Morning.
Our lead this week isn't a new bike at all — it's an 83-mile green-lane loop through Devon, stitched together from 45 separate trails, because sometimes the most useful thing in the pool is a ride someone's already mapped out for you.
KTM's 990 Adventure is back in spy photos, Andy Davidson just hit the six-year halfway point of his ride around the world, and Jeremy Kroeker is heading south through Africa again, admitting he feels just as unprepared as the first time. There's a short note from the garage at the end, and right below it, a welcome to the two hundred of you who joined this week, with a short video so you can put faces to the names.
— Andrea
Reading time: 5 minutes.
✦ THIS WEEK'S LEAD
Ride an incredible 83-mile trail ride through the South West of England ARTICLE
What it is — Adventure Bike Rider publishes Julian Challis's 83-mile green-lane route through East Devon, built almost entirely from trail linking trail.
The detail — The loop strings together 45 separate trails across the South West, including a ford crossing over the River Coly along the way.
Why it matters — If you're within range of Devon, this is a ready-made weekend loop with the trail-finding already done for you.
Source: Adventure Bike Rider
✦ INDUSTRY & BIKES
KTM 990 Adventure Spied In Near-Production Form ARTICLE
What it is — ADV Pulse spotted the next KTM 990 Adventure testing in near-production shape, reviving a nameplate KTM retired years ago.
The detail — The original 990 Adventure made 106 hp from its LC8 V-twin a little over 20 years back; the new mules show dual fuel tanks and a redesigned engine ahead of launch.
Why it matters — If you liked the size and twin-cylinder layout of the original 990, this is the one to watch before KTM's next press event.
Source: ADV Pulse Read it →
New Triumph Tiger 1200 Global Debut on 27 October 2026 ARTICLE
What it is — BikeWale reports Triumph will formally unveil an updated Tiger 1200 on October 27, 2026.
The detail — The update brings new suspension and engine refinements to Triumph's flagship adventure platform.
Why it matters — If you're shopping the big-bore ADV class, hold off on a current Tiger 1200 deal until the 27th tells you what's different.
Source: BikeWale Read it →
✦ GEAR & PARTS
Best Adventure Motorcycle Helmets 2026: Arai, Klim & Shoei Compared ARTICLE
What it is — Bikes & Bays runs six current ADV helmets head to head, judged on ECE 22.06 certification, weight and ventilation.
The detail — Prices across the test group span $250 to $890, with Arai, Klim and Shoei among the six tested.
Why it matters — If your current helmet predates ECE 22.06, this is a reasonable starting point for narrowing a short list before you spend real money.
Source: Bikes & Bays Read it →
Cut up to 1kg From Your Gravel Jacket With the Supershirt 2.0 ARTICLE
What it is — Adventure Spec explains a design trick built into its Gravel Jacket's Supershirt 2.0 liner that most owners never hear about.
The detail — The trick cuts the jacket's weight by 43%.
Why it matters — If pack weight matters on a multi-day trip, this is worth asking about next time you're liner shopping, from Adventure Spec or anyone else.
Source: Adventure Spec Read it →
Putting the Bridgestone AX41 to the Test on Cinnamon Pass | Ténéré 700 VIDEO
What it is — Adventure Tomek runs the Bridgestone Battlax AX41 tire up and over Colorado's Cinnamon Pass on a Yamaha Ténéré 700.
The detail — The test covers loose, technical, high-altitude terrain rather than a parking-lot first look.
Why it matters — If you're choosing a 50/50 tire for a high-altitude trip, this shows how the AX41 behaves on exactly that kind of terrain before you buy a set.
Source: Adventure Tomek (YouTube) Watch it →
CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS
Packed and Proven
One we use every week, one we are watching
VEVOR motorcycle lift · Simple, it works, and it goes together in the garage. The bike sits up on it for every job we do, and the dolly lets you roll the whole thing around the floor while it is up there. The most affordable tool in our garage and the one we would miss most. See it →
Carpuride waterproof nav screen · We have not put one on the bars yet, but we have been reading the reviews closely and they keep coming back strong. A waterproof touchscreen that runs your phone's maps through CarPlay or Android Auto. If you run one, hit reply and tell us what you think. See it →
Using our links supports our work, and you never pay more. As an Amazon Associate, WaarMoto earns from qualifying purchases.
✦ ONE BIG NUMBER
1.7%
The share of England and Wales' roughly 350,000 miles of public highway that is unsurfaced green road open to motorcycles: about 6,000 miles in total. That is the whole legal trail network the Devon loop in this week's lead is carved from, and the Trail Riders Fellowship says it has been shrinking for decades rather than growing. Forty five trails in one 83 mile ride starts to look like careful work, not luck.
✦ RIDING SKILLS
Exploring Off-Highway Routes, Backcountry Style ARTICLE
Motorcycle Mojo's feature on tackling Backcountry Discovery Routes spends less time selling the scenery and more time asking riders to honestly rate their own trail skill before committing to a multi-day route. It's a useful gut-check with the Colorado BDR as the backdrop, aimed at the rider who's more excited about a route than prepared for it.
Source: Motorcycle Mojo Read it →
No to elbows up VIDEO
Bret Tkacs pushes back on the "elbows up" cue that gets repeated in off-road coaching without much explanation. Short and specific, it's worth a watch if you've been told to ride that way without ever being told why — or when it actually works against you.
Source: Bret Tkacs ADV (YouTube) Watch it →
✦ TRAVEL & ROUTES
Halfway There: Motorcycle Travel Blog ARTICLE
Andy Davidson checks in at the six-year mark of his round-the-world ride, which also happens to be the halfway point of the loop. It's less a route guide than an honest progress report from someone still a long way from done, useful if you've ever wondered what the middle of a trip like this actually feels like.
Source: Mad or Nomad Read it →
India - Road to Nowhere ARTICLE
Upshift Online's dispatch from India follows a ride that doesn't resolve into a clean destination, which is sort of the point. It's a good reminder that some of the best riding days don't end with a photo-worthy overlook.
Source: Upshift Online Read it →
Riding Alaska's Midnight Sun on the Longest Day of the Year | Steese Highway to Circle VIDEO
Motorcycle Travel Channel times a ride up Alaska's Steese Highway to reach the town of Circle on the Yukon River right around the summer solstice. It's a solid alternative for riders who've already done the Dalton Highway and want a quieter road with its own payoff.
Source: Motorcycle Travel Channel (YouTube) Watch it →
Finding Elephants in the Jungle VIDEO
Una Moto rides deep into Central African Republic to reach Dzanga Bai, a forest clearing famous for its elephants, and spends a full day there. There's no route guide here, just proof of how far a motorcycle can get you off the usual overland track.
Source: Una Moto (YouTube) Watch it →
✦ PODCASTS
EP177: Stop Paying the Shop: ADV Maintenance You Can Do Yourself PODCAST
Moto Adventurer Unscripted's EP177 walks through ADV maintenance you can realistically do yourself without a full shop setup. If you've been putting off basic wrenching because you don't own a lift, this is the push to start with what you've got.
Source: Moto Adventurer Unscripted Listen to it →
Backroads of Africa: Feeling Unprepared PODCAST
Six years after their last big trip, Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West head south through Africa again on Adventure Rider Radio, and this time they're upfront about feeling unprepared and underfunded before they even cross the first border. It's an honest conversation about starting a big ride without having it all figured out.
Source: Adventure Rider Radio Listen to it →
✦ FROM OUR GARAGE
The Rider Behind Me
Andrea's piece this week. Two seasons of riding off road with a group, after years of mostly riding alone, taught her that a group pushes you further than you'll push yourself, even on the days it goes sideways. It's a short note about why the rider behind you sometimes matters more than the one in front.
Read Andrea's full post on WaarMoto.com — The Rider Behind Me.
Over two hundred of you joined us this week
Somewhere in the last seven days this list grew by more than two hundred riders. That is the biggest week the Dispatch has had, and before anything else, thank you. Whether you signed up yourself, forwarded an issue to a riding friend, or mentioned us in a group chat somewhere, you are the reason this keeps going, and we don't take it for granted. It also means a good share of the people reading this have never seen our faces or heard why two riders in Calgary started sending a field report every Thursday. So here is the short version, on camera, from the garage where this gets put together.
If you have been here since the early issues, consider it an excuse to see the two of us again. If you are new, welcome. Hit reply any time with a route, a repair, or a question. We read every one.
Tap the photo to meet the two of us
Prefer a plain link? Watch it here: youtu.be/T9p4JCjWc54
THE TIP JAR
If the Dispatch has earned a coffee, we'd be grateful.
Everything above is free, and it will stay that way. It also takes two evenings a week to put together and, with a list this size, a real bill to send. We don't need everyone to chip in. But if the Dispatch has saved you a scroll or pointed you at a ride you actually went on, and you'd like to help keep the garage lights on, a few dollars does it. If not, no worries at all. We'll be in your inbox next Thursday either way.
That's the stack this week. Devon is a long way from our garage, but that loop is a good reminder that the best rides are usually the ones someone else already scouted. We've got a few gravel weekends left here before the snow settles in, and we intend to use them.
Ride safe,
ONE FOR THE ROAD
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
— John A. Shedd
KNOW A RIDER WHO’D USE THIS?
Forward it to them — or hit reply with a route, a repair, or a correction. We read every one.
WORLD ADV DISPATCH · A FIELD REPORT FROM WAARMOTO.COM
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