Kawasaki brings its versatile Versys to the U.S.

Wildh2oskier wrote:

Anyone who has ever ridden any dual purpose motorcycle will tell you that they are engineered to do any and everything... poorly. They take the worst of streetbike traits and mate them to slow heavy badly sprung dirtbike traits to achieve the perfect screwed up motorcycle.

Have to dissagree with you there. My KLR650 is the coolest bike I've ridden and I love it. I've ridden 400 mile trips on it several times and it handles it OK (I was actually a lot less worn out than when I made the same trip on my KZ1100 years ago). I take the tank trails into work on Fort Riley and I hate to say it, but the first low water crossing I take would break a KZ. It's got a lot of low end torque, so in a city between stop lights, I really don't know why you'd want for more power. Add to that with all the after market stuff for them, I can turn that bike into a pack mule and carry all kinds of stuff, which comes in handy because I have to start the day with PT and have to carry all my uniform and shower stuff in for afterwards. Yeah, it ain't gonna win any beauty contests, but those are great bikes (good seller unchanged for 25 years should tell you something).

If I decide not to retire this year and do another deployment to the sandbox, I think there's gonna be a Versys waiting payed for for me when I get home like the KLR was last time. I like them and I predict they'll be here for a while.

Rich, it seems like the Versys is just a "re-styled" KLR. Since you have good experience with the dual scene, I was wondering what you think would be some of the comparisons that could be made between the two?

Wildh2oskier wrote:

Anyone who has ever ridden any dual purpose motorcycle will tell you that they are engineered to do any and everything... poorly. They take the worst of streetbike traits and mate them to slow heavy badly sprung dirtbike traits to achieve the perfect screwed up motorcycle.

I disagree. My brother just bought a new KLR650. I was totally blown away when I rode it. I can't get over how light and nimble it feels. It changes lanes with half the effort my KZ650 does, and corners so much better I couldn't believe it. At 60 mph, my KZ650 cruises at 4000 RPM, the KLR cruises at 3000-3300. The KLR also stops better, too, as they upgraded the crappy brakes on them this year. And gas mileage? I rode my brother's KLR for a week. In my daily driving, I get around 38mpg out of my KZ650. Same driving, I got 52mpg on the KLR.

As far as handling? Take a super motard and a sport bike and put them on a really tight road course and the super motard will run away from the sport bike every time. This summer, I was at an autocross. On a bet, a guy with a DRZ400SM went up against a CBR600RR Honda. It wasn't even close. Now, clearly, there could have been a difference in rider skills, but, the guy on the super motard was a member of a club that races them on a road course near me, and his buddies were taking every bet and laughing as they did it, and offered to have any one of them ride the Suzuki, and offered the same bet against any of the sport bikes that was there. After the first race, none of the sport bike guys would take them up on it.

I'm not saying dual sports are the be-all, end all, but, unless you want to do some serious off-roading on tight, technical trails or motocross tracks, modern dual sports have gotten pretty darn good.

The hot setup (and what my brother plans to do), is to have two sets of wheels, tires, and rear sprockets. As good as that bike is now, I can't imagine how it will be with 17" wheels, good street tires, and 4 less teeth on the rear sprocket.

For the average bike owner, cruising around town and on the highway (at under 85), Dual sports are a pretty good choice. The guy with the DRZ400SM said he's getting 55-60mpg around town, and he likes to ride wheelies a lot.

Now, the Versys is a step further towards the street than a super motard. With those tires, it's not going to do well at all off-road, especially on dirt roads with some loose dirt on the surface. I do think, though, that it would make a great urban bike.

Maybe a distant cousin to Harley's new 146 hp Buell 1125R :huh:

1125R

KZErider wrote:

Rich, it seems like the Versys is just a "re-styled" KLR. Since you have good experience with the dual scene, I was wondering what you think would be some of the comparisons that could be made between the two?

What I'm reading on KLR650.net (a good forum but not as good as this one), the Versys is a lot better on pavement, quicker and more maneuverable, but obviously isn't built to do off road stuff like the KLR. The riding position has your knees and hips flexed a lot more (I love the uprightKLR riding position but my feet are still under me unlike the Vulcan I rode for a while) so you get fatigued quicker. None of this is really suprising when you look at the two.

KLR is a great bike. I'd love to see how the new and improved one does, the brakes really needed to be better and that was a common upgrade to bigger rotors and better lines. I'll probably do it to mine someday, I'm not a real aggressive rider so it'll wait. It's also real tall, so if you're short, it kinda sucks. I had mine lowered an inch and a half before I took it home and that helped.

Patton wrote:

Maybe a distant cousin to Harley's new 146 hp Buell 1125R :huh:

1125R

Don't know about that one but I'll admit I wouldn't mind a Buell Ulysses dual sport in the garage.

I would agree that on single tracks etc you cannot beat a pure dirt bike, and that in many of those cases a KLR is also very capable, but the bike must suit the rider too.

Forestry being the #1 industry here in BC, we have an unimaginably massive network of logging roads. Many of them are 5+hrs away from Vancouver. So I was looking for a bike that could get there comfortably, drop my luggage at the motel, and ride into the hills for the day and/or tag along with the F650s and R1200GSs that I will run into.

But, the other 10 months of the year I'm commuting in city traffic and pulling up to coffee shops to meet friends (sometimes attractive ones) - in these cases I want it to not look like I just did some 20' jumps and 360s (remember ExciteBike???), I want it to look a bit flashy. This I think the Versys does a bit better than the V-Strom, and a lot better than the KLR, without the pretention of a BMW.

I just wish it came with ABS like it does in Europe...
BTW the Europeans are all over this bike and there are tons of accessories for them in Germany/UK, including rad guards and engine guards.

I'd have to disagree that the Versys is a "restyled" KLR. Close evaluation reveals they don't have much in common besides being Kawasaki motorcycles.

The engines are completely different with the KLR being a thumper and the Versys having the 650 twin that first appeared on the Ninja 650R a couple of years ago. After that they diverge considerably.

Now, I haven't ridden either but I've read the reviews.

Somebody bought the one that City Cycle Sales had on the floor, I've seen him riding it in Juction City. Hopefully I can flag him down soon and ask what he thinks.

Wildh2oskier wrote:

But if you like it more power to you. But a DP bike just doesn't satisfy me in either area. If al you d is around the town hops they would be fine but for serious roading or trail work then they are a great idea that comes up woefully short.

he doesnt think so


oh and klr's are frickin pack mules but they are fun to wheelie :evil:

i really want a klr. if they can make something for over two decades without changing it, obviously its doing something right. think of the range of that six gallon tank...