Best Adventure Motorcycles for Beginners Tier List (Updated for 2025)

Choosing the best adventure bike for beginners has always been a bit of a challenge. In the past, ADV bikes have not been super beginner friendly. They’re tall, heavy, and have a lot of power. They are also super expensive. All of these factors make most adventure motorcycles a bad choice for a true off road motorcycle riding beginner. Check out Fanttik’s Holiday Sale! Use code DORKX9PRO to get 34% off the Fanttik X9 Pro portable tire inflator at https://amzn.to/4geo1hX Or use code DORKX9PRO2 to get 40% off the X9 Pro deluxe package at https://amzn.to/4glHQ6k (affiliate link) BUT manufacturers are starting to recognize this obvious hole in the market and have been delivering new smaller-displacement ADV motorcycles for beginners and experienced off road motorcycle riders alike. This list is my personal ranking of adventure bikes for new riders, in the order in which I'd recommend them to a new adventure bike rider. I've ranked these entry-level ADV bikes in terms of ease of riding and learning on, off road capability, and the ability to last a long time as your adventure bike riding skills grow. None of the ADV motorcycles on this list are bigger than 500cc. I think below that is the real sweet spot for a true beginner adventure rider. Beginner ADV Bike Tier List Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bj9xNXosEeQ3FiG2kHHTwjlZyAXmN8cMmYRPF1SjJAg/edit?usp=sharing 00:00 Introduction 01:16 How I Ranked These Beginner Adventure Bikes 01:47 Dual Sport vs ADV Bike 02:18 F Tier: Any Adventure Motorcycle Over 850cc 02:51 D Tier: Benelli TRK 502x 03:28 C Tier: Versys-X 300, Himalayan 411, Scrambler 400X 05:12 B Tier: 390 Adventure, Honda CB500X/NX500, KLR 650 08:00 Fanntik X9 Pro Tire Inflator Ad 09:41 A Tier: 390 Adventure R, CRF300L Rally, Himalayan 450 12:47 S Tier: CFMoto Ibex 450 14:31 Why no Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, or Suzuki? 14:52 Honorable Mentions: V-Strom 650, X-Cape 650, Tuareg 660, Suzuki DR650 15:38 Bikes That Don't Belong: Kove 450, Versys 650 16:12 Outro SUBSCRIBE for more adventures, how-tos, gear reviews, and moto shenanigans! http://bit.ly/dorkintheroad Want early access to videos and other perks? Become a channel member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKYAp8fkN8yCbxcNK375rA/join Dork in the Road stickers and other merch available at: https://motocampnerd.com/collections/dork-in-the-road-merch?ref=dork Teespring Store: https://teespring.com/stores/dork-in-the-road-2 Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/adorkintheroad TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dorkintheroad Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26709234 Want to support the channel when you buy your dual sport or ADV gear and mods? Please consider using these affiliate links: Rocky Mountain ATV/MC: https://bit.ly/3tYzpXq Flying Eyes: https://flyingeyesoptics.superfiliate.com/DORKINTHEROAD (save 10% with promo code "dorkintheroad") Mosko Moto: https://moskomoto.com/dorkintheroad Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aDkk4z Revzilla: https://imp.i104546.net/4eMdJZ MotoCamp Nerd: https://motocampnerd.com/?ref=dork Cyclops Adventure Lighting: https://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/?AffId=15 (save 15% with promo code "dorkintheroad) Save 20% on Gaia GPS Premium with this link: https://www.gaiagps.com/discounts/?fp_ref=dork Save 10% on https://butlermaps.com/ with promo code "dorkintheroad." Save 10% at https://www.quadlockcase.net/discount/dorkintheroad with promo code "dorkintheroad" Thank you for supporting the channel by clicking on the affiliate links in this description. FULL DISCLOSURE: MotoCamp Nerd pays me to create content for his YouTube channel. This isn't a "sponsorship" per se, but it does mean I use their products exclusively and may impact my opinions about camping gear. Fortunately their stuff is good so I'm happy to recommend it, but just FYI. Disclaimer for reasons: I am not a professional journalist, expert motorcycle rider, or a mechanic. These videos are for entertainment purposes and represent my personal opinions and experiences. I'm just a dude who isn't even good at riding or making videos, so be smart and don't risk life or limb trying to follow my example or advice.