Well, it'll be vintage some day...

Just picked this up. Not vintage, but at least it's a Kaw!

Gonna put it in the shed with the '79 750 and see if a May/December romance produces some baby Kaws (Kalves?)

Nice score...I have also been thinking of the newer 650s

Topper wrote: Just picked this up. Not vintage, but at least it's a Kaw!

Gonna put it in the shed with the '79 750 and see if a May/December romance produces some baby Kaws (Kalves?)

Attachment versys2.jpg not found

Get to put any miles on it yet? How do you like it? Probably out does you KZ in most everything, except looks. You'll get spoiled, then the KZ will feel un-loved and start throwing tantrums. :laugh:
Nice to ride a newer bike from time to time, but I still like my KZ.

Only put about 10 miles on so far! Will fix that soon.

Yes it's worlds away from my KZ. I do worry I'll neglect the KZ for a while, but I'll be back to it.

Can't beat the charm of a vintage bike or the community of riders.

See if you can add it to your profile signature :pinch:

i wanna ride it :woohoo: !!!

i hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

leon

Thanks. On the all too brief 10 mile test ride I was very impressed. When I got into motorcycling I jumped straight to my vintage KZ. Never owned a modern bike before. This should be fun.

Already did bonehead move number 1 though.

The bike's very clean except for a few minor scratches on the right side. Looks like a parking lot or garage fall. But the bars felt a little out of alignment. So I loosened up the triple tree and started straightening them out. Well I loosened too much and the forks slid right through the trees dropping the front of the bike almost three inches.

No problem, I figure I can jack the bike up and drop the forks. Well there's no flat surface under the bike to rest a jack on!! The only place I can jack it is off to one side and the bike starts to topple before the front wheel gets off the ground.

There's no frame to speak of under the bike either. I'm at a loss for how to get this damn thing off the ground.

Have you got a beam in the garage or carport? A big tree with a strong branch?
Get under it, and use a strap or rope to lift it up by the top of the triples, where the bars bolt down. Might need a hand to do it. A ratchet strap may make it easier.

Motor Head wrote: Have you got a beam in the garage or carport? A big tree with a strong branch?
Get under it, and use a strap or rope to lift it up by the top of the triples, where the bars bolt down. Might need a hand to do it. A ratchet strap may make it easier.

Oh that's brilliant! I bet I could lift it using the exposed rafters in my motorcycle shed and some ratchet straps.

Good score man!

A couple weeks ago I went to look at a 2013 Honda CB1100. The dealer carries 6-7 names, including Kawasaki, Honda, Triumph, Yamaha, Ducati, and a few others I forgot...oh ya...they have those goofy three wheeler can-am things, but those don't count.

I ended up looking hard at the Versys and the Triumph Bonneville. Wasn't impressed with the CB1100 like I thought I would be.

Anyways....I'm still thinking hard about the Versys. I'm like you in that my KZ1000 is my first bike and I have never ridden a modern bike.

Please keep us updated as to how you like it after you get some miles under it! I would be interested in hearing how all it compares to riding a vintage KZ. Feel, handling and such.

Very Nice Topper!

Looking forward to your riding impressions.

Bill

Well, I've put a little over 200 miles on the bike and I'm ready to share some thoughts on the Versys. Don't take anything I have to say about the ways the new bike is better than the old bike as me talking smack about vintage bikes. I still love my vintage KZ. Technology has just come a long way in the last 34 years. And some of the difference between the vintage and modern could be lessened if I did things like upgrade the KZ's brake lines to braided stainless steel, or worked out my recurring starter clutch gremlins. I get all that. Just want to give you my personal impressions of the Versys. And there ARE a few ways in which the KZ is superior to the modern bike.

What I love about the Versys

It's a very peppy bike with plenty of power for a 650. It's officially got about 60hp which isn't a lot but it's plenty for me. Redline on this bike is up around 10.5k rpm so riding it is way different than my old 750 twin with a 7k(ish) redline and a much lower optimal shift point. And the Versys wants to go fast. It's got 6 gears and I think I could easily get by without ever using 5 & 6. It'll cruise in 4th gear at 6k rpm and a comfortable 70mph. I'm using the higher gears primarily to save fuel (or if I want to go faster).

The brakes and clutch are completely different from my '79 KZ. The clutch on the KZ has more of a "friction point" where the Versys really has more of a "friction zone". The brakes on the KZ feel like they're either on or off, without a lot of subtlety to them at least when compared with the Versys. The rear brake on the KZ has always been way over powered for the bike (it's the same as the front disk) and it's prone to rear wheel lockup in quick stops if you aren't careful. The Versys brakes are much more effective and have much better feel. The levers are adjustable so they can be made comfortable regardless of whether you've got small hands or ham hocks at the end of you arms.

The Versys is fuel injected so no messing with the choke, no waiting for the bike to warm up, etc. Oh and no wondering in the back of my mind whether or not the bike will even start, which is always a possibility with the finicky starter clutch on my KZ. Just push the button and the Versys starts to purr.

Riding it was a little like riding a space ship at first. The bike is eerily quiet. The first time or two I rode it I felt just like I did the first time I got into a friend's hybrid car. Some of this changed when I got into different riding situations, not the engine/exhaust noise, but other noise (see below).

The headlight is brilliantly bright. It's so much easier to see when riding at night. I upgraded my KZ headlight to a more modern, higher watt bulb and reflector setup, but it just doesn't compare to the new light.

It's got a 5 gallon tank, gets 50mpg and I don't have to worry when I put ethanol in it.

I'm guessing it's the wide tires (160rear/120front vs. 120rear/100front on the KZ) but the bike feels very stable at speed. Like when I put it in a lane position it's just going to stay there forever. Those wide tires generate a bigger contact patch and make it feel more stable in the twistys.

I love the look of the bike (for a modern bike). Few modern bikes do anything for me. Most sport bikes just have too much plastic for me and I'm not really into cruisers either. There are a few naked sport bikes out there I like, but not many. I like the Versys and the most recent iteration of the V-Strom. They're not cruisers, they're not sport bikes. They have a utilitarian bent to them that's oddly reminiscent of the aesthetic of vintage bikes (IMHO).

What I don't like about the Versys

It's a tall ride and I'm not a tall rider. Seat height is 33 inches and I've got a 31 inch inseam on a good day. The bike is also a little top heavy. That's making slow speed turns a little tricky to master and I dropped the bike once at a stop already. They make a lowering link and I'm probably going to get it. Not every rider would have this problem, but I'm 5'8" tall and I think the bike is designed for people 5'10"+

The side stand seems too tall making the bike sit very upright when parked. I'm constantly worried it's going to tip over. When I lower the bike, I'll also shorten the side stand. That should help.

The suspension is very stiff. It seems to handle corner bumps better than the KZ but at slow speeds has a rougher ride.

The plastic fairing produces a lot of noise at slow speed when the rpms are somewhere around 3-4k. I haven't quite pinned it down yet, but other owners on Versys forums complain about it too. Can be fixed with some careful placement of foam sticky tape, but seriously, Kawasaki should have done that at the factory.

What I Still Love About the KZ

So there's no way a 34 year old bike that's been abused by a numbskull mechanic (yours truly) is going to compete with a modern bike's performance, braking, handling, etc. But I still like the KZ's style much more than the modern bike. When I think of a motorcycle, those 70's era Japanese bikes are still the images that come to mind.

I love the exhaust note of my KZ750 twin. It's got a nice guttural thump that's not loud or obnoxious but still has some balls to it. The Versys is almost silent. There's really no exhaust note to speak of and I miss it.

The KZ comes with a center stand. HELLO??!! I can't believe modern bike makers don't include this. Hell they don't even put spools on the swingarm so you can lift the rear wheel to clean the chain. This would be like selling a car that had no place to put a jack to change a tire. Ridiculous.

I actually think the KZ handles gravel and dirt better than the Versys. I live on a gravel road out in the middle of nowhere. So a routine commute for me consists of a mile of gravel and 20+ of highway. This is what the Versys is designed for. But honestly, the KZ handles the gravel better. Could be the tires (the Versys tires are very sporty), could be the top heavy nature of the Versys, could just be what's familiar and comfortable for me. I don't know, but right now I'd rather take the KZ down the dirt road.

Not once in the week that I've had the Versys has someone walked up to me and asked "What year is that?" or said "That was my very first bike!". When I rode with buddies on their modern bikes, when we'd stop, my KZ was always the one that generated comments and conversations with strangers. I don't see that happening much when I'm on the Versys.

You know what else isn't happening as much? The Harley guys aren't waiving to me. I don't know if the round headlight on the KZ fooled them or they just appreciated an old bike regardless of make, but I seem to have fallen into the sport bike/crotch rocket category for them now. I wouldn't consider the Versys either of those things. But I'm definitely feeling a little more snubbed by the fringed leather crowd.

Best of Both Worlds

For a long time I've wanted to have a vintage bike to tinker with and a modern bike that I could ride anywhere, anytime. I'm glad to finally be there.

I'm going to allow myself a few weeks to be infatuated with the new toy. I guess that means I better drain the carb bowls in the old toy so it'll be ready and waiting once I'm ready to get my knuckles dirty again.