Breaking free from reality is harder than it’s ever been. The hustle and bustle of modern- life stifles adventure to a point where, eventually, we simply need an escape. As riders, there are many choices available to achieve this, but one genre growing in both numbers and stature is the adventure segment. More riders than ever before are rolling out of town in search of uninhabited lands, setting up tents and drinking-in the tranquillity.

This newish trend has seen an ever-increasing range of adventure-capable bikes hitting our shores, so it has never been easier to pack up and head off across our great land in a quest for discovery.

It can be a costly discovery, though, with the range-topping bikes equipped with panniers, crash bars and swags of gizmos often costing well over $30,000.

Thankfully, there is also an increasing number of alternatives for the rider who needs their dollar to stretch a little further. The genre’s gaining popularity is giving would-be adventurers a vast array of affordable choices (see sidebar).

Enter SWM’s new Superdual X. At $10,490 plus on-roads complete with panniers and riding lights – as part of an introductory offer – the 600cc go-anywhere bike is well and truly ready for adventure at a fraction of the cost of some of its rivals.
Being an obscure brand, the factory knew that, in order to make this model succeed, the bike needed to be strong and reliable, and it needed to be ready from the get-go.

Read the full story in the current issue of AMCN (Vol 67 No 21) on sale now

   TEST Steve Martin   PHOTOGRAPHY Ikapture