Tall-rounders, do-it-all machines, or simply put: adventure bikes - immensely popular, and plenty to choose from. I’m personally a huge fan, and you’ll see plenty of riders out exploring the countryside (and beyond) when you’re riding. Some may even tread off into uncharted territory…

Let’s wade into 10 of the best middleweight adventure motorcycles money can buy in 2024 – and stick around to the end for a few extras. These are all below 1000cc, we’ll get to the bigger options in another list.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£9,199	89 bhp	231 kg	19 L	825 mm

Making recent waves in the two-wheeled world, CF Moto has begun thriving in the budget-ish space thanks to the KTM joint venture. Hailing from China, CFMoto makes use of KTM engines following a joint venture that started in 2013, boasting a solid amount of power and tech for your money.

The 800MT comes in three trims; the Sport, Touring and Explore, with each offering variations of road-focused riding, a bit of both, or some serious off-road potential respectively. We’ll go with the Touring variant, priced in the middle at a current £9,199.

For your money you get a liquid-cooled 799cc twin with around 89 bhp and 75 Nm of torque, KYB suspension, and cornering ABS… it could be a solid package for the price – though the quoted suspension travel is a relatively small 160 mm…

Don’t be deceived by its place on the list at 10 – there’s plenty to work with here, and an equal amount of interest in what could be the next big adv bike that’s (importantly) priced well and as of writing includes full luggage.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£9,699	90.5 bhp	208 kg	16.9 L	850 mm

Honda’s revival of the Transalp name resulted in hugely positive reviews, at #9 we find a very popular option!

Powered by the same liquid-cooled 755cc twin with uneven firing order that we sampled in the Hornet last year, the Transalp pumps out 90.5 bhp and 75 Nm of torque, four riding modes, configurable ABS and HSTC – plus a rider mode. It also has a 21-inch front wheel with spoked wheels (tubed wheels), 43mm Showa suspension with 200mm travel up front, and a 16.9-litre fuel tank.

2024 updates are slim for the Transalp (not that is was crying out for any) and we were a tad disappointed not to see an off-road-focused model appear using this framework on the market this year. Perhaps a ‘baby Africa Twin’ with long travel forks and knobblies from the factory to take the place of the outgoing CB500X (though, the NX500 is marked as its replacement). Before you ask, the Africa Twin will take a spot in our bigger bikes category. I understand it's well within its right to land a spot here, but I class it as a bigger option.

But, either way, MCN placed the Transalp as the best of the bunch when compared to a couple of others on this list, praise indeed, and given a few minor tweaks to the components here (like proper knobblies) you would be left with a true off-road conquering weapon. Or as is, it’s a grand old place for a long road tour.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£10,999	84 bhp	230 kg	20 L	855 mm

That neatly brings us to the V-Strom 800 DE, which I tried at the launch in Sardinia a year or two ago when I was with Visordown. That two-day launch had an entire day dedicated to off-road riding, and it was superb fun – fairly basic, but in the right hands it’s all about what you do with it that counts…

The V-Strom name goes back all the way to 2002, and it has earned its stripes since then – you can opt for the bigger 1050 version if you want more power than the 776cc twin’s 84 bhp and 78 Nm of torque. Off-road though, this handles seriously well, with easily switchable off-road mode and rear ABS.

Looks phenomenal in that yellow colour option, too, and in my mind could be just a tad better than the Transalp (though I haven’t ridden that) – even if it is a grand more expensive at £10,699. You do also get a quickshifter as standard, plus Suzuki’s Intelligent Ride System… except even with the 20-litre tank it’s a little weighty at 230 kg.

Suzuki should have gone for a new name, though, rather than the V-Strom moniker, mostly due to this fantastic new motor that’s now found in four bikes. Even calling this a ‘DR Big’. I did tell them this on the recent V-Strom 800 RE launch, but what do I know – they sell the bikes and I merely ride them! Speaking of, check the BikeMatters V-Strom 800RE review if you want a cheaper road-oriented tourer.

Fun fact, did you know that the 'V' in 'V-Strom' stands for Versatility, and not in relation to the original V-Twin engine that was used?

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£12,899	103 bhp	204 kg	19 L	854/874 mm

KTM’s off-shoot brand, the otherwise tree-felling chainsaw firm Husqvarna, is well-known for their ability to take a well-set machine from Austria, give it a unique style, and send it out the door. The Norden does well to base itself off the KTM 890 Adventure, and whack on a makeover for budding adventure fans.

Priced at £12,899, you get the WP Apex forks with 220 mm of travel, a twin engine with twin balancer shafts with 103 bhp and 100 Nm of torque, a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel (trod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres), and 3 riders modes with the option for Explorer mode. This’ll tackle practically anything you throw at it.

There’s also the Expedition model at £14,599, which hardcore adventurers may take a liking to – it comes with all the technical accessories bolted on.

Tech galore and specced to the nines, the Norden does seriously well and I do love the style. Do you? Or is the KTM better?

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£10,110	72.4 bhp	205 kg	16 L	875 mm

It starts getting really tricky, here. The Yamaha Tenere 700 is in sixth place, but is an ultimate adventure machine for both touring and days in the mud, carrying inspiration from the Dakar days of old.

The Tenere 700 has 6 variations for sale at this point, all at differing price points and with differing tech, but the base model will certainly do the job well with the 690cc MT-07 derived CP2 twin with 72.4 bhp and 68 Nm. Interestingly this base model Tenere is now priced at £10,110 – the Extreme with much better suspension is £10,900… I’d just go for that. I’d love to see a Super Tenere released with the CP3 triple (or bigger!).

Elsewhere, the Tenere is Pol Tarres weapon of choice - if you’ve seen any clips of him riding this, it’ll fill your head with hopes and dreams of doing the same, he makes it look far too easy. The newest models are kitted with a 5-inch rally style dash display, long travel suspension (210 mm front 200 mm rear), a 21-inch front 18-inch rear, 3 modes of abs (and off), a 16-litre tank…

Felix and I sampled the World Raid model with dual fuel tanks at ABR Fest 2023 and loved it. If anyone asks for an adventure bike I like the most the Tenere is always up there – but it’s not quite the top for 2024 in my eyes…

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£13,999	103 bhp	200 kg	20 L	880 mm

At fifth spot on this list, we find the KTM 890 Adventure R, an absolute weapon from Austria. You also have the option of the non-R model at £12,699, the 2024 790 (Chinese built) at £10,499, and if you were lucky to be one of the 700, the 890 Adventure R Rally (that was £20,899).

We’ll go with the R, though, and it’s specced up with an 899 cc parallel-twin with 103 bhp and 100 Nm of torque (the Norden uses this motor), it also comes with all the rider aids you’d ever need, cornering ABS, revised WP suspension for this year, and infamously the ‘Demo mode’ where you can try out some advanced rider modes for 1500 km before you need to pay to have it permanently. Thoughts on a postcard about that one.

KTM is renowned for its off-road arsenal, and two other bikes on this list have made use of KTM motors here… so they’re doing something right. Though it is quite formidable in height with a base seat at 880mm, sitting proud as the tallest in this company.

Even though you’d pay a bit on top for the full rally modes, in the right hands this can get down n dirty – or upright and sensible for a long tour with that large 20 L tank.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£12,350	105 bhp	246 kg	23 L	875 mm

Freshly updated for 2024, BMW has upped their game with the F 800 and 900 series, with the 900 range given the more adventure-ready spec. You have 3 options, but the £12,350 F 900 GS Adventure is what we’ll look at (you could opt for the £11,995 F 900 GS, or F 800 GS at £9,995).

How can you tell the difference? This GS Adventure has more of a beak and a similar headlight to the outgoing R 1250 GS Adventure machine.

It’s a solid package, here, with the 895 cc twin producing 105 bhp and 93 Nm of torque, upped in output from the previous range by 10 bhp and a ‘fuller torque curve’, plus it’s fitted with rider modes, ABS Pro, a huge 23 L tank, long-travel suspension (230 and 215 mm), and plenty of opportunity to add more in the BMW configurator – like the dynamic electronic suspension!

The spec level is quite appealing on this baby GS, and it looks like a great package for a very appealing price – particularly as this is the top-spec model. More info on these found on our feature, here.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£14,495	106.5 bhp	228 kg	20 L	860/880 mm

If you keep up to date with us here at BikeMatters, you’ll have seen me recently fly off to Malaga for the launch ride of the 2024 Tiger 900… and what a bike this is. With variations for road-oriented riders in the GT Pro, or off-road extraordinaires in this Rally Pro trim – this is a superb option for any adventure rider or tourer.

Improved motor spec is a real reason to consider opting for this 2024 model over the outgoing version, with Triumph updating the 888cc triple a considerable amount to bring more power (106.5 bhp) and torque (90 Nm), yet somehow getting the average fuel consumption down… pure wizardry.

Spec includes a 21-inch tyre up front, Bridgestone Battlax Adventure hoops, fully adjustable Showa 45mm forks, 240 & 230 mm travel, rally mode and rally pro mode, a nice TFT display, 228 kg weight. Of course, you can go for the GT (or GT Pro) with more road-biased features if you plan on spending more time on the tarmac than off it. Seat height can be adjusted, and put in the higher setting of 880 mm a shorter rider may well struggle.

I seriously enjoyed this launch ride, it was quite possibly the best I’ve ever been on in my years of road testing and reviews. If you want a full rundown on this new 2024 Tiger range watch the review video. You can also check our BikeMatters Instagram account for a few clips of Ivan Cervantes tearing it up on the Rally Pro!

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£14,995	110 bhp	223 kg	21 L	875 mm

Second place… we find the Italian giants Ducati sitting pretty with the DesertX. It’s a phenomenally capable bike by all stretches of the imagination, the motor, the style, the off-road capability, and for 2024 you’ll also find the Rally spec model.

It looks like a bit of a stormtrooper with a wide-eyed gaze, but all the same, it just looks so Ducati. The motor is the Testastretta Desmo, and produces 110 bhp and 92 Nm from the 937cc twin (you’ll also find it on the Monster SP I reviewed last year, watch that!). It’s also available in a de-powered 47 bhp A2-friendly version.

It tips the scales at 223 kg, has a 21-inch front with 18-inch rear, 250mm ground clearance, 6 rider modes (inc 2 dedicated off-road modes) and there is plenty of touring potential – plus, looking at the accessories, even an auxiliary 8 L tank if you want to bolster your range potential (Ducati says by 40%). The Rally model is £19,000, but gives stronger KYB forks over the Kayaba found here, and bonus off-road spec for those wanting to head out to uncharted lands.

Price wise (£14,995) you may find cheaper alternatives, and Ducati service costs may sting, but from my very brief ride on one of these, I was itching for more. Forza Ducati.

Price	Power	Weight	Tank Size	Seat Height
£5,850	40 bhp	196 kg	17 L	825/845 mm

Number 1 middleweight adventure bike for 2024… the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. Now I appreciate this is a middleweight list consisting of mostly bigger capacities, and the plucky Himalayan doesn’t quite boast the raw power of some others here, but for an overall package I think plenty of boxes are ticked.

Compared to the well-loved Himalayan 411, for 2024 the motor is updated to a liquid-cooled ‘Sherpa 450’ single with 40 bhp and 40 Nm of torque, and it’s priced exceptionally well – starting at £5,850.

You get an off-road mode with switchable ABS, a nice dash that pairs to your smartphone, a 21-inch front wheel, new uprated Showa suspension, and a 17-litre tank - it even has an adjustable seat height between 825 to 845 mm! Given the adventure potential, it’s well deserving of the Himalayan nametag.

But why is it sitting pretty at the top of the pile? My reasoning is simply that you could arguably save the money from a Ducati DesertX (or other), get yourself some top riding gear, set aside fuel money and a ticket out of the country, and head on a month long tour of Europe. The new Himmy will definitely do it, evidenced by Itchy Boots touring India and the Himalayas on a pre-production model! That’s what adventure bikes are all about, right?

10.1 CFMoto 650MT – a solid option for a budget £4,999!

10.2 Zero DSR/X – the electric option, that may not translate to proper adventure riding due to availability of plug sockets out in the middle of nowhere, but it rides really well.

10.3 Moto Guzzi V85TT – an inverse Italian twin, that isn’t quite a proper adventurer but it’s a great bike to ride (don’t listen to the people who say it’s low on power, it’s fine).

10.4 Aprilia Tuareg 660 – another Italian, the Tuareg is a solid bike for off-road riders.

10.5 MV Agusta LXP Orioli – a new option that we spotted launched at EICMA, it’ll be built in limited numbers (500), and carry a huge price-tag (around €30,000, or £25,600). Pretty to look at, though.

Naturally, there are plenty of other options out there. Some new, some old, some that will find a home in a future Top 10 Adventure Bikes series – but you’ll be riding happily on any of these listed, we really are living in an age of top motorcycles. We’ll be back with an A2-specific list, as well as that aforementioned ‘big adventurers’ list, so stay tuned.

Last up, if you have your very own adventure motorcycle you need to insure - make sure to get a motorcycle insurance quote direct with Lexham!

You can also watch the BikeMatters video above if you prefer that – have a watch of some of our other content on the channel whilst there, and subscribe to stay up to date with the team.