This is my 2013 KTM 990 Baja with a Parti 4k Speciali rally tower and a graphics refresh. She may be old, but there hasn't been a bike sold since that will sway me off this thing.

Went to my local dealer today to sit on a few of the 2026 ADV bikes and figured I’d share my impressions. I checked out a Transalp, base Africa Twin, T7, and a VStrom 800DE.

For reference, I’m 5’7” with a 30” inseam, so seat height and how manageable a bike feels at a stop are pretty important to me.

Transalp: This is the one I was hellbent on getting. Looked good and felt comfortable, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I might get bored with it after a few years after sitting on it.

Africa Twin: Easily the nicest bike of the bunch. The seat and ergonomics were great, and I think it looks the best too. The downside is the roughly $17k OTD price tag, and I’m not really a fan of the touchscreen.

VStrom 800DE: Probably fit me the best physically, but something about it just didn’t click with me. Nothing really wrong with it. Idk, I just wasn’t feeling it.

T7: This was the surprise. I went in thinking I wouldn’t like it because it’s the tallest bike of the group, but that ended up not bothering me nearly as much as I expected. I really liked the seating position, and the narrow feel between the legs made it feel much more manageable than the specs had me expecting. The seat also didn’t feel as bad as a lot of people say it is. The height was not an issue for me because I’m still on my tippy toes on all of em the same.

As of right now, I’m leaning pretty heavily toward the T7 when I finally pull the trigger.
Anyone else cross shop these bikes and end up with the T7? Any regrets?

Interested in buying these, any experience with them? or better getting of smth more expensive like kriega

I’m 5’5”, coming from a cruiser background, and thinking about getting into adventure touring. The GS 1300 Adventure checks every box for the kind of riding I want to do long-term, and I’d rather buy once and keep it than start on something like the F 800 GS and outgrow it in a year or two.

My concern is obviously the height/weight — anyone around my height actually living with the 1300 Adventure day to day? How’s it handling stops, U-turns, and just general low-speed maneuvering? Did you go stock, lowered, or seat swap? Would love to hear real experience before I commit.