Left field adventures

The adventure bike class has never been more popular. As a result, the range of bikes available is broader than ever. But within the large selection of machinery of very different shapes, sizes, specs and performance, sits something more left field

- Chris Moss

The GasGas ES700 is a much lighter, far less lavishly equipped bike than many in the sector, with a greater design bias to make it more suitable for offroading. But don't panic, it's not a pukka racing enduro machine (though it can and will be used by several for that purpose) and is still fit for clocking up miles on the road.

Clues to it fitting this sort of role are its relatively long service intervals and two-year warranty. Also it has lean-sensitive traction control and ABS, riding modes, mirrors, a low fuel light, and an ignition key. In essence the GasGas is a unique adventure bike designed to allow you to happily sample travel both on- and off-road, and in the case of the latter type of terrain, permits explorations of a much more adventurous nature than the vast majority of other bikes in this category. Having true dual-purpose ability is the ES700's USP.

In saying that, it's also important to add that because of the GasGas's more off-road focus, you need to be prepared to make some small sacrifices and adjustments to expectations when it comes to the issue of comfort and civility on the road, particularly on longer distance runs. The seat's not the most luxurious; it doesn't have a fairing; there're no pillion pegs or storage; and the tank range isn't massive. There's nothing fancy like a TFT dash or even a rev counter, and neither is it equipped with toys like phone connectivity, or cruise control to reduce the challenge of big-mile trips.