KAWASAKI VERSYS 650 + 1000 LT

During our 10-day, 5-stadium California tour on Kawasaki’s Versys1000 SE LT, I had a song repeat a few times through my headsets. Sade’s Smooth Operator. After the third time in several days I realized that maybe it was appropriate as, like Sade Adu, the Nigerian-born British pop singer, this Versys 1000 was black, beautiful, and very smooth.

The in-line four-cylinder 1043 cc powerplant, basically the same that powers Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000, was up to my expectations – brutish and ass kickin’ when called on; effortless and velvety in crosstown traf c in San Francisco (Yes, Hendrix reference), and the canyons.

Throughout the 10 days the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT was comfortable wherever the needle rested on the tachometer.

The machine comes with all the bells and whistles that Big Green can stuff into a bike like this – electronically controlled suspension, ABS, traction control, and Kawasaki’s Cornering Management Function.

Slick cornering lights lit the way when leaned over in the approaching night as we rode to Nevada from Monterey to get a motel room on the Saturday of Car Week.

It also comes with an Inertial Measurement Unit that measures inertia and acceleration along longitudinal, transverse, and vertical axes, plus roll rate and pitch rate are measured. The yaw rate is calculated using Kawasaki’s proprietary dynamic modeling software. Inputs from the IMU give the ECU software an even clearer real-time picture of chassis orientation. Okay, I stole that from Kawasaki’s press site. In plain English, the bike told me how far I was leaning in the turns. Page 31

I tried not to let this take up too much of my attention, but putting numbers (re: riding skill) in front of some people, childish men (not me) made for a bit too much self-competition. Where is Jonathon Rea?

The machine’s upright riding position lent itself to long days in the com fy saddle (a rarity in OEMs these days) and the large multi-function TFT Screen was both easy to operate and read. The bike comes with KQR 28-liter saddlebags. That, with the addition of a Nelson Rigg Tail Bag, allowed me to carry all my clothing plus a camera and computer. These bags are really excellent and open and close with authority. If Kawasaki added a few more liters of packing space, well it would not be a bad thing. The ample 5.5-gallon fuel tank let me go half a day before I begrudgingly paid… IDONYWANTTOTHINABOUTIT for fuel. The fully adjustable windscreen cut through the cold temps on the coast and the torrid heat to the east. During the trip, I was asked what sort of machine it was. Adventure? Sport? I came away thinking the Versys is a wonderful cross-

over, taking a bit from both genres and add-

ing some serious long-distance sport-touring

into the mix as well.

Has anyone said Sport-Adventure Bike yet? Foothill Ranch - feel free to use that.

The bottom line with a machine like the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT, which lists at an affordable $18,399, is simple. If you told me this was to be my day-to-day ride for the season… how would I feel? I think I’d feel like riding. ~ Brian Rathjen ,

My ride for our semi dash/tour would be the Versys 650 LT equipped with hard luggage and hand guards. The 33.3 inch seat height was comfortable, and the 483 pounds was well-balanced (side note to come). The sleek Black/Metallic Flat Spark Black, while not ideal for photography, had a subtle design on the gas tank and side covers to offset its blackness. Illumination came via LED headlights and an LED taillight gave the Versys a modern, sporty visual identity.

I opted to bring along my Nelson Rigg Commuter Touring tail bag. Each 28-liter hard luggage bag would be more than suf cient to hold clothes and other travel necessities, while the Nelson Rigg, holding almost 25 liters before expansion, would be great instead of my usual tank bag for easily accessible items like camera, hat, etc.

We arrived at Kawasaki and proceeded to unpack our Ogio luggage, strapping on the tail bags, lling the saddle bags and generally making these bikes road-ready for our 10 day trip. My bag liners easily t inside the Kawasaki bags, making for easy unpacking at overnights, and the Nelson Rigg bag would snap right off as well.

Taking a look around the bike, as I had not ridden one before, I familiarized myself with its functions and settings. The Versys 650 LT is equipped with Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC). There are two modes: Mode 1 is the least intrusive, helping to manage traction during cornering and facilitate acceleration out of corners and Mode 2 reduces engine output when excessive wheel spin is detected, allowing for maximum grip. There is also the option to turn off the traction control system.

The 4.3” full-color all-digital TFT, quite visible both day and night, displays information of all types, from speed to temperature, fuel to time. You will be in the know wherever you go. A Bluetooth chip allows for connection to your smartphone utilizing the RIDEOLOGY app for control many functions.

The newly-designed windshield offered four positions, easily adjusted by hand using a release button below the TFT screen. I kept it at the lower position, which was just below my line of sight, and was quite comfortable with no noticeable wind buffeting.

Our 10 day ride had a good mix of freeway and backroads, give the 649cc, parallel twin engine a chance to perform in all conditions. While Brian, on the Kawasaki Versys 1000, was purring along at speed on the freeway, I was easily keeping up, with no wind stress, on the 650. Even with our saddle bags, we were able to do most of the lane splitting necessary to navigate the congestion that is California.

A side note on lane splitting: I was amazed at how the drivers made room for the motorcycles coming through. For the most part, unless there was a truck or bus, we were able to scoot by at a pretty good clip, with the cars moving just a bit to allow that extra foot of lane to accommodate the bike.

Of course, it truly purred when on the many twisty tarmacs we enjoyed BACKROADS • DECEMBER 2022 – California 1, Angeles Crest Highway and Route 33, to name a few. The torquey twin delivers a deep ribbon of power in the low-and mid-range of the powerband, while also pulling vigorously to the top of the rev range. It ipped easily through the turns keeping in the lower of the six speeds with its excellent maneuverability.

My touring ride at home is the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and I was excited to see the comparison in t and comfort. The light and narrow frame of the

Kawasaki Versys 650 LT, along with its high-tech suspension and comfortable riding position, made for an enjoyable ride. We had some long mileage days and they were not met with aches and pains, but with the feeling that I could certainly have ridden longer. The stock saddle was absolutely acceptable, with comfort and the ability to slide around while riding the more aggressive roads. The front adjustable Showa forks and rear shock handle the damping and rigidity to add to the comfort of the ride. The dual 300mm petal-style rotors with two-piston calipers in front and single 220mm petal rotor with single-piston caliper on the rear handled the braking needed on those congested roadways. The only issue I noticed was when lling the 5.5 gallon tank, there was a bit of top-heaviness

felt. This only

lasted a few miles, until that extra bit of gas was burned off. With the seat height at the top end of my toe reach, this did come in to play in parking lots, but for those who are not vertically challenged, this would be no issue at all.

Bottom line: comfort, maneuverability, handling and touring capacity were all excellent. With a starting MSRP of $10,999, including the saddlebags, the Kawasaki Versys 650 LT makes for a terri c touring motorcycle that can handle most anything you’d like to ride. ~ Shira Kamil ,