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.
