6. Honda NX4 Falcon 400

Wet Weight: 360 pounds (163 kg)
Years produced: 1998-2008, 2012-present

Another South American Honda that never made its way to the U.S. market, the NX4 is the XR 250 Tornado’s bigger cousin. Other than the halt in production, and a resultant switch to fuel injection to meet emissions standards, the bike has changed little during its long production run.

With a small windscreen, five-speed gearbox, 21/17 wheels and enough power to tour even two-up, the NX4 is a capable adventure that has proven to be extremely reliable and durable.

5. Honda XRE 300

Wet Weight: 341 pounds (155 kg)
Years produced: 2009-present

The XRE 300 is essentially an updated version of Honda’s XR250 Tornado, an Enduro-Style Dual Sport that can be found all over South America. The fuel-injected 300cc produces 26 horsepower, sports a modest attempt at a windscreen, a standard luggage rack and a five-speed transmission. It’s more street friendly than the dirt-oriented Tornado and has a large beak that shouts “adventure.” Like several of the other offerings on this list, it’s not available in the U.S.

4. Yamaha TDR 250

Wet Weight: 337 pounds (153 kg)
Years produced: 1988-1993

Once upon a time, Yamaha managed to build an adventure bike that put out 50 horsepower, weighed under 340 pounds fully fueled, had decent wind protection and was as comfortable ripping up dirt roads as it was shredding canyons. Their secret: a light-yet-potent two-stroke engine borrowed from the TZR 250 and retuned for adventure riding.

As implied by the bike’s “Ultimate Dual” nickname, the TDR 250 really can do it all. One downside: two strokes are not known for delivering great gas mileage, so range from the 3.7 gallon tank isn’t going to be great. And collectors love them, so good luck finding one.

3. Yamaha XT 250 Ténéré

Wet Weight: 333 pounds (151 kg)
Years produced: 2010-present

You’ve probably heard of Yamaha’s 1200cc Super Ténéré. You might have heard of it’s little brother, the XTZ 660 Ténéré, also on the porky side (and unavailable in the U.S.). But did you know that Yamaha makes a 250cc Ténéré? If you live in South America or Mexico, where the XT 250 Ténéré replaces the XT250 dual sport, you probably did.

The tiny Ténéré features a large windscreen, 4.2 gallon gas tank good for about 280 miles between fill ups, fuel injection, air cooling for simplicity and an optional luggage rack to secure your gear. The engine only makes 21 horsepower, and the transmission only has five gears, but there isn’t much weight to haul around so it can easily cruise at 65 mph.

2. CCM GP450 Adventure

Wet Weight: 311 pounds (141 kg)
Years produced: 2013-present

Look through this list and you’ll notice that there aren’t a lot modern, high performance lightweight adventure bikes for sale these days. British manufacturer CCM noticed that too, and introduced the GP450 Adventure to fill the gap.

The bike’s 450 single-cylinder engine is the same fuel-injected unit that powered BMW’s discontinued G450X. It’s built by Kymco in Taiwan, and in this bike it’s detuned to 40 horsepower, down from 52. Other features include electronically adjustable suspension, liquid cooling, innovative “bonded” technology to keep the frame light, real wind protection and 5.2 gallons of fuel capacity. It should go more than 200 miles between fill ups. It will have available options such as hard or soft luggage, extra lighting, center stand, and tall or low seat options. In other words, the CCM is the real deal. Word is it’s coming to the U.S. soon.

1. Honda NX250

Wet Weight: 293 pounds (133 kg)
Years produced: 1988-1993

Rounding out our Top 10 lightest adventure bikes list is a classic from the 80’s that was only available in the U.S. for a few years. The NX250, optimistically named the Dominator in some markets, was far ahead of its time. This flyweight adventure bike featured a water-cooled, DOHC engine that put out a respectable 26 horsepower, mated to a six-speed transmission to keep the revs down at highway speed. Its performance is comparable to a modern Kawasaki KLR 650, a bike that outweighs it by more than 100 pounds. Wind protection is modest, but the small wheels (19 inches in the front and 16 in the back) and low seat height make the NX250 a great choice for shorter riders.

Will a future list include more modern bikes? We certainly hope so. Honda’s next attempt at a 250cc Adventure Bike, the CRF250 Rally, is expected to go into production next year. Also on the horizon are the SWM SuperDual and AJP PR7, both of which are lightweight 600cc single-cylinder Adventure Bikes with an off-road focus.

Author: Bob Whitby

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.