Best Adventure Bikes in the UK for 2026
The lightest bike in this guide, Honda's CRF300L Rally, weighs 153kg. The heaviest, Moto Morini's X-Cape 1200, was weighed at 294kg with a full tank, and both are sold in Britain as adventure bikes.
The spread doesn't stop at weight. Seat heights here run from 800mm to 885mm, front suspension travel from 135mm to 260mm, and prices from £5,699 before on-the-road charges to BMW's starting price of £16,740. Put any two of these bikes side by side and they can look like answers to different questions, because they are.
That's why a single winner would mislead. The bike with the most suspension travel also has the least power here, and the big bike with a published carrying capacity for two people and luggage has the highest starting price. So this guide picks one bike for each of seven needs, and says what each pick gives up to win it.
How the picks were made
Each pick is decided by the figures that matter most for its need, from weight and seat height to power, payload, suspension travel, warranty and tank size. Three things are worth knowing before the first bike.
Prices. Where the maker publishes an on-the-road price, that's the one quoted. CFMoto and Moto Morini list a price before on-the-road charges, so you add those to it, and BMW publishes only a starting price. Each one is labelled.
Weight. Makers measure weight in different ways, so each figure here carries its basis. The X-Cape 1200's figure comes from scales with a full tank rather than from the maker.
Licence. Four bikes here are A2 as they come, and the Yamaha Ténéré 700 is also sold in a version limited to 35kW.
Small and A2 adventure bikes
All four bikes in this group are A2 as they come and weigh 199kg or less at the kerb, and all four cost less than £7,000. What separates them is seat height, price and how much of the 35kW A2 limit each one uses, which runs from 20.1kW to the full 35kW.
Honda CRF300L Rally: the lightest
The CRF300L Rally is the lightest bike here by a clear margin, at 153kg at the kerb, and it carries the most suspension travel too, with 260mm at each end and 275mm of ground clearance. Honda sells it for £6,599 on the road, and the three dealers checked were all asking exactly that. The Rally carries a 12.8-litre tank. DVLA figures show 190 new Honda CRF300L Rallys registered in Britain in 2025.
The single-cylinder engine makes 20.1kW, so it is legal on an A2 licence with room to spare. Owners report strong fuel economy. The suspension is soft on the road, and owners report the same thing and often fit an aftermarket rear shock. It's easy and relaxed to ride on light trails, with useful wind protection from the screen, but the pace runs out on a fast A-road and owners say the seat gets uncomfortable on longer days.
The cost of all that travel is height: the seat sits at 885mm and Honda lists no lower option. Warranty is two years with unlimited mileage, which Honda will extend a year at a time up to six years if the bike is serviced at a Honda dealer.
Who it suits: a rider who puts low weight first and can manage an 885mm seat, with green lanes higher on the list than motorway miles.
CFMoto 450MT: the lowest seat
The 450MT's seat adjusts between 820mm and 800mm as standard, which makes it the lowest seat in this guide without buying an extra part. It doesn't get there by giving up the off-road kit either: it keeps a 21-inch front wheel, 200mm of travel at each end and 220mm of ground clearance, according to CFMoto's owner's manual.
CFMoto UK lists it at £5,699 plus on-the-road charges, and its own finance example puts it at £5,898 on the road. The warranty is the longest here at four years, parts and labour. The 31kW twin is A2 as it comes, and it averaged 50.4mpg on a UK road test.
It has three weak points. The standard tyres give little feedback, vibration builds above 75mph, and the throttle is snatchy at low speed. The owner's manual also asks for an oil and filter change every 3,000 miles or six months, half the Himalayan 450's interval of 6,000 miles. It weighs 185kg at the kerb according to CFMoto's owner's manual; the 175kg on CFMoto's UK site is a dry figure. DVLA figures show 339 new 450MTs registered in Britain in 2026 so far, already more than the 263 registered in the whole of 2025.
Who it suits: a rider who needs the lowest seat in this guide and wants the longest warranty with it.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450: the best value
At £5,799 on the road, the Himalayan 450 is the cheapest bike here once on-the-road charges are counted, and that price buys a 21-inch front wheel, 200mm of travel at each end, 230mm of ground clearance and a 17-litre tank. That price is for the Kaza Brown version on tubed tyres; tubeless tyres start at £6,250. The warranty runs three years with unlimited mileage, and servicing falls every 6,000 miles or 12 months.
Its single-cylinder engine makes 29.44kW, so it is A2 as it comes. It's a user-friendly, unintimidating bike, and a long-term test bike passed 10,000 miles with all-day comfort on the road and enough ability on trails. Against that, it is heavy to manoeuvre at walking pace, at 196kg with 90% of a tank, and the bars buzz at around 55mph. The standard seat adjusts from 825mm to 845mm, and Royal Enfield sells an official low seat that goes down to 805mm.
DVLA figures show 517 new Himalayan 450s registered in Britain in 2025, more than the CFMoto 450MT and Honda CRF300L Rally put together.
Who it suits: a rider who wants the full adventure specification for the least money, and doesn't mind a bike that's heavier than its size suggests.
Honda NX500: the best for an A2 licence
The NX500 makes 35kW, the full amount an A2 licence allows, as it comes from the factory. The other bikes here that are A2 as standard make between 20.1kW and 31kW, so this is the one that uses all of the entitlement without a restricted version. The 2026 E-Clutch version costs £6,999 on the road, and two Honda dealers were also selling the version without it at £6,899.
It earns the pick on the road rather than off it. The NX500 is refined, comfortable and easy to ride, and copes with light green lanes as well as commuting and touring, but it has the least off-road hardware here: a 19-inch cast front wheel, 135mm of travel and 180mm of ground clearance. It averaged 63mpg on a UK road test. Owners also report a long range between fills from the 17.5-litre tank. The screen doesn't adjust and causes buffeting for taller riders, and the throttle is snatchy when first opened. We rode the 2025 version for our Honda NX500 road test.
The seat is 830mm with no lower option, and the bike weighs 199kg at the kerb. Warranty is two years with unlimited mileage, extendable up to six years with Honda dealer servicing.
Who it suits: an A2 rider whose miles are mostly on tarmac and who wants every kilowatt the licence allows.
Middleweight adventure bikes
The middleweights cost around £10,000 and make far more power than the group above: the Yamaha Ténéré 700 makes 54kW, while the most powerful small bike, the Honda NX500, makes 35kW. They also sit taller, with seats of 850mm and above.
Yamaha Ténéré 700: the best middleweight
Of the two middleweights considered here, the Ténéré 700 has the more off-road hardware, with 210mm of front travel, 200mm at the rear, 240mm of ground clearance and a 21-inch front wheel. Two Yamaha dealers list it at £10,108 on the road, and the factory-lowered Ténéré 700 Low costs the same. A third dealer had the standard bike on offer at £9,475. It weighs 208kg with a full tank and makes 54kW, and Yamaha offers a version limited to 35kW for A2 riders.
It's an accessible, rugged bike that is at its best on back roads and trails rather than long motorway days, which is where the closest rival, the Honda XL750 Transalp, makes its case. The Transalp costs £9,899 on the road and has a lower 850mm seat, but gives up 10mm of front travel and 30mm of ground clearance to the Yamaha. We rode the current Ténéré for our Yamaha Ténéré 700 road test.
On DVSA MOT data, the first-generation Ténéré 700, registered from 2019 to 2021, passed 91.5% of its MOT tests first time across 2,982 tests, a little behind the Honda Africa Twin's 94.9% across 3,366 tests. DVLA figures show 672 new Ténéré 700s registered in Britain in 2025 across all versions, against 409 for the Honda XL750 Transalp. The cost is height: the standard seat is 875mm, or 860mm on the Low version. Owners say it suits taller riders. Warranty is three years.
Who it suits: a rider with a middleweight budget who puts off-road ability first and can manage an 875mm seat.
Big adventure bikes
The two big bikes picked here both weigh more than 230kg and make more than 90kW, so neither can be ridden on an A2 licence. What separates them is price, payload and tank size.
Moto Morini X-Cape 1200: the best value big bike
The X-Cape 1200 brings a 95kW engine, a 24.5-litre tank and a three-year warranty for £11,299 plus on-the-road charges, or £11,599 on the road.
It's comfortable on the motorway, steady at low speed and well equipped as standard, with tubeless spoked wheels and a 19-inch front. Our Moto Morini X-Cape 1200 road test found exhaust drone, a heavy clutch and flimsy switchgear. Fuel economy measured 42mpg at a moderate pace and 35mpg at its worst on one UK road test.
The real cost is weight. Weighed with a full tank, the X-Cape 1200 came in at 294kg, the heaviest adventure bike here by a distance, and it has no decent centre stand to help. It has 180mm of travel at each end and 190mm of ground clearance, the least of the big bikes. It's also new to Britain: DVLA figures show 14 Moto Morini X-Cape 1200s registered in 2026 so far, so there's no MOT record yet.
Who it suits: a rider who wants big-bike power and range at a mid-sized bike's price, and is comfortable handling close to 300kg.
BMW R 1300 GS: the best for distance and two-up
BMW publishes what the R 1300 GS can carry: 228kg of rider, passenger and luggage, within a permitted total weight of 465kg. Honda publishes no such figure for the Africa Twin. It weighs 237kg at the kerb with 90% of a tank, which is lighter than the X-Cape by a wide margin. The GS's 107kW is the most power in this guide. The warranty is three years with no mileage limit, and BMW adds three years of roadside assistance.
It is a clear step up from the R 1250 GS it replaced, with stable, comfortable suspension, and it is capable at touring, off-road riding and daily use. Owners praise the engine and the handling, and they also report mechanical noise at idle, electrical warnings that a battery change often cures, and a standard seat that many replace. The 19-litre tank is the smallest of the big bikes, and economy ran at 56.5mpg and 58mpg on two brisk test rides.
The other limit is price. BMW's figure is a starting price with on-the-road costs not stated, and the three new examples checked at UK dealers, each with option packs fitted, were listed between £20,145 and £22,785. Britain pays it anyway: DVLA figures show 3,204 new BMW R 1300 GS and R 1300 GS Adventure bikes registered in 2025, against 672 for every version of the Ténéré 700. If the riding is all on tarmac, our touring ranking covers bikes built for the road alone.
Who it suits: two people, with luggage, on long trips, with a budget that starts at £16,740.
Also worth a look: Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin
The standard Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin has the most off-road hardware of the big bikes in this guide, with a 21-inch front wheel, 230mm of front travel and 250mm of ground clearance, for £13,399 on the road. It weighs 231kg at the kerb and makes 75kW, which is too much to restrict for an A2 licence. On DVSA MOT records, the Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin passed 94.9% of its MOT tests first time across 3,366 tests. It misses a pick because the R 1300 GS publishes a payload and the X-Cape 1200 costs less. On price, it sits between the two.
Which adventure bike suits which rider?
| Bike | The rider it suits | Reason to pick it | Reason not to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CRF300L Rally | Weight comes first | Lightest here at 153kg, 260mm travel | 885mm seat, slow on fast roads |
| CFMoto 450MT | Needs the lowest seat | 800mm seat, four-year warranty | Oil change every 3,000 miles |
| Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 | Wants the most for the least | £5,799 on the road, three-year warranty | Heavy at walking pace for its size |
| Honda NX500 | Holds an A2 licence | Full 35kW as standard | 135mm travel, 19-inch cast front |
| Yamaha Ténéré 700 | Middleweight, off-road first | 210mm travel, 240mm clearance | 875mm seat |
| Moto Morini X-Cape 1200 | Wants big-bike power for less | £11,299 plus OTR, 24.5-litre tank | 294kg weighed with a full tank |
| BMW R 1300 GS | Two-up with luggage | Published 228kg payload | From £16,740 before options |
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Adventure bike specs side by side
| Bike | Price | Weight | Seat height | Front travel | Tank | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CRF300L Rally | £6,599 OTR | 153kg kerb | 885mm | 260mm | 12.8 litres | 2 years |
| CFMoto 450MT | £5,699 plus OTR | 185kg kerb | 800mm to 820mm | 200mm | 17.5 litres | 4 years |
| Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 | £5,799 OTR | 196kg kerb | 825mm to 845mm | 200mm | 17 litres | 3 years |
| Honda NX500 | £6,999 OTR | 199kg kerb | 830mm | 135mm | 17.5 litres | 2 years |
| Yamaha Ténéré 700 | £10,108 OTR | 208kg wet | 875mm | 210mm | 16 litres | 3 years |
| Moto Morini X-Cape 1200 | £11,299 plus OTR | 294kg weighed full | 840mm | 180mm | 24.5 litres | 3 years |
| BMW R 1300 GS | From £16,740 | 237kg kerb | 850mm | 190mm | 19 litres | 3 years |
Which is the best bike for adventure?
On a weight-first shortlist: the Honda CRF300L Rally, at 153kg with 260mm of travel, as long as the 885mm seat works.
On a short reach to the ground: the CFMoto 450MT, with an 800mm seat setting as standard and a four-year warranty.
On a budget under £6,000: the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, at £5,799 on the road with a three-year warranty.
On an A2 licence: the Honda NX500, the only bike here making the full 35kW as standard.
On a middleweight budget: the Yamaha Ténéré 700, for more travel and ground clearance than the Honda XL750 Transalp.
On a big-bike budget under £12,000: the Moto Morini X-Cape 1200, at £11,599 on the road, if 294kg is manageable.
On a two-up trip with luggage: the BMW R 1300 GS, with a published payload of 228kg.
Key takeaways
- Weight across this guide runs from 153kg to 294kg, so check the weight basis before comparing two bikes.
- Four of the seven bikes here are A2 as they come, and only the Honda NX500 makes the full 35kW as standard.
- The cheapest bike on the road is the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 at £5,799, while the CFMoto 450MT carries the longest warranty at four years.
- BMW's R 1300 GS starts at £16,740, and dealers' stock with option packs was listed from £20,145.
- DVLA figures show Britain registered 3,204 new R 1300 GS-family bikes in 2025, more than four times as many as the Ténéré 700.
Common questions
It depends on the need, which is why this guide picks seven. Measured by what Britain buys, BMW's R 1300 GS family is the clear leader, with 3,204 new registrations in 2025. Among the middleweights, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 led with 672.
Of the bikes in this guide, the CFMoto 450MT, whose seat adjusts down to 800mm as standard. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 reaches 805mm with its official low seat.
On the road, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 at £5,799. The CFMoto 450MT has a lower list price of £5,699, but CFMoto adds on-the-road charges, and its own on-the-road figure is £5,898.
The Honda NX500 for road riding, because it makes the full 35kW. For more off-road ability on an A2 licence, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and the CFMoto 450MT both carry a 21-inch front wheel and 200mm of travel at each end.
The Yamaha Ténéré 700, for its 210mm of front travel and 240mm of ground clearance. The Honda XL750 Transalp is the alternative with a lower 850mm seat and a lower price of £9,899 on the road.
On DVSA MOT records, the first-generation Ténéré 700 passed 91.5% of its MOT tests first time across 2,982 tests, and the Honda Africa Twin passed 94.9% across 3,366. Most of the other bikes here are too new to have an MOT record of their own.
The Honda CRF300L Rally, at 153kg. The CFMoto 450MT is next at 185kg, then the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 at 196kg.
What to do next
Work out what kind of terrain the bike will see, then sit on it before buying, with the boots you ride in, and try the seat at its lowest setting if it has one. The seat height figures above differ by 85mm across this guide, and the right one is the one that suits your legs. Then wheel it backwards and forwards off its side stand to feel the weight at walking pace, which matters more on a 294kg bike than a 153kg one.
Our crash protection collection has kit for six of these seven bikes.
Check the price basis too, because on-the-road charges are included in some of these prices and not others, and ask the dealer which warranty extensions apply and what servicing they require.