Best of the Rest

Medium capacity adventure sportsbikes can offer much of the same performance and touring capability than their larger siblings, at a much-reduced cost. Touring and mild off-road fun riding doesn’t need an excess of horsepower, indeed, a smaller machine is often much more manageable on rougher terrain. And in the city, middleweight trail-styled bikes are superb: softer suspension soaks up potholed urban roads, the tall riding position gives good views over traffic, and their narrow profile cuts through gaps with ease.

Most smaller trailbikes use twin-cylinder engines, either V-twins or parallel twins, although some, like the XTZ660, use single-cylinder designs. A single is cheaper to produce than a twin, but loses out in performance and often suffers from excessive vibration.

In this Best of the Rest category, Suzuki’s V-Strom appears both in 650cc and 1000cc form. Both versions of this bike offer great value, and the DL1000 V-Strom allows even riders on a budget to enjoy a full-bore adventure sports machine.