Trying to figure out what type of bike is best for you but unsure where to start? In this comparison of enduro vs dual sport vs adventure bike, you’ll learn:
- The practical differences between each type of motorcycle
- Why you shouldn’t choose a certain kind of bike
- How to choose the best one based on your specific needs
What is a dirt bike?
It’s a motorcycle that’s primarily made for riding off-road, although there are many different kinds of dirt bikes. The best one really depends on what your specific needs are, so we’ll look at the pros and cons to figure out which is best for you so that you don’t waste time and money starting on the wrong bike.
What is an enduro motorcycle?
An enduro motorcycle is basically a dirt bike that is made for off-road trail riding or cross-country racing. It was commonly referred to as a street legal dirt bike back in the 70s and 80s, but an “Enduro Bike” is now a high-performance trail bike.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Great power-to-weight ratio
- Best for off-road and trail riding if you’re an experienced rider
- Easy to ride and handle at low speeds
- Best for technical trail riding
Cons:
- Not street legal (from the factory)
- Uncomfortable on the highway
- Unstable at high speeds
What is a dual sport motorcycle?
A dual sport motorcycle is a street legal dirt bike that’s made for riding on the street and in the dirt. They come with all of the road legal equipment and accessories from the factory, making them “dual-purpose” motorcycles.
Pros:
- Street legal
- Good “do it all” bike for on-road & off-road
- Lightweight for a street bike
- Can handle luggage with some upgrades
Cons:
- Not great at any ‘one type’ of riding
- Heavy for trail riding off-road
- Not as comfortable for highway cruising
What is an adventure bike?
An adventure motorcycle is a larger street bike that is still capable of doing off-road riding. Great for putting on a lot of highway miles on road trips.
Pros:
- Very stable at highway speeds
- Most comfortable for long-distance rides
- Can handle the most luggage
- Plenty of power (most adventure bikes)
- Great for handling twisty roads on the asphalt/pavement
Cons:
- Terrible for trail riding & low-speed off-road riding
- Generally the most expensive
What is a supermoto bike?
A supermoto, also called a supermotard, is simply a dirt bike purposefully built for riding on the road. It’s similar to a dual-sport bike, but it has full street wheels and tires, and may or may not be street legal.
Pros:
- Lightweight – great for twisties or city riding
- Can be street legal if registered & plated
- Amazing power-to-weight ratio
- Great traction and handling on the road/pavement
Cons:
- Not good for off-road due to street tires
- Uncomfortable for highway or long rides
Adv vs dual sport
While adventure bikes and dual sport bikes are both street legal and can be used for long-distance riding, there are some general differences. The biggest thing is size and weight.
An adventure motorcycle is generally bigger, heavier, and more geared for putting road miles on with comfort. A dual sport motorcycle is lighter (sometimes hundreds of pounds lighter), and is more geared for back-country riding with better low-speed handling.
Which is best for you?
Just want a comfortable street bike that can handle an occasional gravel road or easy trail? If you prefer comfort and more power for cruising on the highway, an adventure bike is the better choice for you.
Planning on doing just as much or more off-road riding vs street riding? A dual sport bike is much easier to ride off-road due to less weight, quicker steering, shorter gearing, better suspension, and tires that have bigger knobs for getting traction in the dirt.
Dirt Bike vs adventure bike
When considering a dirt bike vs adventure bike, we’ll choose a typical trail bike vs an ADV motorcycle. A trail bike is strictly made for off-road riding, while an adventure bike is more of a street bike that can handle some mild dirt or gravel roads.
A common mistake of ADV riders
Whether you’ve ridden on the street or not, a common mistake that people make is jumping to a big and heavy adventure bike for your first off-road motorcycle. While it may be easy to handle on the road if you’re used to a big cruiser, it’s going to be a steep learning curve on the dirt.
Not only will the extra weight compared to a dirt bike be exhausting, but the taller seat height may be a big challenge – especially if you’re short in height like me.
Which is best for you?
Are you a complete beginner when it comes to riding any kind of motorcycle? A beginner dirt bike is going to be the best choice for a number of reasons.
A dirt bike is much lighter and easier to handle than an adventure bike, so you can focus on learning the basic techniques that will build your confidence much more quicker. When you’re ready to upgrade, an ADV bike will be much easier to control than if you had just started riding.
The adventure bike is the better choice once you have good balance skills off-road, but you plan to put more highway miles on for long-distance rides and trips.
Dual sport vs supermoto
A dual sport is pretty similar to a supermoto bike, but the main differences are that a dual sport has off-road wheels and tires that are much more comfortable riding in the dirt. A supermoto might be street legal, depending on the model and whether or not it’s converted to be road legal.
Which is best for you?
What kind of riding will you be doing? If it’s just city and town riding or road racing on the pavement, a supermoto is the best bike for you – it can handle a little bit of dirt riding, but only if you have good control since traction will be very limited.
A dual sport bike is best if you want to do a good combination of dirt and road riding. They’re street legal and are great for dual sport trips – lots of miles in the backcountry, fire roads, and easier trails.
What kind of off-road motorcycle is best for you?
Still can’t figure out which type of bike is best for you? Let me put them into categories that are easy to choose.
Choose which describes you best:
- Complete beginner – Trail bike or lightweight dual sport
- Experienced off-road rider – Enduro bike
- New to riding off-road but want to be street legal – Dual sport bike
- City or hooligan riding on the road – Supermoto bike
- Long distance on and off-road with focus on dirt riding – Dual sport bike
- Long distance with the best comfort on highway – Adventure bike
How to be a confident off-road rider 5X faster
If you’re new to riding or just want to have more control so that you can enjoy riding without getting exhausted as quickly, I want to give you my FREE “Basic Techniques Guide” – it shows you how to efficiently use your body so that you will ride better and safer for many years to come.