Green

That is one smooth ride. I mean, really smooth. The Versys... I... I'm just... it's like... oh man, I am so happy with it. It's big, it's powerful, it's smooth, it's commanding, it's amazing. I'm over the moon.

Having ridden the CBF500 for my test I knew what to expect from a big bike (when I say "big bike" I mean "a-motorcycle-of-at-least-250cc" although I've never ridden a 250cc bike so perhaps I mean 500cc and above), but the Versys is even bigger. It's taller, the tank and fairing add considerably to it's size, the seat is so much higher, the handlebars are in a taller and more relaxed position, and the ground clearance feels that much more on the road. The Versys is that much smoother than the CBF500 was. I know the CBF was an older bike and has been used frequently for training and tests but when I took Adam and Richard (separately) around the Glyn Gap car park they both commented on how smooth the ride was; and that's with a rider inexperienced in taking pillion passengers. I hardly noticed Adam (he's six-foot something tall), and would have forgotten Richard (5'10") was on the back if he wasn't laughing the whole time.

One thing that really struck me was how good the headlight is. The beam's range and throw is huge. It illuminates the width of a dual carriageway completely, and on full-beam it acts light a helicopter spotlight with an enormous range. Everything responds in a positive manner. The pillion pegs click up and down, the clutch and gear pedal give affirming clunks as they are manipulated, even the windscreen makes clicking noises when you adjust it. The engine braking is really impressive, and the wheels have stuck to the road like glue so far (they're still haven't been ridden in yet, and I haven't taken the bike out in the rain).

One thing gets me about the bike though: the seat. It's not that it's a horrible shape or uncomfortable (quite the opposite). But my U-lock is stored under the seat and the thing is a real bitch to remove and re-fit. The whole seat lifts up rather than just the rear pillion seat being separated and I've only managed to manipulate it successfully once so far. So I'm using my CG125's disk-lock until I figure out how to use the seat compartment properly.