Small bikes are the next big thing. These three pint-sized ADV tourers are each capable of carrying you and your gear on adventures both on-road and off, but each one has its own take on how to get there. Photos by Kevin Wing.
We Americans are sometimes (accurately) accused of erring on the side of ?bigger is better.? But the rest of the world has long understood that the bigger-is-better approach isn?t always best; that lightweight and inexpensive bikes are more approachable and accessible, and that 1,000-plus cc?s are not necessary for adventure.
We?re starting to come around though, and manufacturers are responding enthusiastically, bringing smaller models to our shores and transcending the ?beginner bike? label, building competent machines that will please even experienced riders. A few years ago in its Indian homeland, Royal Enfield quietly began selling its first purpose-built adventure bike, the 411cc Himalayan, and when word got out the American ADV community begged Royal Enfield North America to bring it stateside. Kawasaki got here first with its pint-sized version of the popular Versys street-biased ADV series, the Versys-X 300, last year. Then BMW, with its GS line of ADV bikes continuing to lead its U.S. sales, teased a tiny GS, the G 310, finally bringing it to market earlier this year and narrowly beating the Himalayan to American dealerships.
Despite spoked wheels and tube-type tires, the Versys-X 300 is the most street-oriented bike of the bunch.
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