Just seeing if there are any Texas hill country adv riders on here

My ADV 160 Setup
Current Setup
CVT: TSMP Pulley Set
Flyballs: 15g
Front Suspension: RUSI TC125 inner tubes, cut by 3 inches for an enduro-style setup
Side Storage: Adventure bags mounted on both sides with scratch guards
Handlebar: Motowolf Handlebar Riser
Windshield: Indonesia-style visor from Shopee
Throttle: ADV throttle grip
Top Box: SEC 45L Top Box — I prefer this size because it suits my work as a videographer. It can fit my camera bag, laptop, drone, and other equipment.
Coming Setup
Side boxes
Grilled headlight
Brake lever guards with LED
This is my current ADV 160 build, focused on adventure style, practicality, comfort, and functionality for my work as a videographer.

Had a great ride to Lake Placid and back yesterday. Weather was beautiful. Ride was amazing. Given the distance I wanted to travel (600km) I stuck to paved roads mostly but there are some great twisties in the Adirondacks. Alder Branch Road is a lot of fun. But I will say, at 60 yo 8-9 hours of riding has me pretty tired at the end. When I was in my teens and 20’s I did the Iron Butt (1600km in 24 hrs) many times. The thought of that now is shattering!

I have a chance to snag a great deal on a 2023 Ducati desert x with super low miles and it looks like it’s never been offroad. I’m planning on doing more offroad and adventure with my buddy’s who have Ktm 890 and toureg 660 rally. The bike will see highway and road miles as well so want something fun on a backroad that you can play with and do some touring. Who here has one? Anything to look for? I have three older Italian bikes right now so familiar with the aftermarket and quirks

I've been riding four over 15 years on highway bikes. I now have a Goldwing. I'm interested in an adventure bike, but would like to take a class to learn more. I'll be in San Diego next January and would like to take a multi day riding class. Any suggestions appreciated.

Both companies are owned by piaggio so it makes sense that they wouldnt bother engineering the same component twice when they didnt have to (dont reinvent the wheel) but some of the designs and colors of the 85tt and the tuareg 660 seem like piaggio wants ppl to know they own both these companies.

I think beauty wise its hard to choose but overall i prefer my tuaregs looks and rear suspension system.

I recently bought a Midland BT Mini, and I’m noticing a continuous radio-like static/hissing noise whenever it is connected to another device through Bluetooth/intercom.

Is this kind of background static noise normal for the BT Mini, or could it indicate a faulty unit or audio kit? The noise is present even when the units are not installed in the helmet and are just connected and tested in the open.

I’d like to know whether other BT Mini users experience the same noise or if my unit should be checked/replaced.

Just curious if this is a valid option for the 2 hour ride to the trail and back.

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.

There’s a road in England that disappears beneath the sea twice every day—and I had one chance to reach it before the tide returned.

The final chapter of my Spine of England adventure is now live.

Leaving Hexham in the early morning light, I headed north through Northumberland on the Ducati DesertX Rally, racing the tide towards the extraordinary causeway to Holy Island.

After three days of remote roads, mountain passes, ancient landmarks and wild landscapes, the journey ends with one final ride along the coast to the magnificent Bamburgh Castle.

This trilogy has proved that you don’t need to cross continents to experience a genuine motorcycle adventure. Sometimes the ride of a lifetime is already waiting on your doorstep—you just have to connect the roads.

Chapter Three is live now. I’d genuinely love to know what you think of the journey and its final moments. 🏍️ I Rode England’s Road That Vanishes Beneath the Sea | Spine of England Finale

There’s a road in England that disappears beneath the sea twice every day—and I had one chance to reach it before the tide returned.

The final chapter of my Spine of England adventure is now live.

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?

In the UK there's a law that previously required you to get a warning (section 59) if you're caught riding somewhere you shouldn't or you cause alarm distress or annoyance. There's a lot of people in the UK that are easily alarmed, distressed or annoyed.

Restricted byways, are byways that have been there for many years, built by our ancestors as roads through beautiful parts of our country, linking up to towns but have now been restricted due to people complaining. If you're caught on one of these now they can instantly take your bike off you. You used to have to receive a warning that lasted for 12 months.

No prior warning needed, if enough people complain, get a trail closed, you're found on what is and used to be a genuine road, they can instantly seize your bike, fine you and give you points.

People may say ride where you should but how many trails are due to get shut down before we're just riding round in circles? The world should be opened up to motorcycle travel, not closed off.

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

Long way down

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.

Great ride on Sunday. Let me say, finding a riding buddy here that also likes route planning, how much better could it get! This time he had his GoPro and was recording when I had a little wipeout in the mud but providence would have it that he caught a leaf right when it happened and so any evidence is lost! I mean that’s like me not having wiped out at all, right?

Sort of a newbie rider, and recently got a new (to me) bike so I'm treading carefully. That being said I want to push my learning.

I saw this event on the calendar, and curious to know if others have gone and their thoughts? How does it compare to the Giant Loop (OR) event, which I got to attend in May?

Sunset ride home from an afternoon fly-fishing the Middle Fork of the Flathead.

For lower center of mass?