The Six Best Small Adventure Motorcycles for Beginners

Are you a new to the world of adventure motorcycles and looking for an easy to ride, small adventure motorcycle that will be easy for a beginner to handle? This list of the six best small adventure motorcycles for beginners covers a wide range of options, from the Kawasaki Versys X-300 all the way up to the venerable Suzuki V-Strom 650. Small adventure motorcycles are still very capable and fun to ride while maintaining many of the amazing features that make their larger brothers so appealing. This list of the best small adventure bikes for beginners includes the BMW G 310 GS, KTM 390 Adventure, Honda CB500X, Kawasaki Versys X-300, The Royal Enfield Himalayan, and the Suzuki V-Strom 650. All of these fine machines are top contenders for best small ADV bike, and one of them is sure to be perfect for you!

Other videos mentioned in this video:

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:16 Kawasaki Versys X-300
02:20 BMW G 310 GS
03:02 KTM 390 Adventure
03:58 Honda CB500X
04:50 Royal Enfield Himalayan
05:39 Suzuki V-Strom 650
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[DorkintheRoad]

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[Toomanydays]

I’ve been riding 40 yrs. Bought a KTM 390 and have no regrets. It’s more fun than my R1200GS.

[markcollins]

Man, I'm 66 I recently traded in my 2017 crf250l for a new 2020 versys X300, love it perfect for me !

[leon]

Bought x300, and I have driven 5000km in the last 2 months. Loving the bike, upgrading it with loads of stuff.
High revving engine felt a bit strange at first, since this is the smallest cc bike I have ever owned. But does great here in Finland where maximum speed limit is 120km/h, and even the passes great if needed.

[GeezerWheels]

Great suggestions! I was a dirt bike rider (trailered to destinations), then decided to give the ADV world a try.. I bought a new 2018 Versys X300 and love it. Even do a lot of Jeep trails in the mountains of SW Colorado - plus its a great little commuter (home to town maxs out at 55 mph).. That said, I decided to upgrade to a more capable travel bike, but I live 5 miles from pavement. . After a lot of research, I bought a new Vstrom 650XT and love that also. After some careful consideration, I decided to keep both bikes. Each are excellent in their own class and I don't plan to sell either one. Still ride both regularly. Great vid!

[jetran]

Thank you and good video. Pleased that my motorcycle bought in August 2020 is the Kawasaki Versys X-300, the first bike on your list. I hadn't had a bike for 30 years. Though I still kept my license, I took a basic rider course, received a $200 voucher for accessories, and bought this bike after researching which one to eventually buy. I can't tell you how pleased I am with it. I have 1624 miles on it and have been riding Arizona state highways and county roads. I am only 5.4", so the seat height is perfect. I like the instrumentation and the good fuel capacity. Thanks, again, for the video.

[PrimoStracciatella]

Good video! Small bikes can be more fun than big, heavy ones.
If you can't make up your mind between the Versys 300 and the CB500X, I can only recommend the Honda. Okay, the CB weighs 45 pounds more, but these bikes are both not really heavy, a bit more weight may be good on the highway, and you won't be doing serious off-roading with any of these bikes anyways. The suspension travel is about the same, the Honda has only about 8 more horses, but the power delivery is very different. The CB has lots of torque in the low- and mid-range while you have to wring out the Versys, and the high revs may get on your nerves in the long run. The smaller engine even uses more gas than the 471cc Honda.
I'd say spend $1, 200 more and go for the Honda, or buy a one-year-old used one if you don't have the money.
Someone here mentioned Itchy Boots, she rode the Himalayan first, then got herself a CB500X... ;)

[perrybeyer]

First adventure bike for me was the CB500X. I am an experienced rider but appreciate a lighter motorcycle. Great bike that won't be outgrown too quickly for lack of power. Moved on last year to a V-Strom 650XT though. Much better at munching the miles comfortably and can carry luggage and a pillion more easily. After owning and riding the V-Strom for a year, I can see why it has the cult following of faithful "Strom Troopers". Probably the best all around motorcycle EVER made. It can do almost anything you'd want from a bike and that 645cc V-Twin engine has been around 20 years. Why fix what isn't broken? I love mine.

[luispiovani]

Incredible the difference in price we have in Argentina. Here a versys 300 costs 12800 dollars, the gs 310 is about the same. The cb500x cost 17000!. But the Himalayan cost 5000 dollars, so in my case in which 110 km/h is enough for travelling, and the roads are in bad condition, it was an easy choice. I am waiting for the delivery of my Himalayan.

[Dad_Woof]

I love my Versys X. I don’t need anything bigger, it is just perfect for me. Great fuel mileage too.

[Golobtin]

Thanks for the upload. It would be nice to always include reliability and service interval of the bikes in question. Cheers

[artgavel]

something that is important to mention, the Himalayan is air cooled (less things to go wrong) unlike any of the other bikes and also I believe has a lot less electronics which can be a good thing. the more fancy gimmicky things you have, the more things to go wrong. check out the build on itchy boots latest tenere and you'll see how it was actually rebuilt for basic reliability. great info though! love it as you are quick and to the point

[bloodybonescomic]

Back when I was a youngster in California in the 1970's we rode bikes in the 350 - 500cc range. We rode all over the state and many miles of dirt. I rode a Yamaha 2 cycle RD350 on many miles od dirt road. In short, we were adventure riders long before that was even a thing.
Well, not to pontificate, but we were right about small displacement bikes. I own nothing over 650ccs today.

[mkeddy]

Went from the XT 250 to the CRF 250L to the G310 gs, for riding around new york with all the school zone speeding cameras its the perfect bike

[christopherwatts]

Always had sports bikes. Had a look at adv bikes. I settled on the cb500x & very happy with my choice really enjoy riding mine

[capomak]

My list was Kawasaki Versus 300x, The Himalayan, Honda CRF 250 Rally and the BMW G 310 gs. Two weeks ago I put a deposit on the BMW g310 gs, mainly because it has 3 years warranty and very little extra fees when purchasing new. And now come the kicker. BMW of Richfield in Minnesota is selling New 2019 g310 gs for $3995 ( check CycleTrader). $1800 discount from MSR price.

[PracticalTacticalSheepDog]

The Versys X300 is geared pretty good, pulls along at 80mph on the freeway with some passing power left on tap just as well as it chugs up the side of a hill. It's not the fastest bike in the world obviously but dollar for dollar I'd say it's probably the best entry-level adventure bike. I had the opportunity to ride one for a couple hours, I'm 6'4 270 lb and it had no problem pulling me down the interstate at 80 mph next to my buddy riding my DR650.

[kkhalifah]

The best choice for me who's new to ADV bikes is.... the Tiger 850. Light, low seat height, very comfy 2-up, all of which inspire confidence. The best part is the triple engine that has stacks of grunt for touring and quick overtaking on the highway with a passenger and a full load of luggage.

Used to tour with the wife on a 400cc single before. She complained her butt would go numb after 100km due to the vibration and I had to dump gears and bounce the tacho off the limiter to overtake.

[stevetordoff]

Great video and list ... love the 80's videogame graphics and audio... look forward to more videos

[ion]

My first bike is a CSC RX4 (adv bike). 5400 flat (no extra/hidden fees) + sales tax if applicable. 450cc, abs included ( switchable as an option) boxes included, engine guard ..dual front disc 300w stator 12v/USB plug included. Comes pre-wired with switched harnesses for extra stuff. usually cruise 80 on the highway. 300 mi range