2025 is looking like a great year for adventure bikes. If you missed the show, here's a rundown of all the most important all-terrain machines that were previewed at EICMA 2024.
If this year's EICMA is anything to go by, no single segment has a more exciting year ahead than adventure and dual sport riding.
Of course that would be true if the only major headline was a new Suzuki DRZ400 (which has been confirmed, FYI), but somehow that long-awaited announcement barely scratches the surface of what's in store for us in 2025.
To that end, we've rounded up the biggest news in the adventure world from this year's EICMA 2024 expo. Here's what we're looking forward to riding the most next year.
"Major upgrades to style, electronics, and suspension, and YES, we're getting it here in the US" photo: Yamaha
A serious update to Yamaha's popular Tenere 700 has been a long time coming, especially if you're shopping in the American market. Time will tell whether more modern farkles will dampen the Tenere's analog charm, but for better or worse, it's getting the full treatment for 2025.
The single biggest news here is that the Tenere is finally getting an industry-standard electronics package. Ride by wire is added for 2025, which has allowed Yamaha to upgrade the T7 with two selectable throttle maps, traction control, and three-way selectable ABS.
Curb appeal is also improved with new bodywork, a powerful new 4-LED headlight, and a handsome 6.3-inch full-color TFT dash.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that Yamaha has also tweaked the Tenere's suspension, which is now easier to adjust and includes a preload knob on the top of the fork.
"With 99% new parts according to KTM, this isn't some tweaked version of the existing 390." photo: EICMA
When we saw the first images of KTM's new 390 Adventure R from EICMA, we were a little concerned. KTM wasn't releasing any meaningful details on the bike, and we started to worry we were just looking at a mildly tweaked 390 Adventure with a bigger front wheel. We know now that's not the case.
In fact KTM is now claiming the upcoming 390 Adventure R is "99% new" compared to the current 390. They've also confirmed the most important specs in our opinion, which are as follows: 9.1 inches of suspension travel and 10.2 inches of ground clearance. This should address the lion's share of our complaints from our last 390 Adventure review.
Full details are still pending, but between the 390 Adventure R's rally-inspired styling, adjustable WP suspension, and large 5" TFT display, we're expecting a premium ADV that happens to be small, rather than a small bike that happens to be called an ADV.
We'll also note that KTM has confirmed they'll be applying this same platform to both a 390 Enduro R and 390 SMC R in the near future, further enriching the blossoming small displacement segment.
"The compact parallel twin F 450 GS is confirmed to enter production in 2025." photo: BMW
If all the buzz around CFMoto's latest 450MT has taught us anything, it's that there's a huge interest in small-displacement, full-sized adventure bikes.
We couldn't resist adding a few to the fleet ourselves, but now BMW has confirmed they'll be making an all-terrain parallel twin of their own, aka the BMW F 450 GS.
While the 450 GS is technically still a concept, BMW has confirmed they have every intention of putting the bike into full production next year.
Considering the concept's claimed specs of a 48-horsepower output and 386-pound weight (hopefully that's wet weight), BMW should have a serious competitor in the sub-500cc class.
It's worth noting, however, that the F 450 GS concept wears a 19" front wheel rather than a 21" front like the aforementioned CFMoto 450 or KTM's new 390 Adventure R.
This suggests that while BMW's upcoming 450 will likely be a good time in the dirt, they aren't leaning fully into its off-road prowess unlike the competition.
"The new 2025 Tuareg Rally has serious upgrades to match its factory racing looks." photo: Aprilia
The concept behind the 2025 Aprilia Tuareg Rally is simple: Aprilia went racing in Africa, won said race, and decided to share the wealth with the rest of us by building a more hardcore ADV. Enter the Aprilia Tuareg Rally you see here.
If you're into that factory racing look, the new Rally delivers the goods with it's bold paint, gold wheels, and high enduro fender, but the new bike is much more than just looks.
Protection-wise, the Rally comes standard with a sizable aluminum skid plate, metal reinforced handguards, and stronger Ergal rims backed by standard innertubes.
The 2025 Aprilia Tuareg Rally also gets some serious performance benefits over the base model, not the least of which being revised suspension with straight rate springs for better off-road manners.
Engine mapping for the Tuareg is also unique, designed to produce better and response by making the most of the upgraded SC-Project exhaust.
"The wait is over: we present the all-new 2025 DRZ4S" photo: Suzuki
An update to Suzuki's beloved DRZ400 has been both in demand and overdue for about a decade. Well, the Dizzer is finally getting a top-to-bottom redesign in 2025, and Suzuki appears to be checking all the right boxes with the new DRZ4S.
The engine is still 398cc with an identical bore and stroke to the previous version, but it is now fuel-injected, a bit higher revving, and down about 2 horsepower due to Euro5+ emissions standards.
It also gets ride-by-wire throttle, as well as three selectable ride modes, selectable ABS (yes, you can turn it off completely), and electronic traction control.
The frame is new, the fully adjustable KYB suspension is new, and, of course, styling has been updated. We're not sure we're in love with that tiny new headlight, but this is a DRZ we're talking about here: the aftermarket shall provide in due time.
Honda CRF300L/300 Rally
"The US market is finally getting a facelift, along with some minor tweaks to suspension and comfort." photo: RIDE Adv
If you've been following our tours in Thailand and Vietnam, you'll know the CRF300L looks a lot better overseas than it does in the States due to it's 450-style LED headlight.
Well, Honda has confirmed that they've finally run out of those ridiculous parts-bin headlights here in the US, and starting in 2025 the 300L will rock the same sleek look.
In addition to the 300L's cosmetics, Honda has also improved the damping in both the fork and shock for both the 300L and 300 Rally models.
Big Red claims these adjustments were made to address the "overly soft" feeling many owners complained about, a complaint we shared in our recent review of the 300L.
Finally, heat management has been improved on both the standard and Rally versions by tweaking the orientation of the radiator cooling fan.
Honda says they've also revised the bodywork of both bikes to help redirect hot air away from the rider for improved comfort.
"The new 2025 KTM Freeride E is a full ground-up redesign." photo: Philip Platzer
KTM has stuck to its guns for roughly a decade when it comes to electric off-roaders. Their electric Freeride lineup has had its share of detractors, but they've continued refining and improving these bikes as serious enduro machines just the same.
This year the Freeride platform got a ground-up redesign with a new motor, battery, and chassis. Torque is up to 37 Nm, battery capacity is up by 20%, and as an added bonus, KTM says the battery can now be swapped in roughly 10 minutes.
"Husqvarna's new Pioneer is essentially identical to the new Freeride E, albeit with Husky's unmistakable design language." photo: Husqvarna
Perhaps most importantly, however, the new Freeride E and its all-new Husqvarna cousin, the Pioneer, are now both street-legal dual sports.
Range will remain a limiting factor for any serious adventure riding (KTM claims roughly 2-3 hours of off-road riding on a full charge), but the return to street-legal status tells us KTM is headed in the right direction.
"Small displacement, full-sized bikes are making a major comeback."
We're seeing a few common themes in the all-terrain space heading into 2025.
The first is that small bikes are no longer just for the budget-conscious. As more and more riders discover their love for off-roading aboard larger adventure bikes, more people are finding themselves wishing for something smaller and more agile.
That explains both the continued success of the middleweight segment as well as the explosion of interest in the sub-500cc class of adventure bikes and their dual-sport compatriots.
Models like KTM's new 390 Adventure R and the CFMoto 450 promise excellent offroad manners while still delivering a level of comfort and sophistication, and for many adventures, that's a welcome tradeoff.
We'll also note that electronic rider aids have seemingly become unavoidable, whether we like it or not. Yamaha's popular Tenere has attracted a lot of praise for its analog approach to adventure, but as of 2025, all Teneres will include big colorful dashboards and a wide range of electronic rider aids to boot.
The same applies to the dual-sport space, as we're seeing with Suzuki's reimaged DRZ400 and KTM's upcoming Enduro 390 R. Honda's 300L remains one of the few holdouts in the street-legal/travel-ready off-road space.
Anyway you look at it, it's still a good time to be in the market for something other than a full-sized, flagship ADV and the price tags that come with them.
Our options as riders are only growing, and when that happens, competition between manufacturers benefits us all.
→Read More: Best Lightweight Adventure Bikes on The Market and Best Dual Sport Motorcycles of All Time.