MX vs. ADV! KTM 1190 Adventure R & 450SX-F vs. Honda Africa Twin & CRF450R | On Two Wheels 

I’ve been riding for 45 years, and that was not a silly thing to do. Not many of us own multiple bikes. Not many older riders are in good dirt-bike shape physically, revealed immediately on the track, and any experienced rider knows that 500 pounds isn’t graceful without exceptional “powers.” Most of us can never compare, and seeing both extreme ends of the spectrum may have turned out as expected, but not silly to see how that came about exactly. I started on motocross, so I have my most feverish recollections about the jump I nailed, or slide I pulled off, etc., back in 1976! So when I mount a bike today, those thoughts are right there...but the bike usually is certainly not. Even on a 300 lb drz400, one needs to be in pretty good shape to handle the demands of standing, flexing, knee-squeezing, etc. that’s required to hustle around in loose dirt or, god forbid, sand. So glad to see two guys, skilled, on the edge of middle age (ha-ha...sorry!) and trying to go to the track on 500 lb bikes with no recent experience. I am really glad you had trouble, and thank you for being so honest about it. Keep up the informative, entertaining, professional, and relevant videos.

You might call it a silly idea, but it really put a spotlight on the weight of the bike and how important it is to riding off-road, and especially for jumping.

Great comparison guys - I ride both a BMW GS and a Honda CRF, I mainly use the GS for touring and seldom purposely take it off-road. It's amazing how many people berate me because I don't take the GS off-road - why would I when I have a CRF in the garage!! Completely agree with your conclusion and a beautifully put together video - thanks for posting and regards from "across the pond" - P.S. Good luck with the new president, whomever he/she turns out to be!

The 1190 looked a bit worse for wear in some shots. Misaligned body panels, scuffs of course, and it looked like the front wheel had a weave in the opening sequence. How about a damage report follow-up? I think replacing broken bits is a big limiting factor for people taking their fancy ADV bikes into the bush, rather than terrain capability.

maybe an adv vs enduro would of made more sense than adv vs mx

probably one of the best on two wheels episodes yet. love ya'll bros.

Concerns, yeah... Who gives you the ideas? Bikes towing bikes! ADV vs Motocross on a dirt track. Whatever that person smokes, I want some!!

250kg vs 96kg It looks like Arnold Vs Bruce Lee Both are best in their sectors. But it was nice Idea.

This is great and really does address some burning questions. Would love to see the enduro version of this as well. I know most dual sport folks are always posing the same question about single track.

well 5s slower or even 10s slower than a dirt bike is a compromise i can deal with for something that doesn't have to be serviced every 5 hours and can take me from country to country with comfort. also off roading isn't about jumping and going fast it is about being able too cross obstacles to reach road

Came across this video by chance and I must say this is one the most entertainment and interesting "reviews" I found. Thanks for the fun!

the internet really needed this this video

ADV bikes are great for their intended purpose, paved roads, sketchy paved roads, gravel roads, dirt roads, sand roads, clay roads, some jeep track here and there, and the OCCASIONAL single track. Obviously the Africa Twin and the Katoom are some of the best on the market for this. Better than my lowly DL1000. :)

the fact that the ADV can still run the track speaks volumes. ADV bikes are great all purpose bikes, the rider skill and familiarity with the bike is the biggest factor.

Maybe an enduro side by side test, between middleweight ADV bikes like a Yamaha Tenere 700 and KTM 790R and a Yamaha WR 450 and KTM XCF 450, that will be a more fair test. Its always great to see a pair of good riders having fun in a diferent element, thank you.

you missed the scope of ADV bike , of course it's not suitable for MX racing track...but Enduro track...check out Chris Birch , man , what he can do with 1190 , something amazing

That was fun to watch! Awesome to see a 500lb bike jump.

Adventure bikes are not meant to race moto-cross. They are meant to adventure across lands with poor roads and carry your gear, and food.

One of the best motorcycle channels on RU-vid. As you are riders too, made motor journalism with things that riders like to know. Is not all about numbers, is about fell, practicallity, real world experience (as you bring to dirty, city, track, road, mix of all of it).

very well done episode. entertaining, well edited, not too much talking. you guys are killing it. I watch every show.

I wonder who would dislike this video...Motocycyclist Mag is doing a fantastic job with these videos and these guys have charisma..keep it up guys!

"No. Not savin' it." haha

Great episode! You both did really well on the ADV bikes around the track. I was really surprise on how much air you actually caught with a +500lbs bike.

Somehow I got it into my mind this evening to find out how a big clunky ADV bike would do on a dirt bike track. You guys provided all I wanted to know in one video, thank you for that! Good to know that in a pinch, you can actually enjoy it on the track even if just for the fun of trying.

so...being a hard core adv rider myself...and having never actually owned an adv bike... it's all about the rider, fellas. I used to hit single track, horse trails, ford rivers, fire roads, an other adv stuff on my old yzf600r (with protapers on it) very regularly. having ridden a few ktm adventures, they make the job pretty easy.

damn that was some of the coolest ideas for a video i have seen

ADV is good on dirt however it's still not a motorcross bike, not designed for racing it on closed tracks.

Totally thought the ADV bike would have wooped the Dirt Bike....... LOL

Thanks for making this video. The big bikes did a little better than I thought they would. I wanted an Africa Twin until I sat on one at a dealership. I thought "there is no way you could do serious off road-ing on this beast. Thanks again.

this show is amazing! Love it. I just went from a R1200GS to a CRF250 and back. Crazy weight difference.

I notice the big boys mentioned below, Birchie and Riemann, enduro riders extraordinaire. Kinda misses the point of your test, which I really enjoyed. You've done a fantastic job of demonstrating the versatility of these behemoths. Truly all road bikes. Cheers, a brave test!

I'd actually love to see the "street" adv bikes (Multistrada/S1000XR/Versys 1000 etc) vs sport bikes on a track. I've always been curious just what the difference in corners would be with the same decent rider. Are sport bikes really any faster in corners?

This showed perfectly that while the big ADV aren't race worthy, they can handle going around the motocross track, albeit a lot slower than an all out motocross bike. Seem like they did their job well. I would have loved to see a KTM 950 ADV in their though. I think that would have beaten both the AT and the 1190.

Fantastic work guys, great camera work, funny and smart banter, all in all a very polished video. Keep making stuff please!

How do lighter ADV bikes -400lbs fit into the mix?

So far I've ridden a couple of ADV bikes from having no rider aides to having every rider aid and the one thing I noticed between them all put a really good set of off road tires on it and it'll go wherever your skill can take you.

Great video. Some excellent perspectives. I have a KTM 300 2 stroke, a GSA, an S1000 XR, and a 1975 R90S. Love them all. Most miles on the GSA - South America, Spain, Portugal. IOM, Morocco, Yukon and all through Europe. Great fun.

I think your conclusion has it completely backwards: no sane person would expect ADV bikes to compete with 450s on a motorcross track. What you showed instead is that the bikes were capable of running on the track and even surviving multiple crashes. From personal experience, I took my 1190 R on tricky trails in Moab, then rode back to California at times hitting 115mph. That versatility is what sells these bikes!

Another awesome idea & video folks! Really enjoy watching ur videos:) funky & professional at the same time

I've watched Dave Thorpe and Steven Sword take africa twins up a sheer rock climb that the majority of guys on motocross bikes couldn't get up on the isle of man! I definitely think this needs revisiting!

I ride my DRZ 400S on a motocross track with my son who has a motocross bike and we have fun. I test my skills and learn a lot on the track that I find useful on trails.

Seeing that 1100 fly through the air was like watching cows fly

I just found you guys, binge watching for the weekend

you guys are rad. period. this looked like it was so much fun...you crushed it.

This is exactly why I own a DRZ400S and an Africa Twin. Two bikes with two very different purposes.

You have both solved an eternal question about how good these big bore 'dual-sport' motorcycles perform compared with a enduro/cross motorcycles and how difficult is to handle them in off-road conditions, congrats guys!

They think the wildfire gon burn the fucking sand lol.

Well guys I tell you my story. 1974 I bought my first big bike a brand new BMW R90 S , started my biking with a Husqvarna 175ccSilver Arrow 1970 After first summer on R90 and autumn coming I decided to take tha beemer out into the mushy enduro trails in the forests and spoked up the front wheel to 21inch and proper cross tyres. Then I hit the enduro trails with my racing mates on their full bread enduro bikes everybody scorning me and saying Iwould "smash my cylinders off" However the forest where really happy with my beemer by impressing everyone (even me) with super traction and handling most challenges super nice. Didn't go for the swampy paths though.

great job guys you showed an adventure bike can do tough stuff. you just have to slow down . air on the beasts is dodgy but they can get you to the good track then the highway then the camp ground. awesome. just don't drop one on your leg

Way to go Zack! Woulda thought the pro on ADV would've taken you on MX. Makes me wanna get back in the dirt lol. 👍🏼

I haven't been off-road with my 1190r yet, but I use speed bumps to lift both wheels and from my experience the suspension settings changes a lot. If you adjust your suspension, make sure to adjust front and back in a similar way. ( so changing all front settings to sport , and your back to normal , may cause you to miscalculate your jump or lift completely :) ) If I win the lottery I'll go and try off-road with mine, but for now I'm just having some fun on pavement with much less risk of falling :) If you check the video's from Chris Birch with the 1190r , he makes it seem like a dirt-bike , so it IS the driver who makes the difference on these heavy bikes :) Great video , great bikes , I enjoyed this episode a lot !

What about the enduro class....what can they do offroad....more importantly......which ones do "ok" on the highway?

I've always wanted to know what ADVs are like in a dirtbike environment thanks guys i will watch more of your work.

👍 would love to see how supermoto bikes with dirt tires vs MX bike turns out. Like husqvarna 701 or KTM 690 vs MX

Nice video, very funny. I have a '13 BMW F800 GS Adventure. I use it for touring, traveling, daily commute...AND...for offroad. That thing led me without any issues through trails, exploring mountain roads, fire roads, and so on. I'm very happy. Ciao from Italy!

Great job guys! But what I want to know is who was better to handle and more fun in the track? Africa twin or 1190R. ?? Thanks!!

I am now taking my BMW F650GS Dakar to the single track. Thank you. But "ADV" bike can dish it out pretty good. Yes, they are heavy. But that wont stop you as much as you think. I've been able to hit some pretty hard trails and off roading with mine. Even some small jumps. Don't underestimate them. They're worth it. One bike will do it all.

KTM front wheel wobble at 1:02

How about taking the big adventures off road like a enduro such as riding uphills, rocky sections, river crossing, single tracks in the woods, sand, mud, log jumping etc.

You guys are like the old top gear of motorbikes.

Obviously the MX bike is going to kill the ADV bikes on a dirt track the same way a superbike/supersport would kill ADV on a race track. It is an extreme end to a spectrum. A fun video to watch I'll admit, but the results are not surprising. I love ADV bikes for what they are, jack of all trades, master of none. Great video guys and as always, look forward to your next one.

I took my T7 onto a MX track last year, it was hilariously bad but also so much fun.

Monstruos! Great video, sick machines, and the comparison, never tried before, good job. Is time to make a deep comparison with all 2016 ADV bikes

Alright, I think you guys should do a road trip. ADV bikes on the Hatfield Mccoy trails. Its not like motocross but no roads either. You can show how to prep the bikes for a weekend of camping.

Another awesome vid! Could you guys do like a "Beginners Guide to ADV, Dirt, and Dualsports"? Basically what you'd need (recommended bike/gear), preparation, basic skills, and general tips.

Love that thumbnail btw, great video thanks for the hard work!

awesome episode, the only way to improve it would have been to get an actual current mx pro riding an adv bike and comparing it to the dirt bike.

Zack's KTM front wheel is not true if you watch closely during the intro...

There are different classes of ADV bikes. Like they mentioned these two are full size heavy top of the line ADV bikes. But you can also get everything between a enduro bike and these SUVs. I have a Husqvarna TR650 Terra. It's around middle to light weight with something around 390 pounds. So if you don't want to spend a fortune on a heavy not so offroad capable ADV bike, there's more.... KLR 650 and such.

How often do you guys come out with new episodes? Big fan.

This was a great idea!! I would love to see an ADV bike comparison on the MX track, that would be awesome!

Great job guys. I've been waiting for this vid for a while

0.35, the KTM's front wheel is out of wack

For the average rider these bigger adventure bikes are not that easy to ride off-road. The key thing I noticed was the difficulty in turning the KTM on the track. I have taken my F800GS around a MX track a couple of times (just for fun) and it is really hard to pick a line. You know where you want to go, but sometimes you feel like you are just a passenger on the bike, with no ability to really pick your line. Due to this, and the weight of these bikes they are pretty much rubbish on single track and MX tracks. They are great on dirt roads where you have a bit more room to move around and the line is no so important. Thanks for the video. +1 sub 4 U.

First jump on my G650GS felt like the bike would break in half. The sound it made alone was scary enough. But that didn't stop me and the bike. It goes rough but it goes.

Well you can get these big adventure bikes anywhere, just alot slower, but besides there off road capabilities, theyre much nicer to ride , cushy suspension, high stance, lots of luggage carrying, with out being as wide as a car(minus the vstrom and 1200RS), and very comfy riding with wide bars and up right seating for two. while still being attractive. They shouldnt be compared to SUV's, even the less capable off road adventure bikes, bike are truly only limited the rider, with in reason. I would rather work a little harder off road, to have ONE bike thats capable of taking me anywhere, than working less hard having a bike to fit one specific need. Unless youre a hardcore off-roader! But as a triumph tiger 955 owner, I absolutely fell in love with adventure bikes! and Im so happy to see the Africa twin get such good reviews, i hope it gets the sales that it deserves not that Honda finally gave us a africa twin, it only took 26+ years. Thanks motorcyclist magazine for the great comparison!! Maybe there could have been a mixed comparison race and the Honda's face off too...

Awesome vid guys, keep up the great work!

You guys are the next "Grand Tour" but the bike variant... awesome shows guys, keep it up!!

Fun video indeed and very worthwhile!! Yes there was something to learn for everyone. For me the fact that you can even ride a big ADV on a MX track and complete it in a reasonable time is saying something about their capability, try that on a sporty street bike. I was hoping that the Africa Twin would've been the preferred bike since it is a smaller cc and weight- (I'm just biased because I want the DCT bike.) Now let's see how well those MotoCross bikes do traveling hundreds of miles across the country on the highway ?? well maybe not... Thanks guys!!!

You guys should start making longer episodes.

Seeing that KTM ripping it through a motocross tracks, even though it's an elephant compared to a crosser, it looked quite composed. If it can go though a course like that, I can see it going through rough terrain ... and an adventure bike is like it says on the tin, it's for going on adventures in almost any terrain, and I can totally see those 2 bikes deliver on that.

Perhaps you should consider a multi episode series where you guys ride to Alaska. Paved roadways would eventually give turn to dirt in some sections...what a great way to showcase some manufacturers bikes and have a great trip. Hopefully sponsored by by a manufacturer...just a thought

So it comes to "It's the rider-bike combination" not only the rider.

We have two husky's, a Te610 and a Te630, perfect do all bikes, more than enough power off and on road. SWM are the new breed of that amazing italian engine. More fun than DR/KLR breeds. Go buy one!

This was a great video! I loved the introduction part!

By far most informative and entertaining motorcycle channel I know of keep up the good work

i got a 701 supermoto and an f800gs and i use them both for the same stuff except for the really long touring i obviously take the GS. blasting around, exploring, offroading. they can do it all

Super awesome video! pleasure to watch. background music is well fit the vid, nice camera recording angles - looks exciting!) , great video edit, and also guys are so funny))

Zack & Ari getting it done brilliantly as usual, don't know if there's any conflicting online commerce between the channels but it's a pity you blokes didn't hook up with the Adventure Oz guys up in Qld while you were down-under because they could have taken you'd out on some great Adventure Riding trails inland from the Gold Coast & Brisbane .. that would have been a win win for everybody.

Hit the sweet spot! An adventure, off road biased, bike 700/800cc weighing under 170-180kg. Can't wait for the Yamaha T700 adventure.

Excellent ! What about a confrontation between 450 supermoto in a small supermoto track, and big powerfull bikes like S1000XR or Multistrada ?

I've ridden a road bike around a motorcross track. I was chasing a guy on a GSX-r 750. You can ride anything on a motorcross track if you know how to ride.

That was totally sick!...one of the best comparisons you've put out yet!....also, it makes ya think that the ADV bike thing is all smoke and mirrors when you go over 650cc....damn, I was saving up for am Africa Twin....

i love this show, On Two Wheels is me and my sons favorite!!!, Ari and Zach are hilarious!

Even till now, ktm 1190 adv r is still the works!

Great review. Wish I could have seen the pro on the Honda African Twin though. Keep up the good work guys!

I want to see the BMW GS on the moto track haha. Not that I think it'll do any better or worse, it's just BMW GS owners (here in Santa Barbara) I'm sure neeeeeever see the dirt.

If you wan't a good example of what adv bikes are for, just watch RoyalJordanian's Southern Africa tour videos.

Anyone else notice the ktm's front wheel is out of true in the intro?

Keep up the great stuff! You guys are very entertaining. I look forward to seeing what you do next.