Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

IT is far too easy to underappreciate the Suzuki V-Strom 650 Adventure.

With its plain black-on-black paint scheme, angular luggage cases and generally utilitarian looks, it is tempting to describe the bike in wholly uninspiring terms — practical and sensible, or perhaps versatile. It’s the kind of motorcycle you might imagine appealing to Amish sensibilities — except during Rumspringa when the teenagers would hanker for candy-colored, chrome-cladded cruisers.

Since its introduction a decade ago with a 1,000 cc model — followed a year later by a 650 cc model — the V-Strom line has built a devoted following around the world. The 650, known of course as the Wee-Strom, outsells the 1,000 cc version two-to-one, and not just among the Amish.

The 2012 Adventure version of the V-Strom 650 arrives in what may be the hottest slice of the motorcycle market, the adventure-touring category. These dual-purpose bikes — set up for long-distance highway rides but ready to keep going when the road ends — have outpaced the broader market in United States sales. BMW’s venerable GS models, which defined adventure-touring even before the class had a catchall name, are that brand’s perennial best sellers globally.

The V-Strom’s enduring popularity gave Suzuki little reason to tinker, and there have been no major changes in design since its release. But that changed for 2012, as Suzuki released an update that some longtime fans thought radical. Not just a face-lift (well, that too), but a Wee-Strom with a new engine, suspension, electronics and other alterations that had some fans fretting that Suzuki was messing with perfection.