Best Adventure Touring 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.

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Let’s continue the 2018 BOTY by announcing the Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports as our Adventure Tourer winner.

In 2016, the Africa Twin was our inaugural Bike of the Year, and now Honda’s in with another chance thanks to the Africa Twin Adventure Sports, which is available in either manual ($19,499 plus ORC) or Dual Clutch Transmission ($19,999 plus ORC) automatic versions.

The 2018 Africa Twin range (there’s also a standard manual version for $17,499 plus ORC) now benefits from a ride-by-wire throttle with a choice of four ride modes, seven-level traction control and wire-spoked wheels.

The Adventure Sports models then take the extra step with longer-travel suspension, a flatter seat profile, more upright riding position, a larger screen, a bigger sump guard and a wrap-around crash bar. Fuel capacity has also been increased by 5.4 litres to 24.2 litres.

Bikesales was thrilled to ride the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) version during a Daryl Beattie Adventures tour through the Kimberley region of WA in May 2018, where we were able to soak up the full appreciation for the revised electronics, fully adjustable Showa suspension, that deceptively smooth parallel twin engine and the various riding settings.

It’s a hell of a lot of adventure bike for the money, and now it's even better equipped to cater to those who want to get well off the beaten track – where you’ll get a safe range of 400km from the larger tank.

On the tarmac in Tasmania on the DCT model, we’ll probably be eking out more kilometres than that from a tank – but it will inevitably depend on the level of riding ‘enthusiasm’. It is the Apple Isle, after all…

Congratulations Honda!

The 2017 Adventure Touring category winner and the boss cocky in our 2017 Big-Bore Adventure Bike Comparison is a sublime machine. In our estimation, it’s the finest piece of work from the BMW adventure house, with exceptional prowess on the dirt (it can soak up some mighty big hits) and on a winding sealed road it can shame many a sportsbike. The Rallye X ($29,990 plus ORC) comes with all the fruit; the only optional factory gear is an alarm and an extra-high seat. Everything else is there: two-stage heated grips, tyre pressure monitoring, hand guards, chunky tyres, enduro foot pegs, cruise control, an LED headlight, a quickshifter, daylight running lights and LED indicators, along with a thoroughly comprehensive electronics package.

Triumph’s new Tiger 800 range arrived earlier this year, with over 200 updates to the engine and chassis. The 800XCA is the top-spec model in the off-road-focussed side of the equation, complete with its wire-spoked wheels and 21-inch front wheel. Other features include six riding modes, a TFT screen, revised styling and new LED headlights. And with a peak 95hp and 79Nm, it’s no slouch either – Triumph has its triple engines down to a fine art. Middleweight adventure bikes make so much sense, and the Tiger 800 XCA is a prime example. Read the full launch review here. We’ve now got the Tiger 800 XCA ($21,300 plus ORC) as a long-termer, so you’ll be hearing plenty more about this British terrier.

The G 310 GS ($6900 plus ORC) follows on from the launch of the G 310 R roadster, which was BMW’s first dedicated foray into Australia’s learner-legal market. The G 310 GS has a number of ‘adventurey’ changes over the standard roadster: the obligatory beaked front mudguard, a 19-inch front wheel, more suspension travel (180mm at both ends), and the ability to disengage ABS when conditions demand. The 313cc single-cylinder machine checks in at 34hp/28Nm, it has a light and responsive gearbox, crisp instrumentation and the ability to soak up light off-road duties with ease.