Never heard such bollocks in all my life. How the hell did the GS win this? Without actually quoting what was in this video word for word, he broadly stated the Tiger was more fun on the twisties, the Versys better on the long run to the south of France due to fuel economy, speed and comfort, not to mention price, so what the hell did the GS do? Don't even mention reliability and BMW in the same breath. Get past the looks and the Versys is the obvious choice here, Tiger 2nd and BMW 3rd
Dunno if anyone cares but if you're bored like me atm you can stream all the new series on InstaFlixxer. Have been watching with my girlfriend for the last months :)
I've ridden all these bikes the last week, the versys is the best model. Most comfortable, fastest, great mileage, pretty sporty handling, easy handling, cheaper then the BMW.
Being somewhat biased towards Triumphs, I still feel you make a very valid point. At the end of the day, for most of us motorcycling is about the sensation of fun ( related to speed at times..) Give me a 955i Tiger... I don't mind being even more old fashioned, but fun based
I've put 8500 miles on my 2015 (facelift) Versys and its been perfectly reliable. Its fast, handles well and is the perfect machine to do big miles on.
I think when he is mentioning character,reputation and reliability they are valid points. The Versys is just another inline 4. I ride a V-Strom 1000 and I can tell you that when I ride by friends r1200gs there are just things that make FEEL better than Japanese bikes. I'm not a BMW owner and I think a lot of them are snobs but this review is like comparing a Subaru STI vs a BMW M5. Both do the same things and maybe the Subaru is better, but the BMW just has little qualities that makeit better
I'll take the Versys and pocket the change. The video is constantly out of focus and the audio was amateurish. Use a wireless mic, a stabilizer or tripod, and turn off the autofocus! Good content, though.
mcn are getting wiser. no need to against gs, most definitive adventure bike, cause its not fast or sporty. its a more focused machine in my opinion thus wins. for everyday riding and some offroad and some fun on twisties, versys is the one.
Whatever about their opinions, I like that these guys are bikers making videos, rather than media people exploiting a niche... Scrabble and a pint... :-)
Agree on the Tiger however I was fortunate to find a left over stock 09 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 6 months ago for $10k. $10k is never cheap but still smiling every time go for a ride
How about giving us a 2020 update of this review - all three bikes are still available, and all all three have revisions to engines and electrics. Is the Tiger even more outdated, is the BMW now worth the cost, does the new techno overhaul of the Kawasaki mean it is now the best bike? Please tell us
although the BMW is the benchmark and I do like them my choice was the tiger and I couldnt be happier....lets face reality most 'adventure' riders dont see much dirt most of there time even here in Australia and the tiger handles it all great
Bmw is reliable? Yeah right! , about as reliable as a range rover, both these expensive machines are selling on their image and thru good advertising, despite being unreliable .
Great vid guys. Rode a Versys 1000 the other day. Very impressive indeed. It is a pure road bike in an upright stylie. Very sharp power and really comfy. Traction control is good. Had the light flashing away on damp roads but did not feel too intrusive. Can't wait to see what the triumph explorer is like though.
I'm a bit confused. The Kaw is more comfortable, better MPG, and faster but because the "dated" GSA has a new model coming out soon..... it wins? WTF....
What a shocker, the BMW wins. I have no problem with the Kawasaki or Triumph they both did a great job with these 2 bikes, and I get to save $10,000 in the process. That buys a lot of gas...
Hum, an adventure touring test should have involved some gravel roads (not single track). I worry about the smallish front wheel on the Versys and the placement of the radiator for off road riding. There's a rock out there looking to puncture that radiator, and its way off the beaten track. I've been following your videos for a couple of years now and your production values on your vids have really improved. Keep up the good work!
@fiacmar Exactly. They make the videos the way I would. I am in the U.S. and figured the Kawi would come with a big parallel twin like a TDM, or like my old 650R/ER-6 but I guess they thought it was okay but note the lack of any off-road duty, which overall is still likely to favor the BMW. I've ridden both the BMW and the Triumph and the Triumph is likely to be my next bike.
Everybody complaining about the Versys taking second: It hasn't been proven to be reliable on round the world hauls- that's what he meant by reputation. The GS is proven to be more or less bomb proof. And the Kawasaki isn't as capable off road- which these bikes need to do well at.
Okay I'm not one to argue with testers, I know our opinions are going to differ sometimes but Their job is to say which motorcycle is better. He clearly said the Kawi was faster, more comfy, has better MPG and is cheaper but he gave the test to the BMW because of trivial things like reputation and character. The review is which is better, not who has the most character people! Versys all the way in my opinion.
If the Versys really is more comfortable then the GS, I'd love to have it, but it's just so ugly. That extra power could make it a perfect tourer. Even though, I'd still choose the GS - mainly because of the things that were mentioned. I also like to get off-road a bit - don't see the Versys here, especially with the straight 4 and 17" wheels. Does it have a drive shaft?
Got passed by a triumph 1050 on my bmw it blew me away it was there then gone i have called it GHOST TIGER did not see much but it was white blue wheels and loud scared the shit out of me
Watching this with my friend and he said after your comments at 5:20, "If i tried to start up my ducati in this weather it would go all Italian on me and refuse" :P
The problem hardly is the dubstep, the problem in my opinion is bad presentation of all bikes, they don´t display all angles to watch them in detail...The desing, colors available, motor sound, max speed i thing is the important thing to show in a review. Sorry if i spell something wrong i speak spanish ^.^
@RTiger19 The Beemers not dated, it stood the test of time for the last 30 years and will be around for another 30. Class never gets old, and will be around long after the versys and tiger are forgotten about and taken out of production due to low sales, while the BMW keeps rolling off the production line and getting top marks everywhere from anyone who knows anything about the bike, LOL.
Will the Kawasaki 4 cylinder smoke the BMW Boxer twin ?? I’ve always had a big cruiser but I want to enjoy something fast for once that’s also comfortable. Never been able to enjoy a nice Japanese 4 cylinder because I can’t ride a crotch rocket lol.
@hugodacosta Agreed...I thought adventure bikes are supposed to be able to do some off-road... (and I would therefore not even count the Versys as an adventure bike)
@xphilip the thing that people dont like is that mcn in there own words say the bmw is not the most comfy not the quickest and not the best mpg and on top of that it is the most expensive, the logical reasoning is that it is not the best
Thanx for the vid. I am thinking about buying a Tourer since with my Z750 it's becoming hard to make trips that last more than 2 days. However I was curious to see a comparison with the GS and this vid helped me! However I also agree with someone else that maybe Multistrada and KTM should have also been considered :-)
nice to see a video where it is shown the positives and negatives about them! I'm very inclined to buy the Versys 1000 on these tree ones. Wlelll equiped, devours asphalt and good price. If the triumph makes me a better price in the tiger /sport, i may consider it. The bmw is too expensive, plain simple good an expensive all rounder!
So, they gave the Triumph 3rd place because it's "dated" yet it's the most fun of the three. I give up. Just ride the bike you like. Screw these bike tests. If you want to do a lot of off pavement riding then the KTM990 beats the crap out of all of them anyhow.
its not a touring bike ,street tire's with jacked up frame, can not go off the paved road where the real '' adventure '' is ... so what good are they but to give old men a thrill of thinking they are doing something far out... you can do anything they do on any bike out there...
if the "lazy 2" want to trade jobs I'm in. Come work at a boatyard for a change. I will gladly ride bikes ,"test" them, get paid and smile any day. .. Riding bikes beats riding a sander. Trust me
I'm quite happy for these road testers to dislike the bike i want, makes it easier to get it for a good price. ha ha. And as far as the BMW goes, i know several riders who ride one and end up with a courtesy bike every couple of months while there's is being fixed, that must be the character they speak about!!
speed is not the point with adventure touring.... it dosent matter if uv got loads of power if its not accessible at the right rev range....you need something thats "punchy" as he put it lol :D ... and the reason he picked the bmw was because it is a well thought out bike... :)
I definitely get a kick out of all the BMW slammers who simply can't afford one. In the past 10 years, I've owned Hondas, Kawis, Suzukis and BMWs. The Beemers have been my long distance bikes including a trip to the Beaufort Sea, and I've never had a breakdown. They've all been great bikes, Japanese and German alike. BMWs just feel more sophisticated.
Look at the Triumphs exhaust at start up 1:12 ......When i was looking for a vfr replacement i looked at sprint 1050's naturally, i saw very few with more than 50k up when the same age equivalents from other manufacturers had plenty. I do not trust these motors.
Whether the Versys is a good bike or not I don't want to debate; it's just BORING. Doesn't excite me AT ALL. I am a Triumph fan naturally, but the only bikes here I would have is the Triumph (and that's not because it's a Triumph) - Just listen to it for a start.
I also dislike the video, since i can´t see the bikes even after watching the entire video, they make short show of the bikes, only show the front part blablabla..
BMW GS more reliable than a japanese bike? Are you high?? The stats paint a very clear picture. www.autoblog.com/2014/02/22/consumer-reports-motorcycle-reliability-report/
had a go on one,make sure you do before buying one,especially if you can afford a gs.sorry,but these young reporters for mcn talk bull.i wont be buying it any more.buy the way,lots of kawasaki parts on the new big triumph.not in the same league as the gs.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Never heard such bollocks in all my life. How the hell did the GS win this? Without actually quoting what was in this video word for word, he broadly stated the Tiger was more fun on the twisties, the Versys better on the long run to the south of France due to fuel economy, speed and comfort, not to mention price, so what the hell did the GS do? Don't even mention reliability and BMW in the same breath. Get past the looks and the Versys is the obvious choice here, Tiger 2nd and BMW 3rd
Dunno if anyone cares but if you're bored like me atm you can stream all the new series on InstaFlixxer. Have been watching with my girlfriend for the last months :)
@Camilo Rylan yea, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for months myself =)
I've ridden all these bikes the last week, the versys is the best model.
Most comfortable, fastest, great mileage, pretty sporty handling, easy handling, cheaper then the BMW.
So the Tiger is the fastest and most fun but is third. Nice job guys.
Being somewhat biased towards Triumphs, I still feel you make a very valid point. At the end of the day, for most of us motorcycling is about the sensation of fun ( related to speed at times..) Give me a 955i Tiger... I don't mind being even more old fashioned, but fun based
@@matthewcoldicutt5951
Totally agree … I’ve rode a gs1200 and the 1250 and my 1050 tiger is hands down a better ride .. and it’s faster
I've put 8500 miles on my 2015 (facelift) Versys and its been perfectly reliable. Its fast, handles well and is the perfect machine to do big miles on.
I think when he is mentioning character,reputation and reliability they are valid points. The Versys is just another inline 4. I ride a V-Strom 1000 and I can tell you that when I ride by friends r1200gs there are just things that make FEEL better than Japanese bikes. I'm not a BMW owner and I think a lot of them are snobs but this review is like comparing a Subaru STI vs a BMW M5. Both do the same things and maybe the Subaru is better, but the BMW just has little qualities that makeit better
Everybody knows the Versys 1000 is the best bike, the Triumph Tiger is a good bike these are both bullet proof machines. Vs the BMW is a money pit...
2015 versus for me as he says so much better value for money and comfy.And reliable
I feel like the Triumph is kinda underrated here since cost way less than the Kawi and the GS and can keep in with the big ones.
The verses is not a adventure dual sport just because you put handguards on a sport touring bike doesn't make it gravel road capable
The enthusiasm is these old mcn videos is infectious 😂
This is the best bike site on TH-cam ,thanks guys .
I'll take the Versys and pocket the change. The video is constantly out of focus and the audio was amateurish. Use a wireless mic, a stabilizer or tripod, and turn off the autofocus! Good content, though.
mcn are getting wiser. no need to against gs, most definitive adventure bike, cause its not fast or sporty. its a more focused machine in my opinion thus wins. for everyday riding and some offroad and some fun on twisties, versys is the one.
Whatever about their opinions, I like that these guys are bikers making videos, rather than media people exploiting a niche... Scrabble and a pint... :-)
So the Kawi is a better bike but the BMW wins???????? I am confused..
Just depends on what you're looking for in a bike.
Agree on the Tiger however I was fortunate to find a left over stock 09 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 6 months ago for $10k. $10k is never cheap but still smiling every time go for a ride
How about giving us a 2020 update of this review - all three bikes are still available, and all all three have revisions to engines and electrics. Is the Tiger even more outdated, is the BMW now worth the cost, does the new techno overhaul of the Kawasaki mean it is now the best bike? Please tell us
relliability the gs in comparison to the versys?????? what??? It's quite the opposite!
although the BMW is the benchmark and I do like them my choice was the tiger and I couldnt be happier....lets face reality most 'adventure' riders dont see much dirt most of there time even here in Australia and the tiger handles it all great
Bmw is reliable? Yeah right! , about as reliable as a range rover, both these expensive machines are selling on their image and thru good advertising, despite being unreliable .
I wouldn't bet against you
BMW reliable , ha ha ha ha ha! Anyone that thinks a BMW is reliable knows little about motorcycles. Over priced, over hyped, and very much over rated!
Great vid guys. Rode a Versys 1000 the other day. Very impressive indeed. It is a pure road bike in an upright stylie. Very sharp power and really comfy. Traction control is good. Had the light flashing away on damp roads but did not feel too intrusive. Can't wait to see what the triumph explorer is like though.
I'm a bit confused. The Kaw is more comfortable, better MPG, and faster but because the "dated" GSA has a new model coming out soon..... it wins? WTF....
I bought a Versys 650 for the upright sitting position and I'll buy a Versys 1000 for the same reason when it comes to the states.
What a shocker, the BMW wins. I have no problem with the Kawasaki or Triumph they both did a great job with these 2 bikes, and I get to save $10,000 in the process. That buys a lot of gas...
Hum, an adventure touring test should have involved some gravel roads (not single track). I worry about the smallish front wheel on the Versys and the placement of the radiator for off road riding. There's a rock out there looking to puncture that radiator, and its way off the beaten track.
I've been following your videos for a couple of years now and your production values on your vids have really improved. Keep up the good work!
@fiacmar Exactly. They make the videos the way I would. I am in the U.S. and figured the Kawi would come with a big parallel twin like a TDM, or like my old 650R/ER-6 but I guess they thought it was okay but note the lack of any off-road duty, which overall is still likely to favor the BMW. I've ridden both the BMW and the Triumph and the Triumph is likely to be my next bike.
Everybody complaining about the Versys taking second: It hasn't been proven to be reliable on round the world hauls- that's what he meant by reputation. The GS is proven to be more or less bomb proof. And the Kawasaki isn't as capable off road- which these bikes need to do well at.
the good thing about versys, explorer,crosstourer etc is they have made secondhand bmws cheaper!
the BMW is the best of the 3... technology that actually works. A bullet proof motor.
Yeah and a bullet proof shaft. Yeah right 🙄
Used to be, but I've been hearing too many bad stories the last 10 years or so. My BIL drives like the pope but his shaft blew out at 15k miles.
that was an amazing choice of background music. Dubstep is the best all there is!
Okay I'm not one to argue with testers, I know our opinions are going to differ sometimes but Their job is to say which motorcycle is better. He clearly said the Kawi was faster, more comfy, has better MPG and is cheaper but he gave the test to the BMW because of trivial things like reputation and character. The review is which is better, not who has the most character people! Versys all the way in my opinion.
If the Versys really is more comfortable then the GS, I'd love to have it, but it's just so ugly. That extra power could make it a perfect tourer. Even though, I'd still choose the GS - mainly because of the things that were mentioned. I also like to get off-road a bit - don't see the Versys here, especially with the straight 4 and 17" wheels. Does it have a drive shaft?
No!!😅
Got passed by a triumph 1050 on my bmw it blew me away it was there then gone i have called it GHOST TIGER did not see much but it was white blue wheels and loud scared the shit out of me
I hate these kind of reviews. The only thing they ever establish is : theyre different bikes and so feel, ride and perform differently. GREAT!!!!
Which one of them out of the three of them has the biggest front wheel
Watching this with my friend and he said after your comments at 5:20, "If i tried to start up my ducati in this weather it would go all Italian on me and refuse" :P
"gonna have to pay for the money"
@alexskylarking any suggestions of make and model??
Okey, why should I buy GS over the Versys? For reputation and center stand? Seems logical... not.
When are you guys going to fix the crappy sound effect intro :/ its so bad... anyway, another great video!
And where's the offroad test? I would love to see how the Versys gets stuck and the GS just keeps going.
Versys 1000 all the way!!!
Promotional video of the gs...
"you got to pay for the money!"
what about the multistrada 1200?
Where is the Multistrada?
STOP! You passed the chippy!
What camera was used if you don't mind me asking?
nice music at 1:23, what is it?
The problem hardly is the dubstep, the problem in my opinion is bad presentation of all bikes, they don´t display all angles to watch them in detail...The desing, colors available, motor sound, max speed i thing is the important thing to show in a review. Sorry if i spell something wrong i speak spanish ^.^
@RTiger19 The Beemers not dated, it stood the test of time for the last 30 years and will be around for another 30. Class never gets old, and will be around long after the versys and tiger are forgotten about and taken out of production due to low sales, while the BMW keeps rolling off the production line and getting top marks everywhere from anyone who knows anything about the bike, LOL.
@hammerki1 Have you had a bad experience with BMW reliability?
im 17 in june and have no biking experience.
Do you recommend getting a brand new 50cc moped or a used (not abused) 125 sports bike??
Did you make it to 28? Did you get a bike? Still biking?
Great test!
Will the Kawasaki 4 cylinder smoke the BMW Boxer twin ?? I’ve always had a big cruiser but I want to enjoy something fast for once that’s also comfortable. Never been able to enjoy a nice Japanese 4 cylinder because I can’t ride a crotch rocket lol.
Nice smoky startup from the triumph.....
@hugodacosta Agreed...I thought adventure bikes are supposed to be able to do some off-road... (and I would therefore not even count the Versys as an adventure bike)
Thank You Guys! Great review!!
@xphilip the thing that people dont like is that mcn in there own words say the bmw is not the most comfy not the quickest and not the best mpg and on top of that it is the most expensive, the logical reasoning is that it is not the best
Thanx for the vid. I am thinking about buying a Tourer since with my Z750 it's becoming hard to make trips that last more than 2 days. However I was curious to see a comparison with the GS and this vid helped me! However I also agree with someone else that maybe Multistrada and KTM should have also been considered :-)
nice to see a video where it is shown the positives and negatives about them! I'm very inclined to buy the Versys 1000 on these tree ones. Wlelll equiped, devours asphalt and good price. If the triumph makes me a better price in the tiger /sport, i may consider it. The bmw is too expensive, plain simple good an expensive all rounder!
I'm wondering what, "Dated" means.
+Raul Escobar out of date
Means someone who is late on his advertisement payments.
Looks like the whole MCN crew disliked the video right after the upload.
Good video guys!
So, they gave the Triumph 3rd place because it's "dated" yet it's the most fun of the three. I give up. Just ride the bike you like. Screw these bike tests. If you want to do a lot of off pavement riding then the KTM990 beats the crap out of all of them anyhow.
Where were the wheelies?
so no multistrada??
So what was the purpose of that review? Triumph more sportouring,Versus touring and GS both of them, but more expensive? Waste of time..
its not a touring bike ,street tire's with jacked up frame, can not go off the paved road where the real '' adventure '' is ... so what good are they but to give old men a thrill of thinking they are doing something far out... you can do anything they do on any bike out there...
absolutely torn... i love all three
Oh also forgot to mention, so nice to see a well produced MCN video. Keep up this sort of quality.
if the "lazy 2" want to trade jobs I'm in. Come work at a boatyard for a change. I will gladly ride bikes ,"test" them, get paid and smile any day. .. Riding bikes beats riding a sander. Trust me
The Kawi is the best but Im sleeping with the BMW chairmans daughter so the GS wins.
@markmywords312 All depends on how one define's style doesn't it. I will have a GenII Tiger soon.
You guy should have included the Ducati Multistrada.
Grumpy bikers. Seriously guys smiiilllleee, your riding hired bikes.
You guys are biased !!!!!!!!!
Reviewing bikes must be tough. No one seems to like the outcome.
I'm quite happy for these road testers to dislike the bike i want, makes it easier to get it for a good price. ha ha. And as far as the BMW goes, i know several riders who ride one and end up with a courtesy bike every couple of months while there's is being fixed, that must be the character they speak about!!
Wait, BMW reliable? Since when?
The most unreliable bike in the test is the BMW. Never again!
10 years later and BMW still hasn't sold me a bike.. lol!
speed is not the point with adventure touring.... it dosent matter if uv got loads of power if its not accessible at the right rev range....you need something thats "punchy" as he put it lol :D ... and the reason he picked the bmw was because it is a well thought out bike... :)
Spot on, Vin. Low down torque is where it's at
thank you very much for the info~ nice video...
"You're gonna have to pay for the money" ... you don't say...
I definitely get a kick out of all the BMW slammers who simply can't afford one. In the past 10 years, I've owned Hondas, Kawis, Suzukis and BMWs. The Beemers have been my long distance bikes including a trip to the Beaufort Sea, and I've never had a breakdown. They've all been great bikes, Japanese and German alike. BMWs just feel more sophisticated.
idk why i like kawasaki
Look at the Triumphs exhaust at start up 1:12 ......When i was looking for a vfr replacement i looked at sprint 1050's naturally, i saw very few with more than 50k up when the same age equivalents from other manufacturers had plenty. I do not trust these motors.
why so many thumbs down?
There's obvious bias from the beginning of this video to the end
Varadero xl1000??????
Aren't 'adventure bikes' supposed to get off the hard top?
Whether the Versys is a good bike or not I don't want to debate; it's just BORING. Doesn't excite me AT ALL. I am a Triumph fan naturally, but the only bikes here I would have is the Triumph (and that's not because it's a Triumph) - Just listen to it for a start.
They are in England probably...
@EgozyGeae THANK YOU for posting my thoughts exactly!!!! LIKE!!!!!
I also dislike the video, since i can´t see the bikes even after watching the entire video, they make short show of the bikes, only show the front part blablabla..
@chabuflo he probably even has a cunning plan
Ride one. 'nuff said.
Triumph smoking oil when started....
BMW GS more reliable than a japanese bike? Are you high??
The stats paint a very clear picture.
www.autoblog.com/2014/02/22/consumer-reports-motorcycle-reliability-report/
benjahnz 😂 I'll take the Versys.
had a go on one,make sure you do before buying one,especially if you can afford a gs.sorry,but these young reporters for mcn talk bull.i wont be buying it any more.buy the way,lots of kawasaki parts on the new big triumph.not in the same league as the gs.