Best Adventure Sport Bike: 2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards

The 2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year (BOTY) Awards recognise excellence across 11 separate motorcycle categories. After a three-day mega-test in Tasmania in October, we'll whittle our shortlist down to three finalists – with the outright winner then announced at the Melbourne Moto Expo on Friday, November 23.

Let's continue the 2018 BOTY category announcements by unveiling our winner of the Adventure Sport category: BMW's S 1000 XR…

BMW is clinging onto its domination of the Adventure Sport category with a limpet-like grip – its S 1000 XR clinched the category in our inaugural BOTY awards in 2016 (and, along with Yamaha's XSR900, nearly claimed outright victory), and then it doubled up in 2017.

This year it's sealed the hat-trick – while there's no shortage of fine machines vying for supremacy in the Adventure Sport niche, here at Bikesales.com.au we just can't find anything to surpass this Bavarian example of mechanical engineering might.

Priced from $24,590 plus on-roads, in simplistic terms the S 1000 XR takes BMW's S 1000 RR sportsbike and adds a broad handlebar, a roomy and upright ride position, and longer-travel suspension to create a performance-packed long-distance point-to-point machine par excellence.

At the heart of the model is a 999cc in-line four-cylinder powerplant that produces claimed maximum outputs of 165hp (121kW) at 11,000rpm and 114Nm at 9250rpm. With superb fueling and a choice of ride modes, it can be as docile and well-mannered as you want – but twist the throttle and it can also morph into a ballistic missile, hunting down corner apexes with fury and sniper-like precision.

Taming all this fury is a thoroughly competent aluminium composite bridge frame and a sorted suspension package, with a 46mm inverted fork up front and a monoshock at the rear. Suspension adjustment isn't comprehensive, limited to compression and rebound on the fork and rebound on the monoshock, but it works a treat right out of the box.

It's a significant lump of a bike, however, with an 840mm seat height (790mm with low suspension variant), a 1548mm wheelbase, and a 228 kilogram dry weight, but it displays a level of poise and balance that sees the bulk melt away as soon as you snick first gear and begin rolling down the road.

There's a long list of factory options and accessories available for the S 1000 XR, from electronic suspension to satellite navigation, additional riding modes, a quickshifter, cornering ABS and more – so be warned that the bike's 'starting from' price can quickly escalate. There's also an S 1000 XR HP variant, complete with BMW's eye-catching 'Motorsport' livery.

However, when you consider the superb build quality, the extreme performance and yet it's sublime all-rounder appeal, BMW's S 1000 XR appears, to us, to be worth every penny. Whether you plan to ride across town or around the country, this bike will do it all in comfort, in safety, and with an incalculable degree of fun.

Congratulations, BMW, on taking out our 2018 BOTY Adventure Sport category, and for the third year running…

2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Cruiser
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Scooter
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Adventure Touring
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Sports Touring
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Naked
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Retro/Cafe
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Enduro
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Touring
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Motocross
2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards: Supersport

KTM says its 1290 Super Adventure S is made for "bending the laws of physics", and after a ride on this road-biased adventure bike it's easy to see where the company is coming from. It's a blast on the road yet still thoroughly competent on good-quality dirt, and boasts features like TFT instrumentation, a 160hp engine, traction control, riding modes, semi-active suspension (for damping and preload) and a tall screen. This bike also received an honourable mention here for our 2017 BOTY titles, and it's still right up at the pointy end of the Adventure Sport pack. Rolling on a 19-inch front wheel (17 inches at the rear), it's good and stable over a range of terrain, while that semi-active suspension works independently of the riding mode, allowing the rider to make a Rain, Street, Sport or Off-Road damping selection. The KTM 1290 Super Adventure S is priced at $24,995 plus on-roads.

Unveiled for the first time at the 2017 EICMA motorcycle expo in Milan, Ducati's Multistrada 1260 is the latest progression of the marque's dual-purpose family, and boasts 156hp and 129Nm from its 1262cc V-twin, sourced from the brand's XDiavel power cruiser. The wheelbase and rake were increased for added stability while the electronics received a boost, with the Multistrada 1260 equipped with backlit switch blocks, lean-angle-sensing ABS, and self-cancelling indicators – in addition to the switchable engine maps, hill-start assist and wheelie control. Scintillating performance, stunning build quality and an up-to-the-minute complement of electronics make this bike a formidable companion on any ride, whether it be crunching out 1000-kay days or tearing up a winding mountain road. The versions are available, from the standard Multistrada 1260 to the 1260 S and the 1260 Pikes Peak (pictured). The Ducati Multistrada 1260 is priced from $26,990 ride away.

Benelli's TRK family is currently leading the sales race in its own domestic market of Italy. That's no mean feat in a country that's mad for motorbikes, and it speaks volumes for the TRK 502's broad appeal. Needless to say, we were mighty impressed with the TRK 502 when we sampled it at the beginning of this year, as we were with its slightly more off-road oriented sibling, the TRK 502X, when we rode that in Italy just recently. For novice riders it's a simple recipe – an easy and upright ride position, competent chassis, suspension and brakes, and a half-litre engine that offers plenty of fun, and no nasty surprises. Add in some funky styling care of Benelli's Pesaro-based Centro Stile design house, and the deep pockets of Chinese parent company Geely, and this zesty and lightweight little package not only makes life easy for learners, it offers enough enjoyment to keep old hands happy, too. Benelli's TRK 502 is priced at $8790 ride away.