2 Months and 3,800 miles with the Versys.

[ozyran440]

Well, now that I've had a couple of months with the Versys and I've ridden it quite a few miles, I thought I would go ahead and post my thoughts on it now that I've owned it for 3,800 miles.

Off Road: DO NOT take it off road in ANY serious capacity - that is, until you change the tires. I have yet to buy a new set of tires for the Versys, but the stock tires are really suck tires when it comes to dirt. They have almost no traction on anything except hard clay. *** loose dirt or loose gravel, and the bike seems uneasy with slippery footing if you don't keep it upright.

Tires: Speaking of tires, the Z-Rated tires are outstanding when it comes to grip. I haven't scraped the footpegs with this beast, although I've come quite close! She holds the road great with the stock, Z-rated Dunlops and there is virtually no road noise at all from these tires at all. Oh, and after 3,800 miles of riding keeping them 2 psi above recommended pressure, wear still seems even, and wear also seems quite minimal for the mileage. I imagine these will probably last 6K - 8K with no problem whatsoever. What these tires lack in off road capability they really make up for in durability.

Brakes: OY! What I said in my first review I now overturn in this review. The front brake lacks any serious initial bite. If you want braking out of the front binder, PULL! You have to give the front brake some serious effort to get the rotor to stop turning. The rear brake is VERY touchy. I've found myself locking up the rear brake with seemingly minimal effort and I have since had to train myself to use more front brake and less rear brake while still using both of them. The brakes overall seem adequate, but the front one feels like there's an O-Cello sponge trying to stop the wheel. I would really consider something along the lines of a set of steel braided brake lines, if they can be located for this bike.

Aftermarket (?): Speaking of brake lines, that brings up something else I've noticed with the Versys: limited aftermarket parts availability. The bike is based on the 650R, and as such, could probably use 650R parts. However, there is still a distinct lack of anything aftermarket available for the Versys - yet. I hope that by next year the motorcycle will have caught on a little more.

Seat: I still maintain the seat as the bike's only major weak point: with any kind of distance riding, it can become uncomfortable and painful after a half hour of seat time. If you get this bike and plan on touring with it, get a seat pad or send the seat to someone who can redo it with some real support.

Two-Up Riding: My wife seems very comfortable on the motorcycle. She has ridden with me for up to 2 hours in a single shot and seems to do better than me! She has yet to complain of any stiffness and really enjoys riding on the bike with me - even over any type of long-distance riding.

Power: This is one thing about the bike that I love. It has a LOT of power from 3,000 RPM all the way up to about 8,000 RPM, and above 8,000 RPM seems like it's a little lacking. Of course, most of my riding has been right around 3-5K RPM, and it seems overall very powerful as long as you keep it above 3,000.

Transmission: The throw from gear to gear seems to require deliberate shifting from one gear to the next. Otherwise, grab from the clutch seems to be good and I have not had any shuddering or shifting problems with the transmission at all.

Instrumentation: Great speedo, and it's really easy to see (even for the passenger(!)). It seems to indicate about 5 MPH fast when riding; I've been by a few radar displays and each time, when I'm riding above 30 mph, it seems to be about 5 MPH fast. The tachometer is big and easy to read, and the fuel gauge seems to be very accurate: every time the fuel light blinks, you have a gallon of gasoline remaining in the tank. The instrumentation could use a slight change, though; you can see the mileage, or you can see the time. I very much appreciate having a clock on this bike, but I'd like it to be displayed somewhere besides the odometer.

Economy: Hard riding has not proven to be an issue with this bike. With most of my riding being mixed, I still manage to eke 200 miles, on average, from 4 gallons of gas. To date, my best mileage has come from cruising between 50 and 60 mph: 193 miles from 3.5 gallons of gas and 196 miles from 3.6 gallons of gas, both figures recorded during my road trip from Opelika, AL to Brooksville, FL this past weekend.

FWIW, Motorcycle Consumer News tested the Versys in November of 2007, and here are some stats I thought I'd post that Kawasaki posted as an attachment to their page on the Versys:
Measured top speed ........117 mph
0–1/4 mile ..................12.96 sec. @ 99.15 mph
0–60 mph ....................4.86 sec.
0–100 mph..................14.19 sec.
60–0 mph ........................127.9'
Power to Weight Ratio ........1:7.72
Speed @ 65 mph indicated......60.8

Overall, this bike still rides very well and I'm quite thrilled with it, in spite of it's few drawbacks. I would still recommend this bike to anyone looking for a touring bike, albeit with a new seat. I also attached the article that Kawasaki.com had posted on their website from Motorcycle Consumer News.

Thanks again for listening to another review, and I'll be around to post another one...probably in about a year. Until then, happy riding!

[jukief]

Thanks for the review. I'm really interested in this bike. Unfortunately, it's way too tall for me.

[ozyran440]

Originally Posted by jukief

Thanks for the review. I'm really interested in this bike. Unfortunately, it's way too tall for me.

You're welcome. Kawasaki does make a low seat for the beast - it gives the seat 2" lower height - but it costs somewhere around $500.00.

[mrb42]

I've got just under 600 miles on mine and I agree with most everything said here except the brakes, that suprised me! Have you played with the adjustments on the brakes at all? I'm yet to lock up my rear brake, and it's not touchy at all, and the front brake grips really well for me. Strange...

[ozyran440]

Hmm...good point. I never once thought to adjust the settings. I'll have to give that a try and see if I can resolve the braking issue.

[mrb42]

Originally Posted by ozyran440

Hmm...good point. I never once thought to adjust the settings. I'll have to give that a try and see if I can resolve the braking issue.

The only reason I bring it up was I had to adjust my clutch last night.. I noticed it was really loose and I was the "wft?!" When I looked at it I see that the dial on the clutch level has somehow shifted to 5, so I dialed it back up to 2 and it was so much better this morning.

[Guitar7272]

Originally Posted by ozyran440

You're welcome. Kawasaki does make a low seat for the beast - it gives the seat 2" lower height - but it costs somewhere around $500.00.

I wonder if that seat would really make that much of a difference to the vertically challenged... it's an awfully tall bike. Cool looking though, thats for sure!

[mrb42]

Originally Posted by ozyran440

Hmm...good point. I never once thought to adjust the settings. I'll have to give that a try and see if I can resolve the braking issue.

So, did the adjustments help, or is it still an issue?

[ozyran440]

Originally Posted by mrb42

So, did the adjustments help, or is it still an issue?

I checked the setting, it's at 4, I'm not sure I want to take it up to 5 - I'm a little fidgety about messing with that. For the time being I'll re-learn what I can to effectively use the front and rear brakes until I'm feeling...brave enough to adjust the front brake lol.

[ddouble]

The lever adjustments are just how far the lever is from the grip nothing to do with how much brake or clutch is applied.
So far I'm real pleased with the brakes and clutch on the V. Even loaded with 120 lbs of camping gear she performed as expected.
My last ride was a 79 KZ, if you are coming off a sport bike the brakes may seem a little mediocre. For me they are a great improvement.

Three months, 6,000 miles and counting.

Dan

[ozyran440]

Originally Posted by ddouble

My last ride was a 79 KZ, if you are coming off a sport bike the brakes may seem a little mediocre. For me they are a great improvement.
Dan

No, the previous bike was a 2003 KLR 250, which was light as a feather so it had no problem whatsoever stopping. However, I expected the big front discs to be a little stronger on initial braking.

Also, as for the stiffness in the seat, I've learned something: when I'm carrying a passenger, I don't get nearly as sore as when I'm on the bike solo, which tells me that the suspension might need adjustment for proper ride with one passenger.

[ddouble]

I've softened up front and rear, much nicer ride. Mine is mainly a commuter with light touring thrown in for fun so hard corner carving isn't necessary. It still sticks well and is a lot of fun to ride.

Dan

[Watson69]

How is the seating position? I'm a front-leaning-rest-position sport biker owner looking for something a little more relaxed.

[mrb42]

Originally Posted by Watson69

How is the seating position? I'm a front-leaning-rest-position sport biker owner looking for something a little more relaxed.

It's relaxed/upright... the pegs are mid-positioned... you can get in to a tuck, but it's not as natural as it would be on a traditional sport bike

[NCDave]

Originally Posted by Watson69

How is the seating position? I'm a front-leaning-rest-position sport biker owner looking for something a little more relaxed.

The 650R is relaxed and more upright than a sportie, but still a bit more aggressive than the Versys. The Versys pegs are a bit lower and forward than the 650R.

[ozyran440]

Originally Posted by Watson69

How is the seating position? I'm a front-leaning-rest-position sport biker owner looking for something a little more relaxed.

As mrb42 and NCDave were both saying, it's a bit more relaxed than a sport bike. The position doesn't pull you too far forward when you're riding it, so it actually ends up being a fairly comfortable ride - so long as you keep your back straight.

I think Motorcycle News, Reviews, Videos : Motorcycle.com put it best when they asked, "Is this the dawn of a new standard motorcycle?"

There seems to be a whole lot of hoopla about what the Versys actually is, but that pretty much nails it on the head. The Versys is not a dual sport. It is not a sport bike. It's the standard motorcycle, revamped and revised for the 21st century.

[versysred]

Great bike cant wait to get some real miles on mine.