all cases. Still, each model has its own peculiarity of application, ability and capability. When assessing the performance of a particular bike, it is worth starting from your requests. For example, the KTM Adventure is more suitable for a quiet journey with a pragmatic approach to equipment. On the other hand, to visit European cities with their narrow streets, the Yamaha WR250R or the younger version of the Honda Transalp is more likely. It is important to remember that the best tourist enduro motorcycles are also distinguished by safety and reliability. In this regard, the leadership can be given to the German bike F800GS.

Conclusion

It is generally believed that motorcycles for riding outside the city are initially endowed with riding characteristics that do not fit well with the comfort for the rider itself. Such a motorcycle will certainly be provided with rigid frames, strong suspension and a powerful engine, but the convenience of management will be felt only by an experienced user. In part this is a fair statement, but there are also exceptions - for example, we can distinguish light modern enduros, 250 cubes of which favorably affect the friendly character. It can not be said that powerful devices with a working volume of more than 1000 cm ³ and a power output of 150 liters. from. Are difficult to manage. The developers contribute to the design and mechanisms of suspension elements that facilitate the interaction of the motorcycle and rider regardless of driving conditions.