Best Adventure Touring: 2019 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards

The 2019 Bikesales Bike of the Year (BOTY) Awards recognise excellence across 11 separate motorcycle categories.

And here’s how it will work. After a massive five-day test through-north-east Victoria in early November – branching out from the beautiful town of Bright – we'll whittle our shortlist down to one outright winner, to be announced on Thursday, December 5.

Let's continue the 2019 BOTY by announcing the KTM 790 Adventure R as the winner of our Adventure Touring category.

KTM just doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to adventure fare. The company’s off-road pedigree certainly helps, but add to that excellent powerplants and near flawless electronics and it all adds up to some seriously potent hardware.

Until now, that narrative has been reserved for machines like the 990 Adventure and in recent times the trio of litre-plus machines. That’s now been added to with the 790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R, and it’s the latter which has got our Adventure Touring gong in 2019.

We recently rode the 790 Adventure R for the first time, and to say we were impressed was an understatement. We’d already ‘tasted’ the parallel twin LC8c engine in the road-going 790 Duke, so that was a known quantity, but we were probably more taken with the WP Xplor suspension and geometry that makes for excellent handling – even with a full load of fuel.

That normal ‘chop’ you get with adventure bikes doesn’t seem to be an issue on the 790 Adventure R, which means it soaks up an extraordinary amount of punishment – and keeps the rider in control rather than the other way around.

Elsewhere, there’s’ a uni-directional (up) quickshifter, 20-litre tank, four riding modes, charging capability, a not-too-text-heavy TFT screen, and switchable ABS and traction control. As far as electronics go across the board, KTM remains on or near the top of the pops – adventure or road.

Underneath, there’s a steel trellis frame holding the $20,995 (plus on-road costs) machine together, making it just as fun on the road as the dirt despite the 21-inch front wheel. The low-slung rally tank helps to keep the weight low, as well.

An adventure tourer through and through – congratulations KTM.

BMW Motarrad’s single-cylinder G 310 GS ($8511 ride away) is just what you’d expect from a dedicated learner-approved machine: it’s light and manageable, has impeccable manners, simple and easy-to-read instrumentation, and it takes on light off-road terrain with ease. Its adventure traits extend to the obligatory beaked front mudguard, a 19-inch front wheel, long-travel suspension and the ability to disengage ABS. It’s simple and ridiculously fun.