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This Week's Lead
Big Rock Moto took the 2026 Ducati DesertX V2 off-road and lined it up directly against the KTM 890 Adventure R, Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro, BMW F900GS and Aprilia Tuareg. That's the actual buying decision most riders in this class are facing this year, not a spec-sheet argument. If you're cross-shopping in this bracket, this is the side-by-side that matters, which is why it leads this issue.
Source: Big Rock Moto (YouTube)
Industry & Bikes
RideADV's rundown singles out the BMW R1300GS's clean-sheet redesign and new electronic suspension as the standout update in the class for 2026. It's a useful checkpoint if you haven't followed what changed under the new platform versus the outgoing R1250GS.
Source: RideADV
30,000 km from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur is a real long-term test, not a press-launch impression. He checks the clutch plates specifically and reports on hidden wear most reviews never get far enough to find. Worth watching if you're considering the Caballero 500 for real distance, not weekend trail rides.
Source: Checkpoint Chaser (YouTube)
A running build log on the CFMOTO 800MTX with Ibex parts, tracked in short updates rather than one polished reveal. Handy if you're planning your own build and want to see the decision points as they happen instead of a finished product shot.
Source: Motorcycle Adventure Dirtbike TV (YouTube)
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Gear & Parts
After running 12 ADV tires through testing, the Dunlop Trailmax Mission came out on top for balanced 50/50 performance and tread life. If you split your riding evenly between pavement and dirt, this is the pick that's meant to stop you from choosing between the two extremes.
Source: Kiddofspeed
Touratech walks through the latest Zumo unit built specifically for motorcycle navigation. Worth a look if your current GPS is aging out and you're deciding whether to upgrade hardware or just switch to a phone-based app.
Source: Touratech USA (YouTube)
Eight years, 500 rides, and 2,000-plus hours is the kind of ownership window that actually tells you whether custom knee braces hold up. He compares that experience against the cheaper option he used before, which is the honest math most gear reviews skip.
Source: Cross Training Adventure (YouTube)
His last lithium battery on a Yamaha TW200 ran seven years without a single charge cycle needed. The NOCO didn't hold up the same way, and he lays out exactly where it fell short. Useful before you drop money on a lithium swap for your own bike.
Source: TDubsKid (YouTube)
Riding Skills
He tests the Eastbound recovery tool against picking up a fully loaded adventure bike the hard way. If you ride solo or ride heavier bikes than you can comfortably muscle upright, this is worth watching before your next drop, not after.
Source: The Wandering Honda (YouTube)
Vanessa breaks down what actually keeps a bike upright in loose Tasmanian sand, distilled from real trail time rather than a classroom drill. Short, but it's the kind of specific body-position and throttle detail that's easy to forget when the sand actually opens up under you.
Source: The Girl On A Bike (YouTube)
A walkthrough of how the DMD2 navigation app now handles creating, syncing and sharing tracks, which matters more than most riders realize until they're trying to reroute mid-trip with no signal. Useful if your current track-planning setup still involves too many manual steps.
Source: tshansen (YouTube)
Travel & Routes
The final stretch of the Gobi before reaching a proper town again, ridden straight through sandstorms that make navigation and visibility the real obstacle, not the terrain itself. A good reminder that desert crossings fail on weather timing as often as they do on distance.
Source: Itchy Boots (YouTube)
A routine tire search in Accra turns into a stranger story than expected once the bikes in question look like they shouldn't be for sale. It's the kind of on-the-ground detail that a route guide never prepares you for, and part of why overland riding through West Africa stays unpredictable.
Source: Una Moto (YouTube)
A close-to-home route from the Lake District up to Ben Nevis, covering the southwest leg most riders skip on the way to the Highlands proper. Good if you're mapping a UK trip and want the connecting roads mapped out, not just the postcard stretch.
Source: LNR Moto (YouTube)
From Our Garage
Keith and Andrea write about the specific friction points that show up when a new rider and an experienced one plan a route together, from pace mismatches to who calls the rest stops. It's less about the bikes and more about the conversations that keep a mixed-experience group from splitting up on the trail.
That DesertX V2 comparison is the kind of test we wish existed before we bought our last bike, four real rivals in the same dirt on the same day. Ride safe out there, and if you're testing knee braces or lithium batteries this month, let us know what you find. See you next week.
Ride on,
Keith & Andrea
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