Adventure bikes can be the Swiss knife of motorcycles, combining the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for a bike for daily use, the occasional tour or to get off the tarmac and explore the unknown, there’s an ADV at every budget, and for every kind of rider. But you no longer have to shell out big bucks to start your two-wheeled adventure. In India, there are several adventure bikes with good capability to cater to every need, budget and purpose. Here’s a look at some of the best affordable adventure bikes available on sale.
Also Read: Best Motorcycle Reviews Of 2022
The Hero Xpulse 200 offers a great value for money entry-level adventure bike with very good off-road capability. It's the perfect bike to learn the tricks of off-road riding with.
The Hero Xpulse 200 is definitely the most affordable adventure bike on sale in India today. Despite its affordable price tag, the Xpulse 200 offers very good off-road capability and is perhaps the perfect tool to start off-road riding with. With a 21-inch wire spoke front wheel, 158 kg kerb weight and over 200 mm ground clearance, the Xpulse 200 can sail over almost every kind of off-road obstacle. Its lightweight, inexpensive, easy to fix and maintain, and has decent touring capability as well.
Also Read: Hero Xpulse 200 4V Review
The Honda CB200X is more of a commuter bike with ADV design. It's still a good bike, well-balanced chassis, good engine and great looking!
The Honda CB200X may be just a commuter bike dressed in adventure clothing, but it has a few aces up its sleeve. The biggest strength of the CB200X is the way it looks! It has solid presence and looks like a proper mid-size adventure bike, although at heart it’s a commuter bike with ergonomics suited for highway cruising as well. It handles well, is well-balanced and has solid road presence which belies its 180 cc engine capacity. As a versatile commuter and tourer, the Honda CB200X certainly offers a unique proposition.
Also Read: Honda CB200X Review
The Royal Enfield Himalayan Scram 411 combines very good off-road capability with everyday rideability and touring ability.
The Royal Enfield Scram 411 is based on the Himalayan, but with a smaller 19-inch front wheel, it offers a more accessible, affordable and compact model. The Scram 411 will appeal to newer riders who are looking for a versatile adventure bike but may find the Himalayan a tad too daunting with its tall-ish stance and large 21-inch front wheel. The RE Himalayan Scram 411 has very good all-round capability and has a universally appealing design with vibrant colour options; all plus points to offer an attractive adventure touring bike which can do a little bit of everything from commuting to touring.
The Suzuki V-Strom SX looks great, has an impressive engine and offers an all-round great bike for everyday riding and occasional touring.
The Suzuki V-Strom SX is the quarter-litre adventure tourer from Suzuki, and based on the Suzuki Gixxer 250 platform. It’s possibly one of the best-looking bikes in the segment, and has solid road presence, looking much bigger than its 250 cc heart may suggest. The engine is refined with only some faint vibes at higher revs, and overall, the V-Strom SX offers a commanding position of the road, and a comfortable perch to cover long distances. It may not have real off-road capability, but as a versatile commuter, tourer and a road-biased ADV, it is still a very good, well-rounded package for the newbie adventurer.
The Yezdi Adventure is an entry-level ADV which seems to have the RE Himalayan in its sights as its main rival.
The Yezdi Adventure is a somewhat newer entry-level adventure bike which seems to be tailor-made to take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. While it has impressive off-road ability, the Yezdi Adventure needed better grunt at low revs to tackle technical stuff and like the Himalayan, it’s still a heavy bike at 190 kg. Overall, it does the job well, and could be a good alternative to the Himalayan, for off-road work, touring and even everyday riding.
The RE Himalayan has a strong fan following and has established itself as a simple, no-nonsense ADV which offers solid and stable performance.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan has managed to carve out a solid fan following in the entry-level adventure touring segment. A torquey engine, go anywhere attitude with ground clearance of over 200 mm, and big wire-spoke wheels make the Himalayan a solid and stable package for any two-wheeled adventure. Yes, it could do with more performance, less weight, and better features. But as a simple, no-nonsense ADV, the Himalayan still offers a very good package at its price point.
Also Read: 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan Review
The KTM 250 Adventure has the same size and design as its more expensive and performance-oriented bigger sibling, the KTM 390 Adventure.
The KTM 250 Adventure offers a more accessible and affordable entry into the KTM Adventure family. It offers an unintimidating package, and still manages to be an enjoyable and entertaining entry-level adventure bike. The only downside is the price, and for anyone looking for something within the KTM family, the KTM 390 Duke with a bigger, more performance-oriented engine is within striking distance. And for anyone looking at the ADV space, there’s always the bigger KTM 390 Adventure which packs in as one of the best adventure bikes under Rs. 5 lakh.
Also Read: KTM 250 Adventure Review
The Benelli TRK 251 has its strengths, but its price tag is too high, and compared to its rivals the asking price doesn't justify its limited capability.
The Benelli TRK 251 is the entry-level adventure tourer from Benelli India. It offers a decent-looking package with proper ADV design and is more of a street bike dressed in adventure clothing. To that end, it is a comfortable bike to ride, but is built primarily for on-tarmac duties, without proper off-road capability and limited suspension travel. The TRK 251 is also priced on the higher side, even to be considered as a tarmac-oriented touring bike. But for a decent-looking package from a brand which has Italian origins, it’s still a decent offer. Considering it’s the most expensive in this list, the TRK 251 though has rivals which are better priced and has more capability.
