Best Dual-Sport Bike: BMW F800GS

Dual-sports reside in an unusual market segment. Bikes range from essentially off-road racers that are barely street-legal to liter-class adventure machines that rarely get soil on their tarmac-oriented tires. This year, there is a bike that treads a fine balance, one that allows a degree of capability in the dirt that belies its excellent highway manners. That bike is the BMW F800GS. On-road, the parallel-Twin will blow the doors off any Single, while the bike’s comfort, amenities and ride quality make it a great mount for month-long road tours or just plain commuting. But hit a gravel road or desert trail—and even the occasional single-track—and the Beemer will surprise you with its competence. When somebody asks “How do you get to...?” the answer is an F800GS.