Today’s crop of new middleweight adventure bikes are, for the most part, made from the same mold. They all boast a degree of off-road capability, tons of tech, and rally-inspired styling. It’s not a bad thing, really, as ADV bikes are cooler and more fun than they’ve ever been.
But there comes a point wherein the stuff that comes out is too similar to what’s already available. Case in point would be the new Xplora adventure bikes from the Spanish company Rieju. The new bike comes in two flavors, a road-focused 557, and a slightly off-road capable 707. The two models are based on the MV Agusta LXP Orioli—a project that seems to have been put on the back burner since KTM took over.
But the Rieju Xplora adventure bike only gets more confusing, as from a styling perspective, I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at when I first saw it. The dual LED headlight is clearly inspired by the MV Agusta LXP Orioli, but Rieju’s execution looks more like a Honda Africa Twin knockoff. Kinda disappointing for a brand as specialized as Rieju.
As for the bikes’ inner workings, well, they aren’t exactly original, either. The Xplora 557 gets an engine from QJ Motor, more specifically, a 554cc parallel-twin engine good for about 47 horsepower—right at the limit of the A2 license bracket. Meanwhile, the 707 gets a bigger Benelli twin with 70 ponies, which, in case you didn’t know, is also made by QJ Motor. So yeah, it looks like Rieju and QJ Motor are working together now, too.
And while more options in the ADV market is always a good thing, I can’t help but wish that Rieju worked a little bit harder on the new ADV. The Rieju brand has always been known for off-road performance, and maybe, they’d have been better off working on just one enduro-derived adventure bike really leaning on the brand’s off-road heritage.
But what do you think? Did Rieju miss the mark by coming out with two adventure bikes which don’t exactly seem sure of what they want to be? Or are their more road-focused platforms a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by off-road-focused ADVs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: EICMA
