Big Bikes – can they do it?

Short answer: Yes, absolutely. Plenty of riders have tackled the Paris-Dakar Challenge on big adventure bikes like the big BMW GSs, Honda Africa Twin, and Yamaha Ténéré — and many of them were off-road novices when they started.

In some ways the perfect bikes…

If you’re planning to ride a large-capacity adventure bike, there are a few things to be aware of. First, these bikes are perfectly suited to long-distance riding — fast, comfortable, and built to carry you over long distances and multiple terrains. On tarmac and smoother pistes, they’ll eat up the miles with ease.

In other ways not so much…

But when it comes to the Sahara sections, especially the soft sand and technical tracks in Mauritania, you’ll need to dig a bit deeper — physically and mentally. Sand riding on a heavy bike isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either. We’ve had riders on 1200GSs cross the dunes with no prior off-road experience. They dropped their bikes a few times, swore a lot, laughed even more — and got through it with a mix of determination, teamwork, and sweat.

The choice is yours

The most important thing? You don’t have to do the desert sections if you don’t want to. We’ve built in optional routes that allow you to avoid the toughest parts if you’re not feeling up to it on the day.

But… if you want to experience everything the PDC has to offer but are worried that your big bike might prove too much for you, then you always have the option of riding one of our much lighter Honda CRF 300 Rallys.

In the end, this challenge isn’t about having the perfect bike or the perfect skills — it’s about getting out there and doing something unforgettable. If you’re ready to wrestle your beast through a few tricky bits and don’t mind the odd push or drop, your big bike is more than capable.

Bring it. And bring a sense of humour.