We should thank enthusiasts. It is because of them that we have performance vehicles. If they weren’t as vocal as they are, we’d probably not have those vehicles whose posters adorned the walls of our bedrooms during our teenage years. Without these vehicles, we wouldn’t have the advances in technology at the rate that we’ve gotten them, and we wouldn’t have had that tech trickle down to more ordinary vehicles, includingmotorcycles, so quickly.
But are performance vehicles the right choice? As a fun weekend ride or a second vehicle, definitely. You won’t put many miles on one, so it is easy to forgive it its foibles. As the only vehicle that you will put many miles on, however, there are questions that can be raised.
Would You Want A Performance Vehicle Daily?
A performance bike can be a handful when the conditions aren’t exactly right. They can overheat (either themselves or you), they chew through tires like there is no tomorrow, and servicing costs for such vehicles are invariably premium. So owning them over a long period of time becomes a labor of love. You’re not going to ride them often, but you’re going to have to keep to their servicing schedule if you’re going to have confidence in them when you ride them next!
The Kawasaki Versys 650 Is The Long-Term Motorcycle That Just Makes Sense
If you want to keep a motorcycle around for a long time, it makes sense to stick to a tried and tested model that has a history of reliability. And if it does break, low repair costs are the goal. Think of it more as a relationship rather than an ownership project lasting a couple of years.
The Versys 650 is one of a quartet of models on the same platform from Kawasaki that includes a sport bike (Ninja 650), a naked bike (Z650), and a cruiser (Vulcan S). The Versys is the sport touring motorcycle here, and it is an extremely versatile machine, as its name suggests. It appeals to the broadest audience because it has the most ability to deal with various situations – and it never loses sight of the fact that it is a mature platform with enviable reliability. That is why it is the long-term motorcycle that just makes sense.
A Decent Price For The Features The Versys Offers
At first glance, the Versys 650’s $10,399 price might seem a little high, because a little more money puts you into territory with giants of the segment like the Honda NT1100 DCT and Yamaha Tracer 9. However, it is loaded with kit, has had recent updates that make it extremely useful, and despite its tall nature and its positioning as a tourer, is a great motorcycle to have when you want to deal with traffic.
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The Parallel-Twin Engine Is Bulletproof
The Versys 650 shares its driveline with all of the other twin-cylinder Kawasaki 650s. It is a 649 cc parallel twin that has now been around for over two decades, with the only changes being those that help it meet emissions requirements. It is a short-stroke design, has a relatively relaxed compression ratio of 10.8:1, and uses the older 180-degree firing order. The output figures are 67 horsepower at 8,500 RPM and 44.8 pound-feet at 7,000 RPM.
There is a six-speed gearbox with an assist and slipper clutch, and a chain drive to the rear wheel. The throttle is a cable-actuated one, so there aren’t any ride modes, but there is traction control. The 180-degree firing order doesn’t give it as good a torque spread as the more modern 270-degree parallel twins, but this is a docile engine at low revs that makes it very friendly to beginners. It is exciting enough at high revs.
A Modern Chassis With Modern Manners
Kawasaki has shared components among its 650 cc models, so the Versys 650 shares its basic frame with the Ninja 650 and Z650. This is a diamond frame that uses the engine as a stressed member. What is different is the long-travel adjustable suspension.
The front uses 41 mm inverted forks with stepless adjustable preload and rebound, and 5.9 inches of travel. At the rear, there is an offset laydown monoshock with remotely adjustable preload and 5.7 inches of travel. The tool-free rear preload adjustment is a nice touch; the offset nature of the shock means that it would have been easy enough to change the preload, but the extra convenience is thoughtful.
The brakes consist of twin 300 mm petal front discs with axial two-piston floating calipers, and a 250 mm rear disc with a single-piston caliper. In keeping with its tarmac-bound brief, the wheels are 17-inch alloys fitted with tubeless radial tires.
The Motorcycle You Buy Once And Grow Old With
This might be one of the few new bikes that you can learn on, and keep indefinitely.
This Is A Tall Bike, And A Pretty Heavy One
The Versys 650 is normal for its class when it comes to length and width: 85.2 inches long and 33.1 inches wide. The wheelbase is also par for the course, at 55.7 inches. The seat is 33.7 inches high, a result of the long-travel suspension, but the 6.7-inch ground clearance is a decent tradeoff.
The 5.5-gallon fuel tank is quite large for the class, and coupled with the efficient engine, puts it among the top bikes when it comes to fuel tank range. Finally, the curb weight of nearly 483 pounds wet makes it the heaviest among its peers by a significant margin. It can be explained away by the 20 pounds added by the now standard hard luggage, mounting hardware, and handguards – it is officially the Versys 650 LT now.
Good Feature Set For Anything You’d Want To Do
Kawasaki has given the Versys 650 enough features to make it usable no matter what you want to do with it, but hasn’t gone overboard and made the price unpalatable. An update in 2021 gave it all-LED lighting, the aforementioned traction control, and a 4.3 inch TFT screen. The screen has Bluetooth connectivity and navigation as standard features, so touring with the Versys is a cinch.
The hard saddlebags are standard, and have quick-release mounts – another thoughtful touch that makes the Versys so usable in different situations. The windscreen is manually adjustable and can be set to four different heights. Kawasaki claims it can be adjusted with a single hand. The options list is similarly logical and to the point, with things like auxiliary lights and a windscreen taller than stock for touring.
The electronics list is short – there is KTRC traction control with two levels. One level is less intrusive than the other, and it can be switched off completely as well. This isn’t the case with the dual-channel ABS, which is always on. There is no quickshifter available even as an option but the aftermarket has options if you really want one. Expect an upshift-only one, considering the cable throttle.
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Some Very Strong Options To The Versys 650
The Versys 650 might get our vote as a long-term motorcycle that just makes sense, but it is very difficult to argue against a couple of its competitors. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 series is just like the Kawasaki. It was launched a few years before Kawasaki’s ER-6f and ER-6n, but uses a 90-degree V-twin. Other than the different engine layouts, they could be twins. It has similar displacement, power, torque, and weight, plus features like a cable throttle and adjustable traction control. However, it also offers a 19/17-inch wheel rim combination, cross-spoke laced wheels with tubeless tires, and torque that is generated lower in the rev range, making it a better choice if you want to explore in the dirt.
The more modern competition is the Honda XL750 Transalp. Not only is it a 270-degree parallel twin with more cubes, it also offers a massive jump in power and a smaller but still significant jump in torque. It is also the lightest and offers a 21-inch front rim. It offers a by-wire throttle so there are ride modes and a two-way quickshifter, and the base model costs less than the Versys 650!
Source: Kawasaki USA