Top 10 All-Time Lightest Adventure Bikes
These Adventure Bikes all weigh less than 400 pounds and are born travelers.
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.
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Glad to see the RX3 made the list. However, you should note that the bike’s weight stated in your article includes the weight of all the crash bars, sump guard, Top box, and panniers. Remove all those and she’s a svelte 335 lbs.
Gp450. Coming to the usa. Heard that two years ago. Meh.
And of course you completely missed the Suzuki DR650 again, at 366 lbs wet.
Hey RobG. No we didn’t miss it. As mentioned, it just doesn’t meet the requirements set forth to be included in this story. The DR650 is classified as a “Dual Sport” by Suzuki, not an “Adventure Bike.” There is a long list of other lightweight Enduro-Style dual sport bikes (WR250R, 690 Enduro, XR650L,G650X, etc.) that didn’t make the list for the same reason. It doesn’t mean these bikes can’t be made into great adventure bikes with a few mods though. But to keep this a manageable list and to compare apples to apples, we included only bikes that had an “Adventure Bike” design from the factory.
Well… Rob has a point – the old DR650RS and RSE (1990-1992) were both adventure bikes, styled after the 1988 Honda NX650.
Best regards, Ingvar
DR650 has an adventure version XF650
Very interesting and telling of how heavy ADV bikes are nowadays. Hopefully we will start seeing a trend in the opposite direction. The CCM GP and SMW superdual are definitely exciting new offers in the right direction!
Non-current bikes allowed (4 out of 10)? Foreign-only bikes allowed (5 out of 10)? BUT NO ENDURO DUAL-SPORT BIKES ALLOWED?? That’s like making a list of great NFL quarterbacks but not listing any who happen to be the father of another great quarterback (Archie Manning). WHERE DO YOU THINK ADVENTURE BIKES CAME FROM??? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SO MANY OF US ARE STILL USING AS ADVENTURE BIKES BECAUSE THEY HAVE REALISTIC SEAT HEIGHTS and good parts availability?
With ONLY 1 BIKE listed that is available ion the US as a current factory offering, WHY EVEN DO THIS LIST?
Don’t get me wrong, some of these bikes are great, but you said “to keep things apples to apples.” There’s only one apple on this list.
Hi Lordchang. While we may be based out of the US, we serve a worldwide audience. But it is discouraging that many of the lightest adventure bikes aren’t available here. The good news is that trend seems to be changing. We wouldn’t be surprised if some of the foreign bikes on this list become available here in the next few years. However, bikes like the NX250 and 640 Adventure are still readily available on the used market, so they are definitely worth considering if you are open to buying a used bike. As far as not including enduro dual sport bikes, if we had included those bikes, we’d probably end up with a list that doesn’t have a single adventure bike on it. Better if we save those bikes for another story. Stay tuned!
OK, I’m tuned for ^that^ story. Whenever you’re ready, please.
Not sure I follow the logic with your list? The 640 is a dirtbike with a fairing……and basically the same for the CCM? Not to say it’s not a great list but a bit scattered?
I’m sure the KTM people would add the 690. I’ll add the Husky 610/630 to the list and say…….the WR250R beats them all! 😉
Hi Paulo. Yes, the CCM and 640 ADV are both hard core off-road bikes at heart. But from the factory they receive a big tank, fairing, wind screen, subframes and racks designed for carrying luggage, low fender for better high-speed aerodynamics… characteristics that put them in the adventure bike category.
BMW G650 Xchallenge and Country. Lightweight and reliable…..
…and basically unobtanium. Very very few are in the US.
I’ll have a GP450, when you’re ready to sell’em.
Or, a KTM 690 with the new motor, if KTM ever wakes up to smell the coffee.
Wishing for a WR450R since 2008, still waiting
Do consider a Royal enfield Himalayan..
Not lightweight. 440 pounds.
Outstanding list!!! Maybe you should include more technical information about the bikes, but I’m surprised to see bikes that do not exist in US. Congrets
and now imagine there would be a 60hp KTM with the weight of a Honda NX250 just without fuel .. why ist the KTM 690 enduro not mentioned
ugh. just realized that the 690R is nothing but a dual sport 🙂
Why no mention of the drz 400s, aftermarket wind protection for about $100 and it’s better than most if not all of these bikes.
OK, I get it. Must be designated an adventure bike by manf ?? Riding those anywhere off road except on hard pack dirt is quite the adventure, walk it or look for a hospital at the finish.
You are right Bill, the DRZ’s a great “Dual Sport” that can be inexpensively converted into an “Adventure Bike” with aftermarket parts. But for this list we are only including bikes that had an “Adventure Bike” design from the factory.
not getting the point of this article except to fill space, showing bikes that are out dated, bad manufacturers, know turds by their respective companies…why not do a similar list that shows what people really want? A sub 400 pound bike that is or can be converted into a RTW worthy bike and bikes that you actually see out there. The only bike i have seen outside its home area is the KTM…the rest are just a risk.
Hi.
I was very surprised that you left three of the most popular light adventure bikes out of your list. No matter where you go in the world you will find people ridding these in similar numbers as the also popular Kawa 650 KLR but 100lb-150 lbs lighter.
A) Suzuki DRZ 400S
B) Suzuki DR 650
C) Yamaha TW 200
The KTM Enduro 690 specs at 309lbs. Seems like it should be on this list.
It would be good to see an update to this article for current models. Your comments on each model are good to read. I would bet that a similar article for current dual sports would be appreciated too.
what about the DR250 118kg and XT225 Serow, 108kg??
Not mention the bmw xchallenge or Xcountry which is 154kg with 54bhp.