The similarities here are uncanny. A half fairing. High-rise handlebar. Large fuel tank. Stepped, wide seat. And chunky but handy rear grab-rails. And there’s more. Underneath that touring façade lays a street naked; be it the chassis, the brakes or the tyres. Even the engine, in fact.
Welcome then to our new age sports Tourers.
Now, these aren’t your full fat near Rs 20 lakh bank breakers (say the likes of the Multistrada, the Tiger Explorer and the lot); instead these cost less than Rs 8 lakh, displace less than 700cc and don’t get anywhere near 100bhp. These then are your manageable, affordable and useable touring tools. But, which one is a better buy – the nice sounding and more affordable Benelli TNT 600GT or the leaner, taller but more tech laden Kawasaki Versys 650? We rode them back-to-back all the way from the India Bike Week in Goa to Pune to find out…