There used adventure-sports heroes will do it all, and I've found five bargains for less than £4k!

Adventure-sport bikes are supposed to give you the best of several worlds; the ability to cope with our potholed roads like an adventure bike, handle the daily commute as practical workhorses and even morph into competent sports tourers that can handle some dry trails up in the Alps during your summer holiday adventure. Better still, there is a lot of choice out there. Here’s what £4000 will buy you…

Related: Sports touring tyre buying guide

Read on for our expert guide to adventure-sport bikes for just £4k!

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MCN Recommended: 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom – from £2999

MCN Star Buy

Spec:

• Power 645cc
• Engine capacity 68bhp
• Seat height 835mm
• Kerb weight 214kg

The Suzuki DL650 V-Strom has been around in one form or another for 14 years and the SV’s V-twin engine matched to an easy-going chassis with a wide seat, half-decent fairing and copious tank range delivers useful performance at a price to suit most budgets. There was an extensive update in 2011 with more integrated, curvy styling and a revised Gladius engine which is flexible, free-revving and yet, for a V-twin, impressively smooth, too. It’s no full-on scratcher, of course, the upright gait, 19in front wheel and budget suspension, brakes and tyres preclude that, but it’s also a long way from the mushy vagueness its style may suggest and can be thrown around with confidence.

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom used buying advice

● Sidestand brackets can bend, which means the cut-out switch starts interfering. Ignition barrels are prone to wear, meaning you have to tilt the key forwards. The tumblers look like a set of stairs instead of a straight edge. It’s possible to file them, but better to replace it. If it’s rattling on the overrun the camchain tensioner is worn. Ignore this at your peril as it’ll jump a tooth and clatter a valve.

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2012 HONDA NC700X – from £2991

Best for Newbies

Spec:

• Power 670cc
• Engine capacity 51bhp
• Seat height 830mm
• Kerb weight 218kg

We used the Honda NC700X as loan bikes here at Doble Motorcycles and customers are always surprised by how capable they are. The motors are a bit asthmatic and it’s easy to hit the rev-limiter when you first start riding them, but once you get into the swing of them they feel effortless, especially the automatic version. The storage space under where you think the fuel tank should be is really useful.

HONDA NC700X used buying advice

● You get corrosion around the headlight bracket and the fork legs, which can make the fork seals leak. On manual models, the clutch cable gets tighter over time and when it loses its freeplay it will annihilate the clutch pretty quickly. The automatic version uses a shift motor instead of your foot, and there’s a little pin on the shift drum that can break from 20,000 miles on.

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2011 Honda 700 Transalp – from £2890

The Reliable One

Spec:

• Power 59bhp
• Engine capacity 680cc
• Seat height 841mm
• Kerb weight 199kg

Although they have been out of production for six years, the Honda 700 Transalp is really, really reliable so there are plenty still going strong. It is a doddle to ride, quick or slow, and ideal for learners. There’s also a huge list of accessories to personalise the motorcycle for touring or whatever your desired requirements.

Honda 700 Transalp used buying advice

● A slightly noisy tappet is a happy tappet on one of these, but if it’s clanging it needs adjustment. Which is a big job because you have to remove the exhaust to get at the rears. The recommended interval is 8000 miles, but a friend did his at 50k while racking up 120,000 on the bike. If you can hear a ‘ticking’ noise, chances are it’s dropping onto one cylinder as the spark jumps. Check the plug caps, and if they are made by TEC, a switch to NGK is the cure.

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2003 BMW R1150GS – from £3490

The Class Leader

Spec:

• Power 1170cc
• Engine capacity 125bhp
• Seat height 805mm
• Kerb weight 276kg

They define this class, being truly capable of everything from commuting, to touring and even semi-serious off-roading. The BMW GS has been around for so long that R1150GSs are coming into this price range now, and if they’ve been treated well, they should be good for thousands more miles, but there are caveats.

BMW R1150GS used buying advice

● If it’s getting up to 25,000 miles and hasn’t had a new clutch, knock the price down by £500 as you have to take half the bike apart to get at it. While you are in there, the main crank seal and the gearbox oil seal need changing as both can leak and contaminate the clutch. If there are knocking noises, the pushrods could be starting to fall apart. Each rod is an ally sleeve with a steel insert and the outer sleeve comes away and starts to rattle. Check the state of the ABS and the fuel gauge.

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2010 Triumph Tiger 1050 – from £3499

The Sporty One

Spec:

• Power 1050cc
• Engine capacity 115bhp
• Seat height 830mm
• Kerb weight 198kg

More ‘sport’ than ‘adventure’, it’s the fastest bike here and it sounds good too. The Triumph Tiger 1050’s three-cylinder engine is the star of the show with bags of low-down grunt. Some will have had the ECU remapped, air filter opened up and an aftermarket pipe fitted to liberate more power. A Tiger will suit the tallest riders best as it’s quite top-heavy.

TriumphTiger 1050 used buying advice

● We have had gearbox issues with a few 1050s that have come through here. One had a FSH and only 15,000 miles on the clock, but it was crunching and jumping out of gear. It’s a cassette gearbox so it’s easy to pull out, but it cost £500 to sort it. Some of the earlier models liked to burn a bit of oil, so keep an eye on the level.