ADVENTURE BIKE:
YAMAHA XV1600A
The Great Green Slug
Ryan Anderson
An unusual and exciting or daring experience, that’s
how the Oxford English Dictionary describes adventure.
When it comes to motorcycles, it seems that the mar-
keting boffins have highjacked the term and applied it
to just one type of motorcycle. Right or wrong? We’re
not here to say, we’ll leave that to our editor, who took us
through one of his favourite ‘adventure’ bikes …
“It’s a slug,” laughs Leigh Wilkins, editor of Traverse,
as he speaks fondly of his 1999 Yamaha XV1600A.
“Look at it, it really is a slug.”
When Yamaha released the XV1600 in 1999 it was the
largest capacity production motorcycle ever made and
regarded as a clear ‘rip off’ of similar products by Harley
Davidson; giant, low revving V-twin, lots of chrome, belt
drive and made to look like it’ll only be good in a straight
line.
“Of course, it’s a rip off,” Leigh laughs.
TRAVERSE 43