BMW R1200 GS

CELEBRATING its 30th year of production in 2010, the GS is an absolute marvel of a bike. Designed at a time when BMW (as a bike manufacturer) was on its knees, this is the bike that changed the fortunes for the German brand. Yes, it feels slightly wobbly if you try too hard and no, it will probably never win a beauty contest, but the versatility and capability of the GS is where the appeal lies. Especially now that the DOHC top end from the HP2 Sport has found its way onto the GS. Buy with confidence as major faults are rare and minor ones, well, they’re only minor. Try to buy a used example with as many gadgets (ESA, ABS, grips etc) as possible.

From £8,999

Honda Transalp

THE Transalp seems to have been around since time began. More a behind-the-scenes kind of bike than one looking for the limelight, the Transalp is the perfect beginners’ bike if you’re looking for a do-it-all kind of ride. Ignore the newer versions for now – leave them be until they’ve lost enough value to suit your wallet. They certainly won’t have lost any of the ability to do pretty much anything you ask of them in terms of day-to-day riding – so long as that doesn’t involve racing the Dakar or beating up club racers on a track day. Like the Transalp’s bigger brother the Africa Twin, the Honda quality shines through regardless of how hard you’ve tried to break it.

From £850

KTM 990 SMT

KTM has a strong reputation for building amazingly uncompromising, yet extremely capable, motorcycles. So this, the soft-seated, large-tanked SMT with its tiny screen and 130-mile tank range is about as soft as you’ll likely find from the orange-loving Austrians. If you’re riding one positively (as fast as you can), you won’t notice the lurching nature of the bike on a partial throttle, nor will you pick up on the slightly-too-large aggressive brakes. But the SMT is a proper tool in the right hands. It’s certainly no 950SMR (the greatest large-capacity supermoto ever built), but if being quicker than sportsbikes and pulling perfect wheelies is your bag, it has to be an SMT.

From £7,000

Suzuki DRZ400e

OLD as the hills power plant meets old as the hills chassis. Should be a recipe for the perfect night’s sleep, but sling a pair of supermoto wheels in and uncork the diddy engine with a fruity pipe and you’ll be the talk of the riding town on a DRZ. A severe lack of power means you’ll need to make the most of what you have, but that doesn’t rule out fun either on- or off-road as the Suzuki is a peach to ride. The DRZ is surely one of the best ways to keep your riding sharp in any weather. When the winter comes you could wrap up the sportsbike and dust off one of these safe in the knowledge that you can fix most of the low-speed damage inflicted with a well-aimed kick.

From £1,000

Triumph Tiger

A QUIRKY triple-cylinder, soft-roader wannabe, the Tiger has about as much in common with off-roading as a pair of ice skates. But the 1,050cc motor is packed full of character, the brakes are perfect and it’s comfortable enough to rack up full day after full day in the saddle. Low points are the gearbox, a real weakness for Triumph across most of its model range. In gear they’re fine and the ratios are well placed but the shift is terrible. The Tiger is also a little too saggy for completely committed riding (unlike the SMT for instance). You do have to be trying fairly hard to get things wrong on one though, and if you’re not that kind of rider then take a look at the Tiger.

From £5,500

CCM 604e

BEFORE bikes had electronic this and that, real men rode CCMs. The Rotax-engined 604e is the perfect example of a bike that can do things off road equally as good as it can on road. Fantastic quality component parts are laced into a frame that is just as happy getting bogged in on an Enduro as it is getting stuck into your commute to work. If you’ve ever climbed from an Army Harley Davidson itching for more power and proper suspension (and let’s be honest, if you haven’t you should probably hang up your helmet) you should try a 604e. Newer CCMs have gained the fuel-injected Suzuki DRZ engine but lost the thump that the older version provides.

From £1,000