Vetter Windjammer 5 and K&G Engineering luggage, I got it all for $50 and five hours of driving.
WHOA! $50?!?!?
I've seen this one before, but don't remember you ever sharing your purchase price!
I'd drive all day and all night for that kind of deal.
I don't "get" the ADV craze, they just look odd/ugly to me. The storage solutions look like they were afterthoughts, and not much weather protection.
It's a whole other world, off in the woods and in the dirt and climbing over rocks and roots. Took nearly half my riding career before I saw the need (improving my riding skills) and discovered the joys. (And it HAS made me a better rider, too.)
Man! Whoever knew you could have THIS MUCH FUN riding at just 15mph?!
Function over form, my boy. But if you wanna see FUGLY, just take a gander at the 2025 BMW GSA. But don't say I didn't warn ya. It looks awful, even among ADV bikes.
Adventure bike, kitted out street bike, call it what you will. Lots of bikes can get you there, but I appreciate the ADV compromises, not far removed from "sport-touring", y'know? Many bikes can do more than one thing, or wear more than one hat, so to speak. So far these have been my dual-purpose bikes -- BMW f650gs Dakar, KTM 950 Adventure S, and now the BMW GSA 1250. Each has been more than capable on the streets, have hauled luggage and camping gear, and all were far better in the dirt than I am.
Surprisingly, the big mule GSA has wayyyyy more wind and weather protection than one would think. That is why many road-only riders prefer them for more sport-touring duty. They will haul anything / everything, and the comfort combined with its superb road manners probably explains why it is the market leader. Like SUVs, the vast majority will never see anything rougher than a gravel road.
The GSA has very nearly (not quite completely, tho) convinced me I don't really need that GoldWing I always thought I'd have.
