IT'S a long held thought by those who care to think it that Australian riders bow to fashion rather than form.

What I mean by that is we would rather look cool and ride a sportsbike, even though our roads aren't like racetracks, instead of riding a machine which is far better suited to our road system and the type of country we have.

When you look at new motorcycle sales figures each year for sports bikes there is a definite drop in sales trend. As a collective riding group have we finally realised that road lumps and bumps are soaked up better with longer travel suspension, and that a more upright riding position is more comfortable?As a motorcycle magazine editor you would think I'd have my finger on the pulse of everything motorcycling, but in reality I usually have plenty of other meaningless drivel blasting through the shrinking thing inside my skull. Having said that I have taken a bit of a look recently of what sort of motorcycle comes past me on the road. The truth of it is I am seeing less and less sportsbikes come past, and more and more adventure style machines taking their place.

As a young bloke I lusted after SS Ducatis and early slab sided GSX-R 750/1100s, wondering how I could afford to buy one. Now the thought of riding a modern equivalent leaves me a bit cold, unless I could afford a new Panigale or Gixxer purely for track days. Buy one for the road though? No thanks.Trying to keep these sorts of bikes at the speed limit is hard work. I remember one particular trip back from the GP with a group of mates where we pretended there were no speed limits for quite a long stretch of road. What a rush, but at the same time bloody dangerous and silly. But that's where bikes like this come into their own. It's what they are made to do.

Recently I've spent some time on a couple of bikes which are marketed as adventure bikes but I like to think of them as Australian road bikes. You might have read about our long term Ducati Multistrada 1200. It's got all the fruit; electronic suspension, panniers, traction control and power modes. Just before Christmas I rode it to Queensland and back with a couple of mates and had a blast. What a fantastic bike. I don't think I even got a jar up my back from one bump in 2000 kilometres. This is a bike made for our roads, you can keep high cruising speeds on shit roads and if the corners turn tight you can select sports mode and get amongst it. If you want to explore some dirt, no probs but don't pretend it's a dirt bike unless you are a very experienced adventure rider.

The other machine we had over Christmas is the new Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200. You might remember the last time we tested one we wrote it off out the back of Bourke. I liked the bike but not everyone on our adventure trip last year felt the same, citing size and weight went against it. I reckon the 2012 model with the massive 32 litre tank is a better bike than the last model, and not just because it's got a bigger tank. The fuelling seems better, the suspension feels better, and it just steers beautifully. The panniers might stick out a bit but you can always stick them in the shed if you aren't on tour. Once again, the bike is marketed as an adventure bike but it's a lot of motorcycle to take offroad unless you know what you're doing. It's perfect for our roads, and can rack up lots of miles in a day. Like I said, the great Australian road bike.

What does the future have in store for the sportsbike? Many are bought for track days or racing, and if you've ridden any of the flagship 1000cc sportsbikes from any manufacturer on the track then you'll realise that's where they belong. I think there will always be a market for that type of bike here but I also think motorcycle riding Aussies in general are realising what the Europeans have known for years, that bikes like the Multistrada and the Stelvio are more suited for everyday riding. Of course there's a multitude of bikes which fit into this category but the Multi and the Stelvio are good examples. So, now you know I have a preference for the all-rounder motorcycle. I have shown you a window into the motorcycle part of my brain.

Oh look, the bike transport man has just shown up with the new Aprilia RSV4 for us to test. Let's start it up. Bloody hell, listen to that would you! Look how little it is. Quick, where's my leathers.

– Chris Pickett