KAWASAKI VERSYS 650
2200 KM
Easy Adventure
The Ninja 650 on stilts gets tall handlebars alongside a soft pothole-surfing handling setup makes up for being agile and reassuring with its upright riding position, easy on the go power delivery and tuned for maximum mid-range torque engine.
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The Versys is quintessentially designed to be easy to use, and novice-friendly, so that means a relatively soft braking set-up, more for feel than outright power. It’s comfy on the long haul and the new taller, manually-adjustable screen and wide tank protect your head, shoulders and knees from high-speed windblast.
It’s more versatile and can be used for everything from popping to the shops to travelling interstate.
An interesting piece of information most people including myself (and Wikipedia) will tell you that 'Versys' comes from 'Versatile' and 'System but Kawasaki themselves say it comes from 'Vertex' and 'System'. The motor is nice and frugal and does scream versatility. It’s packed with lots of low-down and midrange grunt. The riding position's fairly upright, but not so much as to load your bum and spine too much, and the little flyscreen is surprisingly effective at legal speeds.
Right in front of your eyes is a semi-digital cluster with an analogue tachometer which enthusiasts will dig. The setup is pretty basic and feels old, especially in these modern TFT times. A small LCD display which shows information like real-time mileage, eco mode, range, clock, gear position, trip meters, odometer and the obvious, speed. The story is the same for the switchgear as it sees no update and gets basic switches along with a hazard light switch. The quality of the switchgear is however quite satisfactory.
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The headlights and even the indicators use normal bulbs, which is not something you’d want after spending a good chunk of your money. The mirrors don’t look premium too and look a little out of place. Additional installation of Aux Lamps and a safety cage is advisable especially if your considering long distance touring.
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The spring is in the left fork tube and the damping components are in the right tube. Kawasaki says this reduces weight and it should make adjustments a little faster, since you only have to adjust one side. The rear KYB shock is also new and includes a new remote-mounted adjuster to make it easier to adjust preload when you're adding a passenger or gear, usually by around 40mm. A convenient solution really, but still doesn’t make it off-road ready despite its adventure tourer DNA.
THE BIG(SMALL) TOURER
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The seat is wide, long and roomy for the rider as well as the pillion. The rubber-mounted foot pegs help to keep the vibrations to a minimum, and they feel good as well.
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Touring has always been the mainstay for the baby Versys and the bike rides on 17-inch alloy wheels equipped with road-spec tyres. The bike still remains away from any kind of electronic intervention, which is rather odd considering its competition is more generous with their electronics offering. However, it doesn’t prove to be as barebones as it seems even with its outdated analog digital cluster, it’s still a lot of bike for buck considering its competitive price tag.