Top five off-road reviews in 2018

The Husqvarna 701 features one of the best single-cylinder engines ever made, the same dual-counter-balanced engine KTM’s 690 Duke enjoys, so it’s a great bike to ride. Rigged up with an aftermarket screen, luggage and extra fuel tank, this bike would carry you over almost anything. The bike’s plushness rates it well for all-day comfort, but it can also be firmed up to handle throwing it off some serious erosion mounds and down wicked hills.

Magnificent steering, brilliant suspension, excellent ergonomics and sharp throttle response: KTM upped the ante again with its 2018 range.

SWM has expanded its range to allow enthusiasts to travel even further and deeper into the Aussie heartland. The Superdual X is in a league of its own, and straight out of the box you can throw your gear on and start living the dream.

A high-end machine that can trail snooze all day, or you can whack a number on and hit the pointy end of a club enduro – depending on your riding, of course…

The improvements not only make them better trailbikes, but that they are also more than capable of hauling butt through the bush faster than most riders can push them. Value for money, they are superb, and the Betas have most of the features of the bigger manufacturers, with the two-stroke still being more than relevant in the face of competitor 2Ts with EFI and counter-balanced engines.