I own a V-Strom 650 with about 50,000 km since 2022. The bike is great, but it has a buzz and vibrations around 100 km/h that disappear after 120 km/h, yet I typically cruise around 100 km/h. I want to upgrade to a 1000cc+ bike for highway touring with a seat height under 835 mm. I am considering the Kawasaki Versys 1100 (2026), BMW XR, and the BMW R 1300 GSA. My priorities are long-term ownership, riding comfort on Indian roads (including routes like Spiti), ease of maintenance, and strong road presence. Please advise.

Question

Autocar Team · Accepted Answer

Between the three options you've considered, we'd advise picking between the Kawasaki Versys 1100 and the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. These are powerful, comfortable, refined long-distance touring machines which will serve you well, although neither is going to be affordable to maintain.

The BMW S 1000 XR is a sportbike on stilts, and the 1000cc four-cylinder engine from BMW isn't the smoothest motor, so we'd advise you to look elsewhere.

If you're open to looking outside the ADV bike spectrum, the Ninja 1100SX makes a solid case as a road-going touring bike as long as you're mindful of the ground clearance over bad roads.

And if you're not hung up on having a '1000cc+' bike only, the Honda XL750 Transalp is a wonderful road-touring machine. It is friendly, approachable, refined and will be by far the most affordable to buy (even if you put the Africa Twin's tubeless rims, extra luggage and protective accessories) and maintain of the lot.

Try to take test rides of all the bikes listed here before making a decision.