Adventure bike round up from Motorcycle Live, NEC 2019.

[@minuteman4394]

Thanks for posting Nathan for those of us who cannot get there. I have to say although there is some nice stuff on show I am still in love with my Himi for its simplicity and price and will be sticking with it for the forseeable future.

[@stranobikes]

Glad to see you're multi-tasking, Nathan. Narrating on a video and doing the weekly wash :)

[@monman8183]

Test road the T7 a few weeks back. Surprised how good it felt and more powerful than I expected. Will see how they perform after a year or so. Get a test ride Nathan.

[@MarkOneMoto]

Really enjoyed that Nathan...I’ve watched loads of videos of the show and that was up there with the best. It helps of course that you looked at loads of stuff I would have looked at too!..some lovely bikes but I agree with you, it’d be hard to look past the Himalayan or Tenere at their price points. With some of the smaller brands like Benelli, that make a lot of 125’s, I often wonder why no one seems to attempt a rival to the CRF250...I think there’d be a market for a budget enduro. Particularly as a second bike, something cheap and cheerful that you could use and abuse on weekend greenlaning maybe. The TZR brought back memories, I remember a good friend upgrading his AR50 to a TZR125...he was ‘the man’ at the time!...the Africa Twin..hmm, nice bike...but at that price, I’d rather buy two bikes...a Ténéré 700 and a Himalayan maybe...plain crazy when you think about it. Anyhow, thanks for sharing your experience, that was an enthralling watch, off to read some more of your book which Santa brought now!...cheers, Mark

[@leslieaustin151]

I think I enjoyed that more than I would actually being there! You gave me a look at about all the bikes I’d want to see, and some intelligent comment too. Thanks, it was like walking round with a mate. But I’m happy with my old XT225, so not swapping any time soon. Les

[@zola561]

Great bike and priced well nothing flash the Himalayan is value for money . Itchy boots has rode them everywhere with little trouble .

[@rocketrollsvlogs7625]

I loved how you covered the event. Love your general bike knowledge. Benelli features vs Honda dealer network, parts availability and reliability??? I view spoked wheels like back protectors and tires. If I want them I buy a spare set exactly to my liking. Commute day to day on the aluminum wheels, with a top case and put the spoked wheels with knobbies and soft bags for the excursions. Yamaha is killing the competition with the pricing on the T7.

[@mikek2218]

Nice overview. I just bought a 2020 Himalayan, based in part on your recommendation and reviews. I think it'll be a great bike for me in Skagway, Alaska. You'll have to let me know if you ever find your way back up here so we can go for a ride together. Many thanks as always, good sir.

[@caroldave4037]

You wont be disappointed...at my age I consider it the modern equivalent to Honda xl250s /r...brilliant simplicity...love it cheers from dave..

[@tonywilliamson1822]

I some what agree pricing is getting silly.

[@ThePalmatron]

Common sense review....thanks Nathan. Totally agree about pricing.....Like the look of the V Strom.....

[@motohobo]

👍 Thanks for this. Couldn't get to show but this gave a bit of a taste of what was on offer. I pretty much agree with everything you said. For me bikes are getting too technological with too many electronics and too expensive. More to go wrong. More that your average bloke can't put right with a spanner. And with prices way out of your average working blokes pocket. I understand moving forward with design and technology is important but it usually comes with a hefty price. Meh! A basic, simple,economical, all round practical 400-600cc is what Im interested in these days. With a low price tag! 😉 But each to his own and all that. Cheers.

[@nightster6378]

I think if I was going adventure biking and that takes balls to do I would choose your Himalayan but 1st preference would be the Benelli TRX (that bike looks like great value) though my concern would be parts availability, hence the Himalayan (Itchy Boots has proved its ability). I have sat on (not ridden) a few of the large adventure bikes and come to the conclusion they are too big, too heavy and the cost of that Honda - how is that justified?

[@WestSussexBiker]

As much as i like dual adventure bikes, they are just too tall for my little 30" inseam. Earlier this year with 15 grand burning a hole in my pocket. Each bike i tried i need a set of steps to get on them. ( none of the dealers offered this as an extra). In the end, i settled for a budget busting Himalayan costing £4600 with panniers OTR. Best choice i could have made. It does what it says on the tin and more. Cheers Nathan for helping me choose a great bike and saving me money.

[@michaelpullen8527]

Pricing this high! Probably the reason you’re not seeing younger riders coming through. Great video and sensible narrative.

[@CodgerBiker]

Great that Nathan. Feel like I’ve been now, you looked at everything I would have done. Thank you! 👍

[@funguseater40]

Best NEC vlog I've seen. I bought a T7 what a bike for the money 👍 The Honda AT's are silly money

[@antonyross9957]

just put a lextek on my himalayan,sounds the bollocks, and i recommend it .also just now wrestled for ages with a pair of mitas eo8s not yet tested, original rear tyre gave me 5,800mls front is still good for another 4kish. having a new head at next 6k service, the oil leak that they are already famous for ,see you out there ,watch the black ice...africa twin equals 4 himalayans, i am wishing.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Last bike show I went to was Earls court 1977...... Back when yuppies only had cars...

[@simongoddard8490]

Great video thanks. Glad to see a vlogger tackle price, all too many gloss over it. Tried a Triumph XE scrambler recently, great ride but just cannot see or justify the price. If only they would ditch all the electronics except switchable abs and traction control and stick it out at sub10k. Love my 18 CRF250L, if only Honda would stick the peppier CB300R motor in them and sell sub 5k........here’s hoping!

[@Jaffa1951]

Looks like a good show. Don't think I'll get a chance to go this year, though. Blimey, those AT's were expensive. I think if I was buying one today I'd be looking at old stock or S/H, and save myself thousands. Just seen a 2018 one with 1100 miles and full luggage and TomTom rider for £7995, and I'm sure there are a lot more out there for a similar price or cheaper.

[@nathanthepostman]

Yeah some great deals to be had on the second hand market. I do like the idea of cruise control and the tubeless rims of the Adventure Sports, but not to the extent of the prices they want for them.

[@P67R_Nick]

I agree with you on the Honda AT 1100. Honda have either forgotten or hadn't clocked what sold the Africa Twin 1000. The 1100 is far too expensive for its market. I like it, but not at £17k! My KTM 1290 SAS was £2k cheaper with extras.

[@iniakpmarc28]

Heavy 550lbs VStrom! £17000 for African Twin! Mad! Think I'll be looking at a Himalayan or KTM 390 next year.

[@mikeshakespeare7294]

I believe that the manufacturers price their bikes around PCP now, which can "hide" the true cost.

[@nathanthepostman]

I think you're right. The RRP makes PCP an even more tempting option no doubt.

[@erwinballings9155]

TOP vid, I agree, price Honda Africa Twin too high

[@ukjeeper]

Out of all those, T7 or PR7 for me. Have ridden the T7 on and off road, did like it a lot. Do consider it to be a logical step if i ever move on from the X. The AT is just way overpriced. More than 2x the price of an X and simply not 2x the bike. Thanks for the vid.

[@richfromlondon3254]

Great video - cheers Nathan!

[@jerzywoking1699]

£15 grand for the ugly CCM. Hells teeth! What on earth when the Himalayan is £11,000 less. Good to see spoked wheels are back in fashion on ADV bikes again.

[@nathanthepostman]

I guess one's a bespoke one off bike built in Britain and the other's churned out in their hundreds and thousands in a factory in India. Labour costs I guess is the biggest reason for the price difference. A Himalayan with a Spitfire engine would be interesting!

[@iangriffiths9930]

Hi Nathan, I’m so glad you have highlighted the crazy prices for motorcycles! It’s just gone mad. Motorcycle manufacturers are pricing themselves out of business in my opinion. I am a returning biker after a20 year gap due to work and family commitments and I just can’t bring myself to spend that type of money, also how are the next generation going to afford a bike? If I was a 18/19 year old now I’d rather spend that type of money on a car!

[@nathanthepostman]

I think the good thing is that there are plenty of decent good value bikes out there - Himalayan, CB500X, MT07, Vstrom 650... but the nature of the world means that they all get overlooked by what's new and shiny (and most expensive). The manufacturers obviously focus all their energy on marketing their flagship bikes (and most profitable bikes) and the motorcycling press (and the punters) understandably get excited by them as well. The bubble has to burst eventually though. Near on £20k for a decent but not incredible bike is bonkers.

[@strokenumber3]

When the sound disappears why not edit in voice over ? But one of the best from-the-show videos, very informative.

[@nathanthepostman]

Because to be quite honest I'm busy and I'm not sitting there for hours redoing audio on them.

[@strokenumber3]

@@nathanthepostman Oh, ok...

[@nathanthepostman]

@@strokenumber3 Yeah I just did the video for a bit of fun. We have a new baby and when I get chance to do some work it has to make me money. KZbin doesn't do that so anything I do for it is just a quick edit and upload. To be honest I'm never hunting for views and subscribers. If people like it they like it, if they don't they don't, but I can appreciate that if you can't hear what's being said then it's a bit of a waste of time tuning in. I'll see if I can get better audio on the next one. Cheers David.

[@Marv968]

Looks like Yam have started hiking up the price of the T7. Up to £9200 now and a 2% increase in Jan. Shame. REH is still a great bargain 👍

[@nathanthepostman]

Yes I noticed that after the show. Really disappointing that.

[@oyleyhands1332]

I do like the look of that CCM Spitfire Dakaresque ...but really 15K ish !!! take a 10k Spitfire,remove some bits...forks,tank,headlight cowl,seat,standard footpegs,rear subframe etc...you are down to maybe 8.5k..that leaves you 6.5k to add some Dakar style parts back on !!! now that's what I call PROFIT And it would for sure have cheaper forks,no Excel rims etc on the production model. That is a lorra lorra Wonga to look like a Gaston Rahier/Hubert Auriol Dakar bike.....I'll stick with my Tenere700...for now.

[@caroldave4037]

AGREE totally stupid pricing to much tech n tat....that is why Himalayan is bang on for the money dont think re would dare price rise...cheers nathan from dave

[@fenner-g6088]

Nathan, not sure where you are based but I'm in Peterborough, and own a "mildly modded" Tenere 700 which I'm happy to let you have a play on ? The lanes round here are crap but I ride Thetford Forest a bit so could meet up, I wouldn't mind a play on a Himalayan so happy to swap bikes for a few hours ? Can possibly do a week day if it would suit, leave me a contact email if you fancy it ?

[@fenner-g6088]

P.S if I did a video of my visit to the NEC today .... I'd have picked out the same "utilitarian" bikes as you lol, does that make us equally weird !!!

[@tocatchasnark1471]

Would love to have seen the guzzi

[@Chriswilliams-lx9mx]

The wise money for me would be,2nd hand cb500x and 10 grand on they adventure👍so mr Honda ya can keep ya new Africa twin and park it where the sun don’t shine😂😂

[@andrewevans2351]

Super Ten for 5k ,5k for The Trip,5k to pay for Townsends Hotels"me no camp!"

[@Chriswilliams-lx9mx]

ANDREW EVANS me no campo Townsend 🐜🐜🐜🐜🙈🙈he still hasn’t dried his tent yet,too many memories i reckon 🥵🥵🥵

[@peterihoy4908]

Who did you say supplied the modded Himalayan ?

[@jerzywoking1699]

Cooperb.

[@cptpug]

Hey Nathan , with regards to the Himalayans, are you sure they were tubeless rims, done 10k on mine in Indonesia, would be interested in going tubeless

[@nathanthepostman]

@@cptpug yes definitely tubeless kathy. I dont think they're cheap. Go to cooperbs Facebook page for more info

[@shrinkpolymersystemsuk]

The Norton Atlas and Nomad are UK built bikes with a UK built engine hand assembled at Donnington Hall. They have some non UK parts like the Commando but that's Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension. You should do a bit more research before suggesting they are made in China. You should be celebrating the fact this brand is Alive

[@nathanthepostman]

I've no doubt it is assembled in the UK but from my understanding the engine is made by Zongshen and realistically, a new from the ground up UK designed and built bike just isn't possible for £10K. CCM managed it with the Spitfire as they bought an off the peg engine ready to slot into it.

[@shrinkpolymersystemsuk]

This is a post from Access Norton site (from Simon Skinner) about the Atlas Engine:- Just to clarify (and I have no idea where these things start!) but we have never even spoken to anyone in Korea or KYMCO! The engine was designed in its entirety by my team here at Norton. The engine is licensed to Zongshen and parts for the motor are from a global supply chain, which is nature of the beast in 2018 when you are chasing quality. Engines are assembled here at Norton, just like EVERY engine we have ever made, 961, V4 and 650. Its a super engine and was conceived at the same time as the V4 but the engineering started in earnest a little later.

[@nathanthepostman]

@@shrinkpolymersystemsuk If that's Norton's official statement then I obviously I have to retract my sentiment that the bike in its entirety had Chinese connection. Perhaps the best thing Norton can do once production is up and running is to open the doors to MCN or such like and show production taking place to quash any rumours once and for all. I do still hold slight reservation that the engine is going to be fully 'built' in two different locations; the UK and China. Surely it makes financial sense - and at the price point they're aiming for it certainly needs to as £10k for a fully UK built bike seems very cheap - for engine production to be centralised in Zongshen's Chinese facility where production costs would be drastically less than here in the UK; with new engine cases installed in the UK for the Norton product. For a company to build engines from scratch in the UK when they're already being built in far greater numbers in the Far East under licence makes no sense to me. But maybe it does to Norton. We'll wait and see I guess. CCM has done well with the Spitfire at that price point so hopefully there's room for the pair of them.

[@nathanthepostman]

I did just come across this link from MCN, Garner talking about two versions of the same engine; the one built in China being a lower output and potentially less efficient than the engine for the UK bikes. www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2017/august/norton-650-zongshen/?OracleResponsys&MCN_news&MCN-E-B-170809-NewsL-ENG-NEW&email_hash=df562cc22db91fcd38a279db3d709c57

[@shrinkpolymersystemsuk]

The vast majority that buy a new Norton are buying it based on being built in the UK, the company quote a figure of around 83% british content. So the intent is there to assemble this engine at Donnington. Whether that changes over time, who knows. Norton offer factory visits every Friday and that's a good chance to look around the whole plant and see all the parts being produced there which I did just after ordering my 961. It is very impressive.

[@khakimzhanmiras]

I'd rather the vstrom have tiger pricing and tiger offroad capabilities.

[@roadwarrior8560]

spoked rim 'adventure' bikes are like Chelsea tractors, for image only

[@nathanthepostman]

You're probably right for some people and you can't beat a tubeless cast wheel for an easy puncture repair. But I think the big argument for spoke over cast is that they're more robust and will deform without losing air if you are doing some off road riding. And they do look better (to me at least).

[@eilidhfg]

Another excellent video, thank you Nathan.