Best new adventure bikes under $20,000

You can blame a lot of the skyrocketing popularity of adventure bikes on actors Ewan McGregor and Charly Boorman. Their smash-hit 2004 TV series Long Way Round and later spin-offs captivated riders around the world, and forced adventure riding into the global spotlight.

The genre’s key attributes – a comfy and upright riding position, decent fuel range, and supple long-travel suspension – makes adventure bikes perfect for devouring miles both on-road and off, and many adventure bikes are ideal for pillions and luggage carrying too.

However, with most of the big-bore adventure offerings commanding equally big bucks, we’ve assembled a selection of models to suit more modest budgets. It's by no means an exhaustive list, and there are a heap of models on offer in the segment these days, but it should provide you with some food for thought – along with a spread of price points from just over $8000 and up.

So, with $20,000 burning a hole in our back pocket and an endless horizon stretched out before us, let’s check out some of the new adventure bikes that sort of money can buy…

Related reading:
Adventure bike buyer's guide, below 400cc
Adventure bike buyer's guide, 400cc to 900cc
Adventure bike buyer's guide, over 900cc
Adventure bike ride essentials

CFMOTO 650MT ABS

The Chinese-made CFMOTO 650MT ABS is the most affordable adventure tourer going. The CFMOTO brand has been in Australia since 2010, and from humble beginnings its line-up today spans everything from 150cc commuters to its latest adventure bikes, the 800MT Sport and 800MT Touring. Check out our launch report on this new platform here.

But sitting smack in the middle of its range is the learner-friendly 650MT ABS, priced at $8290 ride away with a three-year warranty.

This latest version sports Continental ABS and extensive crash bars to protect the bodywork and side engine casings, in the event things turn pear-shaped.

There are also hand guards, an adjustable windscreen and side deflectors to ease rider buffeting, plus a USB charging point for smartphones and a five-inch TFT display.

Under the 18-litre tank sits a 649cc parallel-twin with Bosch electronic fuel injection, the powerplant shared with siblings the 650NK (a naked bike) and 650GT (a sportstouring variant).

Delivering a healthy dose of performance and tech, it puts out 56.4hp (41.5kW) at 9500rpm and 62Nm of torque at 7000rpm and has two ride modes – Sport and Eco.

The sharp lines are the work of Austrian design studio KISKA, which has also worked closely with KTM over many years, along with Husqvarna.

The 650MT has LED lights at each end, while the upside-down fork and cantilever monoshock provide wheel travel of 140mm and 145mm respectively.

Stopping is via a twin 300mm disc up front and a 240mm disc at the rear, with calipers courtesy of Spanish brand J.Juan. Completing the package are Pirelli Angel tyres on 17-inch alloy wheels.

The CFMOTO 650MT is a road-focused adventure touring bike but it can also take better quality dirt roads in its stride. And, for the asking price, it’s plenty of metal and a long warranty for the money.

Kawasaki KLR650 Adventure

Here is another bike to ease into adventure touring without cannibalising your budget – the capable and learner-approved Kawasaki KLR650 Adventure, priced at $9999 plus ORC.

The popular and proven Kawasaki has just benefited from a significant update, with the Adventure variant building on the standard model with hard panniers, fog lights, frame sliders, and DC/USB charging sockets. The platform also gets a new two-position screen, revised pillion grab rails, new livery, LCD instruments and an LED headlight.

Engine-wise, the headline news is the adoption of electronic fuel injection for the 652cc single-cylinder engine, aiding cold starting and helping the bike meet the latest emissions regulations. It dishes out 39hp (28.5kW) and 51.5Nm, with a five-speed gearbox delivering that power to the rear wheel.

The other big news is it now sports ABS brakes, although the system is non-switchable.

Further updates include a sturdier frame with a longer swingarm, suspension revisions and stronger spoked wheels for bush bashing.

Rider comfort has also been enhanced by reducing vibration while the new thicker seat is now lower and the fuel tank capacity has increased.

The overall simplicity of the KLR650 makes it an ideal first step in adventure touring or a wise choice for those on a tight budget. But its ruggedness means it’s also well equipped for serious global epics, making it a popular choice among hardcore overlanders.

Suzuki V-Strom 650XT

The Suzuki V-Strom 650XT is another example of the genre that has been around in one form or another for ages, but it has a solid reputation as a fuss-free, rider-friendly and capable adventure tourer.

Available in both full power and learner-approved variants, both priced at $14,490 ride away, it’s a great little package if your budget doesn’t stretch to the brand’s flagship adventure bike, the V-Strom 1050XT ($21,990 ride away).

The V-Strom 650XT is powered by a 645cc, DOHC, 90-degree V-twin. Renowned for its low to mid-range torque, it featuring Suzuki’s Easy Start system for one-push starting. The full-power model boasts 70.7hp (52kW) and 62Nm, while the LAMS variant is restricted to 47.6hp (35kW). Both come with a six-speed gearbox.

Strengths include outstanding fuel efficiency, giving around 400 klicks to a tank, along with excellent low-speed manoeuvrability and high-speed stability.

By no means is the V-Strom a bare-bones proposition either, with standard kit comprising three-level traction control, anti-lock brakes, an analogue and LCD dash with a trip computer, an accessory bar, cross-brace handlebars with hand guards, an adjustable windscreen and mirror extensions. Hard luggage is available as a factory accessory.

In summary, the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT has a long history that saw any bugs ironed out years back. It’s comfortable, nimble, and nicely equipped, and perfectly positioned to eat up the miles while preserving modest running costs.

BMW F 850 GS

With an enviable adventure-touring reputation, the $19,499 (ride away) BMW F 850 GS is a standout in the mid-size adventure bike sector.

At the end of 2018 BMW’s F 800 series underwent a sizeable update, the German brand increasing the platform’s engine capacity to 850cc and employing a laser-like focus on making this series the most capable of all its adventure bikes. They succeeded.

The bigger-capacity engine is an 853cc, DOHC, eight-valve parallel-twin. Producing 103.3hp (76kW) at 8000rpm and 86Nm at 6250rpm, it’s near as vibration free thanks to the twin balance shafts and it has a ride-by-wire throttle, traction control, and a six-speed gearbox, plus a 23-litre tank for a 500km range.

Out went the tubular chassis of its predecessor replaced by a monocoque frame, while BMW moved the fuel tank to a more traditional location between the seat and the ‘bars. With a seat height of 875mm it’s a bit of a leap to get your leg over, but once in place the ergonomics are excellent.

Adding to its capability is a 43mm upside-down fork with 230mm of travel and a rear monoshock with 215mm of travel, while the braking package comprises twin 300mm front discs with twin-piston calipers and a single 265mm rear disc with a single-piston caliper.

Electronics and comfort upgrades included an all-new 6.5-inch TFT screen with connectivity, allowing you to make calls or listen to your music on the fly, a taller and height-adjustable touring screen, a stainless-steel luggage rack, and an app with turn-by-turn navigation.

Seriously, if you’re hankering for the bigger BMW R 1250 GS but want a more nimble, more manageable package at a more modest price, check out the BMW F 850 GS. And if you want to push its off-road capability even further, check out the harder-edged F 850 GS Adventure – although that model is just a little beyond our price limit here, coming in at $20,840 ride away.

KTM 690 Enduro R

KTM turned down Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman for Long Way Round, the duo eventually opting for BMW’s R 1150 GS instead. Oops.

That said, KTM also builds hugely capable adventure tourers and while the 690 Enduro R looks strictly like an enduro bike, it does in fact sit in the brand’s adventure touring portfolio. Best of all it squeezes into our budget here at $19,295 ride away.

Powered by a 693cc, SOHC, single-cylinder engine with electronic fuel injection, a ride-by-wire throttle and a six-speed gearbox, the model produces 74.8hp (55kW) and 73Nm, while the donk is held in a chromoly trellis frame.

Taking care of the bumps and humps is WP’s XPLOR suspension. Up front is an upside-down fork with separate damping circuits (compression on the left, rebound on the right) with independent adjustment and 250mm of travel. The rear monoshock matches the front for travel, and has high- and low-speed compression damping.

Aiding braking as a switchable two-channel Bosch ABS set-up, with a single 300mm disc up front and a 240mm disc down the back. The black rims lend the bike a tough look, and with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear you know it means business in the rough stuff.

Standard features include rubber-mounted handlebars to mitigate vibration, motocross-style footpegs, a towering 910mm seat height, an LCD dash, street and off-road riding modes, selectable traction control, and lean-angle sensors to enhance the sensitivity of the traction control and ABS systems.

If you want to pump up the 'adventure' side of the adventure touring equation to the max, you'll have a capable steed indeed in the KTM 690 Enduro R.