Defining the adventure motorcycle at the 2016 Vancouver Motorcycle Show

The ride in was adventurous enough. For years, I had been driving my Subaru Impreza to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, but last year, with temperatures in the early teens, I thought: enough. With one eye on the weather forecast and the other on the lineup for the show, I departed Vancouver, B.C., in rain, and arrived in Abbotsford in sun.

What is an adventure? What is an adventure motorbike?

These were the questions on my mind as I strode in, having leant my KLR650 on its side stand next to other adventurous riders. I needed to look no farther than the entrance to the TradeX Exhibition Centre where there was parked a very well-travelled podcycle belonging to Phil Funnell.

Funnell is a former BMW dealer who has engineered several of these home-built creations by connecting several makes and models of motorcycle with a camper to create a truly awesome, round-the-world-capable-and-proven adventure machine.

Still in awe of Funnell’s homemade adventure bike, I walked in to TradeX to be hit in the face by Honda’s most anticipated bike in years—the CRF1000 Africa Twin, placed high on a rocky pedestal. It may not be attached to its own sleeping quarters, but reviews have also placed this multi-terrain, durable adventure machine on a critically acclaimed pedestal. There was a lineup of beaming faces next to the one at ground level, belonging to those lining up to sit on the much-hyped motorcycle.

There was a more affordable and accessorized Honda adventure bike on hand, a CB500X decked out with Giant Loop soft luggage. Although the accessorizing package proposed on the bike’s tank was pricey, my hats off to Honda for getting full-on into the very competitive adventure motorcycle market with such gusto.

A quick wander around the periphery of the TradeX space had me impressed with the many accessory outlets on display. Right next to Honda was AltRider, demonstrating its soft and waterproof bag option. With so many adventure bike models decked out with impressive, sizeable hard-touring cases, suitable for over-packing, it was refreshing to see the range of durable soft bag options available.

From BMW to KTM

Nearby was BMW Motorrad—bastion of the adventure motorcycle for over a decade.  Ever since Long Way Round made adventure synonymous with BMW, they’ve not sat on their laurels, bringing out a range of different cc adventure bikes—including the F700GS and the F800GS. This year, the smaller models were blending in more and more with the look of their big brother, the R1200GS, with new tank covers and fairing pieces and a similar metallic matte paint job.

The tried-and-true Kawasaki KLR650 is unparalleled in adventure bike land, if I may say so myself.  The only change noticeable at the green Kawasaki section in this make and model was the paint job. The pixelated paint job on the fairing of the KLR650 Camo has it looking like it jumped out of a Minecraft session, but I’m sure it will handle as well as the proven KLRs of the past.

From green to orange, I was drawn to the KTM 1190 Adventure, stocked up with, again, massive factory touring cases. Although the model has adventure in its name, KTM has distinguished itself this year by naming its bikes of this style “travel enduro” motorcycles. We’ll see if other manufacturers follow suit.

There were many other impressive adventure bikes at the show—such as the Triumph Tiger XRT 800, the Suzuki DL1000 and the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro featuring ABS and traction control. Even Indian was promoting its Roadmaster touring motorcycle as an adventure-generator. 

But I have to admit I was getting distracted at this point.

Meeting adventure enthusiasts

My attention was turned from the major manufacturers and their stats and figures to those who have actually gone on adventures on motorcycles—whether they be grand tours around the world or unprecedented journeys on the international off-road rally circuit.

Rene Cormier is the author of The University of Gravel Roads, the story of how he road his BMW F650GS around the world. Now, Cormier runs Renedian Adventures, featuring motorcycle expeditions through Africa and, new this year, Mongolia. The new off-road adventure in his lineup starts from Ulaanbaatar. Riders stay in yurts and will touch on the forbidding Gobi Desert.

Hearing about his adventures stirred up the schoolboy in me, having me scan his maps for the waypoints of his journey, wanting to join in. But 2016 trips are already sold out, and he was taking bookings for 2017. The rides will be on Suzuki DRZ400s and DR650s, suitable adventure machines for the rough terrain of the least populated country in the world.

Closer to home, a visit to the Dual Sport BC booth had me wanting to rejuvenate my user ID and password for its forum pages, with off-road adventures planned for destinations ranging from Chilliwack to Pemberton and everything in between.

Finally, I stopped by a booth with two stripped-down, but clearly well-used motorcycles that have not only seen off-road action, but some of the most challenging terrain ever taken on by motorcycle. The one KTM 450 alone has ridden sand dunes in Morocco and Tunisia, as well as several South American countries during the Dakar Rally. These were Don Hatton’s bikes, adventure machines to be sure, that have many tales to tell.

Hatton calls the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island home, but when he’s not participating in the Baja 1000 or entering the Dakar Rally for another shot at a finisher’s medal, he runs his own off-road riding school. In 2015, he travelled to Germany to become an internationally recognized off-road instructor through BMW Motorrad. Now he runs Off-Road Skills Canada Motorcycle Training, where he passes along his adventure motorcycling experience to students.

I decided to sign up on the spot. To have as enthusiastic and experienced a rider as Don Hatton teach me what I’m missing in my off-road technique sounds like an excellent and adventurous idea.

Adventure remains undefined

As I departed TradeX, saying goodbye to the sea of motorcycles in its cavernous interior, I realized that every machine in that space was an adventure vehicle, to someone, somewhere. I noticed as I left that the podcycle had disappeared—on a new adventure no doubt.

As I mounted my KLR650, scanning the cloudy skies over my route, signs of rain in the near future for me, I trusted that my adventure is only beginning. The very nature of adventure is trusting in the unknown. But I trusted that I’ve found the adventure motorcycle for me. I hoped that some visitors to the 2016 Vancouver Motorcycle Show have found the right one for them.

For more photos, see the 2016 Vancouver Motorcycle Show Photo Gallery.