ADVENTURE-TOURING COMPARISON – THE ASPHALT ADVENTURERS

Ducati Multistrada S Touring vs. Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 NTX vs. Triumph Tiger Explorer vs. Yamaha Super Ténéré

We hit the tarmac (plus a few dirt roads) to test these Open-class all-rounders.

Do these motorcycles offer false promise? Are they merely the SUVs of motorcycling with bold names and no balls? “Ténéré” is a remote part of the Sahara Desert, while “Explorer” implies nomadic intent, “Multistrada” says “I can do it all” and “Stelvio” is perhaps the greatest twisty road on Earth. Those are big statements from the respective marketing departments of each brand. Does reality live up to the hype?
Earlier this year, we set out to see which of three more-dirt-capable Open-class adventure bikes ruled the roost (“Ride There,” February 2012). The new Yamaha Super Ténéré took top honors over the BMW R1200GS and KTM 990 Adventure after demonstrating that it offered the best balance between off-road riding and being a great all-around commuter and sport-tourer.
At the time, the brand-new Triumph Tiger Explorer was not yet available, and we didn’t feel that the Multistrada and Moto Guzzi fit into the branch-bashing, rock-crawling and whoop-hopping that test had in store. But since then, the question kept coming up: “How would the Yamaha stack up against these other players?” As we’ve pointed out in the past, a lot of people buy ADV bikes more for their versatility and comfort than for off-highway chops.

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