Today, I want to dive into a topic that’s close to my heart – the age-old debate of Adventure Bikes versus Touring Bikes for tackling our beautiful but challenging Australian landscape.
The Great Aussie Motorcycle Dilemma
As someone who’s spent decades traversing everything from the dusty Outback to the twisty mountain roads of the Great Dividing Range, I’ve developed some strong opinions on what makes the perfect bike for our sunburnt country.
Adventure Bikes: The Swiss Army Knife on Wheels
Adventure bikes (or ADVs as we lovingly call them) have exploded in popularity across Australia in recent years, and for good reason. These tall, capable machines offer greater ground clearance for unexpected creek crossings, more suspension travel for corrugated dirt roads, and an upright riding position that’s comfortable for long days. They come with knobby tyre options for when the tarmac ends, yet still provide decent wind protection despite their off-road intentions.
Models like the BMW GS series, Triumph Tiger, and KTM Adventure have become staples on Australian roads and trails. Their versatility is unmatched – you can commute to work Monday to Friday, then strap on some panniers and disappear down a fire trail all weekend.
Touring Bikes: Comfort Kings of the Highway
On the flip side, traditional touring bikes focus on what they do best – eating up hundreds of highway kilometres in supreme comfort. They typically offer superior wind protection with larger fairings and screens, more comfortable seats designed for all-day riding, and better pillion accommodation for two-up travel. With larger fuel tanks for those long stretches between outback service stations and smoother engines optimised for cruising rather than off-road grunt, they’re built for distance.
The Honda Goldwing, BMW K1600, and Yamaha FJR1300 represent the pinnacle of road-focused touring machines. They’re built to cross continents without breaking a sweat or your back.
The Australian Context: What Makes Sense Here?
Australia throws unique challenges at motorcyclists that riders in other countries might never face. These include vast distances between towns (sometimes hundreds of kilometres without services), extreme temperature variations from the tropical north to the alpine regions, and road conditions that can change dramatically with little warning. Add to this the wildlife hazards from kangaroos to wombats that can end your ride in an instant, and remote areas where self-sufficiency isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.
My Verdict for Different Aussie Scenarios
For the Great Ocean Road and Alpine Routes:
Either bike works brilliantly here, but a touring bike’s cornering stability gives it the edge on these winding paved roads.
For Crossing the Nullarbor:
A touring bike’s comfort becomes invaluable when facing days of straight, monotonous highway riding.
For Tasmania’s Mixed Terrain:
Adventure bikes reign supreme here, allowing you to explore both sealed roads and gravel tracks to hidden gems.
For Northern Territory and Outback Queensland:
Adventure bikes win hands down due to their ability to handle unpredictable road conditions and occasional water crossings.
The Best of Both Worlds?
Here’s my hot take after 30+ years of riding Down Under: the ideal Australian motorcycle is actually a sport-touring adventure bike hybrid. Think Ducati Multistrada, Kawasaki Versys 1000, or the new Harley-Davidson Pan America.
These bikes offer the road manners and comfort of a proper tourer but maintain enough off-road capability to handle detours down unsealed roads. They represent a brilliant compromise for our unique conditions.
Final Thoughts from the Saddle
At the end of the day, the best bike for Australia is the one that matches YOUR riding style and the trips YOU want to take. But if you’re asking this old bloke’s opinion, I’d say an adventure bike with good road manners wins by a nose for all-round Australian conditions.
The ability to confidently tackle that unexpected gravel road or find your way around a washed-out section of highway is worth the small compromise in highway comfort compared to a pure touring machine.
What do you reckon? Are you team ADV or team Tourer? Drop a comment below with your experiences riding across our sunburnt country!
Written by Michael Bankier
