Just stumbled upon a midsize japanese trails comparison, and the Versys was distinctly absent. A V-Strom, Tenere and Transalp, all different and with their strengths, be it off or on road, and yet no mention of my very subjectively beloved Versys.
So may I ask this venerable assembly it’s opinion on the subject? How come the Versys seems to fly under the radar, what is it lacking to be noticable - or more egoistically, what fun am I missing with mine?
Well, of course, the Versys has 17" front wheels, and everybody knows that this makes a bike absolutely incapable of going off pavement!
My V-Strom has 36000km, about 35995km on pavement, and oh boy, I certainly wouldn’t have survived those 5km of light gravel and dirt if it wasn’t for the 19" front wheels! Certainly couldn’t do it on a Versys.