Meh, I can't get too excited about semantic arguments over what 'adventure bike' means. An adventure is a thing you do, a bike is a thing you ride.

http://www.sjaaklucassen.nl/

http://www.thepostman.org.uk/

We may as well start arguing about genres of music.

MCN's definition of 'adventure bike' seems to revolve around "My back's too bad/my beer gut's too big to fit on a sports bike". :D

I tend to agree, depending on your viewpoint;

Adventure Bike - Is it an Adjective and Noun, or a Verb and a Noun ?

Me, I would stick with Verb. It's an action you do. In which case, all bikes that do any kind of travel, would be adventure bikes.

More often than not, because most humans have a need to catagorise things, Adventure Bike would be an adjective and noun.

or am I wrong all together and 'Adventure Bike' is an adverb and verb ?

Goes back to the whole attitude thing. To most 'adventure bike' riders, the bike is a tool, and this is shown by the general lack of cleaning, often crash damaged in some form (scratches, chipped that sort of thing). Where at the other end of the spectrum you have the Plastic Power Rangers on the Sunny Sunday Bikes, all shiney and clean. So what you have is people who look at them as some kind of fashion thing, and others who look at them as a means to an end.

The we all start debating what makes the best 'adventure bike', or rather what is the best tool for the job. And the truth is, there is no best, just best for you. This is what perplexes me about people asking questions like "which bike is best?" and the whole debate around what is actually best. You say Potato, I say Potait-toe (as it were)

So what we have with MCN is a bunch of 'followers of fashion' trying to debate the best tool.... imagine Cindy Crawford trying to review a socket set, and that would be MCN on what we like to call 'adventure bikes'.

Personally, I almost never buy mainstream bike mags, unless I'm stuck in an airport and there is nothing else. I find thier whole outlook a little alien to what I understand as being a motorcyclist.

I also know plenty of people with utterly abused sports bikes and others with pristine, low mileage 'adventure' bikes. And of course it's entirely possible to own more than one bike, abuse one and cosset the other. So I'm generally suspicious when the discussion on 'adventure' riding forums turns to how much more awesome we all are than these 'power rangers'. It's still all claiming to be able to judge someone's character based on what bike they happen to be riding that day.

Steady on now UT, we'll have no sense in here. Let the niche-mongering and stereotype slating carry on..

I could not give two hoots if a mainstream journal isn't really complementary about the bike I own. I made the choice, I paid my wodge of 20s out for the bike. In my own view I think the Ten is about as close to being a true do it all motorbike as is possible. Of course with that comes problems in all sections, but you take that as a given. I've had adventures on sports bikes, naked bikes, trail bikes, learner bikes, custom bikes... the common theme is the bike and using it. The adventure doesn't have to be a mega mile slog, though you might have more tales to tell, it can be just getting out there and experiencing. That is the personal aspect that you will never get, and is unfair to expect from, a journalists short test.

If I could ask for one change to the Ten it would be 5 bhp more from the factory. Second on the list would be a six speed gear box. Everything else they can leave be.
Maybe a kickstart too.

No, that's not correct.

It's still all claiming to be able to judge someone's character based on how they happen to be riding that day

The term I use, describes someone who fits a criteria, not a bike type. However, gernerally speaking, most riders of lovely shiney sportsbikes, in matching leathers (especially ones with 'humps') ride without due consideration and so would be worthy of such a title, (but not everyone) and these are the riders MCN would class as thier 'core', in my opinion. The same rider may well get on his bogging CB500 on a Monday morning and ride to work with all the courtesy you could imagine,


25 years ago we knew that all terrorists were Irish, but not all Irishmen(women) were terrorists, we know all politicians are liers but not all liers are politicians, etc etc There are always exceptions to widely held perceptions, it's just the way of things

wow it's all getting a bit deep. Its only a report in MCN and who ever thinks what cr@p they write in there or any of the bike mag is correct.

If you injoy the bike you ride that's all that counts. who gives a to%% what anyone else thinks ...Ps I hate the word "ADVENTURE " ffs

got to go.. coach trip is on the TV,

your could take a Pan on that track no problem

sorry ..It's watching Jeremy Kyle it's rubbing off on me :surrender:

I'm a deep kinda guy...... Datacomms is padded with periods waiting for others to do thier bits, so I get lots of time to ponder lifes little ups and downs. A trip through my own thoughts is often an adventure itself!

Well for what its worth I'm going to add my two-penneth;

I personnally dont buy any of the bike publications as a lot of what is written is done so by people from a different planet.

I refuse to fund this (imho) muppetry.

Problem solved, if you dont like it dont buy it.