I kinda disagree with your premise that Adventure biking may finally be turning in the enduro direction. I disagree with it, because for me Adventure Motorcycling historically always was enduro and off road focussed.

Chris Scott in the Sahara on his Tenere's in the 80s and 90s, Austin Vince and gang on their DR350s - all just dirt bikes with big tanks. And the bikes that really kicked off the first adventure motorcycling boom: Honda's 750 cc Africa Twins were just a derivative of the Dakar winning NXR 750V. BMW won the Dakar in the 80s on their dealer ready Adventure bikes - R80 G/S and R100 GS. Cagiva won it in the 90s a couple of times with its adventure bike, the Elefant 900, that you could also just buy from your local Ducati dealer. Adventure bikes historically always were tough, off road, enduro bikes with long range fuel tanks - historically VERY closely related to the exact kind of bikes that could survive and win the Dakar - just with engines and suspensions in a different state of tune. KTMs 950 Adventure is the most recent example, very closely derived from their Dakar winning 950 Rally.

The Adventure concept has been hijacked in the last 9-10 years by marketing folk who naturally enough are looking to maximise profit - as is their job. Maybe cause "Travel bike" or "overland bike" doesnt sound sexy enough.

For me Adventure Riding/Biking/Motorcycling always was and still is off road focussed. The other stuff, like riding from London to India on a big GS on main routes loaded up with aluminium boxes is "overlanding" - and these days its all asphalt. (mind you, I think Overlanding too has to move forward lest it become "Lonely Planet on 2 wheels" tours - a completely predictable process of travelling to the next lonely planet hostel, day after day - seeing the same sights, eating at the same restaurants, and photographing the same scenes as everyone else, because thats what the guide book recommends - at some point you lose the ability to call it independent travel.)

I have heard the argument that adventure is subjective ... and that one persons adventure might not be an adventure to others, but that simply dilutes the concept and makes it meaningless. Valentino Rossi might call it an adventure after returning to the pits after a track training session on an oily track. A Scooter riders definition of adventure riding might be racing thru the laneways of London's West End at full throttle at midnight while trying to avoid drunk pedestrians. If urban scooter riding and professional track racing can also be adventure riding then the concept has no meaning.

I personally have always loved reading the reports from guys like Sambor on his exploratory rides in Central Asia and Afghanistan, Swinarski's 2009 ride to Chukotka, Pete Forwood's rides, Sjaak Lucassen's rides. They all share something with videos like Austin Vince's Mondo Enduro or Terra Circa or Chris Scott's Desert Riders that makes them so enjoyable: the fact they were not even sure what they were trying to do was possible ... thats the common thread ... thats the essence of adventure -at least for me.

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