Kawasaki Versys 1000
KAWASAKI Versys 1000
Taking adventure in a new direction
ADAM CHILD
THE ADVENTURE-BIKE BANDWAGON IS picking up speed fast, and Kawasaki has jumped on board. But Team Green isn’t just going along for the ride; it’s taking the genre into unexplored territory with the new Versys 1000, the world’s first four-cylinder adventure machine. Kawasaki also admits that the bike has no real off-road ability, which makes it pretty odd from the outset. It’s intended more as an “alternative touring bike,” which, Kawasaki reckons, is how most adventure bikes are used anyway. In that context, the Versys—with its smooth, grunty motor, bags of comfort and reasonable price— may be onto something. Unfortunately, U.S. riders won’t be getting “onto” it; the bike is not slated for sale in The States.
As a basis for the Versys, Kawasaki used the excellent Zl 000, including a revised version of the Z’s 1043cc inlineFour. It’s been retuned for more midrange power and fitted with lower gearing, allowing this 527-pound (dry) bike to possess quite rapid acceleration. And unlike the adventure bikes that are powered by lumpy Twins, the Versys’ Four is smooth. But even though the engine has loads of torque, top gear is like an overdrive, so open-road acceleration is better in fifth gear; once above 80 mph, sixth is fine.
For times when its power might be too much, the Versys has a two-stage power mode and a three-stage traction control that works beautifully. The TC is not too intrusive and will still allow the front wheel to lift gently off'the ground when it a handful of throttle.
It’s a comfortable bike, too, especially at cruising speed. At a steady 70-80 mph, the big motor is gently purring, and with the manually adjustable windscreen at the halfway point, the rider sits in near-perfect comfort. The wide seat is plush, even for a passenger, and the 5.5-gallon tank provides a range of around 200 miles.
But now the not-so-great bit: handling. Because the Versys is a large bike with long-travel suspension, there’s a lot of dive up front when stopping or slowing hard with the powerful, non-radial, ABSassisted brakes, and the rear is on the soft side, as well. The overall result is a bit cumbersome, often making it hard to feel
how much grip the front tire is providing. It’s the same with relatively big angles of lean: The pegs touch down just at the point when the front end stops communicating with the rider. The Versys 1000 is perfectly stable (often a problem on long-suspension bikes), and the shock works better with additional preload; so, 80 percent of the time, the handling is fine. It’s that other 20 percent that can be a bit disconcerting.
Otherwise, the big Versys is pretty easy to live with. Shorter riders won’t have to tip-toe at stops like with a BMW GS or KTM Adventure, and the £9499 price ($14,878 at presstime) is in line with the competition. For anyone who wants a very quick adventure bike but a Ducati Multistrada is out of reach, the Versys 1000 could be the answer. For anyone who lives outside the U.S., that is. □
Adam Child is Senior Road Tester for
