Kawasaki Versys 650

Hailed by many as the best all round road bike of all time, possible contender to the legendary VFR750 / 800 as the ultimate tourer, commuter and back road scratcher.

Riding Position

The biggest difference between the Versys and other bikes in general is the riding position. It is very upright and roomy so ideal for taller riders although some like to modify the screen for more protection. The bike is very tall so it is ideal for town work allowing a good field of vision above the traffic. The bike lends itself well to supermoto foot out style riding on tighter turns allowing corner speeds as fast as any sportsbike. Faster bends allow the rider to switch to the usual knee down style of riding, although uneven and bumpy surfaces can unsettle the bike at 90mph + speeds, especially when hard on the brakes.

Styling and Looks

The looks are a double edged sword, in England many people find the bikes ugly which has the advantage of making it less desirable to thieves. On the European mainland these bikes are popular and considered good looking, I got pulled by the police in Spain because they wanted to talk to me about the bike.

Performance

Up to about 90mph the bike will accelerate on par with a 600cc sports bike, after that it will get left behind. Top speed is around 120mph with just 50bhp at the wheel so not going to blow anyone away. It is surprisingly capable on trackdays especially in damp or wet conditions where the inline twin cylinder engine is very forgiving.

Living with it

You can tour 500 miles a day with relative ease, tank range is over 200 miles with up to 70mpg possible. Two up riding is comfortable for both rider and passenger with rubber mounted grab handles. There is also genuine Kawasaki hard luggage available as an option, and the suspension is good enough quality and adjustable enough for the bikes performance. Even on the dirt roads of the Spanish mountains it coped well taking full advantage of the generous ground clearance.

Overall

This bike won’t be for everyone but if your in the market for something to bob about on that is quite capable in every area, requires minimal maintenance (8000 mile oil changes), hardly wears anything out and doesn’t use a lot of fuel this could be the bike for you. Throw in a cheap purchase price, little depreciation if you buy secondhand, and cheap insurance the jobs a good one. Ideal first adventure bike for those who can’t quite afford a BMW R1200GS.